A RELIGIOUS melody started to fill the air over the Pondok Pesantren (Islamic boarding school) Miftahul Hidayah the moment the caravan of automobiles stopped in front of the compound's gate at Cangaan, Gempeng Village, Bangil, Pasuruan, East Java, on Thursday two weeks ago. The road into the pesantren was lined with santri (students) who rendered a typical song of worship: "Tolaal bardu alaina…"

A woman wearing a brown headsca