As armed conflicts intensify in many parts of the world, protecting human dignity requires a commitment that goes beyond religious and identity divides. In collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Association of Scholars of Islam and International Humanitarian Law (INSANIA), UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, through its Faculty of Sharia and Law and Center for Developing Cooperation and International Affairs (CDCIA), is strengthening spaces for interfaith dialogue to explore the universal humanitarian values that underpin the protection of conflict victims.
This commitment came to the fore at the Interfaith Humanitarian Panel Discussion, titled “Multireligious Perspectives on Reducing Suffering Amid Armed Conflict,” held in the Convention Hall on the first floor of UIN Sunan Kalijaga on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. The event is part of the 9th Multifaith Certificate Course, “Humanity in War: The Law of Armed Conflict from Multireligious Perspectives,” held October 19–22, 2026, at University Hotel Yogyakarta.
The course aims to strengthen interdisciplinary dialogue and explore where International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and the ethical principles of various religious traditions converge in protecting conflict victims. A total of 40 participants from diverse backgrounds took part, including religious leaders, academics, researchers, journalists, humanitarian workers, diplomats, policymakers, and representatives of government agencies.
The interfaith humanitarian panel discussion drew about 300 participants, consisting of 41 specially invited guests from various backgrounds and 257 students from a range of universities. The invited guests included academics from interfaith higher education institutions, leaders of religious organizations, representatives of state institutions such as the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT), Densus 88, and the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and humanitarian organizations, including the ICRC and the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI).
Participation from such a wide range of groups broadened the exchange of perspectives on humanitarian protection. Through dialogue across faiths and professions, the event is expected to strengthen shared understanding of the importance of preserving human dignity and protecting civilians amid armed conflict.
In his welcome remarks, UIN Sunan Kalijaga Rector Prof. Dr. Noorhaidi Hasan emphasized the importance of building a humanitarian perspective that goes beyond primordial boundaries, including religious sentiment. In his view, the suffering caused by war does not distinguish between religions. Therefore, protecting conflict victims must rest on universal humanitarian values.
Drawing on his research on the conflict in Maluku and the Laskar Jihad, Noorhaidi highlighted the importance of widening the lens on humanitarian action. Aid to conflict victims should not be limited by religious identity, but should be based on the needs and dignity of every human being.
A multireligious perspective is essential for building humanitarian solidarity that transcends identity divides. This message is in line with UIN Sunan Kalijaga's commitment to developing Islamic studies that are open to dialogue while responding to humanitarian issues through academic approaches and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Christian Donny Putranto, S.H., LL.M., Deputy Head of the ICRC Regional Delegation for Indonesia and Timor-Leste, said the event is a concrete follow-up to the cooperation between the ICRC and UIN Sunan Kalijaga. The partnership was reinforced through a renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on August 22, 2025.
As part of this cooperation, the ICRC brought Dr. Ahmed Al-Dawoody, ICRC Legal Adviser on Islamic Jurisprudence in Geneva, to UIN Sunan Kalijaga as a fellow for one week. His presence strengthens the exchange of knowledge and the development of academic perspectives on the relationship between Islamic law, international humanitarian law, and humanitarian values.
Donny noted that the ICRC has recorded more than 130 armed conflicts around the world. This situation underscores the urgency of strengthening respect for international humanitarian law, especially in protecting civilians from the effects of war. The challenge is also growing with the use of new technologies, including artificial intelligence and cyber operations, in armed conflict.
In his keynote speech, Muhammad Takdir, S.H., LL.M., Head of the Foreign Policy Strategy Agency at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stressed that the main challenge in humanitarian protection is not simply a lack of rules, but weakening respect for laws that have already been agreed upon.
He explained that the principles of international humanitarian law converge with values found in many religious traditions. Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, each with its own teachings and traditions, contain principles that emphasize limiting violence, humane treatment, and respect for life.
According to Takdir, religious leaders and scholars play a strategic role in translating the principles of humanitarian law into language the public can understand, preventing the misuse of religion to justify violence, and serving as humanitarian bridges between parties in conflict. Networks across faiths and professions also need to be strengthened so that these values can be put into practice.
In addition to the welcome remarks and keynote speech, the event featured a panel discussion bringing together academics, religious leaders, and practitioners from diverse backgrounds to discuss multireligious perspectives on humanitarian protection. The panelists were Dr. Ahmed Al-Dawoody, ICRC Legal Adviser on Islamic Jurisprudence, Geneva; Fr. Albertus Bagus Laksana, S.J., S.S., Ph.D., Rector of Sanata Dharma University; Bhikkhu Nyanabandhu Sakya Sthavira (Dr. Burmansah, M.Pd.), Head of the Jinarakkhita Buddhist College (STIAB), Lampung; Prof. Dr. Drs. Chandra Setiawan, M.M., Ph.D., former Chair of the Supreme Council for Confucian Religion in Indonesia (Matakin); and Dr. Luh Gede Saraswati Putri, S.S., M.Hum., lecturer at the Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Indonesia.
Through this meeting of perspectives, the event opened a space to exchange ideas on the role of religious traditions in strengthening respect for international humanitarian law and protecting human dignity amid armed conflict.
Through this international collaboration, UIN Sunan Kalijaga affirms its role as a place where ideas and interfaith cooperation meet in responding to global issues. The dialogue built here is expected to go beyond the exchange of ideas and to produce a shared commitment to protecting civilians, reducing the suffering caused by conflict, and placing human dignity above all differences. (humassk)
