PBNU Chairman Asks Religion Not To Be Used As A Political Weapon

PBNU chairman Yahya Cholil Staquf gave a key speech at the launch of a book entitled "Proceedings of the R20 International Summit of Religious Leaders" at the Senate Hall, UGM, Yogyakarta, Friday (4/8/2023) (ANTARA/HO-PBNU)

YOGYAKARTA - Chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board (PBNU) KH Yahya Cholil Staquf asked that religious identities not be manipulated into weapons to gain political support or attack other parties.

Yahya Cholil said that such manipulation has the potential to lead religion as a source of problems.

"We have to prevent our religion from becoming a problem," said the man who is usually called Gus Yahya at the launch of a book entitled "Proceedings of the R20 International Summit of Religious Leaders" at the Senate Hall, UGM, Yogyakarta reported by ANTARA, Friday, August 4.

According to Gus Yahya, the last two general elections, namely the 2014 Presidential Election and the 2019 Presidential Election, have been a bad experience due to the use of identity politics.

"The very bad experience is related to identity politics where people use religion as a weapon to gain political support to attack other people," he said.

According to him, allowing the use of religion as a political weapon is at risk of triggering conflict or interfaith competition in fighting over public and social spaces.

"Of course it is dangerous to let religion fight for domination in public and social spaces because we currently live in different groups, different religions, but live next to each other in the same environment," he said.

Therefore, said Gus Yahya, the R20 initiative is an effort to make religion a source of solution and not a global dynamic problem that occurs.

"We are looking for ways to continue to uphold our religion and make it a contribution to future civilization that the whole community is struggling with war. That's why the creation of the R20 initiative is to stop religion as a source of trouble and start making it a source of solution," he said.