Imam Syaukani, alumni of Sharia Department Faculty of Islamic Studies (FAI) University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) had his own story about his choice in Sharia Department. The man who now served in echelon III as the Head Division of Legislation Planning in Bureau of Law and Foreign Cooperation in Government Ministry of Religious Affairs stated, Sharia Department was really important to address the problem of the need of Islamic jurist. However, Islamic law was a life law in Indonesia. He stated that the politic of our national law placed Islamic law as main material of national-law making, both at the level of theoretical and practical.
Before he was accepted to be civil servant in Religious Department (Depag), Imam finished his study in Magister of Law at University of Indonesia Jakarta. Imam, the husband from Noor Fithriyah and the father from two children who came from Cirebon felt lucky. As the alumni from UMM, he was counted in his career. Without going through echelon IV, he directly increased into echelon III.
Herewith an interview between Nasrullah, the Head of UMM Public Relation with Imam Syaukani who graduated in 1997 and he was a lecturer at UMM for two years.
Could you please tell us how did you choose UMM at that time?
Before enrolling in UMM especially in Shariah Department, I studied at SMAN 2 Cirebon. I am from Cirebon. I choose Shariah Department due to my interest in intensive Arabic course for a year in the beginning of lecture. Besides, the tuition cost is the least expensive. It was only Rp 300.000. I knew it from reading Suara Muhammadiyah magazine. At the time, as I knew, no one had developed the intensive Arabic course for the faculty non Arabic language. So, because I consider it will be profitable for me, then I enrolled at UMM.
Did you join any organizations at UMM since your study? What is the most interesting one and it built your character?
I was not an activist who liked to spend time in organization. I joined IMM but it just in level of commissariat, even in the faculty I only joined HMJ (Department Student Association). Formally, I just spent for two years in organization. Nevertheless, even only two years there, the experience was really useful for me. Moreover, in the way of managing a cooperation and develop sense on leadership.
The deep impression when I was really interested in intellectual activity at LSIK. There, I felt that I was trained to think deeply and comprehensively. Intellectual interaction with several students from different discipline was much sensed in LSIK. I had limited group at that time which consisted only four members. We used to spent time together to have a discussion while eating fried food from the afternoon until the evening. It ran long enough around two years. I felt period at LSIK and being with the limited group was memorable experience.
What is your opinion about Sharia Department and the future prospect?
Sharia Department is still very important. How does the law become, Islamic law is a life in Indonesia. The politic of our national law placed Islamic law as main material of national law-making in the level of theoretical or practical. In addition, country accommodation to the existence of Islamic law today is very remarkable, from the aspect of family, economic, and criminal law.
Therefore, deep analysis into new paradigm of progressive Islamic law and has a dimension of Indonesia is important to be run. Therefore, in this term, Sharia Department is playing an important role. Then, all depends to us on how to manage Sharia Department to meet that need.
For me, it is important to assure whether the alumni of Sharia Department will be run in term of developing the natural science in order the alumni will be a scientist or developing applied knowledge there the alumni will be “worker”.
As the alumnus of UMM, what is still attached to the present then useful in the work?
For me, critical thinking which is alive in academic atmosphere and extracurricular at UMM generally and in Sharia Department especially had helped me to understand the work more carefully, but also at certain times to take decision quickly. I also see and learn from lecturers and campus officials begin from the rector up to the head of department on how to manage the campus. Perhaps because private sector, I thought they had creative thinking. That affected my way of thinking that to think privately.
For the future, what do you have in mind about the prospect of FAI, Sharia, and UMM itself?
I do believe, it will be developed as long as FAI or Sharia Department keeps on making innovation. I am sure, UMM will always be exist and developed. I visualize UMM will be like well-known world universities where the academic atmosphere is alive and be the inspiration for world life. (t_vik)
