'Traditionalist' and 'Islamist' pesantrens in Indonesia

Abstract

Like the madrasa in India and Pakistan, the Indonesian pesantren — religious boarding schools, the local variant of the madrasa — have in recent years drawn some unfriendly attention due to suspicions of their involvement in radical and possibly terrorist activities. The Indonesian authorities did not appear to share those suspicions, certainly not concerning the pesantren in general, but those of the Philippines, Singapore, Australia and the US, as well as numerous international journalists have shown grave concern.