Tim Lindsey: Combine Moderate Islam and Modern Education

PPIM.UINJKT.AC.ID – “Indonesian education is obviously struggling to meet the demands of modern society,” Professor Tim Lindsey from the University of Melbourne said on Friday (17/7).

He was speaking in a virtual seminar series of #ModerasiBeragama (Religious Moderation) themed “Indonesianists Talking about Religious Moderation: from Indonesia to the world”, that was organized by the Center for the Study of Islam and Society (PPIM) of the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) Jakarta through Convey Indonesia program.

Lindsey expressed his view about Islamic moderatism in terms of education in Indonesia, saying that the traditional Islamic education method still focused on tradition instead of innovation. He pointed out that there were still many educational institutions in the country that taught their students about religions, but did not equip them with any competence and skills they needed for their future.

“That should be a concern, because it is the Islamic higher education institutions that will produce teachers of Islamic schools and state officials who will be responsible for the country’s religious policies,” Lindsey said.

Tim encouraged all educational actors to combine moderate Islamic traditions with modern teaching methods through historical and sociological approaches. He expected all teaching innovators could be a counterweight to tackle the rise of intolerance and extremism.

Besides Lindsey, the discussion that was moderated by Convey Indonesia Team Leader Jamhari Makruf also presented other Indonesianists as speakers, including Hyung-Jun Kim from Kangwon National University, Takeshi Kohno from the Toyo Eiwa University, and Eva Fachrunnisa from the Australian National University.

Writer: Andita Putri Ghassani
Editor: Zhella Apriesta