Muslims are allowed to use the greetings of other religions in order to preserve unity between Indonesians, according to Syaftudin Syarif, the secretary-general of the East Java branch of Nahdlatul Ulama Muslim (PWNU), on Tuesday.

Previously, the East Java branch of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued a letter advising Muslims to not use greetings from other religions. In Indonesia some officials, including President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, start their speeches with greetings from Indonesia's various religions, including the Muslim "assalamu alaikum", the Hindu "om swastiastu" and the Buddhist "namo Buddhaya".