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Indonesian Participant Profiles

Profiles and photos of the Uniting Through Faith participants from Indonesia

 

Dr. Pradjarta Dirdjosanjoto

Executive Director and Founder of PERCIK: Institute for Social Research, Democracy and Social Justice. This Institute works in areas of advocacy, justice, practical development, anti-corruption, social inclusion and interfaith dialogue.

PERCIK was one of the three founders of the highly successful SOBAT Interfaith Forum in Java.

Bp. Pradjarta has previously been a senior lecturer and academic at Satya Wacana Christian University.

He is also chair of Trukajaya Christian Foundation’s Board of Trustees. This Foundation was founded by the Central Javanese Christian Church and engages in various Internationally recognized Community Development Projects in Java.

 

 

Rev. Nani Mirnani

Rev. Nani is a minister for the Protestant Church of Java, Wonogiri North, in Central Java.

She is an excellent communicator about both her own faith and others, and is the founder of the Kata Hawa (Eve Word) Women’s Interfaith Forum – a sister forum to SOBAT (which is non-gender specific).

This forum is quickly gaining wide recognition, and has members from such high places as Federal Senate.

Rev. Nani also co-established the Jerami farming cooperative in Nguneng, to assist poor farmers to collaborate for communal benefit.

Rev. Nani is a representative of a new wave of young, female clergy in Indonesia, and brings with her not only the story of a Christian, but also that of a woman.

 

 

Mr. Agung Waskitoadi

Agung has worked for SOBAT Interfaith Forum for a number of years, having had involvement with PERCIK since 1999. Agung brings a background in Law to his work in interfaith engagement, and has been largely responsible for the overall success of the forum. He has developed deep relationships with forum members through long-term consultation and shared experience, and has a wealth of knowledge of the practicalities of interfaith dialogue.

Agung has experience in Interfaith Dialogue, Conflict Resolution and Local Theology.

 

 

Mr. Singgih Nugroho

Singgih is a researcher for PERCIK Institute for a number of prominent programs: SOBAT Interfaith Forum, Kata Hawa Women’s Interfaith Forum, Interfaith Dialogue Research, Kita Beda Kita Sama (We are different, We are the same) Interfaith Forum for Children and Community Oriented Policing.

Through his research, Singgih has developed a great understanding of interfaith dialogue and relationships.

Singgih is the coordinator of the Muslims Thinkers Group of Salatiga, and a founder and activist in the Indonesian Brotherhood organization, Indonesian Young Struggle Movement, and SemestA Student Solidarity Movement in Indonesia.

 

 

Kyai Mohamad Marzuki Kurdi

Kyai Marzuki is leader of the SOBAT interfaith forum for the Yogyakarta Province, with a background in Arabic Literature, Sufism, Theology and Sociology of Rural Community Development.

Kyai Marzuki is Vice Chairmen of LEKPIM(Institute for the Study and Development of Islam and Society) and is the regional representative for the Indonesian Peasant Union. He is also a member of the Human Relations and Cooperation Division of the Agricultural Development Institute within Nahdatul Ulama: the largest Islamic social and political movement in the world.

As Head of the SOBAT interfaith effort for Rehabilitation of Victims of the Yogyakarta regional Earth-Quakes in 2006, Kyai Marzuki used his many skills to coordinate a highly successful cooperative project. He has been highly active in areas of poverty reduction and HIV-AIDs awareness programs in rural Indonesia, and is very highly regarded as both a leader and an educator.

 

 

Kyai Ustad Musa Ahmad

Ustad Musa is a respected Islamic teacher and leader from Cilacap. As Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Education at IAIIG, Cilacap, he has a wide overview of religion. He is very open person, and is active in the SOBAT interfaith forum as well as other initiatives such as: Kyais and Social Change Programs in Cilacap and Salatiga, Islamic Legal Policy and Alternative Islamic Education.

Ustad Musa has also been a member of regional Parliament, and has been a heavily involved with a number of community development and advocacy organisations.

 

 

Kyai Muslich Abdullatief

Kyai Muslich is the respected leader of Pondok Modern Darussalam - a rural Islamic Boarding School in Kebumen. He has previously worked in high profile educational positions in the Middle East, as Director of the Organisation for Indonesian Secondary School Students at the High Commission in Mecca, and as Director of the Education Council for Indonesian Secondary School Students in Saudi Arabia.

