REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Indonesian government is preparing a draft presidential decree regarding the establishment of an international Islamic university in the country, a minister said.
"We have just attended a coordination meeting with Vice President Jusuf Kalla. At the meeting we have agreed to make preparations for the establishment of a world-class Islamic institute of higher learning in Indonesia," Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin said the Vice Presidential Office here on Wednesday.
The meeting led by the vice president was also attended by Finance Minister Bambanga Brodjonegoro and Rector of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Komarudin Hidayat.
The setting up of the International Islamic university was aimed at introducing Indonesia's Islamic civilization to the rest of the world.
"We have made the preparations for a quite long time. The university will not only engage in Islamic studies but also give positive contribution to the global civilization arrangement," Lukman said.
He expressed the hope that the international Islamic university will serve as a center for Islamic studies by involving local and foreign academics.
"So far, we have read Indonesia through articles written by foreigners. In fact, many foreign doctors have conducted researches in Indonesia," he said.