Attending UIN Jakarta’s Professorial Inauguration, Minister of Religious Affairs Urges Revival of Ciputat’s Scholarly Golden Era
Harun Nasution Auditorium, UIN News Online – Minister of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Prof. Dr. KH. Nasaruddin Umar, M.A., urged UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta to continuously reinforce its role as a global producer of knowledge while restoring Ciputat's glory as a hub for intellectual encounter and Islamic reform. This message was delivered by Prof. Nasaruddin during the Open Senate Session for the Professorial Inauguration at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, held at the Harun Nasution Auditorium on Wednesday (30/09/2026).
The event was attended by the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Prof. Dr. K.H. Abdul Mu'ti, M.Ed., Minister of Religious Affairs for the 2014–2019 period, Dr. H. Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, Chair of the University Senate, Prof. Dr. Andi Faisal Bakti, M.A., Rector of UIN Jakarta, Prof. Dr. Asep Saepudin Jahar, M.A., Ph.D., representatives of the Chief of the Indonesian National Police, leaders from partner universities, the board of Vice Rectors, the University Senate, as well as families of the newly inaugurated professors.
In his address, the Minister of Religious Affairs expressed that the addition of 13 new full professors must serve as a primary catalyst for UIN Jakarta to reclaim its standing on the international scholarly stage. He recalled how Ciputat historically symbolized the intellectual convergence between Islamic thought from the East and the West (al-masyriq wal-maghrib).
“We hope the presence of these 13 new professors can restore the 'Ciputat Myth.' Formerly, whenever scholars discussed Islam and reform, their reference point was Ciputat. It is high time we become producers of knowledge, no longer mere consumers,” he stated.
Beyond highlighting UIN Jakarta's intellectual history, the Minister emphasized the imperative for religious higher education institutions to respond to contemporary global challenges, ranging from the rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the global climate crisis. According to him, cutting-edge technological progress such as Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI) demands robust moral and ethical foundations to prevent it from posing a threat to humanity.
Regarding environmental issues, the Minister cited data indicating that the current impact of climate change is far more lethal than armed conflicts. This reality calls for progressive breakthroughs in Islamic legal thought (jurisprudence/fiqh) from UIN Jakarta academics.
“It is time for us to add one more principle to Dharuriyat al-khamsah (the five fundamental principles of Islamic law), namely ad-dharuriyah al-hifdh 'alal bi'ah or environmental protection. The destructive capacity resulting from environmental degradation is vastly greater compared to other issues,” he asserted.
Furthermore, Prof. Nasaruddin invited scientists and scholars at UIN Jakarta to delve deeper into Quran-based scientific studies. He expressed hope that UIN Jakarta's integration of knowledge could yield new scientific discoveries recognized internationally, akin to the historical achievements of classical Muslim scholars such as Ibn Sina and Al-Farabi.
Concluding his remarks, the Minister advised UIN Jakarta not to focus solely on university rankings, but rather on the qualitative weight of its scientific contributions to civilization.
“The time has come for us to cultivate great scholars at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta. There is no need to merely chase rankings; what matters is producing new knowledge that can be consumed by the international community,” concluded the Minister.
Watch the full re-broadcast of the Academic Oration and Open Senate Session for the Inauguration of 13 Professors at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta via the official YouTube channel at the following link: