The Power of Speech: 137th Graduates of UIN Jakarta Call for Action Against Injustice

Harun Nasution Auditorium, UIN Online News — Amidst the graduation festivities at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, the ceremonial podium was not merely a stage of celebration but also a platform of awakening. The 137th Grand Commencement then became a moment to stir the conscience. As citizens and students take to the streets to demand justice, the newly graduated scholars are now faced with a choice: to remain silent with degrees on paper or to stand firm as defenders of truth.

From the very podium echoed vows of solidarity with the people, calls to uphold democracy, and prayers for the nation to be freed from injustice. What began as a graduation ceremony evolved into a call to resistance, declaring that knowledge is not solely for personal gain but for the people and for justice.

UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta held this graduation not only as a celebration of academic milestones but also as a moment of national reflection. Through a stirring oration, graduates were reminded that their role extends beyond academic pride—they are called to bear witness to history and become agents of change amid a restless nation. This commencement ignited the spirit of solidarity with the people, the pursuit of justice, and the devotion to knowledge for the unity and progress of Indonesia through their oath and collective prayer.

Below is the full text of the “Call for Justice and National Oath” delivered at the 137th UIN Jakarta Commencement:

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

 

Honored educators, beloved parents, esteemed guests, and fellow graduates of UIN Jakarta—the proud sons and daughters of Indonesia.

 

Today, we stand upon this ceremonial podium. Today, we celebrate our graduation. Yet beyond these walls, the people cry out in the streets. The voices of students echo before the halls of power. There is unrest we cannot ignore.

 

Comrades, we won't hold back,
For this nation is turning black!
And this test is not only about economic hardship; this is a clear protest being landed.
To the very heart of those bureaucrats without getting banned.

 

When the people speak loudly,
When students march gracefully,
They gather as one under the radiant cloud,
Today, we must ask ourselves from this shroud:
Do we still live by the legacy?
Or are we being dragged back into a new form of tyranny?

 

Fellow graduates of UIN Jakarta,
I am no more than a scholar.
Yet, we are the witnesses of history who wear the same collar.
Today, our nation needs its youth to dare to stand, dare to speak, and dare to challenge injustice.

 

Will we allow this degree to remain only a symbol on paper,
While the very justice we held begins to vapor?

 

Will we stay silent while the people suffer,
And the capitalist piglets strive greater than ever?

 

If students on the streets shout:
“Long live the people!”

 

Then we, on this podium, must also cry out:
“Long live the students! Long live the women who resist! Long live the people! Long live democracy! Long live justice!”

Graduates of UIN Jakarta, let us make this pledge:

 

We, the Graduates and Academic Community of UIN Jakarta, vow to uphold honesty, knowledge, and conscience amid the erosion of justice and the decline of public trust.
We, the Graduates and Academic Community of UIN Jakarta, pledge to stand with the people, to speak for the silenced, and to use knowledge as a force for liberation, progress, and unity.
We, the Graduates and Academic Community of UIN Jakarta, commit to keeping the flame of knowledge alive, to serving this nation, and to resisting all forms of injustice.

 

Brothers and sisters, before we close this oration, let us raise our prayers for this beloved nation:

 

O Allah,
You who know the depths of our hearts and the unrest of Your servants.
We ask You, O Allah, protect Indonesia from all forms of injustice, oppression, and abuse of power.
Keep this nation safe from division, hatred, and the hands that betray the people.

 

O Allah, grant our leaders honest hearts, a sense of trust, and fear of You.
Guide them to uphold justice, to bring prosperity to the people, and to safeguard the mandate of independence.

 

O Allah, bless the graduates of UIN Jakarta today.
Make us a generation that carries the light of knowledge, upholds the truth, and becomes a beacon of hope for this nation.

 

O Allah, make this land a peaceful, prosperous, and just country under Your forgiveness.

 

آمِيْن يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِيْنَ

 

Wassalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

 

Jakarta, 31 Agustus 2025
In the name of,
137th Graduates of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta

(Meisa Aqilah N.H./Fauziah M./Zaenal M./Muhamad Arifin Ilham/Photo: M. Ghifari Rahman, Tiara Abdhie, Aqilah Qurrotulaini)