Surabaya – Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia should teach students to embrace diversity, and steer clear of radicalism and violence, Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin said on Wednesday.

"If there is an Islamic boarding school that teaches radicalism and violence, then to me that is not an Islamic boarding school," Lukman said during a public discussion at the Indonesia Shariah Economic Festival in Surabaya, East Java.

"What Islamic boarding schools should teach is inclusivism and nationalism, not radicalism – that is what makes these schools Islamic," the minister added.

According to Lukman, diversity is already an integral part of life at Islamic boarding schools, as students get to interact with a lot of people from different places and with different ethnic backgrounds.

"Diversity is a common theme at Islamic boarding schools. Diversity exists so that we can understand each other better, not to hate one another," Lukman said.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/islamic-boarding-schools-place-radicalism/