REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – The 90 million strong Indonesian Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama rocked by the issue of the impeachment of its general chair, KH Yahya Cholil Staquf. The perceived relation between Staquf and the international Zionist network is at the heart of the matter.
The rumor about the impeachment is sparked by the circulation of the minutes from the closed meeting of the sharia council (Syuriyah) of the organization on Friday. Deputy Rais ‘Aam of the Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) Executive Board, KH Afifuddin Muhajir, has confirmed the existence of the impeachment letter. "Yes, the document is valid," he said briefly when met by Republika specifically, in Jakarta that Friday evening.
The letter is the minutes of a closed meeting on Thursday (20/11/2025), which was held by the head of NU sharia council (Rais ‘Aam) KH Miftachul Akhyar together with the daily administrators at the Aston City Hotel, Jakarta. Based on the minutes obtained by Republika, the meeting which was attended by 37 of the 53 Syuriyah administrators produced several important points.
The main issue of the meeting is Staquf's action in inviting speakers affiliated with the "global Zionism network."
"The meeting considers that inviting speaker related to the International Zionism network in the Nahdlatul Ulama National Leadership Academy (AKN NU) as sources for Nahdlatul Ulama's highest level cadre formation has violated the values and teachings of Ahlussunnah wal Jamaah An-Nahdliyah and is contrary to the Muqaddimah Qanun Asasi Nahdlatul Ulama," said the first point of the meeting's decision referring to the basic principles of the organization.
Furthermore, "The meeting considers that the implementation of the Nahdlatul Ulama National Leadership Academy (AKN NU) with resource persons related to the International Zionism network in the midst of genocide practices and international criticism of Israel has fulfilled the provisions of Article 8 letter a of the Nahdlatul Ulama Association Regulation Number 13 of 2025 concerning Dismissal of Functionaries, Temporary Changes and Delegation of Position Functions, which regulates that dismissal is not carried out honorably against functionaries because the person concerned has committed an act that is defamatory to the good name of the organization.”
The minutes closed by recommendation for Staquf, nicknamed Gus Yahya, to step down in three days since the meeting. If this condition does not meet, the religious board will unilaterally dismiss Gus Yahya from his position. This step will potentially meet with some resistance since quite a few of the NU’s regional stakeholders are staunch Gus Yahya allies.
Even though Gus Yahya has not issued a public statement, a number of branch administrators have leaked a video containing his message delivered via a Zoom meeting with regional administrators on Friday afternoon. In the video, Gus Yahya stated that the Syuriah decision demanding his resignation was carried out unilaterally. "Since the beginning of the meeting, it was stated that there was a desire to dismiss me and then narratives were created to justify that desire without giving me the opportunity to provide open clarification as if the decision was a unilateral decision by Syuriyah, in this case Rais ‘Aam."
Gus Yahya did not explicitly mention in his statement the point regarding the mistake of inviting pro-Zionist figures. However, according to him, the narrative accompanying the impeachment minutes is invalid. "The substance of the narratives used to justify this desire are also not valid narratives," he said. He felt he was not given the opportunity to provide clarification internally.
This recommendation by the Syuriyah, Gus Yahya said, is a dangerous precedent. "The problem is that in the current crisis related to PBNU, there are several things that are very dangerous, very dangerous as a precedent for the integrity of the organization as a whole."
Established in 1926 by some of the most senior ulama in Indonesia, history records that from the start the organization was actually a firm defender of Palestine. Republika archives record that Nahdlatul Ulama circles have paid attention to the issue of annexing Palestinian land long before the nation of Israel was declared.
The founding clerics of NU have highlighted the dangers of the large-scale migration of European Jews and their actions in annexing Palestinian land since the beginning of the 20th century. At that time, in the 1930s, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) had taken steps in supporting the Palestinian struggle. That period was also a period of great resistance by indigenous Palestinians against British colonialism and Jewish settlers, which began in 1936.
In 1938, NU clerics mandated special recitation in Muslim daily prayer for the struggle of the Palestinian. NU also collects donations to be used to strengthen Palestinian struggle for independence. The move at that time went against the policy of the Dutch colonial administration.
In 1999, when President KH Abdurrahman Wahid – a grandson of NU’ founder – was criticized for opening up opportunities for diplomatic relations with Israel, the context was still similar. Gus Dur put a heavy price on opening diplomatic relations with Israel which was non-negotiable. First, Palestinian independence, and then Israel's withdrawal from the Golan Heights.
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