The pesantren in Indramayu, West Java, has been embroiled in controversy over allegations that the school has been promoting heretical teachings and is linked to the breakaway Indonesian Islamic State (NII) movement.

The controversy has also attracted the attention of the West Java administration, with Governor Ridwan Kamil forming a multistakeholder team to investigate the pesantren and summoning Panji to the West Java gubernatorial office in Bandung for clarification on June 23.

On Saturday, MUI deputy secretary-general Arif Fahrudin said Panji in his response to the latest controversy had instead launched attacks against the MUI instead of clearing up the matter directly with the council

“We are deeply concerned over this disharmony among elements of Islam, especially as Panji Gumilang is reluctant to have dialogue and provide clarification to the MUI,” Arif said in a statement.

Arif pointed to the dialogue at the governor's office, which while Panji attended, he refused to meet with MUI representatives or permit any requests by the MUI to visit Al-Zaytun.

“If Panji Gumilang is still rejecting dialogue for tabayyun [clarification] with the MUI, then the MUI advises the public to increase its vigilance to avoid being easily indoctrinated or provoked by controversial religious interpretations like those of Panji Gumilang,” Arif said.

Aside from allegations of heresy, Al-Zaytun has also been accused of receiving “billions of rupiah” in funding including from the Religious Affairs Ministry, as well as allegations that high-ranking officials are covering for Al-Zaytun.

The ministry on June 22 denied the allegation, saying that it only channeled assistance funds for enrolled pesantren students.

On June 26, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo denied that the State Palace had anything to do with Al-Zaytun, adding that the religious affairs minister and the coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister were currently looking into the matter.

The National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) has also opened a formal investigation into allegations of blasphemous activities at the school.

On Thursday, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD said that while criminal investigations related to Al-Zaytun may continue, the investigation into the school itself would remain focused on administrative matters.

“We will evaluate its activities, curriculum, educational content and so on. That way, the rights of santri [students] to study will not be disrupted,” Mahfud said in a statement posted on his Instagram account, adding that Al-Zaytun was still allowed to enroll new students.

Panji, speaking in a talk show hosted by MetroTV’s senior journalist Andy F. Noya on June 28, brushed off allegations of heresy against him and said that Al-Zaytun was a proper educational institution accredited by the government.

“If [we] taught heretical teachings we would gone out [of business] a long time ago,” Panji said during the talk show published on MetroTV's YouTube channel.

He also rejected allegations of being involved with the NII, saying that the NII as a movement had ceased to exist in 1962 and its members returned to being ordinary Indonesian citizens.

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