Book Review: Elite Domination and Its Abuses

By nature, the basic nature of humans is selfish, acting according to their desires (free will) and always making efforts to dominate those outside themselves. However, as social beings, these desires are limited by the consensus to live together. In other words, human freedom is limited by the rights of others. However, personal and group interest factors cause some individuals to form certain bonds in an effort to gain legitimacy of power, recognition and social support to influence and dominate those outside themselves and their groups.

The above conditions are common in our environment, including in life in Islamic boarding schools. Patronage relations in Islamic boarding schools, where the patron in this case is the dominance of the Kyai with all his advantages over the client (student) who gives full loyalty, obedience and devotion. Such a relationship pattern in the context of Islamic boarding school life, I prefer to call it part of the attitude of ta'dzim of students to teachers (Kyai). Patronage in Islamic boarding school life is not only between students and kyai and ustadz but also occurs among students. In the ideal patronage relationship pattern between students, the levels of the students themselves are usually determined. Those who are of a higher class become the patron for the students below them. However, this condition often does not apply to students who have 'blue blood'. This term refers to students who have special privileges in terms of kinship. The Gus and Sayyid circles are included in it.

For students who are included in one of these groups, they receive special treatment even though in terms of their level of education in the Islamic boarding school they are still considered junior. Respect for both groups is considered special, including in the application of Islamic boarding school regulations. It is common knowledge that if both groups violate Islamic boarding school regulations, for example, the supremacy of law for both is often blunted because of the attitude of the Islamic boarding school administrators. Even if the punishment is still applied, the treatment will certainly be different compared to other students. Even the kyai as the highest authority in the Islamic boarding school is also respectful and respectful, especially for the second group (Sayyid). In the concept of Islam, all humans in the eyes of Allah SWT have the same degree, the only difference is the level of piety.

"O people! Indeed, We have created you from a man and a woman, then We made you into nations and tribes so that you may know each other. Indeed, the noblest among you in the sight of Allah is the one who is most pious. Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing and Most Accurate." (QS. Al-Hujurat (49): 13)

However, the special treatment given is not without reason. The existence of Gus and Sayyid in particular, who are seen as descendants of the Prophet Muhammad SAW must be respected as a form of respect and love for their ancestors. In this context, of course, it cannot be completely wrong because as ethical beings we are taught to respect and appreciate each other. The next problem arises when the appreciation received is then misused for individual or group interests.

In its journey, the practice of patronage in the life of Islamic boarding schools does not always run ideally. Elite domination and abuse also do not escape. As ordinary humans, this group is not free from mistakes. One of the cases that is still hot is the alleged case of harassment of female students committed by an individual Gus (son of Kyai), one of the caretakers of an Islamic boarding school in Jombang, East Java. Efforts to arrest the individual Gus who had been named a suspect at that time did not produce results because he was obstructed by a number of parties. The East Java Police Chief at that time did not hesitate to intervene. East Java Police Chief Inspector General Luki Hermawan as reported by detik.news said that there were parties who deliberately made this matter murky. "We have also appealed through existing religious figures to invite the person concerned to come to the East Java Police, but there are other parties who deliberately made it murky."

The above case is one small example of the phenomenon of abuse of elite dominance in the pesantren environment. Not to mention if we examine other cases including those that befell the sayyid/habaib circles. In our environment, there are not a few who are lulled by the pinning of the title Gus and Habib. Although if we examine more deeply the appropriateness of the title being pinned on someone who may basically not be in accordance with the criteria and morals reflected in their behavior, but intentionally or not they enjoy and take many advantages from the pinning of the title. Novel Bamukmin is one of the anomalies of this social problem. Long before the status of his "Habib-ness" lineage was questioned and proven by the investigation of Rabithah Alawiyah (the organization that records the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad SAW in Indonesia) Novel Bamukmin is not included in the dzurriyah of the Prophet Muhammad SAW, even though so far he has reaped many benefits at least from the social status that has been pinned on him. Of course we cannot generalize the problem because in any group, individuals, especially those with strong dominance, will always exist. The main issue is to what extent the law is strictly enforced for anyone proven to have violated the law.

