BNPT Names 198 Islamic Boarding Schools Affiliated With Terrorist Networks, Ministry Of Religion Steps In To Verify

Director General of Islamic Education at the Ministry of Religion Muhammad Ali Ramdhani (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Religion is coordinating with the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) to obtain data and verify 198 Islamic boarding schools which are said to be affiliated with terrorist networks.

"Verification needs to be carried out to ensure that the names of institutions in the BNPT data are Islamic boarding schools and identify whether the names recorded by BNPT are Islamic boarding schools that have registered permits from the Ministry of Religion", said Director General of Islamic Education at the Ministry of Religion, Muhammad Ali Ramdhani, in a statement received at the Ministry of Religion, Jakarta, Antara on Thursday, February 3.

He said that currently, around 36,000 Islamic boarding schools have registered permits from the Ministry of Religion. However, said Dhani - his nickname - not all Islamic boarding schools currently have a permit from the Ministry of Religion.

"Therefore, we need clarification with BNPT to ensure that the data are all registered boarding schools or not", he said.

It is also important to clarify and verify whether the pesantren identified by BNPT fulfill the arkanul ma'had (Pillar of Islamic Boarding School) or not. If it is not registered and does not fulfill the arkanul ma'had, it certainly cannot be called a pesantren, and cannot operate on behalf of the pesantren.

He added that if it is identified that there are Islamic boarding schools registered and proven to be affiliated with terrorist networks, they will be given strict sanctions up to the revocation of permits.

Director of Diniyah Education and Islamic Boarding Schools Directorate General of Islamic Education, Waryono Abdul Ghafur, detailed the minimal elements of a pesantren called arkanul ma'had.

The pillars of the pesantren consist of Kiai who are exemplary figures as well as caregivers who guide students, resident students, huts or dormitories, mosques or prayer rooms, as well as the study of the yellow book.

"In fact, from several names called BNPT, after we checked, not all of them were categorized as Islamic boarding schools. Therefore, we coordinated further with BNPT so that there is a similarity of data", said Waryono.

The management of pesantren is regulated in Law Number 18 of 2019 concerning Islamic Boarding Schools so that the position of pesantren is now even stronger because there is recognition, affirmation, and facilitation from the state while maintaining the uniqueness and independence of pesantren, he continued.

Waryono added that another important element of pesantren is the commitment to nationalism and nationalism. The history of the nation's struggle cannot be separated from the contribution of pesantren. Characterized by many national heroes who were born from pesantren. Therefore, Islamic boarding schools are closely related to the spirit of nationalism and nationalism.

Waryono appealed to parents of students to be selective when leaving their children in the pesantren. Parents need to ensure that the pesantren chosen is an educational institution that fulfills the arkanul ma'had as stipulated in the regulations and that the caregivers have a clear scientific chain.

"Don't over-generalize either. There are thousands of Islamic boarding schools that can be the best choice for the education of Indonesian children", said Waryono.