Clattering sounds resonated from inside a white building along Jl. Amat, Depok, West Java, where a pair of college students played table tennis, while several others gathered around waiting for a turn.



In another room located inside a mosque, several other students were occupied in front of their computers.



It was a typical Saturday afternoon scene, as students spent their time waiting for their next class at the Kulliyatul Qur’an Al-Hikam college and boarding house, which was founded by cleric Hasyim Muzadi, former chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) – the country’s largest Muslim organization.



Although it appears like any other Islamic higher education institute, the Al-Hikam, established in 2011, shoulders a huge task in helping to turn the tide against rising trends of radicalism and religious intolerance.



Since August last year, the institute counte...