Egyptian government publicly endorses Nahdlatul Ulama and the legacy of KH. Abdurrahman Wahid
“We consider Nahdlatul Ulama to be an extension of al-Azhar al-Sharif, based on the commendations given by al-Azhar scholars to the works of its founder, the great scholar Hasyim Asy’ari… Abdurrahman Wahid’s grandfather”
~ Shaykh Dr. Osama al-Saeed al-Azhari
Minister of Religious Endowments,
Arab Republic of Egypt
ISMAILIA, Egypt — On 27 June 2026, Egypt’s Minister of Religious Endowments, Shaykh Osama al-Saeed al-Azhari, headed the Examination and Discussion Committee at a widely publicized Master’s thesis defense examining the life, thought, legacy, and global significance of long-time Nahdlatul Ulama Chairman (1984 – 99) and former Indonesian President KH. Abdurrahman Wahid (“Gus Dur”), whose enduring legacy includes the Humanitarian Islam movement.
The unusual decision to have a sitting minister and presidential advisor host the Examination Committee for a thesis defense at Suez Canal University highlights the significance of Nahdlatul Ulama and its Humanitarian Islam initiative to the administration of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. In 2024, al-Azhar University hosted a major conference that celebrated its Indonesian alumnus, KH. Abdurrahman Wahid. The conference highlighted Wahid’s role in pioneering a theological framework and successful model of Islam that supports a patriotic, modern, inclusive, multireligious, and multi-ethnic nationalism.
A public invitation to the thesis defense, hosted by Shaykh Dr. Osama al-Azhari
Titled Abdulrahman Wahid’s Efforts at Religious and Political Reform in Indonesia, the 308-page Arabic-language thesis was written by Egyptian scholar Mostafa Zahran, the author of numerous books on Islamist movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood, Salafi Jihadism, and the Taliban. Mr. Zahran’s deep engagement with Indonesia’s religious and societal dynamics, coupled with his close relationship with Nahdlatul Ulama and its leader KH. Yahya Cholil Staquf, has enabled him to illuminate critical aspects of Indonesia’s Islamic landscape for Arab audiences. His thesis highlights the significance of religio-political transformations occurring in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation and democracy, and their major implications for the world at large.
Mostafa Zahran with Nahdlatul Ulama General Chairman KH. Yahya Cholil Staquf at NU headquarters in 2024. Mr. Zahran was part of a delegation of scholars attending the International Conference on Humanitarian Islam.
Widely covered in Egyptian print and online media, Mr. Zahran’s thesis defense was hosted by the Afro-Asian Institute for Graduate Studies at Suez Canal University in Ismailia, Egypt. In addition to Shaykh al-Azhari, the Examination and Discussion Committee included Prof. Dr. Mohamed Lotfy Saber, Assistant Professor of Doctrine and Philosophy at the Afro-Asian Institute, and Dr. Ahmed Nabawy Ahmed Makhlouf, Secretary-General of Egypt’s Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, who is also a Professor of Hadith at al-Azhar University’s Faculty of Theology and Dawah (Proselytism). Dr. Makhlouf supervised Mr. Zahran’s thesis.
Members of the Examination Committee, from left to right: Prof. Dr. Mohamed Lotfy Saber, Shaykh Dr. Osama al-Saeed al-Azhari, and Dr. Ahmed Nabawy Ahmed Makhlouf
Addressing the Committee, Mostafa Zahran said:
Praise be to God, and may abundant blessings and peace be upon our Master Muhammad — the one sent as a mercy to all the worlds — and upon his family and all his Companions, blessings whose grace encompasses all creation for as long as dawn breaks and the stars continue to shine.
For throughout Islamic history, there has never been a time devoid of the imprint of reformers, who succeeded in balancing the authenticity of Islam’s heritage with the demands of their age. In Indonesia — the heart of Southeast Asia — there arose an Islamic intellectual and political figure who distinguished himself in the pursuit of religious renewal and the struggle against mindless literalism.
