Indonesia to Grant Coal Mine Asset to Islamic Group Nahdlatul Ulama

MINING - JAKARTA. Indonesia is set to award a coal mining concession to the country's largest Islamic group, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), next week to provide it with a source of income, a cabinet minister said on Friday.

The government issued a regulation last week allowing religious organisations to manage mining assets, which critics have said were a sign of pork barrelling and a reward to religious groups for their long political support.