FAH UIN Jakarta Holds International Seminar on Literature

FAH, UIN News Online - Faculty of Adab and Humanities (FAH) UIN Jakarta held an International Seminar. The event which raised the theme of Ali Ahmad Bakatsir: Literature in the Indonesian History Trail and the Launching of the Audatul Firdaus Book, was held on Monday (09/24/2018), at the Theater Prof. Abdul Ghani.

In addition, the seminar which began at 09.00 was attended by at least 150 participants consisting of students, lecturers and invited guests. With the aim of appreciating the work of the writers, the seminar presented several speakers, including Dr. Abdul Hakim Abdullah Zubaidi (writer from the United Arab Emirates), Nabiel A. Karim Hayaze (Director of the Jakarta Center Tower), and Lecturer of Arabic Language and Literature Ali Hasan Al Bahar MA .

Abdul Hakim Abdullah Zubaidi in his presentation said that Ali Ahmad Bakatsir (the author of Audatul Firdaus.red) was a writer who contributed greatly in introducing Indonesia which was not yet independent to the Egyptian people.

"Long before the writing of Audatul Firdaus, Ali had often filled Egyptian newspaper columns, so that the ears of the people there were accustomed to matters relating to Indonesia, for example nature, culture, with the majority of the people being Muslim," explained Abdul Hakim.

In the same place, Nabiel A. Karim Hayaze added, in Audatul Firdaus, Ali described the leaders of the nation among them, Ahmad Soekarno, Muhammad Hatta, and Sutan Sjahrir as Muslim leaders who dared to liberate Indonesia. The most prominent of the three is the addition of the name "Ahmad" as Sukarno's first name.

"The addition of Ahmad's name as Sukarno's first name was able to influence the views of Arab league leaders at the time, so that in 1947 Egypt became the first country to recognize Indonesian independence," explained Nabiel.

Furthermore, Ali Hasan Al Bahar helped strengthen the second argument of the previous speaker. He said that Ali Ahmad Bakatsir deserved a very important place in the history of literature in Indonesia. His perseverance and skill in composing verses, plays, novels and other literary works has not been matched until now.

"Ali Ahmad Bakatsir cannot just be forgotten in the development of literature in Indonesia as well as the independence of this nation. He was instrumental in broadcasting the existence and condition of the Indonesian people who were not yet independent. The thing that made the most impression was when Ali Ahmad Bakatsir translated the Indonesian Raya song into Arabian sentences so that the Egyptians could sing it when the news of independent Indonesia reached their ears. In addition, there are also many radio plays that play from Audatul Firdaus, "said Al Bahar.

For information, Ali Ahmad Bakatsir was a Surabaya-born writer in 1900, then became an Egyptian citizen since 1951 and died in 1969 in Egypt. In the world of Arabic literature, Ali's name is in the most influential literary category there. The Egyptians knew Ali, because they often included Indonesian elements in his work in beautiful language

so it is very popular with literary lovers there. One of his famous and thick works with the story of the struggle of the Indonesian people is Audatul Firdaus (The Return of the Lost Paradise). (usa)