Feature

Peace Education in a Muslim Context
"Conference held at Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia"

Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad

United Nations mandated University for Peace (UPEACE) with assistance of Gadjah Mada University, at Yogyakarta in Indonesia organized a thought provoking workshop on “Exploring Peace Education in a Muslim Context” from 26th to 30th of November 2007. Peace Education promotes for achieving sustanable, just and peaceful societies through educational and cultural transformation. The goal of the University for Peace is to provide humanity with an international institution of higher education for peace with the aim of promoting among all human beings a sprit of understanding, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence to stimulate cooperation among peoples and to help lessen obstacles and threats to world peace and progress in keeping with the noble aspiration proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations.

Exploring Peace Education in a Muslim Context was a follow up program on Peace Education in Islamic Context of UPAECE for Asian countries to bring peace and prosperity in this region. The fist program on curriculum development on Peace Education in Islamic Context was at Toronto in Canada in May 2006, where participants were from Asia, Europe and North America. I am an Alumni of UPEACE on Peace Education and participated in Canada program as a representative of Bangladesh. It maybe mentioned that I was the first Bangladeshi student of UPEACE on Peace Education in M.A. program in the 2005/2006 session.

To review and reshape the curriculum for Peace Education in different parts of the world especially in South, South East and Central Asia, this workshop played a pivotal role.

UPEACE selected 30 teachers and professionals from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Malayasia, Thailand, Philipine, Indonesia, Canada and the United States.

Professor Dil Rowshan Zinnat Ara Nazneen, Chairperson, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Dhaka, Abul Bashar Khan, Registrar, Manarat University, Habibullah Muhammad Iqbal, Chairman, Tanjimul Ummah (Cadet Madrasah) and me, Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad, Lecturer, Manarat University were the delegates from Bangladesh.

Professor Amr Abdalla, Vice Rector of UPEACE was the chief coordinator of the workshop. Professor Narindar Kakar from UPACE and Professor Muhdi Sugiano from Gadjah Mada University also played a very important role in the whole workshop.

On the last day of the conference, there was a field trip in Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta city and Borobodor Temple. Gadjah Mada University is the oldest and biggest university in Indonesia where about sixty thousands students study. Yogyakarta is a city in the Yogyakarta Special Region, Indonesia. It is renowned as a center of classical Javanese fine art and culture such as batik, ballet, drama, music, poetry and puppet shows. It is also famous as a center for Indonesian higher education. It was the Indonesian capital during the Indonesian National Revolution from 1945 to 1949.

The Borobodur Temple complex is one of the greatest monuments in the world. It is of uncertain age, but thought to have been built between the end of the seventh and beginning of the eighth century A.D which is a spiritual centre of Buddhism in Java.

The writer is a Lecturer at Manarat International University