Moderating 'radical' Islamic boarding schools

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.