The government respects pesantren, as now, we have the Pesantren Law and the pesantren fund
Garut, West Java (ANTARA) - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin stated that the government respects Islamic boarding schools, commonly known as pesantren, in Indonesia by committing to the Pesantren Law and realizing pesantren's welfare.

"The government respects pesantren, as now, we have the Pesantren Law and the pesantren fund," Amin noted in his remarks during the Al Jauhari Pesantren's 18th Anniversary commemoration event here, Thursday.

The vice president said that as per the Pesantren Law, the education institution has three main functions as the centre of education, proselytizing, and community economic empowerment.

As the centre of education, he pointed out that pesantren had been established to nurture knowledge about Islam in its pupils.

"Those who understand the religion will become the preachers to improve the community and enlighten the people, who are lost," he remarked.

Amin said that as the centre of proselytizing, pesantren must promote noble values for the common good and remove any harm to the community.

The vice president also reminded that a Muslim preacher must become the peacemaker to heal the division among members of the public instead of aggravating the division.

Contemporary pesantren also have a new purpose, as the centre of community economic empowerment, to promote economic development as a tool to fight poverty and ignorance in society, he added.

Amin then urged the management of Al Jauhari Pesantren to protect and nurture their pupils to grow as members of an advanced generation that understand religion and are keen to preserve Earth.

Meanwhile, the leader of Al Jauhari Pesantren, Jujun Junaedi, said that the school committee invited Amin in his capacity as an ulema.

Junaedi expressed hope that the vice president would pray for his pesantren's pupils to become successful in future while remaining faithful to the religion.

At the event, the pesantren leader also invited all participants to pray for victims of the 5.6-magnitude earthquake in Cianjur District, West Java, last Monday (November 21).

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Translator: Rangga Pandu AJ, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Sri Haryati
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