Safeguarding Intellect, Nurturing Faith: Measuring UIN Jakarta's Direction at 68
By: Murodi, Arief Subhan, and Study Rizal LK*
On June 1, 2025, UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta turns 68. This is no longer a young age for a religious higher education institution. In almost seven decades of its journey, UIN Jakarta has transformed from the Academy of Islamic Religious Service (ADIA), established by the Ministry of Religious Affairs in 1957, into a State Islamic University with 12 faculties, dozens of study programs, and thousands of alumni spread across various national and global sectors of life. But old age is not always synonymous with maturity. So the question is: does UIN Jakarta still firmly uphold its initial aspiration—to integrate knowledge and faith within the Indonesian and humanitarian landscape?
From ADIA to UIN: The Long Road of Knowledge Integration
UIN Jakarta's history is not merely a series of name changes and institutional status. It reflects a long endeavor to bridge the dichotomous gap between religious and general sciences. Since the establishment of ADIA on June 1, 1957, a professional orientation in Islamic education began to be sown: educating civil servants to possess contextual Islamic competence.
The merger of ADIA with PTAIN Yogyakarta in 1960, followed by the establishment of IAIN Syarif Hidayatullah in 1963 through a Decree of the Minister of Religious Affairs, marked the initial phase of formulating an Islamic scientific system within a modern academic framework. However, the most monumental milestone was the transformation from IAIN to UIN on May 20, 2002, through Presidential Decree No. 31 of 2002—a historical moment inseparable from the grand vision of Prof. Azyumardi Azra.
Azyumardi was not only a transitional rector but an ideological architect who laid the foundation for systematic knowledge integration. He believed that Indonesian Muslims must escape the trap of the dichotomy between religious sciences versus worldly sciences. Integration was not just about adding science faculties but a new way of thinking that placed Islam as an ethical and epistemological foundation for interpreting reality.
The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, established in 2004, is concrete evidence that UIN Jakarta did not want to be merely an ivory tower of Sharia studies but a university with a complete spectrum of knowledge—grounding religion in social, economic, technological, and health contexts.
BLU and Market Pressures: Where is UIN's Distinction?
But time moves on. Administrative transformations continue to occur. On February 26, 2008, UIN Jakarta officially became a work unit with Public Service Agency (BLU) status. This means that the campus began to operate under a public service logic managed like a semi-private entity: demanded to be efficient, financially independent, and competitive within the national higher education system.
At this point, we must ask: is the initial spirit of becoming a university with Islamic distinction still maintained, or has it eroded within market logic?
BLU status indeed provides flexibility in financial management. But along with it comes a consequence: campuses must compete in the education market, sell "in-demand" study programs, and often get trapped in superficial Islamic labeling merely for branding. Meanwhile, the substance of knowledge integration might be sidelined by the urgency of accreditation, performance indices, and output achievements.
Amidst the euphoria of physical development and large-scale faculty recruitment, the most fundamental question remains important to ask: what distinguishes UIN Jakarta from other state universities? What makes UIN alumni not only excel in GPA but also sensitive to the problems of the ummah and the nation?
The Ciputat School: A Heritage to Be Nurtured, Not Canonized
UIN Jakarta cannot be separated from what academics call the "Ciputat School"—an ecosystem of thought that accommodates critical tradition, emancipatory thinking, and Islamic inclusivity. This school was born from the dialectic between Harun Nasution's thought, Cak Nur's spirit of renewal, and the epistemic courage of generations like Azyumardi Azra.
But now, the Ciputat School seems to sound like a romanticism of the past. The intellectual discussions that once thrived in student spaces are now replaced by the pursuit of degrees and certificates. Young lecturers are busier with credit scores than formulating discourses. Yet, amidst the crisis of digital ethics, religious intolerance, and global humanitarian challenges, the courage to think in the style of the Ciputat School becomes even more relevant.
Preserving a heritage does not mean idolizing the past. But it means making it a critical energy to face the future. At 68 years old, UIN Jakarta has the opportunity to redefine itself: not just as a university with an Islamic label, but as a vibrant space that produces public intellectuals, progressive thinkers, and agents of social transformation.
Looking Ahead: Distinction as Responsibility
UIN Jakarta should not be content with merely excellent accreditation or QS Asia rankings. True distinction lies not in facilities, but in vision. As part of the larger UIN family in Indonesia, which continues to grow, UIN Jakarta has a moral responsibility to be a pioneer—not just an inheritor.
That responsibility can only be fulfilled if this campus remains committed to liberating knowledge, to substantive integration, and to Islam as rahmatan lil alamin—not just in rhetoric, but in the practice of education, research, and community service.
At 68, it's time for UIN Jakarta to avoid the trap of bureaucratic institutions. It must return to being an academic community, where intellect is guarded, faith is nurtured, and civilization is grown.
*** The authors are "Trio MAS" Lecturers at the Faculty of Da'wah and Communication Sciences, UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta.