South Sulawesi's 'pesantren' promotes sharia with tolerance

Ahmad Suaedy, Asia Foundation, Jakarta

Directing an extensive network of thousands of Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) is no easy matter. K.H. Muis Kabri, chairman of the central board of Darud Dakwah wal Irsyad (DDI) has done it for the last 20 years. Based in Makassar, South Sulawesi, DDI manages 2,000 pesantren, and has branches in Riau and Jambi in Sumatra, South and Central Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi and most of South Sulawesi. The pesantren management also oversees kindergartens, elementary, secondary and high schools.

DDI has also set up 13 Islamic Colleges (STAI) with various schools (faculties), two of which have opened postgraduate programs.

It is equally difficult to maintain a balance between the expanding boarding schools and the surrounding bustling communities. The moderate stance adopted by DDI has enabled it to survive and remain solid. Muis Kabri sticks to this attitude. "We should keep serving the public without neglecting the mission to popularize the truth of Islam," he said.

At a time when some Islamic movements here are demanding the enforcement of syariah, particularly in South Sulawesi, Muis Kabri is leading DDI toward moderation. DDI's higher learning division is reformulating a subject concerned with the basic mission and vision of DDI for its students. Though already started in elementary schools, this subject is more critically analyzed in DDI colleges. "We wish to keep our vision and mission relevant to public demands such as democracy, respect for human rights, justice toward women and concern for social welfare. These vital elements must be strengthened," he added.

Muis Kabri was born into a DDI family and educated in its pesantren before undergoing training for religious teachers in West Java. He then secured a bachelor's degree at the Jakarta chapter of the Institute for Islamic Studies (IAIN) and a full degree at the IAIN in Malang, East Java. During his almost 20 years at DDI's helm, he also obtained his religious psychology doctorate from IAIN Jakarta in 1995 and a year later his professorship from the Pare-pare Islamic College (STAI).

He led the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) of Pare-pare and was concurrently chairman of South Sulawesi's MUI for one term. In his position at DDI, the 60-year-old professor wishes to hand down his reform concepts to succeeding generations and give them unlimited opportunities. One of his strategies is DDI curriculum reform. Plans are under way for opening automotive engineering and animal husbandry high schools in Pare-pare.

Below is an excerpt of an interview with Kabri. Question: What is today's fundamental problem in South Sulawesi for DDI? Answer: We should provide an understanding of society to younger generations and activists among Muslims. We cannot treat a community as an object, let alone a mere vehicle to achieve an end. We are concerned about the current situation. Could you elaborate?

Sometimes I observe some youths are less capable of distinguishing between the essential mission of Islam and the struggle for power through political mobilization in the name of Islam. Here Islam only serves as a means rather than the mission itself.

Shouldn't syariah be enforced, as demanded by some Muslim groups?

Syariah enforcement is of course the obligation of Muslims, individually as well as collectively. But it does not mean legalization by the state. If this happens syariah can be reduced by the mission of power itself.

Present attempts at syariah enforcement have become part of the struggle for economic and political resources. When power is seized, the logic of power will apply. Which syariah is to be implemented? It may be the one according to those in power, while any other interpretation will be made uniform and muffled. In fact, dissent is part of syariah itself. We are obliged to protect society and treat it as a subject.

What does DDI do in this context?

DDI's mission is religious propagation, education and charity. We have indeed mostly been engaged in education and propagation, and charity is still inadequate. Now DDI maintains a network of around 2,000 pesantren, each with all levels of non-college education, and 13 colleges.

We encourage the role and initiative of youths to carry out reforms, while the older generation should allow them the widest possible opportunities and provide direction so as not to abandon DDI's policy and wisdom.

What reforms is DDI undertaking?

We want DDI's mission to remain relevant to social developments. What our youths are doing is curriculum reform regarding DDI concerns (involving a subject on DDI's history, doctrine, vision and mission).

Important and latest issues should be included such as democracy, human rights, justice toward women and social concern, while respecting the traditions and wisdom of local communities, because we belong to them. In this way, DDI's graduates will not feel awkward when they work among them.

All such initiatives come from our younger members, who draw up schemes and will carry them out. We don't want to follow prevailing trends, even more so if it serves the interests of a small elite group. We are also opening high schools for automotive engineering and animal husbandry on a 35-hectare hilly plot in Pare-pare.

Isn't DDI left behind by, for instance, those struggling for enforcement of syariah?

It's only the voice of a small urban group. But it is indeed assisted by intensive mass media campaigning. We are just developing a moderate dialog and attitude. There's nothing absolute about us. We can live everywhere and respect each other, by avoiding mutual harassment and offense. How can one believe that syariah law is just if it is enforced by condemning others and even attacking people violently?