Nahdlatul Ulama leadership crisis before 35th Muktamar

Indonesia’s largest Islamic mass organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), is grappling with a leadership crisis as it prepares for its 35th Muktamar, a national congress scheduled for August 2026 in East Java. Internal debates focus on adopting a “Maslahah” (public‑interest) compass to guide the organization’s direction into its second century, emphasizing welfare, unity and service over partisan politics.

The controversy intensified after former U.S. State Department official Peter Berkowitz delivered a lecture at NU’s National Leadership Academy in August 2025. His ties to pro‑Israel and neoconservative networks sparked online backlash, leading NU’s supreme spiritual leader, Miftachul Akhyar, to suspend the academy and suspend NU’s memorandum with the Center for Shared Civilizational Values. The fallout resulted in the removal, then reinstatement, of PBNU chairman Gus Yahya (Yahya Cholil Staquf) and a legal dispute over the legitimacy of those actions. The episode highlights broader tensions over NU’s foreign partnerships, a large coal concession granted in 2024, and perceived government co‑optation.

These internal disputes are set against the backdrop of NU’s centennial celebrations and its role as a key political and religious actor in Indonesia, raising questions about the organization’s independence and future governance.