Training is also given in secular subjects such as science and history in order to further widen the outlook of graduates. Pesantren graduates and scholars include President Abdurrahman Wahid who played a central role in Indonesia’s democratic evolution post the Suharto regime. President Wahid himself was actively involved in modernizing madrasas while religious community leaders spread pro-democratic sentiments among the populace. With the political situation stabilized, few could stop the progressive modernization of Indonesia’s religious schools, making the country one of the developing world’s brightest spots.