{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1775403,
        "msgid": "foucault-islamic-scholarship-and-the-future-of-pesantren-1780288005",
        "date": "2026-05-31 12:09:17",
        "title": "Foucault, Islamic Scholarship, and the Future of Pesantren",
        "author": "Erdy Nasrul",
        "source": "REPUBLIKA",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Social Policy",
        "summary": "The article examines how Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) in Indonesia, integral to national identity, face challenges from abuse cases involving power imbalances. Drawing on Michel Foucault's theories, it argues such violations breach Pancasila's principles of human dignity and religious justice, threatening the nation's foundational values.",
        "content": "<p>Pesantren have existed for centuries, even millennia, as spaces\nfostering moral exemplarity, instilling ethics, and nurturing the\nnation\u2019s moral leadership. From these institutions emerge clerics,\nindependence fighters, community leaders, and citizens who view\nknowledge as a path to service. In Indonesia\u2019s history, pesantren are\nnot merely religious educational institutions but a cornerstone of\nnationalism, contributing to unity and independence. Therefore, when\nabuses of power, violence, or harassment occur against santri within\npesantren, the issue transcends mere legal or moral violations\u2014it is a\nbetrayal of the pesantren\u2019s noble values and Pancasila itself. In recent\nyears, cases of physical violence, bullying, and sexual abuse involving\na minority of pesantren staff or leaders have shaken public trust. While\nthese cases cannot be generalised to all pesantren, which remain largely\nsafe and exemplary educational environments, each incident must be taken\nseriously as it reveals unhealthy power dynamics enabling misconduct\nunder religious authority. French sociologist Michel Foucault explains\nthat power does not always manifest as overt coercion; it operates\nthrough knowledge, symbols, and legitimacy, granting individuals the\nperceived right to govern others. In educational settings where teachers\nare highly revered, power relations are especially strong. When\nauthority is used to guide and educate, it becomes a force for good, but\nwhen employed to control, silence, or exploit, it turns into an\ninstrument of oppression. The core issue arises when perpetrators in\nreligious educational institutions exploit their social standing and\nreligious symbolism to enforce unquestioning obedience. Santri, often\nchildren or teenagers, frequently feel unable to refuse, report, or\nquestion actions by respected figures. In such contexts, the\nteacher-student relationship, meant to be pedagogical, becomes one of\ndomination. This situation directly contradicts Pancasila. The first\nprinciple, \u2018Belief in the One and Only God\u2019, was never intended to\njustify degrading human dignity. Instead, it serves as the ethical\nfoundation for subsequent principles. True divinity fosters respect for\nhuman dignity; thus, when religious symbols mask crimes, both religion\nand the national spirit built on civilised theological values are\nbetrayed. The second principle, \u2018Just and Civilised Humanity\u2019, asserts\nthat every individual possesses dignity that must be respected. No\nsocial status, religious title, or institutional position grants the\nright to demean others. When a pesantren leader abuses authority to\ncommit violence, they violate not only religious and legal norms but\nalso the humanistic principles underpinning the state.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/foucault-islamic-scholarship-and-the-future-of-pesantren-1780288005",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}