Yogyakarta, November 21–23, 2025 — Indonesia sent a bold message to the global academic community this week: Islamic thought from the archipelago is no longer merely relevant — it is actively shaping the direction of international Islamic studies. The statement resounded through the opening of The 5th International Conference on Islam, Law, and Society (INCOILS 2025) at Grand Rohan Hotel, Yogyakarta, organized by FORDIPAS in collaboration with the Graduate School of UIN Sunan Kalijaga.

Bringing together hundreds of researchers and scholars from Indonesia and abroad, the conference has become a strategic arena for intellectual exchange, international collaboration, and the formation of a new roadmap for Islamic studies on a global scale.

A Global Turn Toward Indonesian Islamic Thought

In a written address, Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar underlined the significance of INCOILS as a platform for knowledge transfer amid an increasingly complex global landscape. He referred to Indonesia as a “civilizational laboratory,” where Islamic jurisprudence, positive law, and democratic social dynamics reinforce one another.

The Minister argued that Indonesian Islamic perspectives are increasingly essential in responding to technological disruption, environmental crises, and global social polarization. According to him, Islam in Indonesia offers a scholarly model that is normative yet humanistic, traditional yet modern, theological yet scientific.

He also extended his highest appreciation to FORDIPAS PTKIN and UIN Sunan Kalijaga for successfully convening leading global scholars and revitalizing this cross-national academic forum. The Minister emphasized that the university now plays a pivotal role in reconfiguring the trajectory of Islamic scholarship worldwide.

The Minister outlined three strategic directions for INCOILS moving forward:

1. Islamic thought must transcend the binary of tradition vs modernity through interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary approaches.
2. International research networks and academic collaboration must be amplified to address pressing humanitarian challenges.
3. Conferences should generate applicable knowledge — not stopping at journal publications, but producing innovative research and actionable academic policies.

World-Class Voices at the Center of Debate

INCOILS 2025 featured prominent global scholars as keynote speakers, including:

• Prof. Michael S. Northcott — University of Edinburgh, Scotland
• Dr. Stéphane Lacroix — Sciences Po Paris, France
• Prof. Anna M. Gade — University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA
• Prof. Noorhaidi Hasan — Rector of UIN Sunan Kalijaga, Indonesia

The panel engaged in rigorous debate on religion, law, and environmental sustainability, placing Indonesian scholars on equal footing with global counterparts — a scholarly landscape almost unimaginable a decade ago.

Strengthening Indonesia’s Intellectual Positioning

Rector of UIN Sunan Kalijaga, Prof. Noorhaidi Hasan, stressed that INCOILS has become a new barometer of academic strength for Islamic higher education in Indonesia.

“This conference is the only one among the six PTKIN that has successfully established itself as a benchmark and a constructive challenge for national academic forums under the Ministry of Religious Affairs — not only in terms of organizing quality, but also the scale of its themes and scientific debates,” he said.

Chair of FORDIPAS, Prof. Akhyak, framed INCOILS as a collective commitment to expanding Indonesia’s research footprint and intellectual contribution internationally.

Director of the Graduate School, Prof. Moch. Nur Ichwan, expressed gratitude for the trust placed in UIN Sunan Kalijaga to host both FORDIPAS and INCOILS, stressing that the conference consolidates academic strength and promotes research traditions that benefit wider society.

Director of Islamic Higher Education, Prof. Sahiron Syamsuddin, called on scholars to accelerate research output and international publications through joint research, visiting professor programs, and joint publications.

Meanwhile, Secretary of the Director General of Islamic Education, Prof. Arskal Salim, highlighted the urgency of environmental issues within the framework of Islam, law, and society — proposing expanded roles for religious law through maqasid sharia in environmental protection, Qur’anic principles of balance, maslahah-based jurisprudence, and cross-sector collaboration.

One of the most progressive ideas came from the Compassion-Based Curriculum panel, which emphasized empathy, humanism, and universal welfare as core academic values — positioning Indonesia’s Islamic scholarship as both intellectually rigorous and compassion-driven.

Indonesia Emerges as a Knowledge Producer — Not Just a Participant

Adopting the theme “Religion, Law, and Environmental Sustainability,” INCOILS 2025 marks a significant shift in the global map of Islamic scholarship. Indonesia is no longer merely a consumer of knowledge or a passive participant in global conversations — it is now emerging as a producer of knowledge and a global intellectual reference point.

Indonesian Islamic scholarship is not only being studied — it is informing the reconstruction of Islamic thought across the world.

The conference concluded with a commitment to follow up on the forum's outcomes through scientific publications, academic policies, and transnational research collaborations as tangible contributions to humanity and a sustainable future.