Nahdlatul Ulama Central Board Appoints Special Advisors for International Affairs
“Nahdlatul Ulama [is] a great organization, a magnificent home of religious scholars, of Islamic leaders who constantly strive to preserve a pluralistic, tolerant, and peaceful understanding of Islam, a humane Islam that fosters universal love and compassion”
~ H.E. Prabowo Subianto
President of the Republic of Indonesia
President Prabowo greets Nahdlatul Ulama Chairman KH. Yahya Cholil Staquf at the celebration of Nahdlatul Ulama’s 102nd anniversary in the Islamic calendar
JAKARTA, Indonesia, 5 – 6 February 2025 — For the first time in its history, the world’s largest Muslim organization, Indonesia’s Nahdlatul Ulama (est. 1926), has formally appointed three Special Advisors for International Affairs to assist in the continued expansion of its operations worldwide. The three advisors are H. Muhammad Kholil (C. Holland Taylor) of the United States; Shaykh Yahya Sergio Yahe Pallavicini of Italy; and Professor Greg Barton of Australia.
Nahdlatul Ulama Chairman KH. Yahya Cholil Staquf introduced the newly appointed advisors at the opening session of a National Consultation of Nahdlatul Ulama Religious Scholars and Major Conference (Munas/Konbes), which was attended by senior NU leaders from throughout Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation and democracy (image below).
Held in conjunction with Nahdlatul Ulama’s anniversary, the event was attended by Indonesian President H.E. Prabowo Subianto, Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, and numerous cabinet ministers, as well as the Commander of Indonesia’s National Armed Forces and its Chief of Police. In his address to an audience of over 7,000 NU leaders, the President credited Nahdlatul Ulama for securing Indonesia’s independence from Dutch rule and for serving as an indispensable pillar of support for the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, a multi-religious and pluralistic nation founded upon the five principles of Pancasila.
Brothers and sisters: for the past 80 years Nahdlatul Ulama has invariably arisen, in times of crisis, to defend our people and save the Republic of Indonesia from disaster. [On 17 August 1945, Sukarno and Muhammad Hatta] issued the Proclamation of Independence in Jakarta, but the Republic of Indonesia’s independence underwent its actual trial of fire in East Java, the heartland of Nahdlatul Ulama. For at the battle of Surabaya, on 10 November, the ulama emerged as fearless warriors leading their followers [against heavily armed British and Dutch forces], to defend the Republic of Indonesia’s independence with their precious lifeblood.
It is highly commendable that your leadership has always been, and to this day remains, determined to preserve and defend this noble heritage. I have come here tonight, with members of my cabinet, to convey our respect to the leaders of Nahdlatul Ulama, who for the past century have consistently developed, nurtured, and preserved Nahdlatul Ulama as a great organization, a magnificent home of religious scholars, of Islamic leaders who constantly strive to preserve a pluralistic, tolerant, and peaceful understanding of Islam, a humane Islam that fosters universal love and compassion (Islam rahmatan lil ‘alamin).
Informal discussion between (left to right) Thomas G. Dinham, H. Muhammad Kholil (C. Holland Taylor), KH. Yahya Cholil Staquf (General Chairman, NU Central Board), KH. Miftachul Achyar (Chairman of the NU Supreme Council), H. Amin Husni (Deputy Chairman, NU Central Board), Shaykh Yahya Pallavicini, and Dr. Greg Barton on the sidelines of the February 2025 Munas/Konbes
H.E. KH. Abdurrahman Wahid and C. Holland Taylor visiting Gettysburg National Military Park in 2008
One of the three international advisors, H. Muhammad Kholil (C. Holland Taylor), has served as Special Advisor to the General Chairman, Nahdlatul Ulama Central Board since January 2022. A close friend of long-time NU Chairman (1984 – ‘99) and Indonesia’s first democratically elected president, H.E. KH. Abdurrahman Wahid, Mr. Taylor co-founded and heads a number of organizations closely affiliated with Nahdlatul Ulama, including LibForAll Foundation (est. 2003); Bayt ar-Rahmah li ad-Da‘wa al-Islamiyyah Rahmatan li al-‘Alamin (est. 2014); and the Center for Shared Civilizational Values (est. 2021), which serves as Permanent Secretariat of the G20 Religion Forum (R20).
KH. Ulil Abshar Abdalla (Vice Chairman, NU Central Board), C. Holland Taylor, KH. Abdul Hakim Mahfudz (General Chairman, Nahdlatul Ulama East Java Province), and Dr. Greg Barton on the sidelines of the February 2025 Munas/Konbes
One of the world’s leading scholars of Indonesian Islam, Professor Greg Barton, was also a close friend of President Wahid (1940 – 2009). He is the author of Gus Dur: The Authorized Biography of Abdurrahman Wahid, along with numerous scholarly works published during a career that spans nearly four decades of academic research into Islam and social movements throughout Southeast Asia.
Professor Barton currently serves as inaugural Rector of The Deakin University Lancaster University Indonesia campus based in Bandung, West Java, and is a Senior Research Fellow at Hedayah – The International Center of Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism, which is based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Frequently interviewed by electronic, print, and broadcast media, Professor Barton’s most recent book (co-edited and written with Matteo Vergani) is titled Countering Violent and Hateful Extremism in Indonesia: Islam, Gender and Civil Society (Palgrave 2022).
Shaykh Yahya Sergio Yahe Pallavicini, President of EULEMA (European Muslim Leaders Majlis)
Shaykh Yahya Pallavicini is a second-generation Muslim Italian citizen. He is the Imam and Vice President of La Comunità Religiosa Islamica Italiana (COREIS); a member of the Islamic Cultural Center of Italy (the Great Mosque of Rome); an ambassador for civilizational dialogue for the Islamic Organization for Education, Science and Culture (ISESCO); and an advisor on Islam to the Republic of Italy’s Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ministry of Education.
For over a decade, Shaykh Yahya Pallavicini has collaborated with the office of the President of the European Commission. He is co-founder and President of the European Council of Religious Leaders (EULEMA) and has been consistently cited as one of the most influential Muslims in the world by the premier index of Muslim power and influence, The Muslim 500.
Shaykh Yahya’s father was the late Abd al-Wahid Pallavicini, the noted preacher and head of the Ahmadiyyah Idrisiyyah Shadhiliyyah Sufi brotherhood in Italy. As son and spiritual heir of Shaykh Abd al-Wahid, Yahya Pallavicini represents an Islamic current that seeks the renewal of Prophetic wisdom in light of the teachings of Shaykh Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (1058 – 1111), Shaykh Abu al-Hassan al-Shadhili (1196 – 1258), Shaykh Ahmad ibn Idris al-Hasani al-Fasi (1760 – 1837), and Shaykh Abd al-Wahid Yahya Guénon (1886 – 1951).
Shaykh Yahya is a scion of the Pallavicini, a noble Italian family whose name dates back to the 11th century. They are descendants of the Lombard house of Obertenghi, which in the early Middle Ages ruled much of northwest Italy, including Milan and Genoa. The family remains influential in contemporary Italy, Austria, and Brussels, headquarters of the European Union.
President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka (second from right) with senior Nahdlatul Ulama leaders, including Indonesia’s current Minister of Religious Affairs KH. Nasaruddin Umar (second from left) and former Vice President KH. Ma’ruf Amin (right)
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