Ridwan Al-Makassary, a faculty member at the Faculty of Social Sciences (FoSS) and Director of the Center of Muslim Politics and World Society (COMPOSE) at Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (UIII), was invited to attend a KAICIID Asia Expert Consultation held in Jakarta in early May 2026.

The visit was led by Mitra Modaressi, KAICIID Senior Programme Manager for Asia, with the aim of bringing together key network members, beneficiaries, and strategic partners of KAICIID from across Indonesia to reflect on programme achievements and chart the way forward.

The agenda prioritised interactive, dialogue-based sessions involving KAICIID Fellows, trainees, civil society partners, and regional stakeholders. These exchanges were designed to surface emerging priorities and strengthen collaboration.

The consultation also provided network members with an opportunity to reflect on their engagement with KAICIID and to articulate stories of community-level impact across Indonesia.

The event commenced with a dinner at the JW Marriott Hotel Jakarta on 3 May 2026, offering participants a chance to get acquainted. The main programme took place on 4 May 2026 and was attended by Dr. Abdullah Alhomaid, Secretary of the National Committee for Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue (NCIID).

The session opened with participant introductions and sharing of their respective engagements with KAICIID. Ridwan, a KAICIID Fellow since 2016, has been actively involved in KAICIID activities at the national, regional, and international levels. The event was held in a hybrid format, with online participation from Sheikh Mohammed Alriefi and Dr. Abdulrahman Alariefi, members of the NCIID working team.

During the session, Ridwan shared his experience in managing interfaith dialogue training for peace in Makassar, Jayapura, and Banjarmasin, funded by KAICIID. He also described two Community Engagement activities on the same theme conducted at FoSS with a Student Creativity Programme (PKM) grant from UIII.

He further highlighted an International Conference on Interreligious Dialogue in Southeast Asia, held at Building B of FoSS UIII in June 2025, which brought together KAICIID alumni and scholars engaged in interreligious dialogue from Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Indonesia, with support from KAICIID. A book titled Interreligious Dialogue in Southeast Asia: Achievements, Challenges and Prospects, edited by Ridwan Al-Makassary and a team of co-editors, was published as a key output of the conference and was presented as a special gift to Dr. Alhomaid.

Mitra Modaressi also gathered strategic input for the KAICIID Asia Programme work plan for 2026 and shared information on the design and direction of an upcoming Dialogue Cities Conference. It is hoped that COMPOSE will continue to collaborate with KAICIID and its network to further strengthen interreligious dialogue both within Indonesia and across the wider region.