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