Lisbon, Portugal – Director of the Center of Muslim Politics and World Society (COMPOSE UIII), Ridwan Ph.D., was invited to participate in the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID) 10th anniversary of its International Fellows Programme, commemorated in Lisbon, Portugal, from 8-11 December 2025. The event brought together approximately 100 selected alumni from around the world, along with KAICIID partners and guests.

The anniversary celebration featured exhibitions of alum publication projects, networking sessions, and a series of panel discussions involving scholars, fellows, and KAICIID representatives. These sessions reflected on a decade of interreligious and intercultural dialogue while exploring future opportunities for global and regional collaboration.

During the event, Ridwan was given the chance to present the conference’s main output in the form of a book entitled “Interreligious Dialogue in Southeast Asia: Achievements, Challenges, and Prospects,” co-edited with Prof. Patrice Brodeur, Dr. Alwani Ghazali, and Dr. Ruetatitip T. Chansrakaeo. The 464-page volume features contributions from 16 authors and includes a foreword by Prof. A.J. Boyd, Senior Programme Manager at KAICIID. The book was formally presented to the KAICIID leadership and several contributing authors in attendance at the event. It has also been submitted to the UIII Library and disseminated through the official channels of Institut Dian/Yayasan Interfidei, one of the key partners supporting KAICIID-related activities in Indonesia.

On this special occasion, he also has the opportunity to introduce UIII to fellow alumni and colleagues from Africa, Europe, and East Asia, extending invitations to prospective students and academic partners through the KAICIID alumni network, alongside Rabbi Yakoov and Dr. Wiwin Rahmawati, two Indonesian KAICIID alumni. He was also allowed to visit the KAICIID headquarters and explore cultural landmarks in Lisbon.

Ridwan was invited to the event in recognition of his role as a recipient of a KAICIID microgrant in 2024, which enabled him to organize the Southeast Asian Regional Conference on Interreligious Dialogue: Achievements, Challenges and Opportunities. The conference was successfully convened in June 2025 with the full support of KAICIID Asia, under the leadership of Mitra Modaressi and Arijana Aganovic.

Additionally, COMPOSE supported the implementation of “10 Years of Dialogue & Regional Action in Southeast Asia: A KAICIID International Fellows Programme Evaluation and Curriculum Review.” Both initiatives were hosted at the UIII campus and were recognized as successful contributions to regional interreligious dialogue.

Dr. Ridwan expressed his sincere gratitude to the Rector of UIII, the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, “Thank you to the Rector of UIII, the Dean of FoSS UIII, and the academic community who support COMPOSE’s efforts in spreading interfaith dialogue and intercultural dialogue for peace in Southeast Asia,” he concluded.