Where Is the Islam, and What Kind?

Abstract

In 2008, it seemed that the Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN) conversion process was over. There had been a ministerial decree from the then minister of religious affairs, Maftuh Basyuni, that there were to be no more UIN, but it allowed for the possibility of a wider mandate for Institut Agama Islam Negeri (IAIN), a concept adopted by the Ministries of both Religious Affairs and Education as a way to bridge between being religion-only institutes and full universities (Azra 2011: 44). But as often seems the case in Indonesia, with a new change in minister, came a change in policy and some IAIN are now in the process of applying to become UIN. The debates (whether on or off campus) are far from over. Like many debates about education, these debates about Perguruan Tinggi Agama Islam Negeri (PTAIN) concern differences over the purpose of the institution and not only its future but also the future of society, in general.