Cak Imin Refers to Indonesia as a Hub of Scholars

During the closing ceremony of the National Final Musabaqoh Qiraatil Kutub (MQKN) in Jakarta, Muhaimin Iskandar, also known as Cak Imin, the Chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB), expressed his pride in the success of the santri in the competition. He referred to the participants as future scholars and fuqaha who will uphold the scholarly tradition of Ahlussunnah wal Jamaah in Indonesia.

“The winners, future scholars from Aceh, and the champions from various regions, prove that Indonesia is still a hub of scholars and maintains a strong religious scholarly tradition,” he said.

Moving forward, Cak Imin encouraged the pesantren education system to be more adaptive to modern developments, including accelerating the mastery of science, knowledge, and technology.

“The next agenda is to find ways to make religious learning faster, without delay, so that individuals can quickly grasp advancements in science, knowledge, and technology,” he stated.

However, he also highlighted the weak political positions of some pesantren in the present day. According to him, many pesantren have strong scholarly doctrines but lack a firm attitude and commitment to advocating Islamic values in the public sphere.

“Sometimes the doctrines are good, but the practices are not. The doctrines are strong, but the implementation is not as strong. Politically, our pesantren almost lack adequate bargaining power, unlike in the past,” he emphasized.

Cak Imin urged the santri and future scholars to remain committed to preserving the teachings and role of pesantren in nation-building.

“My children, my younger siblings, future scholars must truly become scholars with a high commitment to realizing Islam and making religion play a role in building the nation and the state,” he conveyed.

He also expressed appreciation for the Forum for Accelerating Pesantren Transformation (FPTP), stating that they play a crucial role in encouraging pesantren to continuously transform to face the challenges of the times.

“I thank the FPTP, the Forum for Accelerating Pesantren Transformation, which is an integral part of the efforts to ensure that our pesantren play a significant role in religious, national, and state life,” he concluded.