WNAM REPORT: Three Indonesian ministers held a meeting to discuss the importance of promoting and implementing the Islamic, or sharia, economy in Indonesia through research and higher education.
“Our duty is to enhance public literacy regarding the sharia economy through research. I believe that Indonesia can take center stage in this matter,” Higher Education, Science, and Technology Minister Brian Yuliarto noted in a statement cited here on Tuesday.
In the presence of Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar in Jakarta on Monday (August 4), he welcomed the 2025–2030 strategic direction of the Indonesian Association of Islamic Economists (IAEI), which highlights research, literacy, and curriculum development.
The minister underlined that the quality of Indonesia’s higher education system must align with the country’s goal to play a leading role in the global research ecosystem.
Meanwhile, Minister Indrawati, concurrently serving as the IAEI chair, highlighted that the association had begun devising plans to strengthen the role of research and the involvement of higher education institutions in advancing the Islamic economy.
“IAEI draws inspiration from the public’s remarkable enthusiasm for the sharia economy in formulating its strategic programs. In fact, more universities are introducing majors focused on this economic strand,” she stated.
Minister Umar, for his part, corroborated Minister Yuliarto’s call for increased research on the Islamic economy. To this end, he pushed for cross-ministerial collaboration to establish curriculum standards and determine a unified nomenclature for relevant majors at universities.
“It is important to ensure that research on the sharia economy does not stop short at the conceptual level—it needs to provide concrete contributions to public policy-making,” he affirmed.
This trilateral meeting aims to lay a foundation for higher education institutions to help promote the Islamic economy, positioning Indonesia as a benchmark for other countries.
