It would be a grave error if this momentous occasion were reduced to mere ceremonial significance, devoid of any substantial impact on the nation. Whether consciously or otherwise, the paradigm of confining National Santri Day to a mere formality must be cast aside. Otherwise, it would signify the end of an era for the santri community.
However, it appears that the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag) has sensed the need for innovative breakthroughs before this paradigm becomes ingrained. This implies that innovative breakthroughs are necessary to restore the santri’s honor as an entity inseparable from the progress and civilization of the Indonesian nation. This can be discerned, at least in part, from the theme chosen to commemorate National Santri Day this year, “Santri’s Jihad Enriches the Nation.” This theme will undoubtedly give rise to diverse interpretations, with the common aim of awakening the santri community and encouraging them to collectively engage in the struggle to enrich the nation.
In Islam, jihad, regardless of its nature, invariably demands earnest and virtuous action. Likewise, in the context of National Santri Day, jihad must be contextualized with the contemporary era. This means that the santri’s jihad, in this case, should not be interpreted as the exact form of jihad waged by the santri to expel colonial powers in the past. So, the question arises: what kind of struggle is appropriate for the present era? The answer lies in reviving and promoting the tradition of reading and writing from Pesantren.
Admittedly, in the midst of rapidly advancing technology and digital media usage, society is inundated with information related to propaganda, hate speech, hoaxes, and the like. These issues undoubtedly exacerbate the array of problems in our country and cannot be left unattended like murky waters flowing to the river mouth. Therefore, the educated santri, who fully grasp the dangers of such phenomena, must lead the charge in rectifying the circulating information by imparting comprehensive understanding through the literacy movement of pesantren.