EduAsiaNews, Jakarta — The Center for Religious Harmony of the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia (PKUB Kemenag) and UIN Jakarta held the Road to INSPIRE 2026: Joint Screening of Films on Harmony and Peace on Tuesday (12 May 2026). The event, which took place in the FDIKOM Theater Room, was organized to strengthen efforts to promote peace and preserve diversity.
The activity, conducted as part of the International Symposium for Peace, Integrity and Responsive on Eco-Theology (INSPIRE) 2026, was officially attended and opened by the Head of PKUB of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Dr. H. Muhammad Adib Abdushomad, M.A. Also present at the event were the Vice Rector for Student Affairs of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, Prof. Ali Munhanif, M.A., Ph.D.; the Dean of FDIKOM, Prof. Dr. Gun Gun Heriyanto, M.Si.; as well as vice deans of FDIKOM and members of the academic community.
In addition to the film screening, the event also featured the signing of a cooperation agreement between PKUB Kemenag and FDIKOM, carried out by Head of PKUB Muhammad Adib Abdushomad and Dean Gun Gun Heriyanto. The collaboration focuses on strengthening programs related to religious moderation, interfaith harmony, and peace literacy within the academic environment.
During the event, participants watched the documentary series Indonesian Pluralities, produced by the Center for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies, Universitas Gadjah Mada, in collaboration with the Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University, and Watchdoc. The documentary presents portrayals of Indonesian society in preserving diversity, navigating differences, and building shared spaces amid social and national challenges.
Through humanistic and reflective narratives, Indonesian Pluralities highlights Indonesia as a nation with strong capacity to transform diversity into social capital for fostering harmony.
The approximately 30-minute film not only documents interreligious dynamics but also illustrates how dialogue, solidarity, and humanitarian values serve as essential foundations for maintaining national unity.
In his remarks, the Head of PKUB Kemenag, Muhammad Adib Abdushomad, emphasized that INSPIRE 2026 is a global collaborative platform aimed at promoting world peace values based on Indonesia’s experience in maintaining interreligious harmony.
He stated that the film serves as a medium for collective reflection, showing that peace is not created instantly but is built through willingness to listen, understand, and respect differences. “Indonesia has a long experience in maintaining diversity, and that experience must continue to be shared with the world,” he said.
Meanwhile, Vice Rector Ali Munhanif stated that universities have a moral and academic responsibility to instill values of humanity, religious moderation, and respect for diversity.
He further noted that UIN Jakarta views spaces for cultural and humanitarian dialogue as essential for strengthening students’ national character. He added that the Indonesian Pluralities documentary provides valuable lessons that differences are not a cause for division, but a strength for building solidarity and a shared future.
He also emphasized that campuses must serve as safe spaces for inclusive thinking, mutual respect, and cross-identity collaboration in addressing increasingly complex global challenges.
The Vice Rector expressed hope that the screening would also serve as a space for dialogue among the younger generation, academics, and the wider community to strengthen interfaith harmony, tolerance, and religious moderation. Furthermore, such activities are expected to foster collective awareness that harmony is a fundamental prerequisite for national progress and global peace.
Meanwhile, Dean of the Faculty of Da’wah and Communication Sciences, Prof. Gun Gun Heriyanto, appreciated the organization of the Road to INSPIRE 2026 event, describing it as a strategic platform for strengthening messages of peace, tolerance, and religious moderation through cultural and media approaches. He noted that documentary films are an effective medium for raising awareness among young people about the importance of maintaining harmony in a pluralistic society.
The professor of political communication also expressed hope that the cooperation between PKUB Kemenag and FDIKOM would continue to be developed through various collaborative programs in education, research, community service, and strengthening media-based religious moderation literacy. He emphasized that such cooperation would reinforce the role of universities as centers for developing values of peace, tolerance, and intercultural dialogue.
As part of the INSPIRE 2026 series, the event also reaffirmed the Ministry of Religious Affairs’ commitment to continuously promote creative and participatory approaches in advocating for tolerance, inclusivity, and universal humanity. Through the documentary, participants were invited to see Indonesia’s diversity not merely as a social reality, but as a global source of inspiration for building a peaceful and civilized future.
