‘Pesantren’ Resilient to Radicalism

Jakarta, PPIM – A research entitled “the Resilience of Pesantren Against Radicalism” by Convey Indonesia showed that pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) had a power of adaptability as a resilience factor that made them able to resist radicalism.

The result of the research was presented by Kamilia Hamidah, a researcher from Convey Indonesia, in a virtual seminar series of #ModerasiBeragama (Religious Moderation) themed “Santri as Pioneers of Religious Moderation”, on Friday (23/10). The seminar was organized by the Center for the Study of Islam and Society (PPIM) of the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) Jakarta through Convey Indonesia program.

“Resilience here means the power of adaptability, meaning that pesantren can adapt to current situation and social dynamics,” Kamilia said.

She went on to say that a number of media reports tended to relate bomb attacks with the alumni of pesantren. That had made pesantren close to the image of radicalism and extremism, while in fact, pesantren had resilience power to avoid extremism, and that could make them exist until now.

For that reason, Kamilia urged the pesantren to strengthen their resilience by implementing four things. First, they should stay away from any approaches that promoted radical ideology. Second, they should delegitimize radical ideology. Third, they should contribute in overcoming hate speech. The last, they should take parts in mediation to Muslim people who felt mistreated.

“These four points must be strongly implemented in pesantren,” she said.

The virtual seminar on Religious Moderation is held every Friday via “Convey Indonesia” and “PPIM UIN Jakarta” official Youtube channels. The discussion, moderated by Convey Indonesian Team Leader Jamhari Makruf, also presented other speakers, such as Oman Fathurahman, a Special Staff for Religious Affairs Minister, and Dito Alif Pratama, Founder of Santri Mengglobal Nusantara.

Writer: Humairah
Editor: Zhella Apriesta, M. Nida Fadlan