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Islamic university rector who restricted niqab becomes Indonesia’s ideology chief
Jokowi hopes the new chairman will help promote the values of Pancasila to the younger generation.
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Sunan Kalijaga Islamic State University (UIN Sunan Kalijaga) rector Yudian Wahyudi was recently appointed as Agency for Pancasila Ideology Education (BPIP) chairman. (Tribunnews/-)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has appointed the rector of Sunan Kalijaga Islamic State University, Yudian Wahyudi, as the head of the the Agency for Pancasila Ideology Education (BPIP), which is expected to promote the values of Pancasila – Indonesia’s state ideology – particularly with the younger generation.
He succeeded Yudi Latif, who stepped down in June 2018. BPIP vice chairman Hariyono held the position as acting chairman for 20 months before Yudian’s appointment.
Yudian attended a pesantren (Islamic boarding school) in Java and completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at Sunan Kalijaga University before obtaining his PhD at McGill University in Canada. As an Islamic scholar, he is known for progressive thinking that has challenged other intellectuals such as Nurcholis Madjid and Azyumardi Azra.
Ujang Komarudin, the executive director of Indonesia Political Review, said Yudian’s appointment might have raised some eyebrows since, despite the fact that he was raised as a traditionalist, he held strong anti-radical views.
In 2018, Yudian issued a regulation that required female students who wore niqabs at his university to attend a counseling session. It was widely interpreted as a university ban of the veil.
Ujang, however, said that the jury was still out on Yudian’s work as the chairman of BPIP, adding that he hoped Yudian would be able to bring the agency forward.
“Hopefully [under Yudian, the BPIP] will be better than in Yudi Latif’s era. Of course, this depends on the work of the leaders and the staff in the BPIP to bring relevancy to Pancasila within our society,” Ujang Komarudin told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
