Moderating 'radical' Islamic boarding schools

Muhamad Ali, Lecturer, Jakarta State Islamic University muhamad@hawaii.edu

Central Java Police Chief Insp.Gen. Didi Widayadi indicated recently that several pesantren or Islamic boarding schools have become home to members of militant groups. This follows the wide- spread belief that extremists advocating sharia are based in a number of districts in the province. They are now under tight surveillance, to prevent the possibility of further terrorist attacks.

Pesantren have attracted much public attention, as suspected terrorists, responsible for the attacks in Bali and Jakarta happened to be either graduates or students of such schools. The word pesantren is now associated with "militancy," particularly on the Internet. This assimilation has disturbed many pesantren educators who believe that the schools are more conceptually complex and indeed, more peaceful environments, than that which is widely depicted.

Now -- in an unprecedented categorization -- pesantren are seen as being either radical (militant), or moderate; overriding the terms traditional or modern, which mainly indicated the style of curricula taught. World politics has influenced the perception (or misperception) of pesantren and attempts to build a more balanced picture are more urgent than ever. However, it is also a challenging exercise to determine why several pesantren have become havens for militancy.

The Nahdlatul Ulama leader, Hasyim Muzadi, for instance, quickly contends that pesantren do not produce radicalism, much less terrorism, because they are the heart of religious study. Religion is taught as a way of life; morality and ethics are strongly emphasized and -- to some extent -- nationalism.

The schools provide Islamic education in a form which took root hundreds of years ago. Pesantren implies the notion of an indigenous Islam. The word santri, has arguably derived from a Sanskrit word, sastri, which meant literate; or a Javanese word cantrik meaning a student who follows his teacher wherever he goes. Pesantren have at least three components: Students (santri), boarding facilities (pondok), and teachers (kiyai). The teachers are the center of not only the pesantren but also the surrounding community -- intellectually, religiously, socially, economically and sometimes politically.

Pesantren have become the key to Islamic propagation and civilization throughout the Malay-Indonesian archipelago. However, even in early times, there were kiyai who were more orthodox than others. For example, Ahmad Ripangi (1786-1875) from Kalisalak, accused other kiyai (who disagreed with him) as being infidels. In the 19th century, the term "fanatic" was already in common usage and Ahmad Ripangi the bearer of this label.

Pesantren leaders also played a leading role in Javanese resistance against the Dutch. Radicalism manifested in the struggle against foreign oppression. However, religion was only one of many reasons why the people went to war.

When the surrounding community seemed to be full of evil, pesantren teachers served as moral guardians. Some used soft methods, but others employed hard-line attitudes, with the credo amar ma'ruf nahi munkar (enjoining good and forbidding evil).

But pesantren have yielded many more moderates and liberals than fundamentalists. Nationalist Muslim leaders such as Abdurrahman Wahid and Nurcholish Madjid were educated in such schools; which are the least responsible for creating such figures as terrorist suspects Imam Samudra or Hambali. Thousands of pesantren teachers who have struggled to better the lives of Indonesians should not be victimized.

People consider whether the tradition of pesantren itself provides the means for radicalism. But only moderate attitudes can stem from moderate teaching materials and methods. The teaching of theology, law, morality, and ritualism is not inherently radical, fanatic, or militant. Orthodoxy does not necessarily mean militancy.

The pesantren I went to in West Java emphasized the search for knowledge; they even taught students to be moderate, democratic and diplomatic. Students are certainly not taught to hate foreigners or to commit suicide-bombing-attacks or other terrorist acts.

Many pesantren teach the Wahhabist theology, but other theologies are taught as well, including that of the modernist Muhammad Abduh. The teaching of Wahhabi theology might cause intolerance toward un-Islamic behavior -- such as immorality and superstition -- but this attitude does not automatically lead to vandalism or destruction.

The kyai are free to decide upon which Islamic texts will be taught in their pesantren. Such freedom allows the schools to take any theological or legal position -- so that they tend to be eclectic in nature. Although most pesantren in Indonesia adhere to the teachings of the Sunni school of Islam, radicalism does not spring from Sunni theology either.

The fact that several pesantren nurtured militants may have been caused by the intimate relationship between teachers and students. The practice of imitation (taqlid) of the teacher might have some bearing on militant inclinations. It would seem logical that militant teachers produce militant students. And the fact that pesantren are vulnerable to such relationships is partly due to their independency. Lack of control over the teachers and the curricula is also a factor.

It is not unreasonable for the government to carefully watch certain pesantren, but this should be done in a wise and considerate manner. Moderate religious organizations, such as Muhammadiyyah and Nahdlatul Ulama, should also play a greater role in ensuring that pesantren teach religious moderation. It is by no means an easy task, but the government and religious organizations should work hand in hand in the struggle against terrorism.

The writer is studying for a Ph.D in history, and is a Fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu.