The root of ignorance

The root of ignorance

Reading the article of Leonard C. Sebastian The root of
Islamic radicalism in The Jakarta Post of Aug. 7, 2002, page 7, I
was surprised by the content. Not only was the article very
superficial in its view of Islam in Indonesia, but also it showed
that the author did not know what he was writing about. Or more
precisely, it reflects the attitude of Westerners to Islam,
especially Islam in Indonesia. He just sees Islam (Islamic
radicalism) in Indonesia from a distance and claims that he knows
all about it. I call this the root of ignorance.

The author started with the Islamic Education System to
explain Islamic radicalism but in fact he did not really
understand what he was trying to write about. He failed to see
the distinction between a madrasah (Islamic school) and a
pesantren (Islamic boarding school). He does not even know what a
madrasah is. It is only a normal school, in which religious
studies are given more weight.

A Pesantren is where students learn and adopt religious life
almost completely, although there have been moves to include
nonreligious subjects to the curricula. In some pesantren,
computers and other technology are used. English is used daily,
in addition to Arabic.

Gontor in Ponorogo and Darun Najah in Jakarta are examples of
pesantren where nonreligious subjects are also taught in an
almost balanced proportion with those of (Islam) religion. Some
madrasah are also subsidized by the government. Thus, madrasah
run by private organizations are not much different from normal
schools run by private organizations, except in the content of
religious subjects.

This should show that there is no reason to state that Islamic
radicalism starts from the madrasah. The fact that many madrasah
students are engaged in what he calls radicalism does not
necessarily mean that the madrasah play a role in it.

Leaders of Islamic parties in Indonesia are mostly graduates
of normal schools and universities, some are even overseas
graduates. Historically, no hard-line Muslim movements in
Indonesia were born from madrasah or pesantren. It is true,
however, that struggles for independence during Dutch and
Japanese occupations were initiated by the pesantren.

Engaging in movements to establish an Islamic state in
Indonesia should also be seen in a similar light as we see such
movements to establish an Indonesian secular state. Both ideals
should not be condemned. It is a matter of choice and we must
respect each other's choices.

ACHMAD POERNOMO

Jakarta