About The International Conference DDIMS

The Syarif  Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN Jakarta) is pleased to host the first International Conference on Diversity and Disability Inclusion in Muslim Societies: Experiences from Asia. This conference is jointly organised with the Institute for Religion, Politics and Society, the Australian Catholic University (ACU) and the Institute for Culture and Society, University of Western Sydney (UWS).

The conference will be held in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, one of the biggest metropolitan centres in Asia and with a culturally diverse population. As one of the most prominent Islamic higher educational institutions in the worlds’ most populous Muslim nation, UIN Jakarta is well positioned to host this conference which will be an important event for the promotion of inclusion in pluralist societies. It will offer a strong foundation for the promotion of diversity and disability inclusion in Islamic educational institutions and Muslim communities.

The conference will focus on two key strands: i). on the experiences of diversity and ii) disability inclusion in the Asian Region. Asia is a rich and diverse tapestry of peoples, culture and religions. It is a landscape that includes the largest group of Muslim communities spanning a diverse range of Islamic customs, practices, beliefs and rituals.  Therefore Islam within Asia forms the key consideration of related research, scholarship and socio-cultural understandings of local practice. The influences of Islam, its place in national and regional politics, are emerging as important factors in driving social change that aims to garner support for locally placed initiatives of inclusion.

The aim of this conference is to generate greater understanding of the unique experiences of Muslim communities in Asia, and processes that engage, promote and enact practices of diversity and inclusion for community development and social cohesion.  Of particular interest are aspects of disability and diversity inclusion that aim to examine the ways in which local engagement with issues of disability and diversity generate new and nuanced learnings that enable practices of respect, rights and social cohesion.

The conference will bring together researchers, community practitioners, disability and diversity activists, government officials and students in a collaborative forum of intercultural dialogue and sharing of their work and experiences in this field. This cross-sectoral approach is part of a global effort in promoting dialogue, engagement and interaction to enhance the inclusion of disability and diversity.

Conference Themes

  1. Experiences in diversity and/or disability inclusion in Muslim communities in Asia;
  2. Practices around cultural diversity in Islamic education; the role of Islamic principles in the promotion of culturally inclusive curricula; practices of inclusion in Islamic educational institutions;
  3. Practices of disability inclusion in Islamic education; the role of Islamic principles in the promotion of inclusive curricula; practices of inclusion in Islamic educational institutions;
  4. Practices of diversity and / or disability inclusion in religious communities; the role of religious preachers in diversity and/or disability inclusion; the promotion of Islamic values to promote diversity and inclusion;
  5. Practices of government or non-government organisations in promoting social inclusion or disability inclusion at the community level as well as in introducing policies;
  6. Examination of the role of sources of sharia, the Qur’an and Hadith and their interpretation in promoting disability inclusion and respecting diversity
  7. Aspects of the development and inclusion of cultural and disability inclusive education within and/or across Islamic education at all levels, highlighting key points of continuity, change and diversity.
  8. Narratives and lived stories of persons from culturally diverse communities and / or persons with disabilities in performing religious duties towards inclusion;

 

We welcome papers that engage with these issues from within Asia and also those providing transnational comparative perspectives.