Amrozi brings notoriety to Al-Islam school in Lamongan

Ainur R. Sophiaan, The Jakarta Post, Lamongan

The modest Al-Islam pesantren, an Islamic boarding school located seven kilometers from Lamongan, East Java, has achieved instant recognition. The humble school has been thrust into the public eye through the arrest of Amrozi, the main suspect in the deadly Bali bombing that claimed almost 200 lives and wounded more than 320 others on Oct 12, 2002.

The school is simple, if not poor. There is no fence to separate it from the nearby kampung, (village) and no proper external lighting. Several parts of the school compound are made from plywood. There is no clear billboard announcing its existence, only a plain board, 30 centimeters (cm) by 40 cm affixed to the edge of one of the buildings.

Al-Islam is not the only boarding school in the area. There are 20 others.

The suspect in the Bali blasts, Amrozi, lived near the school and often spent time in the school compound praying. His brothers, Ja'far Shadiq and Khozin, were some of the school's founders.

Not only journalists have thronged the school to find out more about Amrozi but also groups of police. Law enforcers searched the school for incriminating evidence hidden in the compound.

Amrozi was just one aspect. Another was the fact that the school was affiliated to Al Mukmin boarding school in Ngruki, Surakarta, founded by Abu Bakar Ba'asyir. The senior cleric is now in police detention for allegedly ordering a bombing spree in 2000 and being behind a plan to assassinate President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

On Tuesday, for the second time, police raided the school to look for Amrozi's brothers, Ali Imron and Gufron, who were suspected of involvement in the bombing plan.

The instant notoriety and police raids indeed scared the students. Only 20 female students remain. Some 130 other students said they were stressed out and had decided to go home early for the holidays.

"The santri (students) admit they're really stressed. They never thought that their school would be visited by the police, journalists and many others."

"I'm looking on the bright side. We've sent the children home although the holidays are still weeks ahead. Hopefully after Ramadhan they will return," said Zakaria, the principal of the boarding school.

The school is located in a somewhat remote area. It is in Tenggulun village, Solokuro district, Lamongan regency. The easiest way to reach the school is via the north Java coast.

From the East Java capital, Surabaya, one could start from Jl. Daendels and head for Paciran district, a journey of about 80 kilometers. From the district, there are many ojek (motorcycle taxi) that can take you to the boarding school.

Three clerics, Ja'far Shadiq, Mushlih and Khozin, founded the school in 1992 and started to enroll students in the following year. The three clerics all graduated from Ba'asyir's school in Central Java. This probably explains why Al Islam was linked to the detained cleric.

Ba'asyir himself visited the school to preach twice but the connection stopped there because structurally and professionally there were never any links with Ba'asyir or his school, one of the clerics said.

Most Al Islam students hail from outside Tenggulun. They come from as far afield as East Java, West Java, Kalimantan, Aceh and also East Nusa Tenggara, where principal Zakaria came from.

Only three of the students are locals.

The majority of Tenggulun residents are either Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) or Muhammadiyah followers. Al Islam then developed the salafiyah teaching method, which is not employed by either of these organizations.

Discipline was strongly inculcated into the minds of the students. Female students had to wear a cadar (veil).

Khozin said students of a Muslim boarding school were expected to be a mu'alim (educator), with deep understanding of the religion. During their six years of education, the Al Mukmin students used English and Arabic as their daily languages.

At least 100 educators graduated from the school and now work at several Muslim boarding schools.

Martial arts were introduced to the curriculum as part of the education to strengthen students' spirituality. Such practice, however, was common in other boarding schools.

In Al Islam the martial arts training, meant for self-defense, often took place at night near the woods and cemeteries in the vicinity of the school.

"This has usually been misunderstood by nearby residents. They think it is armed, militaristic training," Khozin said, laughing.

Such suspicions were heard from locals. Even head of Tenggulun village Maskun said there had been indications that the school taught unusual and strange things.

"We have witnessed peculiar teachings, such as the way female students wear Muslim attire," Maskun said. He admitted that he did not really know the school teachers and principal and had only once gone to the compound.

A local, Hamim, also shared his opinion and added the school appeared to have isolated itself from local residents. Their lives were exclusive and secluded, he said.

"Commonly a Muslim boarding school unites with nearby residents. It looks as though Al Islam has put itself in a different category; that's why they are avoiding us," he alleged.

Zakaria simply called on the public not to link his simple school to the high-profile investigation into the Bali bombing, Amrozi's activities and terrorism.

"We are not a terrorist institution, as has been alleged by anti-Islam groups. Maybe those who accuse others of terrorism are in fact the true terrorists. A pesantren is the shield of the nation. Please look at history," he said.

Zakaria probably made this point because even Lamongan regent Masfuk has made similar pleas to the public. He paid a visit to the school when Zakaria was in Denpasar, Bali, for questioning in relation to the bombing investigation.

Amid the disquiet that has blanketed Al-Islam's students, teachers and their families over its alleged links with terrorism, leaders were still encouraging and even pledging to develop the school.

"Our pesantren is now famous worldwide. I believe people will have a better idea later and think about us differently. We shall continue to develop this school into a large and modern one," Khozin said.