Vice President: UIII Must Be The Center Of Global Islamic Civilization

JAKARTA - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin hopes that the International Islamic University of Indonesia (UIII) can become a center of excellence or center of excellence for global Islamic civilization, as the main goal of the university's development.

"I think this needs to be straightened out, to be able to return to the guidelines of the UIII development initiative, as directed by the President at the start of UIII construction, namely to become a global center of excellence for Islamic civilization, which does not just adopt the pattern of UIN (State Islamic University) with an international campus status. ," said the Vice President while chairing the Coordination Meeting for the Progress of UIII Development at the Vice Presidential Palace in Jakarta, Wednesday, March 2.

The government built the UIII, which has been in preparation since 2016, as an effort to make Indonesia the center of world Islamic civilization.

However, based on a review over the last three years, the system used by the campus is still standard, by adopting existing religious universities, such as UIN or the State Islamic Institute (IAIN).

The vice president said the implementation of moderate Islamic teachings in Indonesia has now become a reference from various international countries, including Middle Eastern countries.

He recounted the visit of the Secretary General (Secretary General) of the Hukama Al-Muslimin Council, an international Muslim intellectual organization in Abu Dhabi, who expressed his desire to learn about the successful application of Islam wasathiyah from Indonesia.

"The arrival of the Secretary General of the Al-Muslimin Hukama Council and the delegation was not intended to provide direction or lessons, but instead wanted to learn from Indonesia, learn about tolerant Islam, which is currently an example for the world," he explained.

During the visit, Secretary General Hukama said that now is not the time for Arabic thoughts to be translated into Indonesian, but moderate Islamic thoughts from Indonesia that must be translated into Arabic, said the Vice President.

"We have become the model used for the development of moderate Islam at the global level by the Hukama Al-Muslimin Council. Therefore, the UIII development initiative from the beginning was intended to become a global reference center for the implementation of Wasathiyah Islam," he explained.

Therefore, the Vice President hopes that UIII can provide answers to expand and strengthen the global trend of wasathiyah Islam, so that it can be applied in various parts of the world.

"Through UIII, it is hoped that Indonesian wasathiyah Islam can continue to be echoed abroad," he said.