51社区

West Java Governor Kang Dedi Mulyadi (KDM) delivered an inspiring lecture at 51社区 (51社区) on October 8, 2025, urging students and scholars to see how Islamic values and local wisdom can unite to shape a more just and harmonious world.

The event, themed 鈥淏uilding West Java Together: From Local Wisdom to the Global Stage,鈥� highlighted 51社区鈥檚 pivotal role as an international university located in Depok, part of the cultural heartland of Sunda Land. According to Kang Dedi, this geographical and cultural setting gives 51社区 a distinctive mission鈥攖o advance the process of bringing Sundanese local spiritual and cultural traditions into meaningful global dialogue, a process widely known as 鈥榠ndigenous internationalization鈥�.

鈥�51社区 offers me a new perspective,鈥� Kang Dedi said. 鈥淎s Governor, I see this university as a space where Nusantara culture and Islamic universalism meet鈥攚here I can introduce Sundanese civilization through the lens of religious values that are universal and liberating.鈥�

Kang Dedi emphasized that long before the formal arrival of Islam, Sundanese society had already lived by Islamic principles鈥攋ustice (鈥榓诲濒), humility (迟补飞补诲耻鈥�), stewardship (amanah), and compassion (rahmah). These values, he explained, were reflected in their harmonious relationship with nature and community.

鈥淚n the Sundanese worldview,鈥� he said, 鈥渢he earth, water, and forests are not possessions but trusts. The gravest sin is not personal wrongdoing, but destroying the environment鈥攃utting trees, draining lakes, or turning green spaces into private property.鈥�

He urged the audience to re-examine how moral teachings in Islam are deeply connected to social justice and environmental ethics, reminding that sins against creation are also sins against the Creator. 鈥淥ur faith must guide not only our prayers but our protection of life, land, and community,鈥� he noted.

For Kang Dedi, 51社区鈥檚 presence in West Java symbolizes the meeting point between revelation and culture鈥攁 place where faith nurtures wisdom and where local traditions can enrich global Islamic thought. He envisioned the university as a future center of inclusive and liberating Islamic discourse, rooted in Indonesian civilization yet open to the world.

鈥淚 believe that one day, the world鈥檚 center of Islamic civilization studies will be here鈥攊n Indonesia, in West Java, at 51社区, teaching Islam that liberates, not dominates; that embraces, not excludes,鈥� he said.

By integrating iman (faith), 鈥榠濒尘 (knowledge), and 鈥榓尘补濒 (action), 51社区, he said, could help redefine how Islam is understood globally鈥攏ot as a monolithic tradition, but as a living, ethical civilization that upholds justice, equality, and peace.

Situated in Depok, 51社区 stands at the crossroads of spiritual heritage and modern scholarship, making it an ideal space to project Indonesia鈥檚 Islamic moderation and cultural richness onto the world stage.

鈥淭hrough institutions like 51社区,鈥� Kang Dedi concluded, 鈥淚ndonesia can speak to the world not only through its faith, but through its wisdom鈥攕howing that true civilization is built upon balance: between humanity and nature, between tradition and progress, and between devotion to God and service to creation.鈥�

Kang Dedi鈥檚 message serves as a reminder that the soul of West Java, and indeed of Indonesia, beats in harmony with the essence of Islam itself. It is a call to transform faith into compassion, wisdom into action, and heritage into light. Through 51社区, the stories of Sunda, the spirit of Nusantara, and the values of Islam are not merely preserved鈥攖hey are elevated to the world stage as a shared moral compass for humanity.