NU official site to gather IT experts

Jakarta, NU Online
The official site of the Central Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) NU Online would reportedly gather nahdliyin-based information technology experts throughout the country at a workshop at the Jakarta's Sofyan Hotel on 8-9 August ahead.

The workshop having a theme "Developing IT Habitus within Nahdliyin Community" would involve 50 IT experts of the Indonesia's biggest Muslim organization. Some of them are representatives of the Nahldlatul Ulama Regional Boards throughout Indonesia.<>

There would be a number of IT experts and practitioners mandated to be speakers, namely the Minister of Research and Technology Kusmayanto Kadiman, Cyber Crime Lab Chief of the Indonesian National Police Petrus Goloose, Deputy Chief of the Indonesia's national intelligence agency (BIN) As'ad Said Ali, National Education Ministry’s head of information and public relation Bambang Wasito Adi, Kompas senior editor Ninok Leksono and President Director of the International Bussiness Management (IBM) Betti Alisjahbana.

The NU Online's Chief Editor Abdul Mun'im DZ said here on Monday the workshop was an effort to gather potential IT cadres of the nahdliyin-based organization.

The much-awaited meeting, he added, would be expected to create such a communication forum, aimed at sharing ideas and experiences in formulating a more concrete collaboration between participants.

"So, the NU strength in the field of information technology (IT) remaining uncontrolled can expectedly be integrated within a collaboration. The participation of the IT devotees and experts is ultimately necessary not only in developing technology and access of information," Mun'im said, adding that there was the most existential thing that should be immediately overcome, namely the NU followers' backwardness in both economy and education.

Mun'im explained that there were many brilliant NU cadres whose high competence in the course of the discipline.

"The use of information technology aimed at developing the NU is not a fairly taboo thing," Mun'im said, adding that it was based mainly on a well-known concept of al ahdzu bil jadidil aslah (taking a better new thing) for the NU followers.

While the Organizing Committee Chief Suwadi D. Pranoto said the participation of the IT devotees and specialists was really important for nahdliyin (NU followers). He also warned the development of IT had positive and negative impacts.

"The role of the IT experts is to maximize the use of IT in developing science and Islamic missionary especially the missionary of the Ahlussunnah wal Jamaah. In addition, it is intended to safeguard (NU) people from the negative impacts of IT both mentally and physically," Suwadi said.

He asserted that in the global war era of ours, there would be such possibilities of developing information technology for a weapon of cultural penetration.

The NU, Suwadi added, had a mandate to evolve science and dakwah wat taujih (guiding and educating people to a straight path. (rif)