A Ballad from Mlangi

There was a soft evening breeze at the Assalafiyyah Mlangi Islamic boarding school at Nogotirto, Sleman, Yogyakarta, in early June. About 200 female students sat on the floor in a room facing the direction of prayer. They were dressed in different attires, not in uniforms. Some wore denims, others wore traditional batik shirts. Night had recently fallen. The cold weather was piercing. Their sweaters kept them warm. From a large nearby rice field, the sound of frogs croaking could occasionally be heard.

That night was the sixth day of Ramadan 1437 on the Islamic calendar. Irwan Masduqi sat in front of the students on a prayer carpet. His black fez cap covered his head, and he was clean-shaven. That day, the kiai (Islamic cleric) gave an exegesis on Al-Kafirun, the 109th chapter of the Qur'an. "This chapter is often used by hardline Islamic groups to attack other groups," said Irwan in mid-June.