He now holds a number of educational positions in his local region, alongside his commitments to his thriving Modern Islamic Boarding School.

 

 

Mr. Benny Ridwan

Benny is a respected lecturer in Islamic Studies and has already published three books on topics of Contextual Islam, Gender and Sociology.

He has been a member of the Sobat-FSUB Interfaith forum since 2000, and has established links between a number of faith educational institutions.

As a respected young academic, Benny has presented at a number of Islamic and interfaith conferences in Indonesia since 2005.

Benny is on the Board of Education for Salatiga, and a member of ‘Salatiga Circle’ - for in-depth analysis of the relationship between Science and Religion.

 

Mrs. Mujibah Utami (Uut)

Mudjibah is a member of the board of an Islamic Woman Organization called ”Muslimat” in Salatiga. She is very active in an inter-faith program for children with PERCIK, and is a also currently the Director of TK Islam Al Husna Preschool, a teacher at TPQ Roudlotul Qur’an school, a teacher at the Islamic High School Terpadu Nurul Islam Tengaran, Editor of Jarimatika magazine and coordinator of the Teacher’s Forum Jarimatika, Salatiga.

With a formal background in English Literature, Teaching and Journalism, Mudjibah possesses very useful communication and coordination skills for her interfaith work with children.

 

 

Rev. Dian Tjahjadi

Rev. Dian Tjahjadi has been a minister in the Protestant Church of Java in Gubug – Purwodadi since 1994. He is active in his local SOBAT group, which focusses on increasing cooperation between Christian, Islamic, Buddhist and Confucian communities in the Gubug area.

He was active in the interfaith earthquake relief effort, and as a result co-established Forum Komunikasi Untuk Sesama (Forum for Peer Communication). In addition to humanitarian activities with a focus on distribution of assistance to those in need, this forum is also involved in the voter education and election monitoring in cooperation with PERCIK.
The focus of this movement is to provide assistance to those who are marginalised both socially and politically.

 

 

Mrs. Purwanti Kusumaningtyas

Purwanti is a lecturer at the Faculty of Language and Literature, Satya Wacana Christian University, and also a researcher for the Center of Research and Gender Studies.

She is a member of “Kita Beda Kita Sama” (We are different, we are the same) Children’s Interfaith program.

Purwanti is also one of the founding members and facilitators of a Study Club for residents in a slum area in Nanggulan, Salatiga.

She has published 12 articles and books, on a variety of social topics, including:

“Calon Arang” and the Stories of Silencing the Women in Indonesia and The Experience of Chinese Ethnic and the Discriminatory Laws and Regulations: A Comparative Study of Indonesia and America.

 

 

Rev. Sari Frihono

Rev. Sari Frihono is a minister of the Protestant Church of Java, Salatiga East. He is active in working through problems related to interfaith marriage. In Indonesia this issue is very sensitive. There are many difficulties faced by people who have different religious orientations, yet want to get married and maintain their own faith.

Alongside his ministry, Rev. Sari is Chair of the Editorial Board GKJ Magazines ”Bahtera”, Adi Yuswa and ”Kayuwanan, Chair of the Institute for Studing the Development of the Protestant Church of Java and a member of FSUB Forum Sarasehan Umat Beriman (Forum for the informal meeting of devout religious people)

 

 

Miss. Ambar Istiyani

Ambar is Executive Assistant for PERCIK Institute.

She is a young university student in regional Java and a graduate of Pesantren Edi Mancoro, under Kyai Mahfudz Ridwan. She brings a youth element to this program. She is currently very involved with the SOBAT interfaith forum in both a participatory and administrative capacity, and has a deep interest in conflict prevention and community empowerment.

 

 

Kyai Mohammad Dian Nafi’

Kyai Dian Nafi’, Director of Pondok Pesantren Al-Muayyad, Al-Muayyad Islamic Boarding School, is also a columnist in a daily newspaper (Solo Post). His empirical experience of pesantren education led him to some present at a number of international forums, including: Education in Religion for Community Consultation in Agia Napa, Cyprus (2001), Asia Africa People Forum in Columbo (2003), Indonesia Pesantren Program in Amherst, Massachusetts, USA (2003).