Western Qur’anic Studies in Indonesian Islamic Universities: Responses, Contestations, and Curriculum Politics

Yusuf Rahman,1* Ervan Nurtawab2

1 Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, Jakarta, Indonesia
2 Jurai Siwo State Islamic University, Lampung, Indonesia
* Corresponding Author

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14421/ajis.2024.622.337-361

Abstract


This article examines how lecturers of Qur’anic Studies at five Indonesian Islamic universities engage with Western scholarship on the Qur’an. Drawing on fieldwork conducted at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, UIN Alauddin Makassar, UIN Imam Bonjol Padang, and UIN Bukittinggi, the study investigates how faculty members negotiate the incorporation of Western approaches in their academic programs. The article also engages with recent academic literature to reinforce its contemporary relevance. Our findings suggest that although there is a general openness to Western methodologies, significant tensions persist, particularly regarding the design of curricula. Influential figures within these departments have shaped what they view as an appropriate orientation for students, revealing competing visions between two educational aims: (1) engaging with Western academic approaches to the Qur’an and tafsīr, and (2) mastering Qur’anic knowledge for Islamic missionary purposes.

[Artikel ini mengkaji pandangan para dosen Ilmu al-Qur’an di Program Studi Ilmu al-Qur’an dan Tafsir dari lima Universitas Islam Negeri terhadap keilmuan Barat tentang al-Qur’an: UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, UIN Alauddin Makassar, UIN Imam Bonjol Padang, dan UIN Bukittinggi. Data yang dianalisis dalam studi ini diperoleh melalui kunjungan lapangan ke lima program studi tersebut. Selain itu, artikel ini juga berinteraksi secara kritis dengan literatur akademik mutakhir, sehingga memperkuat posisinya dalam wacana keilmuan kontemporer. Kami berargumen bahwa meskipun terdapat kecenderungan kuat di program studi tersebut untuk menerima keilmuan Barat untuk kajian al-Qur’an, muncul pula sejumlah keberatan yang turut memengaruhi arah dan pengembangan kurikulum program studi. Beberapa figur yang dominan dan berpengaruh di lingkungan program studi memainkan peran penting dalam merumuskan kurikulum yang mereka anggap paling sesuai bagi mahasiswa Ilmu al-Qur’an. Perdebatan muncul terkait pencapaian dua tujuan pembelajaran utama antara: (1) memahami dan menerima pendekatan keilmuan Barat dalam studi al-Qur’an dan tafsir; atau (2) menguasai pengetahuan keislaman yang mendalam mengenai al-Qur’an dan tafsir untuk kepentingan dakwah Islam.]


Keywords


Western Qur'anic scholarship, Indonesian Qurʾanic scholarship, orientalism, Indonesian Association of Qurʾanic Studies

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