Pesantren Bali Bina Insani to Embrace Hindu-Islam Harmony

TheIndonesia.id - Pesantren Bali Bina Insani shows the symbol of religious tolerance in Indonesia, particularly in Bali. Pesantren, simply known as an Islamic boarding school, is one of the choices for Indonesian kids to go to study.

Located at Meliling village, Tabanan, Pesantren Bali Bina Insani is surrounded by Hindu communities. Even so, the school is firmly existed by carrying the spirit of religious tolerance.

The pesantren was built by a Balinese person living in Pegayaman, Buleleng, named I Ketut Immaduddin Djamal. Just looking at his name, he is clearly a Balinese. 'I Ketut' is a Balinese name that means the fourth child.

I Ketut Djamal built the pesantren in early 1991. At that time, she met an old lady from Sulawesi who wanted to discuss the establishment of pesantren, which later became Pesantren Bali Bina Insani.

She offered a house in Sembung Gede Village, Kerambitan, Tabanan to be the building of pesantren. Then, Ketut Djamal and his partner, Yuli Saiful Bahri, agreed to do it and started to build the pesantren.

"Particularly on 27 October 1991, me and him (Ketut Djamal) brought 9 orphaned santri (students in pesantren) to Sembung Gede. Then, 2 santri returned home, so we only had 7 santri left as the pioneer," Yuli Saiful Bahri told the reporter.

Starting from 7 santri in the small house in 1991, Pesantren Bali Bina Insani continuously developed. Now, the pesantren has 385 variety santri from around Indonesia. Some of them are from Aceh and North Sumatra.

The santri always prioritize tolerance for other religions though they are taught in the Islamic way, especially with their Hindu teachers. Involving non-Muslim teachers in pesantren is an unusual thing. However, Pesantren Bali Bina Insani has 16 teachers who are Hindu.

Ni Made Suardani, one of the Hindu teachers, has been teaching for 17 years in this Islamic-based school. She said that she is very comfortable teaching the santri.

"For 17 years, I have been teaching Social subject (IPS) in Pesantren Bali Bina Insani," she said.

While teaching for the first time, Made Suardani felt awkward because her outfit was very different. By that time, she started to adjust and adapt herself to suit the environment. The santri also make her comfortable because they respect her religion.

Pesantren Bali Bina Insani not only dismisses the class when Muslims are celebrating holy day. The school also stops the learning activities when the Hindu community celebrate their day. 

"So apart from the school environment, residents are also involved during major religious holidays, such as Eid al-Adha. The Hindu community gets goat meat from the Muslims community. Including when breaking the fast together, the Hindu community will definitely be invited to the activity."

Because of the harmony between Islam and Hindu communities that live hand-in-hand, Pesantren Bali Bina Insani was awarded Tolerance Boarding School by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, in 2016.

Pesantren Bali Bina Insani has been praised for the high tolerance implemented since its establishment in 1991.