Students 'must shun hard-line schools'

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post/Yogyakarta

Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Alwi Shihab has asked Indonesian students not to study in overseas schools and colleges that promote hard-line Islamic doctrine for fear they may become extremists.

"We don't want young Indonesians, who have already been educated in an atmosphere that encourages tolerance, to enroll at false educational institutions overseas. This results in Muslim extremists and hard-liners," he told hundreds of students at Sunan Pandanaran Islamic boarding school in Sleman regency, Yogyakarta.

Alwi said that to avoid that, the government would survey foreign institutions to identify which of them were hard-liners.

"Hopefully, this will cut the network of Islamic hard-line education," the minister added.

At the moment, Alwi said, there are many graduates of Indonesian Islamic boarding schools who have pursued their education in countries like Yemen.

"I will go to Yemen in the near future to attend the unification of South and North Yemen. During the visit, I will use the opportunity to look for good educational institutions there," Alwi added.

His statement came in relation to the devastating terrorist attacks that occurred in Bali and Jakarta, blamed on Muslim extremists linked to the regional terror organization Jamaah Islamiyah (JI).

Some of the convicted suspects had studied in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Malaysia. Police are currently hunting two top JI members, Azhari bin Husin and Noordin Mohd, accused of masterminding the 2002 Bali blasts and the JW Marriott Hotel attack in 2003.

Senior JI operative Hambali or Riduan Isamuddin was captured by United States authorities for his alleged key role in regional terror attacks.

Indonesia-born Hambali, who was also linked to Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda, was a student at an Islamic institution in Karachi, Pakistan.

His younger brother and fellow student in Pakistan, Rusman Gunawan alias Gun Gun, was arrested by Pakistani authorities in 2003 along with five other students, on suspicions of involvement in terrorist activities.

Alwi, who is also a prominent Muslim scholar, said the government was concerned about directing young Indonesians toward good education.

Aside from foreign institutions, the minister also expressed concern over Indonesian Islamic boarding schools that lean heavily toward extremism.

"What is needed is an educational system, which is able to portray Islam as a religion that can give protection instead of incite terror, and a religion that emphasizes good intentions and virtues," Alwi added.