The root of ignorance<\/p>\n
Reading the article of Leonard C. Sebastian The root of
\nIslamic radicalism in The Jakarta Post of Aug. 7, 2002, page 7, I
\nwas surprised by the content. Not only was the article very
\nsuperficial in its view of Islam in Indonesia, but also it showed
\nthat the author did not know what he was writing about. Or more
\nprecisely, it reflects the attitude of Westerners to Islam,
\nespecially Islam in Indonesia. He just sees Islam (Islamic
\nradicalism) in Indonesia from a distance and claims that he knows
\nall about it. I call this the root of ignorance.<\/p>\n
The author started with the Islamic Education System to
\nexplain Islamic radicalism but in fact he did not really
\nunderstand what he was trying to write about. He failed to see
\nthe distinction between a madrasah (Islamic school) and a
\npesantren (Islamic boarding school). He does not even know what a
\nmadrasah is. It is only a normal school, in which religious
\nstudies are given more weight.<\/p>\n
A Pesantren is where students learn and adopt religious life
\nalmost completely, although there have been moves to include
\nnonreligious subjects to the curricula. In some pesantren,
\ncomputers and other technology are used. English is used daily,
\nin addition to Arabic.<\/p>\n
Gontor in Ponorogo and Darun Najah in Jakarta are examples of
\npesantren where nonreligious subjects are also taught in an
\nalmost balanced proportion with those of (Islam) religion. Some
\nmadrasah are also subsidized by the government. Thus, madrasah
\nrun by private organizations are not much different from normal
\nschools run by private organizations, except in the content of
\nreligious subjects.<\/p>\n
This should show that there is no reason to state that Islamic
\nradicalism starts from the madrasah. The fact that many madrasah
\nstudents are engaged in what he calls radicalism does not
\nnecessarily mean that the madrasah play a role in it.<\/p>\n
Leaders of Islamic parties in Indonesia are mostly graduates
\nof normal schools and universities, some are even overseas
\ngraduates. Historically, no hard-line Muslim movements in
\nIndonesia were born from madrasah or pesantren. It is true,
\nhowever, that struggles for independence during Dutch and
\nJapanese occupations were initiated by the pesantren.<\/p>\n
Engaging in movements to establish an Islamic state in
\nIndonesia should also be seen in a similar light as we see such
\nmovements to establish an Indonesian secular state. Both ideals
\nshould not be condemned. It is a matter of choice and we must
\nrespect each other's choices.<\/p>\n
ACHMAD POERNOMO<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-root-of-ignorance-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }