Indonesia
A lecturer’s academic reputation is often measured by their track record. Such a record reflects not only where one pursued academic studies but also the scholarly contributions and achievements built along the way.
M. Mas’ud Said is among the few figures with a traditional background who have established a strong international academic pathway. The scholar who currently serves as Chairman of Ikatan Sarjana Nahdlatul Ulama Jawa Timur completed his studies abroad with a fully funded scholarship from AusAID in Australia from 2001 to 2004.
Upon returning from an academic visit to Malaysia and Thailand in late April 2024, the Director of the Postgraduate Program at Universitas Islam Malang, Prof. M. Mas’ud Said, received an appointment as an international academic advisor and international journal reviewer from institutions in two countries.
From April 22 to 25, 2024, Prof. Mas’ud Said joined an academic delegation visiting several universities in Malaysia and Thailand. The delegation was led by the Rector of Universitas Islam Malang, Maskuri, who also serves as Chairman of the Asosiasi Pascasarjana Perguruan Tinggi Swasta Islam Indonesia (APAISI).
Following the visit, the Postgraduate Director of Universitas Islam Malang received an invitation from the Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Studies at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Achmad Sunawari Long, to serve as a reviewer for the International Journal of Islamic Thought (IJIT).
The Islamic studies journal, led by Prof. Achmad Sunawari Long, recently sent Mas’ud an English-language manuscript examining Muslim voter preferences in Indonesia during the 2019 Indonesian Presidential Election, when Muslim voters faced a choice between presidential candidates Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto.
In addition, only a few days after returning to Indonesia, the modest academic who once worked at the Office of the Special Staff of the President of the Republic of Indonesia received another offer to serve as an international academic advisor from The Global Business and Administrative Technological College (TGBC), headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand.
The offer was delivered electronically on April 29, 2024, and signed by TGBC Director Prattana Srisuk, PhD.
In the appointment letter, Mas’ud was requested to provide academic insights and advice to the institution’s leadership to help strengthen TGBC’s academic standards and maintain its international partnership reputation.
TGBC clearly sees Mas’ud’s role as instrumental in maintaining its academic credibility globally while fostering academic communication and cooperation with Indonesia.
In 2023, the Muslim intellectual and graduate of Flinders University in Australia visited Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, initiating cooperation with the Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism (AOCE). He also traveled to United Kingdom to meet Indonesia’s Ambassador to the UK, Desra Percaya, and to build academic collaboration with King’s College London.
Earlier this year, Mas’ud hosted a return visit from a delegation of Minhaj University Lahore at the Postgraduate School of Universitas Islam Malang. The university is known for its strong academic reputation under the Minhaj-ul-Quran International foundation, headquartered in the United Kingdom.
The Minhaj-ul-Quran delegation, led by Finance Director, Operations Director, and International Relations Officer Adnan Suhail, visited UNISMA in Malang to strengthen cooperation in teaching, research, and community service.
