New Muslim cultural journal launched

JAKARTA (JP): A new Islamic cultural journal has appeared with the first issue featuring contributions from both Indonesian and western scholars.

The English language periodical called Kultur, The Indonesian Journal for Muslim Cultures, is to be published biannually. The publisher is the Center of Language and Culture (Pusat Bahasa dan Budaya) at the State Institute for Islamic Studies (IAIN) Syarif Hidayatullah, Ciputat, Jakarta.

The journal is edited by Murni Djamal and members of the editorial board comprise noted scholars from many countries. They include Azyumardi Azra, rector of Jakarta IAIN; Nurcholish Madjid, rector of the University of ParamadinaMulya, Jakarta; Karel Steenbrink of Utrecht University, the Netherlands; Mohammed Arkoun, from the Sorbonne University, Paris, France; M. C. Rocklefs, the University of Melbourne, Australia; Olaf Schumann, the University of Hamburg, Germany; and Robert W. Hefner from Boston University, USA.

Those writing for the first issue include Nurcholish Madjid with his article: Islam in Indonesia, a move from the periphery to the center; Olaf Schumann with Relativism or relational encounter: Attitudes in inter-religious and inter-cultural relationships; M.C. Ricklefs with Culture, ethnicity and religion as process: Inter-culturality as the key to the future; Robert W. Hefner with Civil Islam and the challenge of multicultural society; Azyumardi Azra with Hadrami as educators: Al-Habib Sayyid Idrus ibn Salim al-Juffri (1889-1969) and Al-Khairat.

The journal is reminiscent of the short-lived Ulumul Qur'an, which ceased publication soon after it first appeared for unknown reasons. It is believed to have become one of the victims of Indonesia's recent monetary crisis. However, the Dutch embassy is mentioned as one of Kultur's supporters, so it is expected that this magazine, at least, will hopefully have stronger financial resilience. (tis)