Minister Nasaruddin Umar Opens AICIS+ 2025, Calls for a “New Theology” to Tackle Contemporary Challenges

The Minister of Religious Affairs reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fostering a new and relevant theology through the Annual International Conference on Islamic Studies (AICIS+) 2025. The international conference, held at the Indonesian International Islamic University (UIII) in Depok, is expected to serve as a momentum for Indonesia to showcase the peaceful and solution-oriented face of Islam on the global stage.

The Minister of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Prof. Dr. KH. Nasaruddin Umar, officially opened AICIS+ 2025 at the UIII campus in Depok, welcoming scholars and academics from Indonesia and abroad on Wednesday, October 29, 2025. In his opening remarks, the Minister emphasized that the conference is not merely an academic gathering, but rather “an intellectual, spiritual, and collaborative space for a civilized future of Indonesia.”

The Minister highlighted that Indonesia, with its rich Islamic intellectual heritage, holds a unique potential to develop a contextual paradigm of Islam. “Indonesia has a great and distinctive potential to present a peaceful, inclusive, and solution-oriented face of Islam to the world,” he stated.

This statement aligns with the remarks of the Secretary General of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Prof. Dr. Phil. Kamaruddin Amin, who underscored that AICIS+ 2025 is designed as a strategic meeting point between scholars, practitioners, and policymakers. The forum is expected to “formulate knowledge-based solutions” to various challenges faced by the Muslim community and the nation, strengthening cross-disciplinary collaboration.

With full support from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, AICIS+ 2025 is projected to serve as a foundation for the birth of fresh, progressive Islamic thought capable of addressing the challenges of the modern era.