That figure was Shaykh Abdurrahman Wahid, better known as “Gus Dur” in his native Indonesia. Gus Dur embodied a unique archetype: a polymath thinker who refused to confine himself within the boundaries of textual literalism. Rather, he employed the Islamic tradition as a living framework through which to address the concerns of the ummah (global Muslim community), adopting tolerance and moderation as his guiding approach, and disciplined rationality as his standard for understanding emerging issues and overcoming the challenges posed by contemporary reality.
This study seeks to shed light on the dynamism of Gus Dur’s thought and its manifestations in the religious, political, and educational spheres. It aims to analyze the foundations of his reformist vision and to explore the boldness of his engagement with questions concerning religion and the state, with particular attention paid to education in Islamic boarding schools — known as pesantren in Indonesia. These traditional educational institutions aspire to play a central role in the formation of religious scholars, the transmission of Islamic values, and the preservation of Islamic identity, while also making a significant contribution to Indonesia’s social and cultural life.
Accordingly, I have entitled this modest work Abdulrahman Wahid’s Efforts at Religious and Political Reform in Indonesia. The study is organized according to a systematic research plan consisting of an introduction, five chapters, and a conclusion.
The first chapter lays the theoretical and conceptual foundations of the study. It begins with an overview of the Indonesian state, followed by a brief account of Shaykh Abdurrahman Wahid’s life and intellectual formation.
The second chapter examines Abdurrahman Wahid’s contributions to religious reform, explaining the principles upon which his reformist project was founded and the necessity that gave rise to it.
The third chapter is devoted to reform in the educational sphere, taking the pesantren as a case study. It discusses their identity, values, institutional autonomy, and the challenges confronting them.
The fourth chapter addresses the relationship between religion and politics, examining Wahid’s views on sharīʿah, political authority, and the concept of jihad.
The study concludes with the fifth chapter, which surveys Gus Dur’s religious and political practice, highlighting his contributions to Nahdlatul Ulama and his pivotal role in the advancement of his country….
Our noble religion commands us to express gratitude to those who extend us their support and generosity. The authentic hadith recorded by Abu Dawud in his Sunan states: “Whoever does you a kindness, repay him; and if you are unable to do so, then supplicate for him until you believe that you have repaid him.”
Accordingly, I would like to begin by expressing my deepest gratitude to Almighty God, by whose grace righteous deeds are completed and by whose guidance aspirations are fulfilled, for granting me the ability to complete this research and facilitating every means necessary for its accomplishment….
Among the greatest honors bestowed upon this research was that God granted it the privilege of being examined and evaluated by eminent scholars. Foremost among them is Professor Dr. Osama al-Saeed Mahmoud al-Azhari, Assistant Professor of Hadith at al-Azhar University’s Faculty of Theology and Dawah and Egypt’s Minister of Religious Endowments.
O distinguished scholar, whose knowledge is abundant and whose character is exemplary, you honored this work by accepting to examine it and enriched it with the authority of your scholarship and your distinguished standing. Your participation has only increased its merit and distinction. The presence of a scholar of your stature in this capacity compensates for every shortcoming and constitutes an honor that I shall cherish with pride for the rest of my life…
Mostafa Zahran with members of the Examination Committee and distinguished guests, following his successful thesis defense
Attended by prominent scholars and government figures — including the President of Suez Canal University and an official delegation from the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia — Mr. Zahran’s thesis defense was the latest in a series of high-profile events celebrating the legacy of Abdurrahman Wahid. Nahdlatul Ulama and its fiqh al-hadarah (Islamic jurisprudence for a global civilization) initiative exemplify what Shaykh Dr. Osama al-Azhari terms the “Azhari methodology” — an approach to Islam consistent with the orthodox traditions of Egypt’s al-Azhar University, the oldest and most influential seat of learning in Sunni Islam.
One of Egypt’s leading religious figures, Shaykh al-Azhari is widely viewed as a representative of “enlightened” or moderate traditionalism — rooted in Ash‘ari theology, classical scholarship, and Sufi-influenced practice — while supporting the renewal (i.e., modernization) of Islamic teachings and state efforts to discredit Islamist extremism. He consistently ranks among the world’s most influential Muslim leaders (appearing, for example, on The Muslim 500 list).
