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Islamic university rector says nothing wrong with Christian university ad
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Intolerance: A billboard featuring a female student wearing a hijab is seen at the corner of Sanata Dharma Catholic University in Yogyakarta. The Islam Congregation Forum (FUI) in the city has forced another university, Duta Wacana Christian University, to take down a similar billboard, claiming it misled Muslim students. (JP/Tarko Sudiarno)
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billboard advertising Duta Wacana Christian University (UKDW), which depicts a student wearing a hijab does not violate any Islamic values, the rector of an Islamic university said on Friday.
“No Islamic value is violated [by the billboard]. The UKDW wants to show that Islam and Christianity can be close,” Yudian Wahyudi, the rector of Yogyakarta’s Sunan Kalijaga Islamic State University, said.
His statement was in response to a protest by the Islam Congregation Forum (FUI) in Yogyakarta against the UKDW’s billboard. The FUI said it was improper to advertise a Christian university using a Muslim student.
“The UKDW only wants to show it is an open institution, upholding Pancasila [the state ideology] and doesn’t force anyone to change their identity,” Yudian said.
Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta University’s rector, Bambang Cipto, said the ad was just university promotion. “We accept non-Muslims too, although only one or two,” he said.
Besides the UKDW, Catholic universities such as Atma Jaya and Sanata Dharma also have ads depicting students wearing the hijab.
Rector Budi Subanar from Sanata Dharma University said his university was an inclusive institution that respected pluralism. (evi)
