Acehnese youngsters take shelter in 'pesantren'

Acehnese youngsters take shelter in 'pesantren'

Fadli, The Jakarta Post, Aceh Besar

Weeks after the tsunami struck, 16-year-old Nazarullah still
could not forget the sight of his mother being swept away by the
tidal wave right before his eyes.

The former student of an Islamic high school in Aceh Jaya
regency now sits quietly among other displaced children at Dayah
(pesantren, an Islamic boarding school) Mahyal Ulum, also in Aceh
Besar regency.

"When the tsunami struck our village, my mother and I began to
run. She was right behind me. But the water was very close and
swept her away. She cried for help....

"I kept on running, but couldn't help her. The water swept my
mother away. I survived after holding on to a log. I keep
remembering this because I saw her being swept by water but
didn't know where," Nazarullah told The Jakarta Post.

He was taken to the boarding school by his father, a farmer in
Aceh Jaya regency but is now living in a shelter with his elder
brother. His sister was missing in the disaster.

"Now I'm learning to recite the Koran as I was transferred
from my old school by tengku Dayah (Islamic teacher from the
boarding school)," Nazarullah said.

Currently, there are around 130 children, all victims of the
disaster, stying at the pesantren. Several of the children, aged
between six and 17, have lost one or both parents.

Another child, 13-year-old Abdulhanan, survived because he
managed to reach the third floor of a store that stayed intact.
But when he started looking for his parents, none of them were
found.

"I was taken to this pesantren by some men I don't know. I
don't know what happen to my parents. But I'm happy staying here,
there are many activities and I learn to recite the Koran. Maybe
when I grow up I want to be a tengku (Islamic teacher)," said the
boy who last year finished elementary school in Lamno, Aceh Jaya.

In addition to the hours of rote memorization and recitation
of the Koran, the students also are involved in art, cooking and
gardening.

Taufik, the general secretary of Rabithal Thaliban Aceh, an
association of pesantren students, said that by staying in the
pesantren, it was hoped the children were getting regular
spiritual education.

"Rabithal Ulum serves as a meditator between the children and
the pesantren. We're keep records about the children that want to
stay in the pesantren and we take them there. Most of the
pesantren were willing to take them," Taufik said.

Rabithal Ulum has taken some 800 school-aged children to
pesantren in Aceh Besar and Banda Aceh. Currently, there are
about 450 pesantren across Aceh will to take in the displaced
children.

Taufik said the children were taken to the pesantren in hopes
that they would not lose direction because of the disaster and
living in the shelters would not be good for their psychological
development.

"The culture of living in a dayah is also a typical manner in
which many Acehnese live, so it's not a strange environment for
them. We also think that continuous spiritual teaching will be
good for them, making them strong in facing tests from God. We
don't want them to feel desperate about life," Taufik said.

Tengku Damanhuri, one Dayah Mahyal Ulim manager, said the
pesantren had started taking the children since Jan. 10 and was
not charging them any money.

"They are here to memorize the Koran and other religious
teachings. There are some of them who are not ready to face what
happened to them, but there are a tengku assigned to listen to
their complaints. But most of the children, by using religious
approaches, are calmer now," Damanhuri explained.