Probe under way into Al-Zaytun Islamic boarding school

Probe under way into Al-Zaytun Islamic boarding school

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Rocked by issues of the spreading of heretical teachings and
promotion of a secessionist movement, the Al-Zaytun Islamic
Boarding School in Indramayu, West Java, is still under the close
scrutiny of local security authorities.

The inquiry has been ongoing for a few weeks following
increasing reports from locals of the propagation of heresy and
the crackdown on supporters of the secessionist Indonesian
Islamic State (NII) which allegedly has won full support from the
controversial Islamic boarding school.

Adj. Sr. Comr. Eko Hadi Sutejo, chief of the Indramayu Police
precinct, said the local police would summon several members of
the boarding school's management in line with the increasing
reports on their activities that have caused serious unrest among
the local people.

"We are following up all reports from local people. The police
will investigate those, including the school's management. Should
we find something which is against the law, we will enforce the
law against all those disturbing security and order, regardless
of their status and background," Antara quoted him as saying here
on Friday.

He said the local police in cooperation with the local
military had stepped up security in anticipation of any possible
violent actions against vital assets and property in the regency.

He added the police have also strengthened coordination with
the local administration in supervising the situation in the
regency.

In Bandung, the provincial capital, police arrested 16 more
supporters of NII for committing unlawful activities.

The 15 were arrested in a police crackdown on a house in
Sukahati, South Bandung early on Thursday for holding NII
documents while another suspect, identified as Pangestu, 29, was
arrested while teaching NII doctrine among local people.

The 15 were released on Friday for having no legal grounds to
prosecute them.

"Pangestu will charged with deception because posing as a
doctor, he was disseminating misleading teachings on the
establishment of an Islamic state," said a police detective.

Last week, local police also detained 17 NII supporters but,
later released them due to lack of legal grounds to arrest them.

Law enforcers can no longer prosecute supporters of
secessionist movements after the government lifted the subversion
law.

Budiono, a former member of NII, said he quit the organization
after learning it hired thousands of uneducated men and women to
steal to finance NII.

"In their operation, NII supporters whose numbers had reached
some 168,000 were assigned to seek work as domestic helpers.
During their employment, they are instructed to steal their
employee's assets and hand over a part of them to their
coordinator who are called as lurah," he said in kupas tuntas
program on Trans TV station on Thursday evening.

Minister of Religious Affairs Said Aqil Husin Almunawar
reiterated that the government would close the boarding school if
it was found guilty of disseminating heretical teachings.

"If the boarding school is found disseminating heretical
teachings, I will certainly close it," he said here on Friday.

The religious affairs ministry and the Indonesian Ulemas
Council (MUI) have set up a 14-member team to investigate the
boarding school's activities.

Despite the heresy issue, more and more Muslim parents have
registered their children to study in the boarding school.

A. S. Panji Gumilang, rector of the boarding school, said so
far, 1,664 school-age children, including 58 from Malaysia and
Singapore, have registered to study in the boarding school.

The boarding school accommodates 5,285 students.

According to Gumilang, the curriculum implemented in the
school is adopted from the one set by the government with
additional materials taken from a number of foreign countries.

"So far, we use three languages --Arabic, English and Persian.
In the next five years, we will use eight languages in our
academic curriculum with the goal of admitting more foreign
students," he said.

Al Zaytun will also build a new campus in Bengkalis, Riau.

Bengkalis Regent Syamsurizal said in Bengkalis on Friday that
his administration had provided 500 hectares of land for the new
campus in the regency.

"We have even offered 1,200 hectares of land to make it as
large as the Indaramayu campus," he said, the offer was given
after making a tour of the boarding school and observing its
academic program in Indramayu.

Syamsurizal denied reports that the boarding school taught
heretical teachings that deviated from Islam, saying many people
from the regency had graduated from the boarding school and they
and their parents had no complaints about its educational
mission.