Religious education review ordered<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri has instructed the Ministry
\nof Religious Affairs to review the teaching of religion in
\nschools, saying that in some cases it has encouraged militancy
\namong the students.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the national meeting of
\nthe Ministry of Religious Affairs, the President said religious
\ninstruction should be carefully monitored as in the end it would
\nthreaten national unity.<\/p>\n
"We have to ensure that the teachings we provide will not
\nproduce new believers that would go to any lengths to defend
\ntheir religion," the President said.<\/p>\n
Megawati did not identify specific schools, but Muslim
\nreligious leaders have said that several convicted terrorists
\nwere graduates of pesantren (Islamic boarding schools). Some
\nbombers, including those responsible for the bombing in Bali and
\nJakarta's JW Marriott Hotel, are graduates of Ngruki boarding
\nschool in Central Java. Although Indonesia has a clear policy
\nagainst terrorism, it has done little to examine the curriculum
\nof such boarding schools.<\/p>\n
This is for the first time Megawati has addressed the issue of
\nmilitancy in the world's most populous Muslim country, although
\nher administration has been tough on terrorist groups.<\/p>\n
"The militancy encouraged by certain teachings had propounded
\nthe idea of eliminating those with different beliefs," the
\nPresident said.<\/p>\n
She said that the Ministry of Religious Affairs should
\nimmediately look into the issue.<\/p>\n
Minister of Religious Affairs Said Agil Al-Munawar agreed with
\nthe President saying that the presence of radical boarding
\nschools in the country should be carefully watched.<\/p>\n
However, he said that these group did not have traditional
\nroots and were mostly formed through outside influence.<\/p>\n
"Our people remain known as tolerant and moderate people. This
\nis because there are too many outside influences on these
\nschools," he remarked.<\/p>\n
Megawati said that the schools should make sure that the
\nstudents understood the real value of religion and ethics through
\neducation.<\/p>\n
"We all see how religious teachings have nurtured fanaticism
\n-- although not all. It also has nurtured hostility toward those
\nwho do not share the same beliefs," Megawati said.<\/p>\n
She warned this would strain tolerance among the Indonesian
\npeople and ultimately threaten national unity.<\/p>\n
"The teaching of religion in schools should be reviewed and
\nthoroughly assessed," she asserted.<\/p>\n
Religious teaching is compulsory in Indonesia from elementary
\nschools to university, and boarding schools that focus on
\nreligious doctrine are also common.<\/p>\n
However, the recent string of terrorist attacks by Muslim
\nmilitants, who are graduates of Islamic boarding schools have
\nrevealed they bitter truth that religious teachings can be
\ndangerous.<\/p>\n
Religious fanaticism has also provoked prolonged sectarian
\nclashes in some parts of the country in recent years.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/religious-education-review-ordered-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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