AIMEP, UII Discuss Islam in Indonesia, Australia

Yogyakarta—Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII) welcomed delegations from the Australia-Indonesia Muslim Exchange Program (AIMEP) as they picked the university campus as one of the stops during their Indonesia visit on Wednesday, 27 September 2023.

Received at UII’s Main Campus, AIMEP visited Indonesia as part of its further study about the unique, multicultural and open Muslim communities in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim country.

AIMEP is a people-to-people initiative that brings Muslim leaders in Australia and Indonesia together through intensive cultural, social, inter-religious and intellectual exchanges. Hadza Min Fadhli Robby, S.IP., M.Sc., a UII International Relations (IR) Study Program lecturer, was one of the participants in the event.

The visit of 11 AIMEP 2023 delegates to UII was accompanied by the Second Secretary (Public Diplomacy) of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, Amanda Panayoutou; Project Officer of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, Sulis Indiarto; and AIMEP coordinator Rowan Gould.

The AIMEP delegation began their visit to UII campus by taking a tour of the UII Museum located in the Moh. Hatta Building to take a closer look at the university’s history. They then visited the Kimpulan Temple, a cultural heritage inside the campus compound. From there, they sat for a discussion session with the UII academic community at the Prof. Dr. Sardjito Public Lecture Hall.

UII Rector Prof. Fathul Wahid, S.T., M.Sc., Ph.D., warmly welcomed the AIMEP delegates and expressed his pleasure that UII became one of the visit’s locations. “We are very happy to welcome you here at Universitas Islam Indonesia, a pioneer of higher education in Indonesia,” he said. “As you may have noticed in the museum, our campus was founded by this nation’s founding fathers in Jakarta 40 days before this country’s independence.”

The rector also explained the university’s culture of respecting differences. “UII is like a big tent. Here, we respect each other amid the diversity of Islamic understandings,” he said. “You name it, Muhammadiyah, Nahdlatul Ulama, PERSIS [Islamic Union], PUI [Union of the Islamic Community], as well as other newer Islamic organizations, all feel comfortable being part of the UII extended family.”

He also expressed hope that university would be more inclusive going forward.

“In fact, we are not limited to our Muslim brothers and sisters. We welcome our brothers and sisters from other religions as well,” he said. “Here, you can find students that are Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and Confucians, and they feel comfortable studying here. This is something we are proud of.”

Amanda Payoutou expressed her gratitude for UII’s warm welcome for the AIMEP delegation. “I believe our visit will provide a meaningful experience for the AIMEP delegates and will bring an understanding about Islam in Indonesia,” she said.

During the discussion session, participants had the opportunity to exchange perspectives on issues related to Islam in Australia and Indonesia and their relations to education, politics, socio-culture and business. Representative from UII in the discussion included UII Executive Secretary Hangga Fathana, S.IP., B.Int.St., M.A. and Director of Partnership/Office of International Affairs, Dr.rer.nat. Dian Sari Utami, S.Psi., M.A.

Also in attendance were Head of Foreign Partnership Dr. Joni Aldilla Fajri, S.T., M.Eng.; Head of Accounting Study Program — Master Program, Arief Rahman, S.E., M.Com., Ph.D.; Head of International Relations Major/Study Program — Undergraduate Program, Karina Utami Dewi, S.I.P., M.A.; Director of the Embun Kalimasada Cultural Institute of UII’s Waqf Foundation (YBW) and UII IR lecturer, Hadza Min Fadhli Robby, S.IP., M.Sc., and UII student representatives. (VIP Magazine Vol 10)