The NAHDLATUL ULAMA: Its Early History and Contribution to the Establishment of Indonesian State

Established on 31 January 1926 in Surabaya, East Java, by some prominent kyais like K.H. Abdul Wahab Hasbullah and K.H. Hasyim Asy'ari, the Nahdlatul Ulama was born in the culture of pesantren where ‘traditional Islam' has been rooted and preserved. In this context, the Nahdlatul Ulama declared its religious ideology as ‘ahl al-sunnah wa al-jama'ah.' This religious ideology has become important characteristics of the Nahdlatul Ulama that differentiate itself from Muslim ‘modernist' organizations. In its early movements, the Nahdlatul Ulama plyed a pivotal role by, for example, banning the Musl... Mehr ...