Alumni of FU UIN Jakarta has been appointed as professor at LIPI
Ciputat, UIN News Online – For the umpteenth time, UIN Jakarta graduates have managed to make proud achievements. Ahmad Najib Burhani, alumnus of the Ushuluddin Faculty (FU) of UIN Jakarta in 1999 (IAIN Jakarta at that time, ed.) was inaugurated as Research Professor for Religion and Religious Tradition at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Thursday (08/27/2020).
He was inaugurated with three other LIPI researchers, namely Goib Wiranto (Research Professor for Electronics), Cahyo Pamungkas (Research Professor for General Sociology), and Dwi Susilaningsih (Research Professor for Bioprocessing).
His status as a Research Professor in the Field of Religion and Religious Tradition cannot be separated from the research work undertaken by the holder of two master's degrees from Leiden University and the University of Manchester, most of which are devoted to ethnic and religious minorities.
In his inauguration speech entitled Agama: Kultur Intoleransi dan Dilema Minoritas di Indonesia, Najib highlighted the high tendency of intolerance towards minority groups in the country, both ethnic minorities and religious beliefs. This tendency is seen by the perpetrator as part of a sacred mission in defending their faith.
This doctoral degree holder from the University of California Santa Barbara explained that the trend of intolerance continues to increase even though many people in the world and in Indonesia are working together to fight the Covid 19 virus. “When the Corona virus (spreads to become a pandemic, ed.), it also develops a virus of intolerance,” he said.
In various regions and in the media, hatred is carried out through persecution, violence, and even the closure of places of worship. Hateful expressions were also expressed in social media posts. “There are some people who see diversity as a threat. Discrimination issues are like diseases in Indonesia,” he added.
The profile of minority groups itself, he continued, can be divided into two groups, namely ethnic minorities and religious minorities. Various terms such as foreign, pragmatic, opportunist are assigned to ethnic minorities, while kafirs, astray, are assigned to minorities of religious beliefs.
In his various historical and anthropological researches, Najib said that the Indonesian nation has a tolerant character for diversity. This character is built from the local traditions and a complete religious understanding.
On that basis, he continued, all components of society have a duty to re-strengthen these characters in the midst of developing intolerant attitudes. “We hope that the intolerance incidents that we see today are only a momentary phenomenon. Moreover, as citizens, our job today is how we can strengthen the tolerance,” he said. (usa/zm)