EN.MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, UK – Two books written by Abdul Mu’ti, Secretary General of the Central Board of Muhammadiyah, have officially been accepted into the Oxford library collection of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (OCIS) in the United Kingdom.
The two books are authored by Indonesia’s Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. The first one is titled Muhammadiyah Christians: Managing Religious Pluralism in Education. The second one is called Positive Pluralism: Muhammadiyah’s Ideas and Experiences in Education.
Both books address a subject that has drawn growing attention in contemporary Islamic studies internationally. That is how religious institutions manage diversity in everyday practice.
Ince Dian Aprilyani Azir, Chairperson of the Muhammadiyah Special Branch Board in the UK and Ireland, delivered the books personally. She was accompanied by Susana Widyaningsih, Secretary of the special branch. The delegation was received by OCIS Director Farhan Nizami. The books were then handed over to Wassilena Sekulova, head of the OCIS Library.
A Connection to Azyumardi Azra
One of Mu’ti’s books, which examines the experience of Muhammadiyah Christians, received particular attention from the OCIS director. Nizami noted that the book’s foreword was written by the late Azyumardi Azra. He was a prominent Indonesian scholar who was a fellow at OCIS from 1994 to 1995. Azra also served on the editorial board of the Journal of Islamic Studies, published by OCIS in collaboration with Oxford University Press.
The Muhammadiyah Special Branch Board in the UK and Ireland welcomed the inclusion of the books in the collection. They were noting that relatively few works by Indonesian scholars have become part of the OCIS library.
“We are grateful that the ideas of one of Muhammadiyah’s leading figures can now be accessed by academics and researchers at one of Europe’s leading centers for Islamic studies. This is certainly an important first step toward introducing the intellectual heritage of Islam Berkemajuan to a wider international audience,” Ince Dian said on Friday (25/9).
Researching Religious Diversity through Education
Muhammadiyah Christian was written by Mu’ti together with Fajar Riza Ul Haq, Indonesian Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. The book is based on research into the presence of Christian and Catholic students at Muhammadiyah educational institutions, particularly in disadvantaged, outermost regions, as well as where Muslims are a minority.
The book examines how Muhammadiyah educational institutions manage religious diversity without erasing the religious identity of either side.
Meanwhile, Positive Pluralism was co-authored by Mu’ti and Azaki Khoirudin. It explores Muhammadiyah’s ideas and experiences in building an inclusive society amid religious diversity through education.
Established in 1985, OCIS is an independent institution dedicated to the study of Islam and the Muslim world. The institution, moreover, is affiliated with the University of Oxford and operates under the patronage of King Charles III. In 2012, the institution received a Royal Charter from Queen Elizabeth II, becoming the first Muslim institution in Britain to receive the prestigious recognition.
As a research library, OCIS reviews each proposed book before deciding whether to add it to its collection. Once catalogued, the books can be then located through SOLO, the online catalogue of the University of Oxford’s libraries, and accessed by readers in the OCIS reading room. (Bhisma)
