Religious leaders in the country expressed concern that the
\nongoing investigation in the Oct. 12 Bali bombing would tarnish
\nthe image of the Islamic boarding schools (pesantren).
\nWhile it would be wrong to condemn all pesantren as schools where
\n\"Political Islam\" or hatred against other religions is taught, it
\nis a fact that many of these religious schools in Indonesia and
\nin other mainly Islamic countries have been responsible for
\ncreating students who follow the radical teaching of clerics who
\nrun these schools.<\/p>\n
It is therefore of importance that the government can identify
\nthese pesantren and madrasas where \"Political Islam\" plays a
\nmajor role and close them down for the sake of the country and in
\norder to reinstate the image of those pesantren who teach the
\ntrue Islam.<\/p>\n
In the case of one specific pesantren in Central Java, it is
\nobvious that hatred towards other religions as well as
\nglorification of terrorists like Osama bin Laden are part of the
\nstudents education.<\/p>\n
If Indonesia wants to regain the image of a peaceful Asian
\nnation of moderate Muslims with a great Asian culture, it's now
\nthe time to go against all those who want to transform our
\nsociety into a fundamental \"Wahabi style\" Middle Eastern culture.<\/p>\n
HERDI SENO, Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/religious-leaders-in-the-country-expressed-concern-that-the-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }