Indonesia
Abdullah Arif Mukhlas, Lc., M.HI., successfully defended his dissertation during his doctoral promotion on Tuesday, 30 June 2019, at Abu Bakar As-Shiddiq Building, 4th Floor. The open doctoral promotion, also known as an open examination, featured the presentation of a dissertation titled “Multicultural Islamic Religious Education in Social Interactions of Laban Community.”
The session was chaired by UNISMA Rector Prof. Dr. H. Maskuri, M.Si., assisted by Prof. M. Mas’ud Said, MM., Ph.D., as examination secretary.
The candidate, who serves as a lecturer at STAI Al-Azhar Menganti Gresik, presented the key findings of his research, among them: 1) The formation of multicultural character within Laban community through the habitual emulation of ancestral traditions, reinforced by parental instruction. 2) The absence of a balanced relationship between literal/textual and contextual approaches to learning.
Read also: Suharnianto Earns Doctoral Degree in Open Promotion During the New Normal Era
Prof. Dr. Imam Suprayogo questioned why informal education was described as a curriculum. The candidate explained that the curriculum referred to in this context is the body of knowledge conveyed by parents within the home environment.
Prof. Imam Suprayogo maintained that within a community setting, no formal curriculum exists. The ensuing discussion between the candidate and Prof. Imam Suprayogo was particularly in-depth, consuming approximately 25 minutes of the session.
Prof. Umi Sumbulah, M.Ag., commended the research for its integration of Islamic Religious Education with other disciplines, including the social sciences and a Sharia-based approach. The Director of the Postgraduate Program at UIN Malang also recommended incorporating the theoretical framework of Jasser Auda to further complement and enrich the theoretical contributions of Said Ramadhan Al-Buthi.
Prof. Drs. H. Junaidi Mistar, M.Pd., Ph.D., advised the candidate to ensure the research does not overly gravitate toward an education-centric framing, urging him to strengthen the educational focus so as to reduce any impression of the work being pulled in that direction.
Prof. Maskuri expressed appreciation for the integration of education and sociology, while cautioning that Doctoral Program in Multicultural Islamic Religious Education must not inadvertently reduce itself to the sociology of religion. He also emphasised the need for refinement of the propositions constructed within the dissertation.
Prof. Dr. Djunaidi Ghony, the fourth examiner and concurrent promotor, likewise noted several areas within the presented dissertation that required revision.
Prof. H. Yaqub Cikusin, M.Si., serving as co-promotor, argued that a Multicultural Islamic Religious Education dissertation engaging with sociology is a logical consequence of the field. “If it did not, what would distinguish it from Doctoral Programs in Islamic Religious Education at other institutions?” he asked. The sociological dimension, he noted, emerges naturally from the concept of symbolic interaction within community life.
Read also: Postgraduate Program Holds Three Closed Examinations in a Single Day
Following a brief deliberation recess, the candidate was declared to have passed with a Sangat Memuaskan (Distinction) predicate, officially becoming the 23rd Doctor of Multicultural Islamic Religious Education at UNISMA. Abdullah Arif Mukhlas is duly entitled to use the doctoral title in accordance with applicable legislation upon the issuance of the graduation decree (yudisium). (AL/NAD/PPS)
