REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – An observer of Islamic Education KH Didin Hafidhuddin supported government’s effort in doing improvement of religious understanding among the society, especially the young generation. "I support the government’s effort in doing deradicalization with three ministries, for the sake of young generation,” said him to Republika.co.id on Monday (April 3). 

Kiai Didin said that to comment on the government plant to standardize Islamic boarding school (pesantren) in relation to mainstreaming moderate Islam. However, Kiai Didin hoped the program would have a clear criteria. He did not want the government consider pesantren who consistently practicing Islamic values to have better behavior to be named radical. 

He gave an example of Muslims who did not want to celebrate Christmas then  being labelled as radical or intolerant. "Muslims refuse to celebrate Christmast as it was a form of consequences for believing in Islamic aqidah (basic believe)," the Dean of Master Program of Ibnu Khaldun University said.

Kiai Didin worried that unclear criteria would distance people from Islamic values. It would be dangerous for the nation and state life. 

According to Kiai Didin, people with radical understanding aimed at separating themselves from Indonesia. Didin hoped the government would undergo deradicalization of secularism instead of deradicalization of religion. He said secular group as an anti-religion group who wanted to make religion as a private affairs and make it only a relation between human and God. 

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