Nahdatul Ulama

Nahdatul Ulama 

(Muslim Teachers Party), a major Muslim bourgeois political party in Indonesia. Established as a religious organization in Surabaya in 1926, its initial purpose was the propagation of orthodox Islam and opposition to Muslim reform movements. From 1945 to 1952, it was affiliated with the Masjumi Party.

Most of the members of Nahdatul Ulama are low- and middle-level tradespeople, manufacturers, landowners, peasants, and artisans. The party’s official aim is the creation of a state founded on the principles of Islam. After the events of September 1965 in Indonesia, the leadership of Nahdatul Ulama became one of the bulwarks of anticommunism in the country. In 1973, on the recommendation of the government, Nahdatul Ulama merged with other Muslim parties (the Muslim Party of Indonesia, the Muslim Union of Indonesia, and the Movement for Muslim Education) into the Party of Unity and Development.

V. A. ZHAROV