REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – An Advisory Board of the Central Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) Kiai Ma'ruf Amin explained the relationship between politics and religion. He said that as a respond on the statement of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) on the separation of religions to politics. 

Kiai Ma’ruf said religion and politics had a mutual relationship. Therefore, both could not be separated. It shouldstrengthen each other. “Religion and politics has mutual relationship. National politics should also get religious support. What if it did not get it?” said him in South Jakarta on Monday (March 27).

Tried to interpret Jokowi’s statement, Kiai Ma'ruf said Jokowi might want to say politics should be separated from the various religious understanding that potentially bring conflicts. Crashes between different religious understandings might bring problems into the nation. 

Also read: Religious and politics should strengthen each other: MUI

However, Kiai Ma'ruf said politics needed the support of religions. So, the religion, Pancasila, and the state should support and strengthen each other. 

Kiai Ma'ruf said one of the troubling religious understandings was radicalism. When it was not resolved, it might replace Pancasila. So does the secular radicalism which did not allow religions to intervene the state life. 

“Religious and politics should be strengthening to avoid never ending conflicts. But not in the radical religious understanding, because radicalism is something damaging,” Kiai Ma'ruf who is also the Chairman of Indonesian Council of Ulama (MUI) said. 

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