FAI UMS Establishes International Partnership with University of Vienna

The University of Vienna, Austria team visited the Faculty of Islamic Studies (FAI), Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS) on Saturday (12/8). The visit was made because Prof. Dr Ednan Aslan (delegate from the University of Vienna) was very interested in the concept of comprehensive Islamic education developed at UMS.

Interestingly, Prof Ednan also explained that the development of Islam in Austria is very good, where Islam has ranked as the third most practiced religion among Austrians.

“Especially in Vienna, I found that the teachings of Islam have been widely practiced,” added the head of the group of nine delegates.

The University of Vienna is a university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded in 1365 by Rudolf IV and is one of the oldest universities in Europe. The university, which has the popular name ‘Hauptuni’, consists of over 62,500 students. 

FAI UMS representative, Muhammad Wildan Shohib, S.Pd.I., M.Ed., Ph.D. expressed his respect for the presence and visit of the University of Vienna Team to UMS. He also underlined the potential for cooperation between the two institutions.

“We focus on student exchange programs, international seminars, research collaboration, and visiting professors as part of our bilateral cooperation,” Wildan said.

This view is supported by the Head of the UMS Islamic Education Study Program, Mohammad Zakki Azani, S.Th.I., M.Ed., Ph.D. who explained some of the similarities between the education curriculum taught at FAI UMS and that taught at the University of Vienna.

The visit and focus group discussion (FGD) ended with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between the Department of Islamic-Theological Studies (University of Vienna) and the Faculty of Islamic Studies (UMS) represented by Prof. Dr. Waston. This cooperation will certainly open up opportunities for collaborative academic endeavors for both lecturers and students.