Significantly, Shaykh al-Azhari was a member of the Egyptian delegation that attended the 2016 Grozny Conference — at the height of the ISIS caliphate in Syria and Iraq — whose final communiqué condemned Wahhabism as a “misguided” sect, along with Islamist movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood, Hizb ut-Tahrir, al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and others.
The government of Egypt faced intense blowback from Saudi Arabia as a result of the Grozny Conference. At the time, Wahhabism constituted the official state ideology of the Gulf kingdom, while simultaneously providing the core ideological framework that continues to animate jihadi movements such as ISIS and al-Qaeda. The fact that Saudi Arabia kept Egypt’s economy afloat with nearly $9 billion in direct aid in the years immediately following the overthrow of the Morsi (Muslim Brotherhood) government rendered Egypt highly vulnerable to Saudi displeasure.
In response to this pressure, al-Azhar clarified that it did not endorse the Grozny Conference’s final communiqué, nor its other findings, beyond the contents of a speech delivered by the Grand Shaykh of al-Azhar, Ahmed el-Tayeb, in Grozny. A high-level al-Azhar delegation was dispatched to Saudi Arabia to reconcile with the Wahhabi establishment at a time when the Gulf kingdom was still financing ultraconservative Sunni extremism worldwide.
Fortunately, Indonesia’s Nahdlatul Ulama was not vulnerable to such pressure. Over a period of years, senior NU leaders systematically and institutionally documented the theological, political, and economic mechanisms through which Saudi Arabia had “unleashed a demon upon the world [jihadi terrorism]” (Gerakan Pemuda Ansor Declaration on Humanitarian Islam), and ultimately succeeded in pressuring Saudi Arabia to abandon its decades-long campaign to promote Wahhabi Islam worldwide.
Shaykh al-Azhari’s praise of Nahdlatul Ulama reflects a broader view among Egypt’s governing elite that for generations Europe and America have failed to recognize or constructively engage with Nahdlatul Ulama, or with the world’s most significant Muslim-majority nations — Indonesia and Egypt — in their efforts to address jihadi terrorism.
On Christmas Day 2023, Egyptian journalist Hisham al-Najjar — who enjoys a close relationship with the Egyptian military — published an article reflecting this view in one of the oldest and most influential newspapers in the Arab world, Egypt’s state-owned al-Ahram. Titled “Indonesia and Egypt Offer a Path to International Peace and Security,” the article notes:
Indonesia has performed the same remarkable service to humanity as Egypt, from the time of Gamal Abdel Nasser to Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The Arab and Islamic world — from Jakarta to Cairo — chose not to establish theocratic states, but instead to endure repeated hammer-blows to protect the world from the madness of Islamist extremism. Political leaders have been assassinated [e.g., Anwar Sadat], while armed takfiri groups [who declare their Muslim opponents to be apostates, and thus legitimate targets] have attacked government institutions and personnel in both Egypt and Indonesia. Arab and Islamic nations have fought and sacrificed not only to defend their own societies from Islamist extremism, but also to foster peace among the world’s nations.
Mostafa Zahran’s thesis represents a significant milestone in a long-overdue and much-needed process of familiarizing Arab audiences with the life, thought, and enduring legacy of a man The Wall Street Journal once described as “the single most influential religious leader in the Muslim world” — Kyai Haji Abdurrahman Wahid.
Mostafa Zahran (right) with NU Chairman KH. Yahya Cholil Staquf and Thomas G. Dinham, an Oxford-educated expert on the Middle East and Islamist extremism. Fluent in Arabic, Mr. Dinham serves as Director of Communications and European Engagement at the Center for Shared Civilizational Values. Mr. Staquf was himself a close disciple of Abdurrahman Wahid and served as presidential spokesman during Gus Dur’s term in office, as Indonesia’s first democratically elected president.
Interior courtyard of the 10th century al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, Egypt
(Francisco Anzola, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
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