Martin Van Bruinessen:
Nu Can Take Part In Restoring Indonesia's Image

The 33rd Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Convention in Jombang, East Java, in early August will be a nostalgic journey for Martin van Bruinessen, who spent considerable time in Indonesia during the 1980s and 1990s. As a resource person at the pre-convention discussions, Bruinessen, the Dutch professor from Utrecht University, author of a number of books on Islam in Indonesia, was sought after to speak on the future direction of the the NU, currently led by KH Said Aqil Siroj.

In the opinion of Dutch anthropologist Bruinessen, the NU has an important role to play in society. He knows his subject matter well, given his nine years in Indonesia. Although he now resides in the Netherlands, he still devotes much of his time to Islamic literature, in the form of discussions and studies on intellectual development in Indonesia. This has led Bruinessen to deepen his knowledge on Islamic thinking in Indonesia, and that of the NU.

August 4, 2015