BACKGROUND

1. Resulting from an earthquake and tsunami waves of 26 December 2004, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and North Sumatra have been in an enormous damage. The natural disaster has killed more than 150 thousands people, meanwhile thousands have been reported missing, seriously injured, and going through psychological trauma. In addition, the giant waves destroyed thousands of houses, offices, mosques, schools, madrasahs, pesantrens, universities and other public facilities. Thousands of children have lost their parents, and are threatened of being unable to enjoy their education. Hundreds of thousands of tsunami’s survivors have been staying in refugee camps, making them susceptible to diseases and social disturbances.
2. The disaster has also affected the educational process in the Ar-Raniry Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN) of Banda Aceh and other private Islamic higher educational institutions of the region. It was reported that administrative and instructional activities of the Ar-Raniri IAIN have terminated totally following the disaster (Kompas, 9 January 2004). A number of lecturers, administration staff and students were reported among the killed victims. Meanwhile, most of the survivors have lost their houses and prosperities, imposing them to reside in refugee camps or to stay in the houses of their relatives outside Banda Aceh. Similar to other victims, they have been in a deep mental trauma.
3. The absence of instructional activities in the Islamic higher education will be resulting in the termination of intellectual reproduction process and the development of knowledge in Banda Aceh for a long period. The recovery process of Banda Aceh, which is predicted to take many years, will make the educational process in the higher education disoriented because of physical and psychological nuisances of the victims. If we let the situation remains unsolved, it is highly possible that intellectual community in Aceh will lose one generation, resulting from the absence of effective and productive educational opportunities.
4. As an institution responsible for organizing Islamic higher education, including the Ar-Raniry IAIN, the Ministry of Religious Affairs will take recovery measures to reconstruct the Ar-Raniry IAIN of Banda Aceh. These will include emergency measures as well as systematic, integrated and realistic actions.