Faculty of Islamic Studies UIII is Ready to Go Global

 

The Faculty of Islamic Studies Indonesian International Islamic University (UIII) is collaborating with HRH Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World the University of Edinburgh (UoE), Scotland on a project named "The Edinburgh-UIII Postgraduate Dual Degree Partnership on Islam and the Globalised Muslim World”.

The project is supported by a grant of 29,600 GBP (IDR 570 million) from the British Council’s Going Global Partnerships programme. The programme builds stronger, more inclusive, internationally connected higher education and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) systems. With the additional collaborative funds from multiple stakeholders, the total funding for this project is approximately 56,950 GBP (IDR 1.1 billion).

The Alwaleed Centre of the University of Edinburgh and the Faculty of Islamic Studies of UIII are the only grant recipients of the grant scheme that focuses on humanities studies, while other grant recipients predominantly work in science and technology. The Faculty of Islamic Studies of UIII also stands out as the only partner from the higher education institutions structured under The Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kementerian Agama RI), while other partners are higher education institutions under the auspices of The Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kementerian Pendidikan, Kebudayaan, Riset, dan Teknologi RI). 

Led by Dr. Siti Sarah Muwahidah (University of Edinburgh) and Prof. Noorhaidi Hasan (UIII), this two-year project, which has been prepared since 2021, officially starts in 2022 and ends in 2023. The ultimate purpose is to build the foundations of a transnational dual degree programme bringing together the UIII’s MA in Islamic Studies and the UoE’s MSc in The Globalised Muslim World.  

The activities of the project will include:

1. Four workshops on curriculum development and dual degree planning in the next two year.
2. Joint teaching programme.
3. Visiting scholar from the UIII to the UoE (3 scholars).
4. Visiting scholar from the UoE to UIII (2 scholars).
5. Student sandwich programme/student exchanges (4 students)
6. International exposure and research development which include conference and public lectures. 
7. A joint international conference on East and West approaches in decentering Islamic Studies. 

People in charge for this collaboration are:

University of Edinburgh: 

1. Dr. Siti Sarah Muwahidah, Alwaleed Early Career Teaching and Research Fellow in Muslim Societies in Southeast Asia, Alwaleed Centre, University of Edinburgh (Project Leader). 
2. Professor Frédéric Volpi, Director, Alwaleed Centre, University of Edinburgh (Project Co-Leader). 
3. Mr. Tom Lea, General Manager, Alwaleed Centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World, University of Edinburgh (Administrative Coordinator). 

Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia: 

1. Professor Noorhaidi Hasan, Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Studies, Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (Project Leader). 
2. Dr. Yanwar Pribadi, Secretary of the Faculty of Islamic Studies, Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (Project Co-Leader).
3. Dr. Syamsul Rijal, Head of the Department of Islamic Studies, the Faculty of Islamic Studies, Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (Project Co-Leader). 

The University of Edinburgh (est. 1583) has been at the forefront of critical thinking for centuries with its Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies scholarship stretching back over 250 years. The UoE’s Alwaleed Centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World (est. 2010) recently launched an MSc in the Globalised Muslim World exploring key regions of the contemporary Muslim world beyond the traditional heartlands of the Middle East, with Indonesia a particular priority.  

The Faculty of Islamic Studies Indonesian International Islamic University (UIII) is a newly-established graduate institution that develops innovative teaching and research on Islam and Muslim societies, and aims to contribute to the development of practical knowledge in a modern context. Its MA and PhD in Islamic Studies (launched in AY 2021/22 and AY 2022/2023 respectively) are taught in English.  

Delegates from the UoE’s Alwaleed Centre first met representatives of the UIII in Jakarta in 2018 during the UIII’s early stage of development. The meeting was part of a visit organised by the British Council. Realising that they shared common goals and complementary expertise, they recently started discussing opportunities for academic collaboration and the possibility of creating a dual degree postgraduate programme exploring Islam and the globalised Muslim world. In September 2021, they collaborated on a major online public event, ‘Salafism and the State’, hosted by the Alwaleed Centre and featuring Prof. Noorhaidi Hasan. 

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