SET up in 1745 by Sayid Sulaiman from Cirebon, the Sidogiri Pondok Pesantren (Islamic boarding school), Pasuruan, is one of the oldest and largest traditional-style pesantren in East Java. Currently residing at the pesantren are 5,000 male santri and 3,500 female santri.

The tens of thousands of alumni from the pesantren are in fact the largest in Indonesia. It’s not surprising then that during the 2004 general and presidential elections, this