UIN Lecturer Becomes Researcher in British Library

PPIM, UIN News Online—Lecturer of Faculty of Adab and Humanities (FAH) also researcher of Centre for Islamic and Society Studies (PPIM) UIN Jakarta, Prof. Dr. Oman Faturahman, M.Hum, elected to be a member of international advisory panel on The British Library. Oman that hath honor by The Endangered Archives Programme (EAP), with seven international experts who trusted to rescued various important manuscripts in the world.

Oman said to UIN News, Monday (14/9), his membership was effective per 10 September. With this membership, Oman became the only chosen college professor from Southeast Asia and also the first Indonesian scholar who became the member of that panel.

According to him, this appointment is a form of trust and international recognition on capacity of Indonesia’s philology scholars. “To all the academic community, especially students of Philology in Indonesia, I ask your blessing so I could do this duty very well,” said Oman who also serves as the Chairman of Nusantara Manuscript Society (Manassa).

Oman added, this membership will last for the next three years after the appointment. As a member of panel, Oman along with the seven experts from various universities of the world will do the selection process, evaluation, and giving recommendation of the incoming proposals which funded by EAP.

As known, EAP itself established since one decade ago by the British government with a purpose giving contribution to the preservation of historic documents from any region in the world to keep it from extinction. Contribution given in the form of grants to fund the selected proposal to rescued historic archives and documents, either in a form of displacement activity to a safe place or media digital.

“The panel where I am in, was responsible for selecting the proposals which submitted by the researchers or preservatives from around the world. Besides that, Panel could also be requested to give their suggestion related to certain projects in the British Library,” he added.

Overall, the composition of Panel Program which auspices under Arcadia Foundation consisted of six external experts and two representatives of British Library, and a director. In the membership, Oman will be in partner with Anthea Case CBE (Principal Adviser of Arcadia), Prof. Simon Franklin (University of Cambridge, UK), Nada Itani (Beirut Dar Alhayat Information Centre, Lebanon), Prof. Nathan Mnjama (University of Botswana), Prof. Caterina Pizzigoni (Columbia University, USA), Prof. Sanjay Subrahmanyam (University of California at Los Angeles, USA), Dr. Adam Farquhar (British Library, UK), and Dr. Marion Wallace (British Library, UK).

Until 2015, the EAP has funded around 13 projects of manuscript digitizing from Indonesia, which the result could be seen by online in this website: http://eap.bl.uk/. Thousands of manuscripts came from Aceh, Minangkabau, Ambon, Cirebon, Buton, Jambi, Makassar, and manuscripts from several boarding schools in Java had been successfully preserve in the photo digital form through its funded program. “The original manuscript remains in the hands of its owner,” told the Editor of Studia Islamika Journal.

Separately, Executive Director of PPIM, Dr. Saiful Umam MA, appreciated and expected the joining of Oman in EAP Project of the British Library could strengthening the academic network of UIN Jakarta and other research institutions in its auspices. “I hoped that this appointment will produce a positive perspective on of the wealth civilization, especially Islam, in the archipelago in order to make it better known in international community,” hoped the Doctor from University of Hawaii at Manoa. (MNF/TAM/LRF) Translated by: Mahar