REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – The Central Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) and Federal Republic of Germany will hold and international seminar on ‘Pesantren Role on Overcoming Global Terrorism’ in Cirebon, West Java, on March 16-18. Former president, BJ Habibie, and the Chairman of PBNU, KH Said Agil Sirodj, will attend the seminar to talk on role in intercepting radicalism.
German Ambassador to Indonesia, Norbert Baas, and the Minister for the Acceleration of Development in Underdeveloped Regions, Helmy Faishal Zaini, are planned to attend. The other panelists are former member of Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) Nasir Abas and the Chairman of National Counter Terrorism Agency (BNPT) Ansyad Mbai.
“We expect people especially Western people, to know that pesantren (boarding school –Ed) is not the creator of terrorist. We want to show that pesantren, particularly Nahdlatul Ulama, is not related to radicalism and terrorism,” the Head of Seminar Committee, Wiku Wardana, said on Thursday.
Said Agil said the seminar was positive measure to help the eradication of terrorism. “As a civil society, NU obliges to do so,” he said.