SERANG - In an effort to expand academic networks and strengthen literacy and research on Islamic culture, the Faculty of Ushuluddin and Adab (FUDA) of Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin (SMH) State Islamic University (UIN) Banten officially established a strategic collaboration with the Santri World Network Foundation.
Signing Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) took place solemnly on Thursday (4/6/2026) at the FUDA Hall, Campus 2 UIN SMH Banten. This cooperation document was signed directly by the Dean of FUDA UIN SMH Banten, Masykur, and the Chairman of the Executive Board of the Santri World Network Foundation, Mukhlisin.
Dean of FUDA UIN SMH Banten, Masykur, in his speech said that this signing is a concrete step for the faculty in realizing the adaptive and collaborative tridharma of higher education.
“This collaboration is a concrete effort by the faculty to expand the academic ecosystem and Islamic literacy. We hope that this synergy with the Santri World Network will not only stop on paper, but will continue to be realized in programs to develop historical, literary and cultural research that can open students” horizons globally without leaving their local roots," said Masykur.
In line with this, the Chairman of the Executive Board of the Santri World Network Foundation, Mukhlisin, welcomed the realization of this collaboration. He considered FUDA UIN Banten to have a very important historical and academic position.
“UIN Banten, especially the Faculty of Ushuluddin and Adab, is a strategic partner that has strong historical roots of Islamic scholarship in the archipelago. Through this collaboration, the Santri World Network is fully committed to jointly lifting the intellectual treasures of pesantren, Islamic literature, and local religious discourse to a wider academic stage,” said Mukhlisin.
Directly Implemented Through Book Review
The commitment to “not just on paper” was immediately proven on the same day. Shortly after the MoA signing procession was completed, both parties immediately implemented the cooperation through organizing Studium Generale and Book Review.
The work that was dissected in the academic forum was a book by a prominent writer, Jamal D. Rahman, entitled “Islam, Literature and Knowledge: The Struggle of Colonial Discourse on the Banten Sea”.
Vice Dean III FUDA, Endang Saeful Anwar, who also acted as Chairman of the event committee, expressed his gratitude for the smooth running of the event and the extraordinary enthusiasm of the participants.
“Activities Studium Generale Today's event and Book Review is a tangible proof of our commitment to immediately implement the cooperation that has just been signed. We are very proud to see the enthusiasm of hundreds of students who packed the hall. This shows that literary studies, local history, and the dynamics of Islamic thought still have a very large and relevant space in the hearts of our young generation,” he said.
The book by Jamal D. Rahman sparked a heated discussion among academics and students. The study in it is considered to be very much in line with the vision of FUDA UIN Banten in exploring the intellectual heritage and history of cultural resistance of Bantenese society during the colonial period through literary and Islamic approaches.
This collaboration is expected to be the first milestone of various sustainable academic activities that will continue to revive the discourse of Islam, literature, and civilization in Banten.
