Islamic Boarding School Student Burned in Lombok: Ministry Awaits Legal Process Before Evaluating Permit

JAKARTA – The Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag) has affirmed that it will wait for the ongoing legal process before taking administrative measures against Pondok Pesantren Rosyidatusshaulatiyyah Al Ibrahimy NW in Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), in connection with the burning of a santri that claimed one life.

Director General of Islamic Education at Kemenag, Prof Amin Suyitno, said the ministry mourned the incident. He stressed that the Minister of Religious Affairs, Prof Nasaruddin Umar, has repeatedly reminded all pesantren that they must be educational environments free from any form of violence.

“The Minister has emphasised time and again that pesantren as places of education must truly be clear and clean, in the sense that they must be anti-violence. We are all deeply concerned about this incident,” said Amin while attending the 2026 Madrasah Student Orientation Period (MATAMUDA) event at MAN 19, Jakarta, on Thursday (16/7/2026).

Meanwhile, Director of Pesantren at Kemenag, Basnang Said, explained that the ministry cannot immediately revoke the pesantren’s operational permit as there are stages that must be followed. According to him, the government will await the outcome of the court proceedings to establish the legal accountability arising from the case.

“There are certainly stages, steps to be taken towards that point. First, we must wait to see how the trial concludes in court,” he said.

He added that suspected negligence within the pesantren environment will be one of the considerations in taking administrative decisions.

According to Basnang, the pesantren currently still holds an operational permit. However, Kemenag will conduct an evaluation in accordance with prevailing regulations.

“The pesantren in question already has an operational permit. There will certainly be warning letters to follow, because negligence has occurred on the part of the pesantren, whatever the circumstances,” said Basnang.

According to him, the incident that took place within the pesantren demands accountability from its management. “Whatever the circumstances, this incident occurred within the pesantren, and the caretakers of the pesantren must bear responsibility,” he explained.