Gov't Must Be Transparent About Islamic Schools with Terrorist Ties: Ulemas

TheIndonesia.co - The Indonesian Ulema Council, or MUI, is calling the government to be transparent and open about the Islamic schools (pesantren) in Indonesia that are suspected to have ties with terrorist groups, to prevent suspicion among members of the society.

MUI deputy chairman Anwar Abbas said that by being revealing which pesantren are under the suspicion of maintaining links with terrorist groups, the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) will prevent unnecessary frictions.

“To make everything clear, BNPT should just reveal the name of pesantren who are reported to have ties with terrorism,” Abbas said on Thursday, January 27, as reported by Antara.

Furthermore, the suspected pesantren must be provided an opportunity to clarify the claim made by BNPT, and proper examination into the presantren should be carried out. Because, if not, Abbas said mere claims and issues may create disorder in society and within the educational institutions.

Examination and investigation are also deemed necessary to provide the public with clear evidence about the involvement of one pesantren with any terrorist groups. Therefore, there won’t be apprehension among parents to send their children to pesantren.

“If [claims about links with terrorism] continue to circulate in public, it will negatively impact pesantren as parents will be worried about sending their kids to pesantren,” the deputy chairman explained.

Previously, BNPT chief Boy Rafli Amar said the Agency found a number of pesantren in Indonesia with ties to different terrorist groups. 11 pesantren were allegedly affiliated with Jemaah Anshorir Khalifah, 68 pesantren were suspected to have links with Jemaah Islamiyah, and other 119 were linked to Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD).