Sep 17, 2008

Pesantren Ciganjur leader calls on people to emphasize moral values



The leader of Ciganjur Islamic boarding school (pesantren) KH Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) called on people to consider the importance of moral values in dealing with any emerging social issues.

Gus Dur made the remarks as addressing a religious gathering to study Ar Risalah written by prominent figure in madzhab (Islamic school of thought) Imam Syafi'ie at Pesantren Ciganjur, Jln. Warung Sila, Jakarta recently.

Gus Dur said that Islamic community in Indonesia could be divided into two groups namely santri and non santri circles.

He then gave an example that there were many food stalls open during the holy month of Ramadhan at noon while at the same time many people were fasting.

Gus Dur said those non-santri eating at the food stalls should also be helped for regarding that they are our fellow Muslims.

In this respect, Muslims especially santri circles must emphasize the importance of moral excellencies and Islamic values, Gus Dur said.

He also said that the NU prominent figure Hadratus Sheikh KH Hasyim Asy'ari had all of the time called for the need of Islamic values in dealing with any problems.

"We need to build Muslims' quality in the country by using approaches wisely and gently in order to avoid such pressures having negative implications in the future," he said.

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