Title : Tiga Doa Tiga Cinta (Three Prayers and three loves)

Director : Nukman Hakim.

Starring : Dian Sastro, Nicholas Saputra.

This movie is a portrait of life at an Islamic school in Indonesia. The story is about three Muslim students who studies at an Islamic School somewhere in Java. Huda (Nicholas Saputra), Sahid and Riyan are three close friends who studies at Al Hakim Madrassa, a poor Islamic school under Kyai Wahab. The school has a very simple boarding house where students live.

The school’s rules and regulation is very disciplined. At night they must not go out. They must not have radio or any electronic devices, etc. But they are very naughty. Sometimes they go out at night to have fun. Sometimes they go to a night fair to watch movie in a very simple, old fashioned open theater. Sometimes they tried to peep to their teacher’s house, Kyai Wahab.

Their relationship is so close that they often talk about their private problems. Sahid’s father is seriously ill. Riyan’s father is also passed away and her mother soon remarried. Huda’s father has passed away while his mother works in Jakarta.

Dian Sastro, the best Indonesian actress, played the role of singer by the name of Dona. She joined a group of musician who go from city to city to play music in a very simple stage. They usually play at night fair. One day the group played in a village not far from the school.

They boys love to watch her sing. One day Huda met Dona in a grave where Dona’s mother is buried. He asked Dona to help him find her mother in Jakarta since he loses contact with her over the past one year. He even gave her money to finance the search.

Then Dona contacted her friend who live in Jakarta and found the address of Huda’s mother. So one day Huda left for Jakarta to see his mother. He came to the address and found out that it is place where people find amusement at night. He was shocked when he found out that his mother had passed away one year earlier.

Meanwhile Sahid found a hardliner teacher who tried to influence him to become an extremist. His two friends did not agree with the extremist interpretation but Sahid liked it. His likeness to extremism also rooted in his bitter personal experience. He was badly treated by someone in the boarding house. Then his father seriously ill so they needed money for hospital. In the difficult situation someone took advantage. An American investor bought his rice field. His father had no choice. This personal experience makes him hate capitalism. So extremism find a fertile ground in Sahid’s disappointed heart.

Meanwhile Riyan’s mother bought him a handy cam to win his heart when she remarried. Ryan likes it and thought that he can do business with it. He planned to establish a business of video shooting for wedding party. But one day when he was sleeping Sahid does something with his handy cam.

He recorded a scene when he gave a message which imitates the message of the Bali bombers. He also recorded martial art exercises. This recording will give them big trouble later.

Meanwhile when Sahid’s father was dying in a hospital and he ran out of money, the American investor paid all his hospital expenses.

One night after prayer suddenly police arrested Kyai Rahmat, Sahid, Huda and Riyan. They were charged with terrorism because they had watched the video of Sahid. Kyai Wahab passed away in jail. Years later they were released.

When they went out of jail they visited their old school. It was in poor condition. Then Huda married with the daughter of his teacher and he became teacher there. He replaced his teacher Kyai Rahmat. Riyan ran his video shooting business. Sahid was also released.

I agree with the story that the root of extremism is not religion. The root is a complicated blend of bitter personal experience and the social political situation. Extremism has no influence over people with healthy heart and mind. Social and political situation also play an important role. Just and equal society will eliminate the influence of extremism.

Military solution alone cannot overcome the problem of extremism and terrorism. The root of the problem must be eliminated through social and economic policy. So there is a need for international comprehensive cooperation to erase injustice, corruption, collusion, nepotism, and discrimination. These are areas where Indonesian and American people can work together to make a better world.