Stichting Kebon Sepatu - Yayasan Kebon Sepatu

2 days ago

Friday 24 March, Radboud University in Nijmegen (NL) celebrated their 100th anniversary and on this occasion I had the privilege to represent Peneleh Jang Oetama Foundation, as I am their Ambassador to the Netherlands.

Radboud University is undisputedly the foremost important University concerned with Theological, Philosophical and Antripological studies. Having said that, when I needed advice on which translation of the Koran I could best acquire, I found the best answer at the University of Amsterdam. However, philosophers, clergy and "Great Thinkers" will refer to Radboud University as the best in the land.

The event was planned to accommodate many international speakers, who were either professors at the University or had received a research mandate for the topics I attended. It was a bit of an overloaded program I felt, but two of the research studies were most interesting to learn. The first was called "Gender and Islam in a Globalised World" and the other delft into the historical issue of "Race and Religion".

In the first topic, I was pleased to listen to one professor's candidate, whom I believed came from Dubai (Joud Alkourani) and who had interviewed women from various backgrounds in the country; native, non-native but raised, and converted Muslim women, who had obviously experienced an (hidden) aversion of the faith. Although her studies had tested decrease of religious practices (source BBC), she felt that this trend was likely to be caused by the "liberation" of external factor, and only seemed to show such an demise. The other speaker (Lena Richter) based her research primarily on the Moroccan women she had interviewed, and although it is not easy to access these communities (one has to be introduced if one is Western), slowly she gained insight in what moved women there to "unveil" themselves and be confident to express how they felt about their religious opinions. After this session I introduced myself and exchanged my ideas, specifically on my observations and experiences in Indonesia.

The second round of speakers dealt with a very quick (10 minutes each) expose on the issue of Race and Religion. The first speaker - Josias Tembo - explained the role of Christianity where it came in during the Missionary phase in "converting" the heathens as instructed in Portugal and Spain by the Pope, and factually legitimising slavery. Justine Bakker continued in her 10 minute dissertation that the very fact that people were suppressed and maltreated because of their race and skin-colour, empowered the black Afro-Americans to take the Islam as their identity, because that would give them rights to fend of this white-dominant oppression.

Thoroughly enjoyed this event, and although I would liked to have stayed to hear the band and dance the night away, I thought it wiser to leave the prancing about to the young ones.....

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