ISLAMABAD, AUG 22 (DNA) — The Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia, Adam Mulawarman Tugio has called upon the Islamic world to bring up the youth in accordance with Islamic values, contemporary changes and equip them with the latest adoptions of technology.

He was addressing a roundtable discussion on “opportunities for educational institutions to be the driving Force behind madrassa reform in Indonesia and Pakistan ” that was held here at the Faisal Masjid Campus of the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI).

The discussion was jointly organized by Iqbal International Institute for Research and Dialogue ( IRD) and the Embassy of the republic of Indonesia. Speaking in the discussion, the ambassador of Indonesia H.E. Adam M. Tugio said that this dialogue between the scholars of the various schools of thoughts from the both countries would open new avenues of collaborations and mutual exposure.

He hailed IIUI for its services to the Muslim world adding that the university is a great source of attraction for a huge population of the students in Indonesia.  He also emphasized on the importance of the revival of the Islamic Economic System calling upon the universities to establish think tanks and launch joint efforts to revive this Islamic legacy that he termed as a most salient need of the hour.

Speaking on the occasion, Rector IIUI Dr. Masoom Yasinzai appreciated the approach of the Indonesian government saying that it has been owning the Madrassa on the state level with the prime priority. He suggested that Islamic countries, in their religious seminaries, must add the element of critical thinking.

He opined that Islamic scholars equipped with required modern approach and Islamic values can help in transforming Muslim societies.  He also emphasized on the importance of the research on the Islamization of the economy. He added that universities of Islamic world must focus on the real process of Islamization of the economy.

The discussion witnessed presentations for the various scholars of Indonesia while in the interactive session both sides discussed commonalities, salient attributes and ways of joint outreach to strengthen the Madrassa reforms in both countries.

On the occasion, other than the Indonesian Ambassador, Maria Ulfah Anshor, Vice Chairman of the family welfare institute of Nahdatul Ulama Indonesia  gave a presentation on the advancement of Madrassa reform in Indonesia as well as its contributions in society. 

Dr. Rohimi Zamzam Secretary of Aisyiyah Central leadership, Dr. Maskuri, Chairman for Madrassa development Institute of central executive board Indonesia and  Mr. Akhmad Khollily Kholil  member foundation board of Nahdatul Ulama Indonesia also spoke on Dynamics of Madrassa and their role in the society.

Dr. Husn ul Amin, Executive Director in his welcome address apprised of the objectives of the activity. He opined that Muslims are facing various challenges such as hate speech, Islamophobia, radicalism and stereotypes.

He said the Muslims face such challenges due to Socio and economic political reasons and also ignorance to Islamic teachings contribute to this issue. He suggested that universities must come forward with a well devised curriculum and strategy to deal with these challenges.

The participants included Prof. Dr. Khalid Masud, Ex-Director General, Islamic Research Institute, International Islamic University, Islamabad and Member, Council of Islamic Ideology, Pakistan, Barrister Zafarullah Khan, Barrister-at-Law and Writer/Author, Dr. Ammar Khan Nasir, Director Shariah Academy Gujranwala, Prof. Dr. Najiba Arif    Dean, FLL, IIUI, Prof. Dr. Ijaz Shafi Gilani, former Dean at IIUI, Mr. Ali Salman, Executive Director of Policy Research Institute of Market Economy (PRIME), an independent economic think tank.

Aamir Abdullah, Dr. Zaheer Uddin Behram Incharge Training, Dawah Academy, Sahibzada Qamar ul Haq Sialvi Head, Jamia Muhammadi Sharif, Chiniot, Dr. Ayesha Qurrat ul Ain Chairperson Faculty of Usuluddin at International Islamic University, Islamabad, Dr. Soumia Aziz, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Usuluddin at International Islamic University, Islamabad, Ms. Tamia Sabha       Assistant Professor, Faculty of Usuluddin, IIUI . Dr. Muhammad Rasheed Iqra University. =DNA