Thursina IIBS Celebrates Indonesia’s 78th Independence, Encourages Unity, Compassion, and Open-mindedness
In celebrating the 78th Independence Day of the Republic of Indonesia (RI), Thursina International Islamic Boarding School (IIBS) held an independence ceremony on both male and female campus on August 17. Ustaz Ahmad Fahdi, M.Pd.I was the ceremony instructor at the male campus, while at the female campus it was Ustaz Sabar Arifin, S.T. This flag ceremony was attended by all students, teachers, murabbi/murabiyah and all employees of Thursina IIBS. Afterwards, the independence celebration continued with various traditional competitions and student art performances.
In the opening of his address, Ustadz Fahdi encouraged the entire Thursina IIBS faculty to honor the heroes of the past who fought against the oppression of colonization. Thanks to their service, Indonesia is now free from the grip of the colonizers to live freely, happily, and to determine their own futures. “As a citizen of our country, we must be grateful for the struggle of our founding fathers. Remember the message of our first president Ir. Soekarno, Jas Merah; Jangan sekali-kali melupakan sejarah (don’t ever forget history),” he emphasized.
Together we have the responsibility to fulfill our independence and to take care of it. As the successor to the nation's fight for independence, we must strive for a positive change for a better life for the nation. “Three things that we can do now is first, strengthening our faith and piety; second, fostering our unity and compassion for each other; and third, improving ourselves by honing our skills and intellect,” he continued.
Quoting the 96th verse of Surah Al-A’raf, he inspired the entire Thursina IIBS community to strengthen their religious commitment and demonstrate their devotion to Allah SWT. He emphasized that if the people of our country are faithful and pious, Allah will undoubtedly bestow His blessings from the heavens and the earth. As Indonesians, we must understand that by enhancing our faith and piety, we can draw ourselves closer to Allah's grace, which will, in turn, lead to the advancement of our nation.
He emphasized how the people that fought for our independence had come from all over Indonesia, all united under the same goal, just like the students of Thursina IIBS. According to him, Thursina IIBS is a miniature model of Indonesia, with students who come from a diverse cultural and racial backgrounds all striving for one noble purpose: education. Hence, as part of the fight to maintain independence, students can start by nurturing their sense of camaraderie and compassion for each other.
"Those who cultivate tolerance and help one another will ultimately become good individuals, accepted in any society. Conversely, if someone becomes toxic and behaves poorly in Thursina, they can expect to be treated similarly by society in the future," he added.
Once we establish a sense of unity and compassion, we must then focus on improving ourselves by developing our skills and intellectual abilities. The advancement of our nation depends on strong human resources equipped with great intellect and open minds. “Hopefully all you standing here will one day bring progress, in many sectors, from economy, tourism, education, to constitution. Amiin,” he hoped.
In line with Ustadz Fadli’s message, Ustaz Sabar Arifin, S.T., also urged students and staff to give meaningful expression to our independence by fostering a spirit of learning aimed at nation-building. For students, education should be the primary focus. This goes beyond academics; it also involves learning how to apply Islamic and national values in everyday life.
As citizens of Indonesia, we have numerous roles in giving meaning to our Independence. For teachers and students, understanding independence means continually striving to free ourselves from all constraints, particularly laziness. "Laziness leads us to destruction and misery. Therefore, we must remain serious and avoid negligence. Regret is the only outcome for those who are negligent," he explained.
Once the ceremony concluded, the day went on with performances from students who recited a poem about the struggle for Indonesia’s independence. Afterwards, students took part in traditional games such as tug of war, sack race, crackers eating race, as well as other events such as photography and Instagram feed competitions. This year's independence day celebration was particularly special because a total of 22 students from Thursina IIBS were selected as delegates for the Flag Raising Troop (Paskibraka) in Dau District, Malang Regency, after completing a series of selections and coaching.