Yogyakarta, The Indonesian Religious Studies Association (ASAI) held the 8th National Symposium on Religious Studies, themed "Religion in the Midst of a Pandemic." The event took place online over two days, from November 11 to 12, 2020, between 19:00 and 21:00 WIB. In addition to being an annual event, the ASAI Symposium aims to reconnect academics, researchers, and social workers who focus on religious studies. During his opening remarks, ASAI chairman Ahmad Muttaqin, M.Ag., M.A., Ph.D., stated, "Even in the midst of a pandemic, we hope to maintain our presence in religious studies." The association aims to serve as an academic forum for the field of religious studies.
Prof. Dr. Media Zainul Bahri, M.A., served as the keynote speaker and presented on the theme "The Promise of Salvation in a Multi-Religious Culture in the Midst of a Pandemic." In his presentation, he emphasized the emergence of a new multi-religious culture. Indonesia falls into the second category, where religion is considered vital for everyday life. This is evidenced by the significant presence of Majelis Taklim (Islamic study groups), Islamic boarding schools, religious-based colleges, and the visibility of the hijab throughout the country.
On November 11, 2020, an event featured several speakers who presented various themes in religious studies. The first presentation was by Dr. Wiwik Setyani and Nurhairunnisa, who discussed "Wani Jogo Kampung: Social Action of the Al-Jabbar Congregation during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Wiyung, Surabaya." Next, Dr. (Cand.) Hasan Basri shared his insights on "Being Religious Abroad during the Pandemic: Experiences in Sydney, Australia." Following that, Dr. (Cand.) Mukhijab presented a paper titled "As a Dangerous Arena: Media Discourse on the Function of Places of Worship during the Covid-19 Pandemic." The event concluded with Dr. Casram, M.Ag., who spoke about "The Expression of Religious Thought in Service and Protest Actions during the Covid-19 Prevention Period in West Java."
On November 12, 2020, Budi Juliandi, M.A., and Dr. H. Marhaban, M.A. presented a paper titled "Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Communities in Israel Amid Covid-19." This was followed by Dr. (Cand.) Afnan Ansori, M.A., who shared his experiences of practicing religion abroad during the pandemic. Next, Dr. Dian Nur Anna, M.A., discussed the dialectic of art and religion during the pandemic, and Latifah, M.A., shared her experiences related to self-study of interfaith education at the Kertarajasa Buddhist College. In Session II on the second day, Dr. Ustadi Hamsah, M.Ag., presented his research titled "Health as a New Spirituality." This was followed by Maufur, M.A., who recounted various stories about the experience of writing religious studies for students at IAIN Kediri. Finally, Dr. Samsul Maarif presented on the topic of "The Religious Studies for a Dialogic and Inclusive Society: Research Contributions to Advocacy." The activity concluded with hopes for more speakers to share their knowledge on the religious studies.
Documentation https://www.instagram.com/p/CHw65LLBk2p/?igshid=ipkmktej1kbc
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