Karanganyar, Central Java. An Islamic school at the center of a controversy for its refusal to carry out the mandatory flag-raising ceremony has backed down and complied.
Heru Ichwanuddin, the principal of the Al Albani Islamic primary school in Karanganyar, Central Java, said on Monday that the school had signed an agreement with local district, military and police officials vowing to carry out the ceremony.
“We made a concrete commitment to change our views about saluting the flag and singing the national anthem,” he said.
The school was one of two in the district that had come under criticism for refusing to carry out those ceremonies because it said they were tantamount to idol worship and hence against Islamic teachings.
However, the flag-raising ceremony and singing of the national anthem are mandatory for all schools nationwide, whether religious or secular.
Students and teachers at Al Albani held the ceremonies on Monday, though they were marred by several mistakes despite the presence of military instructors. “We still need a lot of practice because it’s been a while since we’ve done this,” Heru said.
Capt. Sugiri, head of the Karanganyar Military Command, said the school had agreed to comply with the rules after a “heart-to-heart” discussion with local officials. “The persuasive approach was the best way to ask the Al Albani school to stop its violation of the ministerial decree requiring students to salute the flag and sing the national anthem,” he said.
However, the second school in question, the Al Irsyad Islamic junior high school, failed to hold the flag ceremony on Monday.
The principal, Sutardi, said he still needed to “consult the Koran on the issue of saluting the flag.”
11 years ago
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