IAIN Sunan Kalijaga now university

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