On the 23rd till 25th November, 2015, there was a very big and prestigious event held at UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang, namely an international conference of scholars in cooperation with four institutions (an International Conference of Islamic Scholars or ICIS, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jatman or Jam’iyyah Ahlit Thoriqoh wa Muktabaroh wa Nahdliyah, a group of suffism who devotes themselves to Allah God Almighty using moderate ways as the main approach, and UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang as the host. Attended by almost 600 distinguished guests and speakers from 34 representatives of scholars, ulama, state prominent figures of all over the world, this conference is supposed to be the biggest UIN Malang has ever had since it was founded in the early 1961.
It was KH. A. Hasyim Muzadi, the former NU chairperson who is now the Secretary General of ICIS and a member of President Advisory Council, who first had an initiative to hold the event together with UIN Malang. He gave me an offer when I met him during my visit to him in the first day of idul fitri this year. We had a serious talk for almost one hour while welcoming guests who paid him a visit on Idul Fitri Day. I took a notice that Mr. Hasyim Muzadi was so serious to explain and convince me the reasons to hold the conference.
Not wasting the time, on the same day, I soon had a meeting with my staff (all vise rectors, deans, and some seniors) to discuss the offer from KH. Hasyim Muzadi. Without any doubts, all agreed with the offer and proposed to me to form a committee to arrange the conference. I felt very happy because all members of the University gave me their supports and agreements. After all agreed with the program, we went to Jakarta to meet Mr. KH. Hasyim Muzadi in his Adivisory President Council Office, near the Vice President Office. The meeting was attended by three parties who would work together; ICIS representatives, Minister of Foreign Affairs and her high official staff, representatives of Jatman and me myself with staff to represent UIN Malang. The meeting took almost two hours to discuss many things including the basic reasons of the conference, the number of delegates to be invited and from what countries they were, who paid their tickets to come and return back to their hame countries, which airports the delegates would arrive at, the topics of the conference, their accomodations during their stay in Malang, the permission letter from the police, security systems for the guests, etc.
The conference was conducted with the following reasons. We cannot deny the fact that entering the third world millinium we have been living in a world which does not give us any comfort at all. We have been confronted by a situation where violents happen every where in some parts of the world. Surprisingly, those violents have happened, and are still happening, in the countries of muslim populations. Whereas, everyone knows Islam is a religion that brings peace, justice, freedom, moderation, tolerence, and equity as the fundamental values of human dignity.
The conference became a prestigious meeting due to the presence of some prominent leaders such as the Former Prime Minister of Malaysia Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Indonesia, Nur Hassan Wirayuda, Minister of Religious Affairs of Brunei Darussalam, prominent Islamic scholars from many parts of the world, Suffism prominent leaders, ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Brunei Darussalam, rectors of Islamic Higher Education Institutions throughout Indonesia, and many distinguished guests. The conference which was officially opened by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Indonesia, was actually planned to be opened by President Joko Widodo himself. Due to the urgent cabinet meeting in Jakarta Monday 23 November, 2015, President Jokowi failed to come. However, Vice President Jusuf Kalla came to close the conference on the third day of the conference.
As an Islamic higher education institution, this university feels to have obligations to contribute to making a peaceful world. A world for every one to live together. Therefore, it is no longer appropriate if a higher education institution only focuses on three main duties such as teaching/educating, research, and social service only. A university has to take more roles as to speak about TRUTH to all people and to be the guide of good morality.
Attended by a great number of international students from around 32 countries, UIN Malang feels able to speak up to all over the world that we need to rethink and reconstruct our education, especially Islamic education, to produce graduates who are moderate, adaptive and can accept differences and ready to live with any body despite their differences.
As UIN Malang has been working hard to acquire an international recognition and reputation, the conference has given much contribution to achieve the goal for some reasons. First, many parts of the world have now been familiar with UIN Malang as a Higher Islamic Education Institution who also takes care of world problems today. Second, the delegates who came to the conference were mostly prominet figures in their field who have followers. Third, the conference also formulates a declaration “UIN Malang toward a World Class University (WCU)”, besides Malang Messages and Suffism Declarations.
For UIN Malang, the declaration is important to be used as a guide and spirit for all University members to work much harder to achieve the goal. The final goal of UIN Malang as written down in the Road Map of University Develpoment is to achieve its international recognition and reputation; which will finally become the best place for all people in the world to study Islam as rahmatan lil alamiin. We all know that it is not easy to achieve the stated goal, but by working hard nothing is impossible. To be the World best Universty is not a dream, but a reality. Insya Allah.
___________
Malang, 2 December, 2015
