On 9 November 2016, PPIM (the Research Centre for Islam and Society) at the Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic University met with the Minister for Religious Affairs, Drs H Lukman Saifuddin, to deliver a policy brief on religious education in public schools. As part of KSI’s core grant funding, the research was disseminated on 29 September 2016 through the well-published seminar on “Understanding Exclusivism and Radicalism in Schools: Revisited Country Policy and Politics of Islamic Education”, which the Minister of Education and Culture also attended.
The policy brief was well received by both ministers, so much so that the Minister for Religious Affairs tweeted the event and showed his appreciation for PPIM’s research. He said that it was “good and very relevant” for further action. PPIM’s research is very timely and contextual in responding to current conditions by promoting inclusiveness and de-radicalisation in Islamic education.
To date, Islamic text books can be freely published and used, and during the past years, PPIM research shows that many textbooks have become increasingly radical. PPIM recommended that the government needs actively to review the publication of Islamic text books in school through a transparent and credible in process, and that the Ministry of Religious Affairs – which is a moderating force – should play an active role in improvement of the quality of Islamic text books and its curriculum for schools.
