Half-hearted welcome: A security guard stands behind the main gate to Al-Mukmin Islamic Boarding School in Ngruki, Sukoharjo, Central Java, recently. The school has been under media spotlight after the involvement of some of its former students in a number of terrorism activities throughout the country. JP/Hasyim Widhiarto

Visiting the school’s compound recently, The Jakarta Post was welcomed by a group of male students who stood behind the school’s main gate, chatting to each other during a break after afternoon prayer.

Sitting next to them, a security guard in his white-and-blue uniform stood by to open the gate only to the school’s students, teachers, visiting parents and listed guests.

“But don’t forget, we have to put two more categories of visitors on the list; journalists and intelligence officers,” said one of the students. “They’re on the list for several days after any bombing incident.”

Located in densely populated but neatly organized Ngruki hamlet in Cemani subdistrict, Sukoharjo regency, the school is better known as the Ngruki Islamic Boarding School than its original name Al-Mukmin.

Because the school is situated only 1 kilometer from Surakarta, people often mistake it as Surakarta’s Islamic boarding school.

Founded in 1972 by late hard-line cleric Abdullah Sungkar and firebrand cleric Abu Bakar Ba’asyir, the Ngruki School currently runs four main education programs. They are Madrasah Tsanawiyah (junior high school), Madrasah Aliyah (senior high school), Mualimin School (school for Islamic religion teachers) and the Islamic Institute.

The school, however, has been in the public spotlight in recent years after some of its alumni, both teachers and students, were discovered to be involved in a number of terrorist attacks throughout the country.

One graduate, Muklas, was executed by authorities in 2008 for masterminding the 2002 Bali bombings.

As part of its tradition, dating back to the 1970s, the school has not obliged its students to acknowledge Pancasila (the nation’s philosophical foundation) and the national flag.

The police and the military during Soeharto’s New Order regime had repeatedly stormed the school for its persistence in opposing the nation’s emblems.

However, no decision was taken to shut it down.

But it was not until the 2002 Bali bombings that Ngruki students became accustomed to local and foreign journalists packing their school for interviews after bombing incidents. It was at that time they also became accustomed to police busting terrorist suspects.

Qoidi Azzam, 14, a 9th grade student at Ngruki’s Madrasah Tsanawiyah, said he sometimes felt uneasy with the “terrorist factory” label that the school had.

All he could do, however, was try to convince people he met that the allegation was false and misleading.

“I always believe that any fabricated accusation of Ngruki would mean nothing if its students proved their academic skills, and significantly benefited society,” said Qoidi from Surakarta.

Having studied at Ngruki for almost three years, Qoidi said he had a passion for writing, and was a contributor for the school’s Al-Mukminun monthly newspaper.

Qoidi is hoping to become an Islamic intellectual and noted author after graduating from the school.

Azhar Sururi, Qoidi’s classmate, also shared a similar dream.

The 14-year old, who came from Cepu, Central Java, however, has chosen to study psychology at university once he graduates from the school.

“I want to be a lecturer,” he said.

As a boarding school, Ngruki currently charges each student Rp 550,000 (US$55) per month to cover tuition, dormitory and meal fees.

The school, however, has also allocated a full scholarship to 10 percent of its students as a commitment to help students from low-income families.

According to its official report, the school currently has 1,600 students, most are from big cities in Java such as Jakarta, Bandung and Surakarta.

In the school’s compound, male and female student dormitories are separated by yards and classrooms.

Entering the school’s three-story male dormitory building, dozens of students playing futsal (mini soccer) and basketball in the building’s semi-indoor cement courts helped to transform the gloomy atmosphere of the school’s front yard.

During an evening break, several students, who did not book space in the sports area, took their balls to play in front of the building, or spend time reading magazines on the terrace.

The students also have no reservations about people taking their pictures.

“Hey, there’s another journalist there,” shouted several students.

The school’s spokesman Ade Hidayat said excessive media coverage had sometimes ignited concern from the students’ parents.

Ade, however, denied if such widespread reports about Ngruki had discouraged parents to send their children to the school.

“Parents who enrol their children here have usually received more objective information [about the school] from their relatives, friends or neighbors who once studied or had sent their children here,” he said.

According to Ade, the school had received 420 students registering for their annual intake at the start of the curriculum in July, slightly higher than the 400 seats offered for the 2010/2011 academic year.

“Alhamdulillah [thanks to God], every placement we have offered has been filled each year,” he said.
— JP/Hasyim Widhiarto

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