Jakarta. The Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) for Fatwa, Muhammad Asrorun Niam Sholeh, announced the suspension of two MUI members suspected of involvement with an organization affiliated with Jewish interests. This action follows a controversial meeting between Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) members and Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Israel.

While he did not disclose the identities of the suspended MUI members, he confirmed that the suspension was for clarification purposes after the NU members' meeting with the Israeli President.

"Although these two individuals did not travel to Israel, they are part of an organization with Jewish links, and last year they visited the Israeli Ambassador in Singapore. We will discuss this further, but for now, they are suspended," Asrorun Niam said on Wednesday.

Despite not attending the meeting with President Herzog, the two members' involvement with the organization prompted MUI to take preliminary action for further investigation.

Asrorun Niam, a former Chairman of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) from 2014 to 2017, condemned the NU members' meeting with President Herzog, calling it inappropriate given the current circumstances. He noted that the individuals involved had provided clarification and faced sanctions for their actions.

Earlier, Indonesia's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), denounced the visit of five Muslim scholars to Israel. NU Secretary-General Saifullah Yusuf clarified that the trip was made without the organization's consent or permission.

Local media identified the individuals as Zainul Maarif, Munawar Aziz, Nurul Bahrul Ulum, and Izza Annafisah Dania. Zainul is an Islamic civilization teacher at Nahdlatul Ulama University, while Munawar is a registered member of NU’s representative unit in the UK. Nurul is associated with the Australia-Indonesia Muslim Exchange Program (AIMEP) and the Australia-ASEAN Muslim Exchange Program (AAMEP) and is a graduate of the State Islamic University (IAIN) in Cirebon.

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