Jakarta, May 14 -- Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar has emphasized that Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) must remain the safest spaces for children to learn, grow, and live with dignity, asserting zero tolerance for all forms of violence.

In a statement here on Thursday, he underlined that the issue of violence within the Islamic education environment cannot be addressed partially or by relying on short-term measures.

The root of the problem, he said, lies in the imbalanced power dynamics that remain deeply entrenched in society.

"This is the fundamental root of the problem. We must minimize power imbalances within Islamic education," he said.

He explained that unbalanced power dynamics can create opportunities for abuse...