"Pesantrens serve as a kind of transmitting medium to pass down the outlooks (on social conditions) of past ulemas to their successors," he remarked while attending a religious ceremonial event at the Kiai Haji Aqil Siroj (KHAS) Islamic Boarding School in Cirebon District, West Java, on Saturday.
Amin explained the importance of pesantrens by presenting an analogy, saying that such schools function like an electricity connector. Through the schools, the current living ulemas can learn about the outlooks, knowledge, and wisdom of their predecessors to enlighten communities.
"Let me use electricity as a model. We know that transmitters are essential in the distribution process of electricity to houses. Without transmitters, electricity can cause fire, instead," he elaborated.
The vice president, who is also an ulema, affirmed that today's ulemas play an important role in interpreting the outlooks of their predecessors before conveying them to communities in order to prevent misunderstandings.
"Without transmitters, the views of past ulemas can instead confuse people," he stated.
On the occasion, Amin prayed for the best in the afterlife for the late ulema, Aqil Siroj, the founder of the KHAS Pesantren, while expressing hope that future generations would follow in Siroj's footsteps to develop Islamic education in Indonesia.
Furthermore, the vice president encouraged all parties to make pesantrens a blessed place that can proffer myriad benefits for the people, the nation, and the country.
At the event, Amin was accompanied by his aides from the Vice Presidential Secretariat, including the head of the secretariat, Ahmad Erani Yustika.
Vice Governor of West Java Uu Ruzhanul Ulum, Cirebon District Head Imron Rosyadi, and the management and teachers of the Kiai Haji Aqil Siroj Islamic Boarding School Kempek also attended the ceremonial event.
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Translator: Rangga Pandu, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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