Indonesian Ambassador Adam Mulawarman Tugio visited International Islamic University (IIUI) Islamabad, he has urged the Islamic world to bring up the youth in accordance with Islamic values, contemporary changes, and to equip them with modern technology. He was addressing a roundtable discussion on ‘opportunities for educational institutions to be the driving force behind madrassa reforms in Indonesia and Pakistan’, held here at the Faisal Masjid campus of IIUI.
The discussion was jointly organized by Iqbal International Institute for Research and Dialogue (IRD) and the Embassy of Indonesia, Islamabad.
The ambassador said that this dialogue between the scholars of the various schools of thought from both countries would open new avenues of collaboration and mutual exposure.
He hailed IIUI for its services to the Muslim world, adding that the university was a great source of attraction for a huge population of Indonesian students. He also emphasized on the importance of the revival of the Islamic Economic System, calling upon the universities to establish think tanks and launch joint efforts to revive the Islamic legacy that he termed as a need of the hour.
IIUI Rector Dr Masoom Yasinzai appreciated the approach of the Indonesian government saying that it had been owning the madrassa at the state level. He suggested that Islamic countries, in their religious seminaries, must add the element of critical thinking. He opined that scholars equipped with modern approach and Islamic values could help transform Muslim societies.
He also emphasized the importance of research on the Islamization of the economy. He added that universities of Islamic world must focus on how to practically implement it. The discussion witnessed presentations of the various scholars of Indonesia, while in the interactive session both sides discussed commonalities, salient attributes and ways of joint outreach to strengthen the madrassa reforms in both countries.
Vice Chairman of Nahdatul Ulama Indonesia Maria Ulfah Anshor gave a presentation on the advancement of madrassa reforms in Indonesia & its contributions in society. Dr Rohimi Zamzam, Secretary of Aisyiyah Central Leadership, Dr Maskuri, Chairman for Madrassa Development Institute of Central Executive Board Indonesia and Akhmad Khollily Kholil, member foundation board of Nahdatul Ulama (NU) Indonesia also spoke on the dynamics of madrassa and its role in the society.
Dr Husn ul Amin, Executive Director, in his welcome address stated the objectives of the activity. He opined that Muslims were facing various challenges such as hate speech, Islamophobia, radicalism and stereotypes. He said the Muslims faced such challenges due to socioeconomic and political reasons. People’s ignorance of Islamic teachings also contributed to the issue. He suggested that universities must come forward with a well devised curriculum and strategy to deal with those challenges.
The participants included Prof. Dr Khalid Masud, Ex-Director General of Islamic Research Institute of IIUI and Member of Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), Pakistan, Barrister Zafarullah Khan, Dr Ammar Khan Nasir, Director Shariah Academy Gujranwala, Prof. Dr Najiba Arif, Dean of FLL, IIUI, Prof. Dr Ijaz Shafi Gilani, former Dean at IIUI, Ali Salman, Executive Director of Policy Research Institute of Market Economy (PRIME).
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