The Governor of East Java, Khofifah Indar Parawansa, officially delivered a mandate to the board members of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) of East Java for the 2025–2030 period during an inauguration ceremony held at the Grahadi State Building in Surabaya on Sunday (12/7/2026). On this occasion, Khofifah stressed the vital position of this religious organization as a strategic partner to the government in responding to current social dynamics.
Khofifah's main focus was on the phenomenon of the public's spiritual needs migrating to digital platforms. Citing data showing that more than 60 percent of active social media users seek religious references online, she urged the MUI to undergo a digital dakwah transformation. According to her, the MUI must be able to produce credible, moderate content with a valid scholarly lineage (sanad) to stem the tide of unaccountable information.
In addition to digital transformation, Khofifah also paid serious attention to the issue of mental health in society. She highlighted a concerning increase in cases, such as suicide rates, extreme dependence on digital devices, and the threat of exposure to pornographic content targeting children and teenagers. This multidimensional challenge, she noted, cannot be addressed solely through bureaucratic approaches.
Furthermore, Khofifah hoped that the presence of the ulema could serve as a spiritual reinforcement for people currently facing increasingly complex life pressures. The presence of the MUI is expected to offer solution-oriented religious guidance and maintain social harmony in East Java, while standing at the forefront of answering contemporary issues facing the community.
