Indonesian Islamic Schools Research Articles

Indonesian Pesantren and Community Social Change: Moderate Islam’s Use of Media and Technology as Tools for Community Engagement

Abstract: This article explores the use of media and technology by Indonesian Islamic schools or pesantren in non-formal, community-based educational initiatives to bring about social change. Interviews with ten pesantren leaders were conducted in order to better understand their perceptions on how their schools have used media and technology in response to reports of pesantren involvement in terrorist activities. The findings suggest that while these leaders are conscious of the image linking pesantren with radical Islamic teachings, they have responded to these critiques through the adoption of technology as a tool for educating the broader local community.

Modernization of Indonesian Islamic schools’ curricula, 1945–2003

As the most populous Muslim country in the world, Indonesia has a unique experience in dealing with Islamic education, a system that was established years before the country’s independence. This paper summarizes the development of Indonesian Islamic schools with special reference to their changing curricula. Using the social constructionist perspective as an approach, this research is trying to see the significance of political and social changes to the development of Islamic schools’ curricula throughout the country’s history.