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Muhammadiyah opens first college overseas
Universiti Muhammadiyah Malaysia is part of the grassroots group’s plan to expand its operations internationally as agreed upon in a 2015 congress, the group’s chairman Haedar Nashir has said.
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Muhammadiyah logo (muhammadiyah.or.id/-)
I
ndonesia’s second-largest grassroots Muslim organization Muhammadiyah announced this week that it had just established the Universiti Muhammadiyah Malaysia (UMAM) – the first Indonesian university to open abroad.
The education institution is part of the group’s plan to expand its operations internationally as agreed upon in a 2015 congress, the group’s chairman said.
“This is a milestone that is part of an expanded movement to enlighten the life of a nation and the world, starting with our brothers and sisters of kinship,” said Muhammadiyah chairman Haedar Nashir at a press conference.
He was referring to the close cultural bond between Indonesia and Malaysia, where Islam is the prevailing religious belief and Muhammadiyah’s vast network has flourished.
Haedar said that UMAM was expected to expand Indonesian-Malaysian relations beyond the conventional and traditional means of diplomacy.
"The history of Indonesia-Malaysia relations is full of color, and we need to fill it with the spirit of kinship so that we can move forward together," he said.
On Aug. 5, Malaysia’s Higher Education Ministry granted permission to establish the university, after years following official procedures in both countries. It was supported by authorities on both sides, including the King of Malaysia’s Perlis state, Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail.
