By Muhammad Hamka
GOMBAK, 28 September 2017: KIRKHS in collaboration with IIUM SHAS Mosque recently (26 September) held a “Seminar Nusantara on Islam and Higher Education” to welcome visitors from Institute Agama Islam Negeri (IAIN) Samarinda, Indonesia.
According to its committee member, Muhammad Rajiv Syarif, who is the Vice President of Indonesian Student Association (PPI) IIUM, the objective of the event was to collaborate between two Islamic higher education institutions of both countries.
Held at Mini Auditorium, the speakers of the seminar were among Indonesians and Malaysians.
Representing IIUM were the Deputy Dean Student Affairs KIRKHS, Dr. Muhammad Fuzi Omar and the Director of IIUM Mosque, Assoc. Prof Abdul Salam Muhammad Shukri. Meanwhile from Indonesia, they were Dr. Iskandar M. Ag. and Dr. M. Nasir M. Ag. The Deputy Director of IIUM SHAS Mosque, Dr. Raudlotul Firdaus Fatah Yasin also attended the seminar.
In the presentation, Dr Iskandar, M. Ag. emphasised that the function of education is as agent of change for the society. “To destroy a state is like destroying the education curriculum,” he said.
From the IIUM side, Dr. Muhammad Fuzi Omar talked about the integration between Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences education in IIUM.
He mentioned the importance of politics for every citizens by quoting from the scholar Aristotle, “If the citizen does not know about politic, he or she is a bit stupid.”
During the seminar, the whole available seats were occupied by IIUM students as well as some students of IAIN Samarinda, Indonesia. The Q&A session was interestingly carried out. One of participants asked about the guidance for preventing a person from deviated ideologies such as liberalism, secularism, etc.
On behalf of visitors, the lecturers and students from IAIN Samarinda expressed their thanks to IIUM for the warm welcome extended to them.. ***