Revitalizing pesantren's role in era of globalized education

M. Yunus, Contributor, Yogyakarta

Reproduksi Ulama di Era Global: Resistensi Tradisional Islam (Reproducing ulema in he global era; Traditional resistance of Islam)
Dr. H. Muhtarom H.M.
Pustaka Pelajar, Yogyakarta, July 2005
xvi + 318 pp

Post-modernism has marked an era of the reawakening of capitalist identity. From a global economic viewpoint, post-modernists are characterized as ""seeking instant results in whatever you have"". The vitality of post-modernists will be more apparent as we take a look at the domain of neo-liberalists, with their typical tendency toward instrumental and capitalist thought.

Meanwhile, neo-liberalists' core principle is ""liberalizing trade and finance, ending inflation, and leaving prices to the market"".

Post-modernists and neo-liberalists are not only engaged in the economy, and their influence has had increasing hegemony over politics, law, culture and education. Particularly in the last field, the paradigm, system and operational mechanism inculcated by post-modernists and neo-liberalists seem so fixed, instead of developing the traditional system so far maintained by Islamic boarding schools (pesantren), so that many circles in contemporary society consider it unworthy.

These two groups of thinkers no longer care whether or not the paradigm and system applied to education remain capable of creating cadres and future generations with good morals, but rather, their concern is whether or not the paradigm and system can follow current developments.

To most members of contemporary or post-modernist society, the pattern and system of education developed by pesantren are considered too old-fashioned, conservative and uncooperative as regards the present era and environment.

Reproduksi Ulama di Era Global; Resistensi Tradisional Islam (Reproducing ulema in he global era; Traditional resistance of Islam) appears to respond to the misinformation of contemporary society.

Its author, Dr. H. Muhtarom H.M., elaborates systematically on those factors that have led to the birth of contemporary thought about the instant, yet instrumental, system and paradigm of education. Then he deals thoroughly with the urgent role of pesantren-style education in facing today's global era, in which ulema -- often called the heirs of prophets -- as leaders of such traditional schools, provide the backbone in creating future generations that are not only well versed in religious science and management, but are also capable of warding off the snares of globalization.

In general, the globalized and instant system of education in Indonesia started when the government joined the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) meeting on April 15, 1994, in Marrakesh, Morocco, which established the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Jan. 1, 1995, as initiated by a number of capitalist countries through global corporate sponsorship. This globalization of education was programmed along with other areas like information and communication, economy, law, politics, culture and religion.

In view of the adverse implication that will arise from the capitalist version of globalized education, intellectuals and religious figures have been verifying the significance of this system. In this process, the position of ulema and traditional pesantren concerned with Islamic sciences automatically become very important.

Pesantren should be acknowledged as part of the various forums of scientific transformation that are not to be ignored, though today, we inevitably have to accept the demands of instrumental nature in all sectors, including educational development.

Even in medicine, for instance, the study of classical books dealing with fiqih, or religious law, is relevant to of biology, which is a prerequisite to gain entry into the medical sciences.

The urgency of pesantren-style education is also reflected in the form of communication constructed on an egalitarian basis. In socio-anthropological terms, coexistence without regard to social classes, ethnic groups, races and nationalities is a doctrine strongly fostered in pesantren communities. This is unlike the society projected by neo-liberalists, in which men are dragged into the vicious circle of social stratification based on capital.

A number of pesantren thinkers have further explored the doctrine of ""being together in joy and sorrow"".

Apart from Reproduksi Ulama di Era Global, Fiqih Sosial (Religious law for social relations) by Sahal Mahfudh is another work that analyzes the social system and paradigm more oriented toward religion, for which pesantren communities have strived.

Another side to the pesantren educational system and related communities worthy of praise is their flexible attitude toward diverse thinking, by not only limiting themselves to Eastern ideas, but also adopting Western concepts. This flexibility makes them unique and open, so it is a mistake to assume pesantren are isolated enclaves that do not -- or are prohibited from -- address the changes of the times.

Conversely, these communities better realize contemporary changes, which enabled them to make a distinction between one period and another.

This typical feature has prompted domestic and foreign intellectuals to study and research the role of ulema as well as pesantren in Indonesia, such as Nurcholish Madjid, former president KH Abdurrahman Wahid, Dawam Raharjo, Zamakhzyari Dhofier, Martin Van Bruinessen and Greg Barton.

Reproduksi Ulama di Era Global will therefore expand the bibliography of references that can be used to appraise pesantren affairs and the role of ulema in the era of globalization.

Adopted from: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2005/12/11/revitalizing-pesantren039s-role-era-globalized-education.html