Vice President Affirms Islamic Boarding Schools Must Be The Center For Islamic Civilization

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin visited the Annuqayah Islamic Boarding School in Sumenep, East Java, Wednesday (9/8/2023). BETWEEN/HO-BPMI Setwapres

JAKARTA - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin emphasized that Islamic boarding schools as educational institutions that will produce the nation's next generation must be able to become the center of Islamic civilization.

This was conveyed by the Vice President during a meeting with the Board of Trustees of the Annuqayah Islamic Boarding School (Ponpes) and scholars throughout Sumenep Regency at the Annuqayah Islamic Boarding School, Guluk Guluk, Sumenep, East Java.

"I want pesantren as the center of civilization, and pesantren must have an influence on the surroundings, even national influences, and if possible global influence," said the Vice President in a press release reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, August 9.

The vice president said that in the current law, the function of Islamic boarding schools is said to include education, da'wah, and as a center for community empowerment.

"But I want more than that (must also function as a center of civilization)," he said.

The vice president revealed that in the past the pesantren that built civilization in Indonesia. He also gave an example of the role of Sheikh Jumdil Kubro, who came from Samarkand, Uzbekistan, came to the archipelago and built Islamic boarding schools in various regions as centers of civilization and science centers.

"Yesterday I went to Samarkand, there was an inscription about the influence of the Samarkand cleric in the spread of Islam in Indonesia, namely Sheikh Jumdil Kubro," he said.

The vice president hopes that pesantren graduates will not only be good at reading books but also be able to provide jitihad in providing law regarding the current issues.

According to him, many old problems are now transforming into new problems that need to be assessed whether they are in accordance with Islamic law or not.

"Most of the syariahs were born from ijtihad," said the Vice President quoting Imam Haramian al-Juwaini.

The vice president gave an example of Islamic economic issues that are growing very rapidly, and are not clearly explained in the nash of the Koran, such as digital payments, online buying and selling where buyers do not meet directly, buying crypto, and other current issues.

"It has to be someone (the expert), I think the source is in the pesantren," he said.

Ma'ruf Amin also hopes that pesantren can continue to be the center of da'wah.

He observed that technological developments had made religion relegated.

The Vice President gave an example, when he was still in the Presidential Advisory Council (Wantimpres) and visited Korea, at that time Buddhists in Gingseng Country were still 99 percent, but now it is only 20 percent, of which 52 percent are not religious and the rest adhere to other religions.

Likewise in Europe, said the Vice President, many churches are sold, even buyers are Indonesian Muslims.

Meanwhile, as a center for community empowerment, the Vice President emphasized that pesantren should not be a place for weak people. For that, according to him, it is necessary to build a muamalah that is in accordance with sharia.