Revisiting Islam–State Relationship: Critical Analysis of Indonesian Policy on Islamic Boarding Schools

Pondok pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) are the oldest Islamic educational institutions that have experienced significant development in Indonesia. A total of 26,975 pondok pesantren are currently spread across all regions. However, the state’s acknowledgment of these schools only came about in 2019, marked by the issuance of Law Number 18. Although enacted four or five years ago, this law has not been applied evenly in various regions. Therefore, this study aims to examine the law by focusing on its background, content and implications for the future of pondok pesantren. It also focuses on its political impact on the relationship between the state and Islam in Indonesia. The data presented were based on a systematic review of Law Number 18 of 2019, relevant regulations, policy documents and interviews with key policymakers. T he data were analysed based on the theory of social movement. This study pointed out that first, enacting the law is not merely a form of state recognition of the pondok pesantren, as it has been stated in previous studies, but rather influenced by the factor of structural opportunity to realise the desire of the pondok pesantren to obtain financial support that have never been granted by the state. On the other hand, enacting the law was a political strategy to intervene in Islamic groups to support the ruling government. Second, the strong political interests at the local government level and the contestation among religious groups have caused the law has not been implemented evenly in various regions in Indonesia. This means that although the enactment of the Law juridically can be considered as a policy that strengthens the Islam-state relationship, but it is still problematic at the implementation level.