Sambutan Pimpinan Pesantren Darunnajah Pada Kunjungan Duta Besar Inggris Untuk Indonesia Mr. Owen Jenkins Beserta Rombongan Ke Pesantren Darunnajah

Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarokatuh

Your Excellency British Ambassador of the UK to Indonesia, Mr. Owen Jenkins
Honorable Director of British Council Indonesia, Mr. Hugh Moffat

Respectable Staff Sergeant (Drum Major), Mr. Andi Garner

Respectable guests
Teachers and students…

It is my pleasure, to welcome you all to Darunnajah Islamic Boarding School in conjunction with the celebration of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee as well as the UK’s partnership with Darunnajah. We are very delighted to this event by holding musical performance and entertainment employed by the Nottinghamshire Band of the Royal Engineers.

Darunnajah is one of Pesantrens in Indonesia. Historically, pesantren is traditional Islamic school which has deeply rooted and developed since hundreds years ago in Indonesian society.

It is not only an educational institution, but it also represents a unique education system that synthesizes religious, educational, socio-cultural dimensions.

There are more than 30 thousands pesantrens spread almost throughout the provinces in Indonesia.
Darunnajah school has longstanding relationship with the UK in various programs conducted within 16 years. This partnership initiated by the visit of the Prime Minister Mr. Tony Blair in 2006. Since then, we conducted student-teacher’s exchange program with the Holy Family Catholic School in Yorkshire for 11 years.

The program has been expanded to School Program done by Birmingham City Council and Greater Jakarta 2019 which involved Darunnajah as one of the representatives.

In 2019, British Council also appointed Darunnajah to join the School link in cooperation with Waverley School, Birmingham. Our objectives with all those programs are to establish understanding on educational issues, tolerance and cultural differences. It is also to share knowledge and experience to foster an improved quality of learning and teaching.

The programs are aimed to facilitate teachers and students in exploring collaboration potentials at international levels. We hope by this event, this good relationship may be expanded in other different aspects, and followed up by concrete program which establishes understanding in religious dimension and local wisdom.

Ladies and gentlemen!
Democracy, which has become the icon of the world, has potential to accommodate the values of local wisdom. So that, there is no one size fits all principle in democracy.

To that end, we do hope that all nations can understand and respect values being employed in each and every society, with a view to creating harmony and tolerance. However, there will not be any tolerance and harmony without respecting the local wisdoms and the values, notably religious values.

We do believe the UK as one of the oldest democracy can take the lead towards the creation of enabling environment for harmonious collaboration and interaction in the society including by respecting the religious values in the society.

Finally, To Mr. Ambassador, Mr. Owen Jenkins, Mr. Hugh Moffat, the Director of British Council in Indonesia, and delegates from the Nottinghamshire Band of the Royal Engineers. We thank you very much for coming to this wonderful opportunity.

Thank you for your full attention,
Wassalamualaikum Wr Wb.

Dr. Sofwan Manaf, M.Si
The Principal of Darunnajah