Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Religious Affairs Minister Suryadarma Ali has shown a "reckless attitude" by concluding that the Al Zaytun Islamic boarding school is not linked to the outlawed NII (Indonesian Islamic State) movement merely based on his impressions during a brief visit to the school, a Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) executive said.

"The minister has shown a reckless attitude because, before drawing any conclusion, he should have conducted a thorough study" on Al Zaytun`s activities, Marsudi Syuhud, secretary general of the NU Executive Baard (PB-NU), said here Friday.

It was presumptuous to conclude that the school, headed by Panji Gumilang, had nothing to do with NII merely based on impressions obtained during a one-hour or even one-day visit, especially so when the visit was official in nature, Marsudi said.

The confessions or testimonies of many Al Zaytun graduates about deviations in the subject matter taught at the school should have been used as the entry point for a deeper study of what the school was doing in reality, he said.

Moroever, he noted, many observers and institutions that had already researched Al Zaytun had detected a linkage between the school and NII

"Only through a comprehensive inquiry can it be ascertained whether or not the school is linked to NII. If it is not, it will be good for the school`s reputation. If it is, action must be taken against the school," the executive of Indonesia`s largest Muslim mass organization said.

Earlier, on Wednesday (May 11), during a visit to Al Zaytun Islamic boarding school in Indramwayu, West Java, Minister Suryadarma Ali had said he had not seen any signs of the school being linked to NII.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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