As announced on the official website of the Doctoral Program in Islamic Politics and Political Science, the Doctoral Program in Islamic Politics and Political Science held a Muhammadiyah and Nationalism Seminar entitled “Prof. Dr. KH. Abdul Kahar Muzakkir, Muslim Scholar and Fighter”, on Wednesday (10/23) at the Amphitheater of the UMY Integrated Campus Graduate School.
The event featured prominent figures from Muhammadiyah, including Prof. Dr. Haedar Nashir, M.Si (Chairman of PP Muhammadiyah), Prof. Azyumardi Azra, M.A., CBE (Indonesian Muslim Scholar and Historian), Prof. Jawahir Thontowi, Ph.D (International Law Expert from UII), and Dr. Mutiah Amini, M.Hum (Lecturer at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, UGM).
The UMY Rector, Gunawan Budiyanto, emphasized the importance of young people knowing and understanding the figures of the nation’s struggle.
“Figures like KH. Mudzakkir have made significant contributions to this nation, although they have not received much attention,” Gunawan said when opening the seminar.
Prof. Haedar Nashir saw two sides that we could learn from Kahar Muzakkir. First, at a young age, he volunteered to be an Indonesian diplomat abroad when Indonesia was struggling for independence in the 1930s. Second, he was a member of the Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence (BPUPKI) and was also part of the nine-member committee in formulating the Preamble of the 1945 Constitution and the Jakarta Charter.
Meanwhile, Prof. Azyumardi Azra revealed that Kahar Muzakkir had a visionary Islamic political view. One of his proposals that was accepted during the independence period was the first principle of Pancasila, namely the belief in one and only God.
“Before, the first principle did not have the phrase ‘Yang Maha Esa’ (the One and Only God). Thanks to KH. Muzakkir’s proposal, the first principle of Pancasila became very Islamic, showing that Pancasila is very much in line with Islamic values,” he explained.
Dr. Mutiah Amini also emphasized the significant role of Kahar Muzakkir.
“We can see how Kotagede, which was previously the largest communist base, became an Islamic area thanks to his efforts. This could be done because of his inclusive thinking,” she concluded.
