INDONESIAN INT'L ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY AS STUDY CENTER OF ISLAMIC CIVILIZATION by Fardah

  Jakarta, June 5,2018 (Antara)- President Joko Widodo's administration is determined to build an international Islamic university that can also serve as a study and research center of Islamic civilization in Indonesia.

         Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Vice President M Jusuf Kalla laid the first cornerstone for the construction of the Indonesian International Islamic University (UIII) campus in Depok, West Java Province on June 5, 2018, to materialize the dream.

         Construction of the UIII campus had been planned since the past two years, according to Jokowi, who was on the occasion accompanied by Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin; Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljno; Research, Technology, and Higher Education Minister M. Nasir; and Governor of West Java Province Ahmad Heryawan.

         The plan had been discussed for two years but finding the land was not easy, he noted.

         Jokowi said he was keen to allocate one thousand hectares of land for the UIII campus, but it was difficult to find land on Java Island.

         "I offered (land) outside Java, but all teams disagreed," he added.

         "In fact, we get 142 hectares of land, which is far from one thousand hectares. However, after I observed it on the field, I was surprised, as 142 hectares of land is already quite vast. Alhamdulillah (thank God). Imagine if we could have got one thousand hectares," Jokowi pointed out.

         The university is to come up on 143 hectares that belonged to Indonesia's state radio station on Pemancar street, Cisalak village, Sukmajaya sub-district, Depok Municipality. The buildings will be on 21 hectares and the rest of the land will be open spaces and greenery.

         The president revealed that the design of the UIII campus will be futuristic and expressed hope that the UIII would become a study and research center of Islamic civilization in Indonesia.

         "Because we are known as the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, it is normal if Indonesia becomes a reference for Islamic civilization progress in the world," President Jokowi said in his remarks.

         The UIII campus is expected to become a place that produces ideas for the acceleration of welfare for Muslims, and social justice for all Indonesian people.

         "And ideas to materialize Indonesia as 'baldatun thayyibatun wa Rabbun ghafur," he said.

         The government will build the Rp3.5 trillion campus of Indonesian International Islam University (UIII) starting this year.

         Jokowi said the campus has been included in the national strategic project.

         "Construction will start this year with a budget of Rp700 billion. It is expected to be completed in 4 years. But in 2019, the campus could be used for a number of fields of study," he said.

         Minister for Religious Affairs Lukman Hakim Saifuddin said that the UIII will open education for master's degree and doctorate.

         "The campus will be developed in three basic values - Islamic values, concept and global projection and Indonesian values," Lukman Hakim said.

         Its difference from other existing Islamic campuses lies in the duties and functions that UIII serves not merely to conduct teaching and learning research and dedication to the people, but also to develop Indonesian Islamic civilization and to contribute to global civilization through education.

         "In order to bring to reality the vision and mission, this campus will have not only faculties and libraries, but also Islamic Civilization Center, Islamic Strategic Study Center, Islamic Area Study Center, and Islamic Culture and Arts Museum, which will become reservation center for various Indonesian Islam artifacts and manuscript," the minister said.

         Lukman Hakim said so far the international world when discuss Islamic civilization they refer only to Arab or Persian Islam or Turkish Islam nothing about Indonesian Islam
    "Whereas the history of our Islamic civilization has gone through long stretch of time and has bequeathed a character of wasathiyah (moderate) Islam which proves effective as the world's largest Muslim country," he said.

         The Minister said Indonesian Islamic civilization has drawn the world attention generally appreciating Indonesian Muslims for the success in preserving cultural diversity, tolerance and harmony among the diverse communities and open to values and universal democracy and human right.

         The UIII will have seven faculties  - Islamic study ; Social Science, Humanities; Islam economy, Science and Technology, Education, Architecture and Fine art.

         In the first year, three study programs would be opened -  Islamic studies, political science and education.

         In the meantime, the West Java Governor, Ahmad Heryawan, has lauded the plan to build the UIII campus in Depok municipality.

         "The development of UIII is a pleasure and honor for the people of West Java," Ahmad Heryawan said.

         UIII would be the right place for promotion of Islam through education and for the development of Muslim human resources, he said.

         Besides, as Depok would host the campus, West Java Province would be promoted globally.

         The construction of the UIII would have a significant impact on West Java and Indonesia, known for a moderate and tolerant Islamic community.

         "The people of West Java are known as moderate and tolerant individuals who respect diversity," he said. Therefore, as the West Java governor, he fully supported the development of the UIII campus. ***4***
(f001/B003)

(T.F001/A/F. Assegaf/A/Bustanuddin) 05-06-2018