In the Name of Pesantren’s Reputation, Sexual Violence Is Pushed Aside
Protecting the reputation of pesantren is not the same as completely covering up the stench of sexual violence. It takes a strong commitment from pesantren, the state, and all those involved to put an end to it.
A minor girl from Central Java, IP, visited the Women’s Crisis Center (WCC) Jombang in 2017. She reported to the WCC Jombang team that she had been raped by the son of the owner of Pondok Pesantren Majma’al Bahroin Hubbul Wathon Minal Iman Shiddiqiyyah, Mochammad Subchi Azal Tsani, also known as Gus Bechi. After discussion, WCC agreed to gather evidence and report the case to the police, but IP never returned, and the Director of Women’s Crisis Center Jombang, Ana Abdillah, eventually set the case aside.
It wasn’t until 2018 that Rani, one of the eyewitnesses at Shiddiqiyyah Pesantren, reported the sexual violence committed by Bechi against three female students there. The violence occurred when female students were participating in the selection process for health workers at the Shiddiqiyyah Pesantren clinic in 2017. Bechi, who was supposed to inaugurate the clinic, asked female students to attend a special interview session deep in the forest, far from the crowds. There, Bechi instructed the female students to take off their clothes and perform a ritual bathing ceremony. Rani did not participate, but some of her friends did and became victims.
They reported the incident to the Jombang Police, but due to “lack of evidence,” the case was dismissed on October 21, 2019. Rani and her friends did not give up; they even brought up the name of IP, who had also been a victim of Gus Bechi before. It was later revealed that Gus Bechi had given IP hush money amounting to tens of millions of rupiah, but eventually, she joined as a complainant in the sexual violence case. Rani suffered physical violence—her head was slammed against a wall—and she and her family were threatened with death for vocally supporting the victims, even into mid-2021.
In total, there were six victims of Gus Bechi’s sexual violence, some of whom were assisted by WCC. In an Instagram Live discussion on July 23, Ana Abdillah shared the complexities of assisting victims of sexual violence in pesantren like Shiddiqiyyah. The biggest obstacle is legal barriers that still do not fully side with the victims (as of the time this article was written, there has been no legally binding court ruling sentencing the rapist to prison). In addition, providing assistance to victims of sexual violence is also fraught with risks of retraumatization. The Jombang pesantren case has been ongoing since 2017, accompanied by various threats to those who spoke out.
Also read: 5 Ways to Overcome Gender Bias in Pesantren
Ana explained that the perpetrator, the son of a kyai, used manipulation tactics with two main doctrines. The first was the so-called vagina doctrine, which roughly stated: “A woman’s vagina is a noble path, for it is from there that leaders are born. Engaging in sexual relations is a noble act. Ayah ngeman sampean (Father cares about you). That’s why your vagina must not be entered by anyone else.”
Furthermore, Gus Bechi also told female students that he possessed metafakta knowledge, which gave him the ability to marry anyone. It was considered an honor for a female student to be chosen to “marry” (read: engage in sexual relations) with him. In a 2020 report by Tirto, Azal claimed himself to be the “guardian of the golden circle,” where each woman was referred to as a “wing.” The “wing” he referred to was essentially a wife.
The case at Shiddiqiyyah Pesantren in Jombang is just one example of the iceberg of sexual violence in Islamic educational institutions. In Central Java, the Director of the Legal Resources Center for Gender Justice and Human Rights (LRC-KJHAM), Fatkhurozi, revealed that from 2009 to 2012, a total of 85 women and children had become victims of sexual violence in pesantren environments. The cases included sodomy, forced marriage, child marriage, sexual harassment, rape, and others.
A quick Google search of “sexual violence in pesantren” will reveal numerous cases, from the sodomy of 15 children by a pesantren leader and a religious teacher in Lhokseumawe, Aceh, to last year’s case in Batu Kuwung Village, Padarincang District, Serang Regency, Banten, where a 52-year-old pesantren teacher, JM, was beaten by residents after allegedly raping female students. In Bantul, Yogyakarta, several students were forced to perform oral sex by one of their teachers.
Also read: Laughing at Sacredness
When #AtasNamaBaikPesantren Is Misinterpreted
I contacted Nurul Bahlul Ulum, an activist from Cirebon Feminist, to ask for her opinion on the issue. Speaking to Magdalene on July 27, she affirmed that pesantren are still not safe spaces for students, including female students. Ironically, she said, sexual violence is often committed by those most fluent in Islamic rhetoric, yet they are the ones who most oppress women and children.
She pointed out two main reasons why pesantren have yet to become safe spaces. First, the widespread mindset that women are merely sexual objects.
“In my experience as a santri, we were never taught that women could be independent. Women were seen as sexual objects, with no reciprocity in sexual relationships. But the foundation of Islam should be mutual consent, and this applies to sexual relations as well,” she explained.
The patriarchal mindset is further reinforced by textual interpretations of the Quran, Hadith, and Islamic books by kyai, teachers, and students in pesantren. This is the second factor. According to Nurul, who is also active in Mubadalah, pesantren often ignore the historical context in which Islamic texts were written.
Also read: The Problem of Discussing Sexual Violence in Islamic Jurisprudence
Pushing for Sexual Violence Crime Bill (RUU TPKS)
According to Nurul, eliminating sexual violence in pesantren requires state intervention.
“We can’t wait any longer. How many more victims must suffer in pesantren? How many more women and children must endure this? Pass the RUU TPKS,” she urged.
She emphasized that the Sexual Violence Eradication Bill (RUU TPKS) is the only legal hope to ensure protection and recovery for victims.
“Corruption is a crime, but it does not inflict lifelong trauma. Sexual violence does. That is why the RUU TPKS must be enacted—to punish perpetrators and protect victims.”
If we continue to allow this, then we are actively upholding a system of injustice. Islam teaches us to protect life and dignity—ignoring these cases means betraying that very principle.
