MP Encourages Hidayatullah Students to Become Faith-Based Entrepreneurs

Member of Commission VII of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Hendry Munief, has encouraged students of the Hidayatullah Islamic Boarding School in Pekanbaru to build an entrepreneurial spirit from an early age by combining technological mastery with tauhid (monotheistic) values. The aim is to enable them to create independent businesses while also benefiting society. During a visit to the boarding school in the Industri Tenayan sub-district, Tenayan Raya district, Pekanbaru, on Wednesday (29/7), Hendry stated that Islamic boarding schools have a strategic role in producing a generation that not only masters religious knowledge but also possesses the ability to build economic independence. “Today’s santri must dare to become entrepreneurs. With a strong foundation of tauhid values, they are not only seeking profit but also bringing blessings and benefits to the community,” he said in a statement in Jakarta on Thursday. He added that technological developments and digitalisation should be utilised as opportunities to develop businesses without neglecting the Islamic values that form the foundation of pesantren education. “Santri are not only equipped with religious knowledge but must also have economic independence to become a solution for the ummah,” he said. According to Hendry, strengthening the entrepreneurial capacity of santri is expected to support the emergence of new business actors who contribute to strengthening the community’s economy while expanding job opportunities. The Hidayatullah Islamic Boarding School implements an Integral Education system based on Tauhid, combining the national curriculum with pesantren education. The institution, founded on 5 February 1973 in Balikpapan by K.H. Abdullah Said, has now grown into a national education network with around 600 branches across 37 provinces. In Riau Province, the Hidayatullah network manages various formal and non-formal education units and develops economic independence through several business units, including retail, agriculture, animal husbandry, and fisheries, as part of pesantren-based community empowerment.