Pesantren is considered the oldest education system seen as an indigenous cultural product of Indonesia compared to other educational institutions. Pesantren is an Islamic education system that began since the emergence of the Muslim community in Indonesia in the 13th century. Many literature stated that the development of pesantren, especially in Java, was already known by the community more than 500 years ago.



The meaning of pesantren according to Dhofier is related to the prefix "Pe" and "An" for the place where santri lives, while the word santri itself comes from the word "Shastri" taken from the Indian language which means a person who knows the holy scripture of Hinduism or a scholar of the holy scripture of Hinduism. Santri refers to Islamic school students who live in a place called pesantren and also refers to someone's identity as part of the Javanese population who consistently adheres to Islam.


According to Gus Dur, there are about five thousand pesantren that are scattered in 68,000 villages, which is evidence that pesantren is an important subculture in society. Pesantren is placed as a determinant element in the social pyramid structure of Indonesian society, which demands it to play an important role in various social development processes.


One of the prominent pesantren in Yogyakarta is the Aswaja Nusantara Islamic Boarding School. This pesantren emphasizes tolerance not only in allowing the existence of other religious beliefs but also in accommodating cultural aspects. The presence of pesantren is accepted by the surrounding community because it is able to open dialogue with local culture.


The Aswaja Nusantara pesantren places acculturation and assimilation towards local culture as a priority, while still maintaining the spirit of Islamic values. The existence of the Aswaja Nusantara Islamic Boarding School is evidence of the continuity of Indonesian Islam as a unique characteristic of the development of Islam in Indonesia.


Islam Nusantara is a unique Indonesian Islam produced from the interaction, contextualization, indigenization, and vernacularization of universal Islam with social, cultural, and religious realities in Indonesia. Aswaja pesantren views pluralism as recognition of the existence of other religions outside of their own religion, but still holds firm that Islam is the only true religion. The Aswaja Nusantara pesantren continues to exist with the spirit of pluralism and maintains harmony among followers of other religions as a representation that diversity in Indonesia must be maintained.