RI, Australia support scholars exploring Islamic dynamism

Jakarta, Aug 26 (Antara) - Indonesia and Australia have supported six scholars, who have explored the dynamic of the Island in the post-reform era in Indonesia, the Australian Embassy said on its official website on Wednesday. As the country with largest Muslim majority, Indonesia holds a special place on the world map. Islam as a faith is interwoven in the social, economic and political fabric of Indonesia, the embassy said. The Australia-Indonesia Institute and the Australian National University (ANU) in collaboration with Indonesia's Ministry of Religious Affairs will support six scholars who will research the dynamic of Islam in the post-reform era. Under the Partnership of Islamic Education Scholarships (PIES), these research papers were published in book form, entitled, "Islam Indonesia Pasca Reformasi Dinamika Keagamaan pada Ranah Sosial, Politik, Budaya, Hukum dan Pendidikan (Dynamic of Indonesian Islam in Post Reform in Social, Politic, Cultural and Law Sectors)." "This is a very important collection that records social, economic and political aspects of Islam following a major political reformation," said Australia's Deputy Ambassador to Indonesia, Dr. Justin Lee, while launching the book in Jakarta. The book includes chapters written by Abdul Wahid, on the pluralism practices in eastern Indonesia; Muhammad Khodafion, on the role of Muslim women in traditional Islamic communities; Rizal Darwis, on gender rights in Islamic marriage; M. Khusna Amal, on the struggle of the middle-class; Nahdlatul Ulama, on local democracy; Dwi Setianingsih, on the Darul Ulum Islamic boarding school in the globalization era; and Imelda Wahyuni, on foreign language teaching at state-run Islamic universities.