Lily Zakiyah Munir

Lily Zakiyah Munir
Center for Pesantren
and Democracy Studies
(CePDeS)
Jakarta
lilyzm@hotmail.com

Five years ago in a pesantren (Islamic boarding school) in the
small city of Jombang, East Java, amid the tranquil light of
dawn, a congregation of male santri (pesantren students)
performed their prayers in the mosque. While absorbed in the
ritual, a Dutch Catholic priest -- who had spent the previous
night at the school -- observed them. Sitting cross-legged at the
edge of the mosque, he patiently waited to talk with some of the
santri.

Indeed, later that day, the priest engaged in warm and
friendly conversation in Arabic with the kyai (teacher and leader
of the pesantren) on various religious and humanitarian issues.

The priest -- upon returning to his country -- wrote that his
stay at the pesantren and his talks with the students and their
kyai was one of the most beautiful moments in his life. He
thanked them for their hospitality and warm welcome.

Three years later, the pesantren hosted a multireligious
delegation from a Norwegian-based interfaith organization, that
came to Indonesia to see how religious pluralism is internalized
and practiced here. The dialog between the delegation and the
santri was genuine, open and punctuated with laughter.

The santri, especially the teenagers, enjoyed stories about
far away life and the opportunity to practice their English.
They were not prejudiced against the delegation, moreover because
the group leader was a "veiled" Norwegian Muslim woman. The
santri and the European guests exchanged perspectives on various
topics, including the lives of Muslims and Christians in Europe.

These stories illustrate the activities of many pesantren in
Indonesia, including Jombang, which is known as the city of
1,0000 pesantren. Countless Western and non-Muslim researchers
and activists have visited and lived in the schools for different
purposes.

Some of them have conducted anthropological studies using the
popular method of participant observation; others taught English,
still more were interested in a deeper knowledge of Islam. This
direct contact with "outsiders" has been invaluable to the
santri, nurturing awareness and appreciation of differences and
diversities.

Not surprisingly, the pesantren in Indonesia have produced
broad-minded and tolerant personalities and alumni, such as
Abdurrahman Wahid and Nurcholish Madjid, two out of many Muslim
intellectuals and scholars, widely reputed for their religious
pluralism.

When questioned on the religious justification for their
openness to outsiders -- including non-Muslims -- santri
immediately refer to the Prophet Muhammad's saying, that whoever
believes in God and in the hereafter must respect his guests.

This prophetic saying (hadith) is a strong basis indeed for
the santri's hospitality and does not limit such inclusion to
Muslims only. A limitation applies only in terms of time -- three
days -- whereby if a guest stays longer than this period, the
host is not obliged to treat them specially.

The teaching of "brotherhood" in santri -- that is prevalent
among members or followers of Nahdlatul Ulama, or NU, (literally
"the resurgence of ulema") the largest Muslim organization in
Indonesia -- can also be referred to.

The teaching advocates three levels of brotherhood that should
be embraced in the pursuit of the peaceful coexistence of
humankind. First is brotherhood among Muslims (ukhuwwah
Islamiyah); second, brotherhood among people of the same nation
(ukhuwwah wathoniyah), and third, brotherhood among all human
beings (ukhuwwah basyariyah) -- regardless of race, ethnicity,
religion or nationality.

These indications of tolerance and pluralism in pesantren
might jar with the emerging stigmatization of such schools,
particularly in the aftermath of the JW Marriott Hotel bombing.
The alleged suicide bomber, Asmar Latin Sani, was reportedly an
alumnus of the Al-Mukmin pesantren in Ngruki, led by cleric Abu
Bakar Ba'asyir.

The association of a suicide bomber with pesantren disables
the image of moderate and tolerant santri.

But pesantren may actually be divided into two categories
quite contradictory in nature. From the outside -- indicated by
the names or physical appearance -- these two types of pesantren
look alike. But in terms of teaching and moral values they are
like night and day.

In pesantren like Ngruki, dialog with "the other" (people with
different interpretations of Islam or those who are non-Muslim)
is not possible. These people are regarded as kafir (infidels)
and thus, there is no point in communicating with them. Their
blood is even considered halal, meaning that it is allowable to
shed their blood.

So, there are moderate pesantren, but there are also radical
pesantren. There are as few as five, according to Sidney Jones of
the International Crisis Group.

One unique characteristic of moderate pesantren, enabling them
to produce tolerant and pluralistic people, is their balance in
teaching Islamic legal aspects (fikih) and spirituality (sufism).

This approach derives from the nine saints (wali songo) who
spread Islam in Java. The spiritual dimension is probably what is
missing from radical pesantren that prefer to stand in a binary
position: Right-wrong, halal-haram, me-the other, heaven-hell,
etc. As a result, they produce Muslims with an exclusionary
stance, who see the world as black and white and who lack a sense
of the beauty of religion: Peace, tolerance, respect, love and
care for others, and other esoteric and humanitarian traits.

This type of radical Islam is not typical to Indonesia. Islam
in Indonesia has been known as tolerant, pluralistic and
adaptable to local culture. But the last three decades have
witnessed the growing phenomenon of this Islamism. Moderate
pesantren should take note.