UIN Jakarta Promotes Interfaith Dialogue and Digital Innovation Through International Public Lectures
By: Mrs. Zubaidah | SindoNews
JAKARTA - MAXY Academy together with the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) of the State Islamic University (UIN) Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta in collaboration with the Transformational Business Network (TBN) Indonesia held a Public Lecture entitled "Beyond Tolerance: Faith and Prosperity in the Digital Era."
The activity, which was attended by 100 participants, was also attended by university leaders, lecturers, and students from various faculties. By presenting a space for interfaith dialogue and social entrepreneurship insights that inspire the birth of a young generation with integrity, competitiveness, and oriented towards social impact.
As the host, the Rector of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, Prof. Asep Saepudin Jahar was pleased and expressed his appreciation for this event. "UIN Jakarta is committed to being a space for dialogue that is open to diversity of knowledge, including the integration of faith, technology, and entrepreneurship," said Prof. Asep, through a press release, Friday (11/14/2025).
"The presence of global speakers today enriches our students' perspectives in seeing the role of spirituality and innovation as the foundation of societal progress," he added.
In the guest lecture held at the 2nd Floor Theater Building FST UIN Jakarta, four speakers were presented. Three of them came from outside Indonesia. There were Founder of TBN Movement & Chairman of Springhill Management UK Dr. Kim Tan, Chief Grants Officer Templeton Religion Trust 2013 - 2025 Dr. Chris Stewart and Associate Professor of Sociology, Tampere University, Finland Dr. Ali Qadir.
Meanwhile, another speaker from Indonesia is Professor of Philanthropy at UIN Jakarta, Prof. Amelia Fauzia.
"I am very happy to be in Indonesia and see how its young generation has a great passion for combining the values of faith and innovation. Collaborations like this show that spirituality can go hand in hand with economic and technological development, and I believe initiatives like this will foster more leaders with integrity in the future," said the man familiarly known as Dr. Kim Tan, who holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry.
Dr. Kim Tan emphasized the importance of the concept of prosperity with purpose. Where prosperity is rooted in moral and spiritual values, not just economic achievements. Meanwhile, Dr. Chris Stewart highlighted how technology should be a tool to expand human values and faith, not replace them. He emphasized that digital developments must strengthen social ethics and solidarity between people.
"Interfaith dialogue like this is very important to create a strong social foundation amidst rapid global change," added Dr. Chris.
From a global sociological perspective, Dr. Ali Qadir explained the concept of the inner universe. A concept that emphasizes the urgency of understanding the human inner world amidst the rapid development of technology.
"As a famous poet once said: we have read thousands of books, but we have not yet read our own hearts. Therefore, modern education must encourage students to combine scientific knowledge with inner reflection," said Dr. Ali Qadir.
In closing the guest lecture session, Prof. Amelia Fauzia, Ph.D. emphasized the importance of strengthening interfaith philanthropic practices in the digital era, based on her research and experience leading the Social Trust Fund at UIN Jakarta.
"Digital transformation opens up new opportunities for more inclusive philanthropy. Through interfaith collaboration and the use of digital platforms, we can foster values of tolerance, solidarity, and social justice that have a broader impact on society," concluded the University of Melbourne graduate.
TBN Indonesia Chairman, Teddy Hartono, explained that this activity is part of TBN's commitment to bringing together business actors, academics, and communities to drive social change. According to him, cross-sector collaboration is key to building a transformative leadership ecosystem.
"We want to encourage students to be not only technologically competent, but also to have integrity in carrying out their roles in society. Collaboration with UIN Jakarta and TBN Indonesia is a strategic step to provide meaningful learning that prepares the younger generation to face global challenges," said Isaac Munandar, CEO & Co-Founder of MAXY Academy.
In addition to the public lecture, the speakers also held audiences with university leaders to explore strategic collaboration opportunities in research, teaching, and development at the Innovation Impact Hub—a joint initiative between TBN Indonesia, MAXY Academy, and UIN Jakarta that aims to become a center for social innovation based on spiritual values, entrepreneurship, and cross-sector collaboration.
Through this Innovation Impact Hub, the three institutions are committed to providing a platform for students and academics to develop impactful solutions that combine faith, technology, and transformative leadership for the advancement of society.