Vice President Ma'ruf Amin: Islamic Boarding School Is A Center For Community Empowerment For Community Independence

JAKARTA - Vice President Kiai Haji Ma'ruf Amin inaugurated the opening of the XV Congress at the As'adiyah Islamic Boarding School in 2022 with the theme "Transformation of As'adiyah's Wasathiyah Values Towards a Resilient and Sovereignty Indonesia". In his remarks, Vice President Ma'ruf invited various Islamic boarding schools to contribute to joint efforts to move the people's economy.

"One function that is carried out, pesantren becomes a center for community empowerment in the context of the independence of the people, so that it does not become a burden but contributes so that people carry out Allah's orders, 'He made you from Earth to prosper the Earth'. To be prosperous, there must be an 'abruption', economic activity," he said at Merdeka Sengkang Square, Wajo Regency, South Sulawesi, Saturday, December 3.

"It is true, the Governor said, there must be a technology'sharing'. I ask the Governor in South Sulawesi, all of these pesantren to be mobilized to become (central, ed.) community economic empowerment. We have encouraged at least the term OPOP, 'one pesantren, one product'," he continued.

The Vice President also explained that community empowerment is included in the goals of Islamic law because it is part of protecting the country.

"Why should the homeland be guarded? Because the homeland takes care of everything, maintains religion, protects souls, safeguards property, people who die, defends the legal price, how can those who defend their country protect all of Indonesia's assets for the people, this is part of 'hifdzul wathan' (protection of the homeland)," he said.

Islamic boarding schools, according to the Vice President, also have a central role to play in fostering the younger generation of Indonesian Muslims to get to know religion as a whole.

He invited Islamic boarding schools to teach wasathiyah Islamic teachings in a cool and scientific manner through the education and da'wah system.

"That is the importance of pesantren in the context of (born, ed.) al mutafaqqihinna fiddin (experts of Islamic religious science) and God willing, As'adiyah was born, namely those who thought wasathy, moderate. It means moderate, don't think textually, and also don't think liberal," he said as quoted by ANTARA.

The vice president said that a contextual wasatithy mindset is a way of thinking that has a problem solving method according to its time.

"Not static, not rigid, not rigid, but also not liberal. This means that liberal he gives opinions without methods, without boundaries and no benchmark," he said.

That way the graduates of Islamic boarding schools can respond and provide answers not only as religious solutions but also state.

"Resolution of the wathaniyah problem is important because this state problem is resolved through religious solutions," said the Vice President.

Previously, the Governor of South Sulawesi Andi S. Sulaiman reported community empowerment programs such as increasing MSMEs to adding halal certification for business actors.

He hopes that he will receive support from the central government so that the empowerment of the people in South Sulawesi can be further improved.

"We certainly ask for directions from the Vice President and also of course instructions if there are things that must be followed up," he said.

Present at this event were the Regent of Wajo Amran Machmud, the Grand Imam of the Istiqlal Mosque Nazaruddin Umar, the General Chairperson of the Central Boarding School of the AsAdiyah Islamic Boarding School Muhammad