Uncovering Another Side of Islamic Boarding School Life

As one of the oldest educational institutions in Indonesia, the life of Islamic boarding schools with all its colors is interesting to discuss. Times are always changing, but Islamic boarding school traditions such as the attitude of respect for teachers in all its forms are always a guideline for students in seeking knowledge. In another context, as a form of belief in the concept of ngalap berkah, a student's obedience is prioritized over the knowledge gained itself. The novel Habib Palsu Tersandung Cinta written by Ubay Baequni is very interesting because it is not only taken from a true story but also another side of the lives of students in Islamic boarding schools. In general, this novel tells the life of students in traditional Islamic boarding schools with all its colors.

The central characters in this novel are a group of students who form an "elite gang" consisting of four students; two from Gus's group (Gus Fauzi and Gus Haedar) and from Habib's group (Habib Umar Bin Yahya) and one student from the ahwal group, namely Abdul Ghoni. Dul's entry, usually called him, is to act as a khodim (assistant) who serves all the needs of Gus and Habib. This position for ordinary students is an honor because they are in the elite ring one who is not only easy to seek blessings but will also increase their social status in the eyes of other students. The four characters have distinctive characters. Gus Fauzi, for example, has a quiet but humorous and slightly slengehan character. Meanwhile, Gus Haedar is known to be firm and a bit of a mreman while Habib Umar has a character that is difficult to predict, sometimes temperamental, mreman and on many occasions looks very pious. These four friends always gather every night to hold closed discussions. Not only religious issues are discussed, but also general issues including box office films are also part of the main discussion of this elite group.

In the first chapter of this novel, it clearly describes the unique behavior of the friendship of these four friends both in the pesantren environment and outside the pesantren. It also describes in detail how the attitudes and behavior of the students, administrators and even the kyai of the pesantren towards them. When they come, the students will spontaneously stand up and greet them by kissing their hands and often ask for prayers of blessings from them because they believe that the prayers of Habib in particular are maqbul (accepted) by Allah SWT. When this group hangs out at the pesantren cafe for example, the students who are there immediately give them a seat and are even reluctant to leave the cafe because they are worried about disturbing them.

The story continues when the group planned to go out of the Islamic boarding school to watch a movie in the city. In the Islamic boarding school regulations, leaving the Islamic boarding school without permission, especially to watch a movie, is a serious violation, but not for this group. Several times they went out of the Islamic boarding school to watch a movie without any worries at all. But not for Abdul Ghoni, even though he was invited by his three friends who were Gus and Habib, he realized that as an ordinary student he often felt worried about being severely punished. However, his three friends guaranteed his safety. One time he was late for a religious study because he had been invited out to watch a movie, when asked the reason for his lateness, he said that he was invited to accompany Gus Haedar and he escaped punishment.

As time went by, the education period at the Islamic boarding school was over. His three friends who were in the same year intended to move. Gus Fauzi returned home to help take care of his parents' Islamic boarding school. Habib Umar continued his education abroad (Yemen). Meanwhile, Gus Haedar's whereabouts are unknown after moving. The latest information obtained is that he traveled to visit the habaib habaib on Java Island. Meanwhile, Abdul Ghoni himself is still at the Islamic boarding school because he has not completed his final year.

Problems began to arise when three months later Gus Haedar reappeared at the Islamic Boarding School. A drastic change occurred in this figure that even Abdul Ghoni, his best friend, almost did not recognize him. The white robe and peci with a sharper and whiter nose made Gus Haedar look different. The charm of his authority was increasingly radiant. Gus Haedar found the right momentum to further establish a stronger influence when he protested one of the punishments that would be given to the students who were in fact young Habibs. He firmly protested the administrators guaranteeing him as part of the ahlul bait to protect the young habib. He firmly called him no longer Gus, but Haedar Mubarok Assegaf. Habib Haedar gave a firm argument that whoever hurts the habaib is the same as hurting the Prophet Muhammad SAW. Suddenly this threat made the administrators abandon their intention to continue the execution.

Blinding Love

Habib Haedar's charisma is increasingly shining even he was appointed as the chairman of the habaib association at the Islamic boarding school which has more than 50 members. His charm is not only among the male students, but also among the female students. His name is always a hot topic. Problems began to arise when this association held a ta'aruf both among the habibs and syarifahs (a term for women). When he got to know Umi Layla Al-Jufri, one of the syarifahs who studied at the Islamic boarding school. The two of them fell in love at first sight. Usually, matchmaking in this group is similar in terms of genealogy. This is what makes Habib Haedar in a dilemma. There is an inner war with his heart on the other hand his love for Umi Layla increasingly blinds his heart.

