The Al Zaytun Islamic Boarding School has drawn public attention following statements made by its caretaker, Panji Gumilang, which led to allegations of deviant teachings. This controversy has prompted the Minister of Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Mahfud Md, to intervene.
The practice that brought Al Zaytun into the spotlight and sparked controversy was the implementation of the Eid al-Fitr prayer in 1444 Hijri, where male and female congregants stood side by side, and there was even a female congregant standing alone in front of the male congregants.
Religious blasphemy
In addition, another occurrence that went viral on social media was the singing of a Jewish song by the students of Al Zaytun boarding school.
The Lajnah Bahtsul Masail (LBM), an agency affiliated with Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) that deals with matters related to politics, social economy, and culture, highlighted the issue of Al-Zaytun Islamic boarding school singing the song “Havenu shalom alachem,” which went viral on social media.
According to the institution, the lyrics are strongly associated with Judaism historically, both in terms of their emergence and usage.
The LBM NU West Java stated that singing such a song is forbidden (haram) as it resembles and promotes the traditions of another religion.
Moreover, it is alleged that Al Zaytun Islamic boarding school also has a synagogue, which is a place of worship for Jews, within its premises.
Affiliation with the Indonesian Islamic State
Recently, Al-Zaytun has been referred to as a recruitment location for the Indonesian Islamic State (NII). In relation to the NII, Panji is known as the leader of Regional Command IX, overseeing Jakarta, Bekasi, Tangerang, West Java, and Banten. He is also known by the alias Syamsul Alam or Abu Toto.
The Indonesian Islamic State (abbreviated as NII or also known as Darul Islam or DI, meaning “Islamic State”) is an Islamic group in Indonesia aiming to establish an Islamic state in the country. It was initiated on August 7, 1949, by a group of Muslim militias coordinated by a Muslim politician, Sekarmadji Maridjan Kartosoewirjo.
Panji has consistently denied his involvement with the NII and even considers it to be defunct. He reiterated this statement after being questioned regarding the religious blasphemy case at the Indonesian National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency on Monday, July 3. He stated, “It no longer exists.”
Former Head of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), Abdullah Mahmud Hendropriyono, corroborated this information. He first obtained this information from Abdul Fatah Wirananggapati, a former Commander of Darul Islam/Indonesian Islamic Army established by Sekarmadji Maridjan Kartosoewirjo, who intended to establish the Indonesian Islamic State.
Hendropriyono received information that Panji Gumilang also held the position of Territorial Commander of the NII and his responsibilities included recruiting new cadres. However, Panji has consistently denied allegations of being part of the NII. BIN eventually engaged him to help to stop the movement of the NII. Hendropriyono stated, “The important thing at that time was that he was no longer part of the NII.”
Suspected money laundering
In addition to allegations of religious blasphemy and affiliation with the NII, the leader of Al Zaytun Islamic boarding school, Panji Gumilang, is also suspected of being involved in money laundering. This suspicion was initially raised by the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Mahfud MD.
“It is still being investigated,” said Brigadier General Whisnu Hermawan, Director of Special Economic Crime at the Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) of the Indonesian National Police on Wednesday, July 12, 2023.
Mahfud revealed that there are at least 295 land certificates in the name of Panji Gumilang and his family. Currently, the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) has declared that all accounts linked to Panji Gumilang have been frozen. The 76-year-old man is reported to have 256 accounts, while Al-Zaytun boarding school itself has only 33 accounts. The transactions amount to trillions of rupiah.
