A Glance of Pusat Pengkajian Islam dan Masyarakat (PPIM)

or
Center for the Study of Islam and Society
UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta
website: http://ppim.or.id

BACKGROUND
While Muslim communities may regard Islam as a uniting symbol and ideology, the Middle East seems to have monopolised the symbol of Islam for both Muslim and non-Muslim eyes. The Indonesian Muslim community is caught at a crossroads whereby despite being the largest Muslim community in the world, it is considered geographically and politically peripheral by fellow Muslims (especially Middle Eastern Muslims), and at the same time many non-Muslim societies, especially those in the West, include Indonesia as part of the global Islamic community with all it’s connotations. While many Indonesians are proudly Muslim, they also recognise the beneficial rela¬tionship that they have had with the outside world, including the West, in the past.

Misunderstanding Indonesian Islam is a long-standing problem. During the colonial era, many scholars attempted to analyse Islam in this archipelago, but the results were often disappointing rather than accurate. For people who have never visited this country, the problem is even larger as they generally use the Middle Eastern model of Islam to measure Indonesian Muslims. As a result, Indonesian Islam is not accurately portrayed and the opportunity to develop plural interpretations of Islam is closed.

Indonesian Muslims are not innocent in this unfortunate situation. A lack of information about the Indonesian Islamic community is partly due to their ineffective communication with the outside world. Most scholars in this country do not publish their works in Arabic even though this is the official language of Islamic communities. At the same time, until recently, very few Indonesian scholars have written about Islam in English. Therefore, the dialogue between Indonesians and their fellow Muslims is difficult, and at the same time, non-Muslim societies lack information about Islam in Indonesia.

In the context of problematic relations between Islamic coun­tries and the West, many people are turning to Indonesia as a model of better understanding. They believe that Indonesian Muslims may constitute a good example of a tolerant and open-minded (Islamic) religious community. Moreover they are of the opinion that Indonesian Muslims have successfully combined religious values with modernity.

Faced with this great potential, currently shackled by a significant knowledge gap, the Syarif Hidayatullah State Institute for Islamic Studies (UIN) Jakarta aims to overcome this knowledge gap in part through the establishment of Pusat Pengkajian Islam dan Masyarakat (PPIM) or the Center for the Study of Islam and Society, which was founded on April 1st 1995. This autonomous research Center employs scholars of various disciplines and backgrounds to undertake a variety of activities in research, analysis, dissemination, and project implementation. These activities are designed to construct mutual understanding between Muslims and non-Mus­lims, and between Indonesian Muslims and their fellow Muslims as well as to develop the Indonesian Muslim community in the broadest possible sense.

Purpose
PPIM has two main purposes. Firstly, to reduce the knowledge gap about the Indonesian Muslim community, as well as reduce misunderstanding between the Indonesian Muslim community and other communities including both local and international Muslim and non-Muslim communities. Secondly, PPIM also aims to work with other formal and informal institutions and organizations to develop the Indonesian community, in particular the Muslim community by facilitating the spread of knowledge and skills within it.

Objectives
The primary objectives of PPIM are to:
Develop high quality research and analysis of Islam and Muslim com¬munities in Indonesia, including their internal and external relations with other communitie

Disseminate current research and findings on Islam in Indonesia through various forums and publications.

Work with other formal and informal institutions and organizations to facilitate appropriate and peaceful development of the Indonesian Muslim community

Scope of Service
PPIM provides four main services:

Research
PPIM conducts interdisciplinary studies and research on a wide variety of social and religious issues in Indonesia, particularly in the area of Islamic education, Islamic history and institution, Islam and politics, religion and legal theory, Islam and socio-religious issues and some current hotly debated issues on Islam and democracy, civil society and gender issues.

Publication
PPIM has regularly published a number of publications on Islam in Indo¬nesia in the forms of books, journals and bulletins; one of the most important publications is Journal Studia Islamika. Some of these publications are closely related with the past projects or current programs conducted by PPIM.

Conferences/Workshops/Discussions
By establishing for discussions, seminars, workshops and training, PPIM develops a better understanding of Islam in Indonesia as well as links Indonesian scholars and audiences with both Muslim and non-Muslim societies inside and outside Indonesia to construct mutual understanding between Muslims and non-Mus­lims, and between Indonesian Muslims and their fellow Muslims in other countries.

Consultant Services and Project Implementation
Various research and training projects have been carried out independently or in conjunction with both government and non-government bodies and funding agencies by the Center. This includes general research, feasibility studies, training and workshops, project management, management evaluation, establishment of database information systems and human resources development.

PPIM Network Capacity
As a research center based at an Islamic higher education institution in Indonesia, PPIM has extensive networks within both formal and informal educational, social and cultural institutions as well as economic and political ones. These institutions include pesantren (the Islamic Schooling system), madrasah (Islamic colleges), kyai (Muslim leaders), independent Muslim preachers, up and coming young Muslim leaders, teachers of Islamic High Schools, and lecturers of UIN and STAIN and local and regional as well as national level leaders of Muslim mass-organizations. This is added to a vast formal and informal network of grassroots, local, provincial, and national contacts, all of which have the potential to greatly influence community development.

PPIM continues to work in conjunction with various government departments and Ministries and many national and international public and non-government organizations and agencies.


The Team of PPIM (2007-2009)

Advisory Board
Prof. Dr. Azyumardi Azra
Dr. Bahtiar Effendy
Dr. Saiful Mujani
Dr. Fu’ad Jabali

Executive Director
Dr. Jajat Burhanudin

Director of Administration and Finance
Din Wahid, M.A.

Director of Research
Dr. Asep Saefudin Jahar

Staff of Administration
Etty Herawati

Staff of Finance
Lani Khaerani

Researchers and Associates
Prof. Dr. Muljanto Sumardi (Linguistik)
Prof. Dr. Azyumardi Azra (Sejarah)
Prof. Dr. Komaruddin Hidayat (Filsafat Agama)
Prof. Dr. Husni Rahim (Pendidikan)
Dr. Bahtiar Effendy (Politik Islam)
Dr. Jamhari (Antropologi)
Dr. Fu’ad Jabali (Sejarah Islam Klasik)
Dr. Saiful Mujani (Politik Islam)
Dr. Murodi (Islamic Studies)
Dr. Jajat Burhanuddin (Sejarah)
Dr. Oman Fathurrahman (Filologi)
Dr. Asep Saefuddin Jahar (Hukum Islam)
Hendro Prasetyo, MA (Antropologi)
Ali Munhanif, MA (Political Science)
Didin Syafruddin, M.A. (Pendidikan)
Saiful Umam, MA (Sejarah)
Arief Subhan, M.Ag (Islamic Studies)
Ismatu Ropi, MA (Perbandingan Agama/Asian Studies)
Dadi Darmadi, MA (Antropologi)
Sirojudin Abbas, MSW (Social Work)
Muhammad Dahlan, M.Hum (Islamic Studies)
Jajang Jahroni, MA (Islam Kontemporer)
Din Wahid, M.A. (Islam Kontemporer)
Yeni Ratna Yuningsih, M.A. (Sastra Islam)
Dina Afrianty, MCAA (Asia Kontemporer)
Idris Thaha, M.Si (Politik Islam)
Tasman, M.Si (Sosiologi)