With confidence, he came to Umi Layla's family to express his intention to propose to his sweetheart. Introducing himself as Haedar Mubarok Assegaf with all the advantages he had was his main capital in coming to propose. Layla's parents were also in a dilemma, on the one hand they had intended to match their daughter with the child of one of their relatives who was still in the same family "Al-Jufri" but on the other hand they also could not bear to see their daughter who seemed to prefer Habib Haedar Mubarok Assegaf. Implicitly the proposal was accepted on the condition that Habib Haedar was asked to write down his genealogy. Confidently Haedar submitted his genealogy. However, Layla's family (without telling Haedar) found something odd in the writing of the genealogy that was given. Due to this suspicion, the family asked for it to be postponed first.

The investigation began by tracing the genealogy at the Rabithah Alawiyah office (an organization that records the genealogy of the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad SAW in Indonesia). The result was that the name Haedar Mubarak Assegaf was not found. The second investigation was carried out by the boarding school administrators at the request of Layla's family. An investigation into Habib Haedar's address also found evidence that strengthened the strangeness of Habib Haedar's status. His parents turned out to be ordinary people. After obtaining two strong pieces of evidence, Haedar's fake Habib status was finally revealed and their love ended.

A Moral Message

This novel written by Ubay Baequni is very interesting in describing another side of Islamic boarding school life and how elite domination is used to establish its influence which often in practice deviates from the practice of patronage itself. On a scale of 1 to 5 I give a score of 4 for this whole thing in this short story. This assessment is based on at least three reasons.

First. Kang Ubay, as he is usually called, is a genuine santri who was born and raised in a pesantren environment. So in writing the reality of the pesantren world, he is very fluent in telling in detail. Second. Kang Ubay's courage to sportingly write about the colorful side of life in the Pesantren. The behavior of santri from the Gus and Habaib circles with their customary khowariqul dares to be told clearly such as "immune from the law", special treatment, intimidation of santri outside their group, these facts and phenomena are clearly told. This may be a public secret for some people, but not many are sporting enough to write it honestly. Third. This novel is full of moral messages. Where the social status that is pinned on such as Gus and Habib makes it a very difficult test, especially if the title is not reflected in our daily behavior. Kang Ubay in his novel gives a very clear message, namely an attitude of responsibility, honesty and gratitude for the gifts that are in us. An attitude of pretense, especially for personal gain, will only harm yourself and others. In other contexts we are reminded to place things proportionally, including in terms of respect and love.

However, this novel is also not free from shortcomings. Kang Ubay has actually honestly admitted this in his foreword. However, I saw that what he said was nothing more than a form of tawadhu from a student. This novel uses too much foreign diction (Javanese and Arabic) which is common in Islamic boarding school interactions, especially in Java, such as ta'zir, pakewuh, himmah, asbabul wurud, ana, antum, etc. The explanation of these dictions is still relatively minimal. This makes it difficult for readers who do not have a background as Islamic students.

The next shortcoming that I think is very substantial is the lack of explanation of the difference between the terms Sayyid and Habib. In fact, the key figure in this storyline is the figure who is given the label Habib. In addition to this book being a literary work that is easy to read, it should also provide and even correct misinformation in our society. The terms Sayyid/Syarif and Habib have different meanings even though both refer to the same term for the lineage of the ahlul bait/dzurriyah (descendants) of the Prophet Muhammad SAW. According to Islamic customs, the title 'Sayyid' is given to ahlul bait from the descendants of Al-Hussein, while 'Syarif' is for the descendants of Al-Hassan. While the title Habib, which in language means the beloved, is only for Sayyid/Syarif who have special criteria such as being pious, having commendable morals and being a role model for the community. So not all Sayyids/Syarifs deserve the title Habib. This is what then misunderstands every ahlul bait to be called Habib.

Despite its shortcomings, this novel deserves to be appreciated as a social critique of the behavior of the power elite who abuse the predicate they hold for personal or group interests, whether they are officials, public figures, religious leaders, or even in the smallest scope for each of us as individuals.