One of the women’s wings of the country’s largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Muslimat NU, has supported the call by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to root out drug abuse and radicalism in the country by empowering women and improving their role in the family and in society.
On Saturday, Jokowi attended an event to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Muslimat NU in Malang, East Java, where an anti-drug campaign was launched by Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa, who is also a Muslimat NU leader.
In his speech at the event, Jokowi highlighted the importance of the role of women in the family and community in preventing drug abuse and radicalism – two problems Indonesia has long been trying to root out.
“So that they [children] are able to shield themselves from the influence of radical teachings and drugs that threaten us all,” Jokowi said, as quoted in a press release distributed by the State Palace. “Mothers are the first and the most important educational institution for our children.”
Muslimat NU has offices in each of the country’s 34 provinces and has more than 36,000 representative offices in villages and subdistricts across the country.
Jokowi has called for a stronger fight against drug abuse, including the execution of drug convicts, and has rejected clemency pleas for convicted traffickers, but numerous arrests related to drug abuse still occur, some of the latest allegedly involving military and police personnel.
Human rights campaigners have repeatedly called for the abolition of capital punishment in the country as they argue it does not deter drug traffickers. Indonesia’s move to put to death 14 drug convicts — both Indonesians and foreigners — in two rounds of executions last year sparked intense criticism and put Indonesia in the international spotlight.
Despite human rights campaigners’ continuing opposition to capital punishment, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan recently signaled the country might begin executing around 10 Indonesian drug convicts this year since economic stability, a reason previously used to postpone a third set of executions, was no longer an issue.
NU itself has thrown its support behind Jokowi in pressing ahead with the government’s plan to execute drug traffickers.
In his efforts to root out radicalism, Jokowi has been pushing for the adoption of a soft approach and not relying solely on the hard approach in eradicating terrorism in the country, including by calling on clerics and Muslim leaders to help the government crack down on fire-brand sermons by promoting the preaching of peaceful Islam and calling on social media to engage in a counter-narrative.
Indonesia has long had a problem with terrorism with the latest attack being that in the Thamrin area of Central Jakarta in January, which is believed to have been planned from within prison.
Jokowi also expressed his appreciation for Muslimat NU, which supported his presidential bid in 2014, for their contribution to helping to empower women in society.
Minister Khofifah said all Muslimat NU members should work to empower women and contribute to developing the people and the country. “All Indonesian women should work to improve themselves generally as well as in terms of religious matters in 2016,” she was quoted by Antara News Agency.
Meanwhile former NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi, who is currently a member at the Presidential Advisory Board, reminded all Muslimat NU members to continue improving their contribution to the country and urged Muslimat NU members to maintain impartiality in the face of the great temptation of political affiliations.
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