IAIN Sunan Kalijaga now university

YOGYAKARTA: It's official: The former state-run Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN) Sunan Kalijaga is now the Islamic State University (UIN) of Sunan Kalijaga.

Minister of National Education Malik Fadjar presided over the name change and new status on Thursday.

Rector Amin Abdullah said by becoming a university, the new institution could hopefully help bridge the divide between those sciences considered exclusively religious and those considered modern and secular.

"This perceived dichotomy must be ended because it has brought about a confusion in thought, especially among Muslim communities," he said.

Science, he said, should be seen as a universal gift from God that was meant to create a higher civilization and foster more respect and understanding of human values.

Previously, under the old name, IAIN had five faculties. With the new status, UIN has seven faculties -- Adab (literature and culture), Syariah (Islamic law), Dakwah (communication and Islamic propagation), Ushuludin (theology), Tarbiyah (education), and two new faculties of Humaniora (humanities) and Exacta (logic).

The change was based on Presidential Decree No 50/2004 issued in July this year. -- JP