October 16, 2025 | 08:11 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Nasaruddin Umar, Indonesia's Minister of Religious Affairs, has urged all parties to uphold the dignity of pesantren (Islamic Boarding School) and forgive each other following the polemic surrounding one of the programs on Trans7 that was deemed offensive to the lives of santri (Islamic boarding school students). Nasaruddin believes that the tradition of forgiveness is strong in the pesantren culture. "I think that is very important for all of us. Hopefully, this is a learning experience for all of us," Nasaruddin said, as quoted from the official statement of the Ministry of Religion on Thursday, October 16, 2025.
The Xpose Uncensored program on Trans7 featured a satirical narrative that mentioned "even when a santri (Islamic boarding school students) drink milk, they have to squat" and "they have to squat when greeting a kiai (Islamic religious leaders)." This sparked protests from the pesantren community.
"I was very surprised and concerned by the news that portrayed pesantren in a negative light," said the Minister of Religion. "For hundreds of years, pesantren have been educating the Indonesian people to become a cultured society and crystallize in the values of fair and cultured humanity."
According to Nasaruddin, pesantren have been the moral stronghold of the nation for centuries, producing generations of scholars, leaders, and national figures. Therefore, he urged the public to understand pesantren comprehensively and culturally, not through fragmented narratives that could create stigma.
"Pesantren are not just religious educational institutions, but also centers for shaping morals, characters, and humanity. Let us together uphold their dignity," he said.
Nasaruddin's statement came following protests from various pesantren communities, including Pondok Pesantren Lirboyo, which demanded that Trans Media withdraw the program and apologize publicly. The television station later apologized to the public and to the kiai of Pondok Pesantren Lirboyo.
Nasaruddin stated that the tradition of forgiveness is a strong value in pesantren culture. He believes that the kiai and santri will prioritize this attitude in responding to this incident.
"Yes, I think that is very important for all of us. Hopefully, this is a learning experience for all of us," he said.
The Minister of Religion added that he will visit East Java to meet with a number of pesantren. Furthermore, he emphasized that pesantren are not only religious educational institutions but also centers for shaping character and social civility that have contributed significantly to the nation.
"If we look with our hearts, what is happening in pesantren nowadays is actually the opposite of the negative image. There is a very sharp increase; people are enrolling their children in pesantren," Nasaruddin said.
According to him, the courtesy taught by pesantren is an important foundation in national life. "Where there are courteous people, there are usually dignified leaders. And where there are dignified leaders, there are courteous people. It is this inner atmosphere that is shaped by pesantren," he said.
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