Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar asks Muslim community to support Prabowo's priority programs

Indonesian Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar has called on all Muslim elements and the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to synergize and fully support the implementation of the government's priority national programs. Umar made this appeal while closing the 8th Indonesian Islamic Congress (KUII) and commemorating the 51st anniversary of MUI in Jakarta.

He emphasized that collaboration between the government and religious leaders is crucial, assuring that President Prabowo Subianto's pro-people priority programs and policies are fundamentally aimed at the welfare of the Muslim community, which constitutes the majority in Indonesia. "We need to synergize and support President Prabowo's commitment to provide full support for the implementation of Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution. If these policies are implemented, the main beneficiaries will be the Muslim community," Nasaruddin stated.

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We need to synergize and support President Prabowo's commitment to provide full support for the implementation of Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution. If these policies are implemented, the main beneficiaries will be the Muslim community.

Umar detailed several national strategic programs that warrant collective support, including industrial downstreaming policies, free school access for the public, expanded LPDP scholarships for underprivileged communities, and the construction of thousands of housing units and fishing villages. He also noted the government's commitment to redistributing vast, unused lands back to the community for management, suggesting these affirmative policies should foster optimism among the populace. "Who will benefit most from downstreaming? Who will enjoy free public schools and scholarships for children who cannot afford them? Certainly, our community. Therefore, I urge, let us give full support to such policies," he asserted.

Beyond welfare programs, the Minister highlighted the government's vision aligning with the concerns of religious scholars regarding national moral integrity. This is evidenced by Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 111 of 2025 concerning general policies for national defense, which explicitly targets the eradication of non-military threats. These threats include the spread of atheism, erosion of nationalism, rampant online gambling, and the dissemination of deviant cultural practices and behaviors like LGBT. Umar also urged MUI to explore non-economic approaches to increase the market share of national Islamic finance and banking, expressing regret that despite Indonesia's large Muslim population, Islamic banking's market share remains below 10 percent.

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Who will benefit most from downstreaming? Who will enjoy free public schools and scholarships for children who cannot afford them? Certainly, our community. Therefore, I urge, let us give full support to such policies.