'Pesantren' English debate kicks off

'Pesantren' English debate kicks off

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bogor

Over 150 students from Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) and universities across the country began on Thursday a two-day debate and speech competition at the Jaya Raya Resort outside of Bogor.

In the competition, the first ever in the country for pesantren students, the participants are competing to show their abilities in expressing their thoughts in English on such subjects as human rights and democracy.

"The aim is to phase out the image that Islam is synonymous with violence, terrorism and intolerance. Islamic principles place a high value on respecting human rights and democracy," said the organizing committee deputy chairman, Didi Hilman, from the Indonesian Islamic Boarding Schools Cooperation Body (BKPPSI).

The event is funded by the U.S.-based NGO, the Asia Foundation. The juries will be made up of members of the English Debating Society at the University of Indonesia.

The English speech competition is for individuals, while the debates are for groups of three students. The speech competition has 54 participants, who were selected from a shortlist of 200 students nationwide. There are 36 groups taking part in the debating competition.

The students come from the provinces of West Java, Central Java, East Java, Jakarta, Lampung, North Sumatra and West Nusa Tenggara, according to Didi.

The BKPPSI was established in 1972, and is linked to some 2,000 Islamic boarding schools and universities nationwide.