The Al Mukmin Muslim boarding school in Ngruki is striving to improve its image, battered by a series of terrorist activities in the country. One attempt at transforming the image of the school, which is led by jailed Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, was to hold a seminar titled, "Islam, Sharia and Challenges of Globalization", on Thursday. The organizing committee of the event invited representatives not only of Muslim organizations and institutions, but also others associated with non-Muslims, as well as Jakarta-based diplomats from a number of countries. School director Wahyuddin expressed satisfaction at the enthusiasm and willingness of the invitees, especially the non-Muslims and representatives from foreign embassies, in attending the seminar. "Everybody should know that sharia, which we fully back, constitutes an alternative for the existing secular system. The latter has failed to lead the country to better times," Wahyuddin said.
| "... while the former has failed to lead any country to any times..." |
"There should no longer be any fear that discussion on shariain Indonesia amounts to an intention to change the structure of the state. They are two completely different things," he said. |