Groups of students are emerging at Indonesian universities who meet regularly to discuss issues related to Arab countries, help each other with Arabic lessons, and organize public events that introduce the Middle East to the public.
Vestnik Kavkaza reported earlier about Azerbaijani man introducing Islam to Indonesia.
As soon as she realized how much her mother tongue had been influenced by Arabic, Zakiyatul Fikriyah found herself drawn to it even more. A student of one of Indonesia’s best universities, Universitas Padjajaran in Bandung, the 18-year-old has only recently joined the Arabic literature program at her campus to explore through language a deep connection between her country and the Middle East, Arab News writes.
“What I find interesting is learning about that process of influence, and how it may be connected by the spread of Islam in Indonesia. I think the meeting point between Indonesia and the Arab world is through languages, how the Indonesian language has absorbed words from Arabic,”
Zakiyatul says.
Fikriyah is a member of HIMASA, the Arabic Literature Student Council at her campus, which serves as a place for discussions on everything related to the Middle East. “We are all here in this community because of our interest in Arab culture,” said Mohammed Hafiz, 21, who handles the council’s external affairs.
“Whenever we meet others who are unfamiliar with the Arab world, we try as much as we can to show that Arab edge,”
19-year old Camila Syabina says.
The nearest such event, a festival of Arab cultures in Bandung, is going to take place in October, and most of the group’s members have their eyes now set on its organization. But some, like Mohammed Thohari, 20, are already planning their engagement with the Arab world many years ahead.
“With my ambition of becoming Indonesia’s minister of foreign affairs…I have been working to gain a deeper understanding of the Arab world. We’re not only learning about the Qur’an or hadiths, but we’re also learning about the cultures, the literature, and the thinkers from the Arab world,”
Thohari says.
Foreign affairs were also a focal point of interest for 21-year-old Albighani Alana, who has been keeping tabs on developments in the Middle East and relations between Arab countries.
“The world of diplomacy in the Arab world has been such a point of interest, especially when it comes to conflicts between Arab nations…and that has piqued my interest in the Arab world so that I can learn better about what is really happening. By being a part of this Arabic literature program, I think my curiosity will find its answers.”
