Riane Elean (2012 ISSRPL)
I was born in Tondano, North Sulawesi – Indonesia. My S1 education are Theology in Tomohon Christian University, and Sociology in Manado Samratulangi University. I got my master degree in Samratulangi University in Human Resources Management Program. I wrote my master’s thesis about “Study of Mapalus-Kampung Social Solidarity Value in Rumoong Atas II Village Sub-District Tareran”. I am a lecturer in STIE Sulut Manado. I am interested to study about religions, social and cultural issues. Recent years, i have been participating in Mawale Movement. Mawale Movement is a movement of consciousness and cultural identity. Proclaimed by a row of art and culture activists a few years ago, and now has been adopted as a spirit of struggle and culture by a network of artist-writers-cultural activists of North Celebes.
Gabriel Faimau (2009, 2012 ISSRPL, 2012 EPA)
Gabriel Faimau received his Ph.D in Sociology from the University of Bristol, United Kingdom, in 2011. His Ph.D thesis focuses on the politics of recognition and the representations of Islam and Muslims in the British Christian News Media. He also holds a Master’s degree in Social Science Research Methods from the same university. He was one of the recipients of the Overseas Research Scholarship (ORS) offered by the University of Bristol in 2008. His research interest includes the politics of intercultural and interfaith dialogue, Muslim-Christian relations, religion on the Internet and sociology of media. He has published numerous research articles in various academic journals such as Journalism Studies, SVDVerbum, Perspektif Journal of Religion and Culture and Journal of NTT Development Studies. His Op-Eds have been published in news outlets such as The Jakarta Post, Common Ground News Service, Mmegi Daily, Tabengan Daily and Kupang Pos. He is also a Contributing Scholar to the State of Formation. He co-edits the interdisciplinary Journal of NTT Development Studies. He has been actively involved in various community development projects in Botswana. Currently he is a lecturer and Head of Research at the Kgolagano College in Botswana.
Steve Gaspersz (2012 ISSRPL)
Steve Gaspersz is a Protestant pastor of the Protestant Church of Maluku (Gereja Protestan Maluku – GPM) and also serves as a lecturer at Faculty of Theology, Maluku Christian University of Indonesia (UKIM) both in Ambon, Province of Maluku, eastern part of Indonesia. He took his Master of Arts in Theology at the International Reformed Theological Institute – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (2005) and now is studying as a graduate student of Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies (ICRS) Yogyakarta Indonesia. He has very concern on religious studies, conflict resolution, and interreligious dialogue. He once involved as researcher at the Maluku Crisis Center since and during the social conflict erupted in his homeland, Ambon and several Maluku islands. His currently research project is about Islam in post-conflict Maluku.
Rony Kristanto (2012 ISSRPL)
Rony C. Kristanto, born in Surakarta, August 6th, 1980. Received Master of Theology (M.Th) from Duta Wacana Christian University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia (2006). Lecture in Abdiel Theological College since 2007- now. Serve as Youth Pastor at Gereja Isa Almasih Pringgading (The Church of Jesus Christ), Semarang (2007-2012) and Chief of Interfaith Dialogue Commission at Synod of Gereja Isa Almasih (2008-2012). He is also Coordinator of Interfaith Youth Network that building bridge among youth from different religions in a short program called “pondok damai”, parcitipants will stay together and share their personal religious experience. Rony also initiate cultural dialogue among religions using music and traditional dance. He has academic concern on Pentecostal and Charismatic Movement, especially in Indonesian Urban Context. Since 2012, he became Pastor of Oikos Network Church, an alternative church in Indonesia’s urban and plural context.
Firdaus Mubarik (2012 ISSRPL)
Firdaus Mubarik is a Muslim Ahmadiyah activist, he turn advocating religious freedom right after his community got years persecution in Indonesia. He used to work as web designer, a part time travel guide and writer. At 2010 he write about child refuge in Lombok, that their community has fled from Pancor since 2002 after a city cleaning of Ahmadiyah Member. The article won best feature at “The Alliance of Independent Journalists – UNICEF Award 2011″. When 3 Ahmadi killed and broken court system didnt work his group launch @CikeusikTrial, a twitter account that live tweet from court room. Releasing picuture, video and court document. When the trial over they emerges as Perkumpulan 6211 where Mubarik continue the idea to more boarder subject. As technology lover now he using his experience mixing a pocket video camera, social media and human security teaching religious minorities in remote place to defend their right.
Nurun Nisa’ (2012 ISSRPL)
Nurun Nisa’ works for the WAHID Institute of Jakarta which concerns on seeding plural and peaceful Islam. She manages MRORI (Monthly Report on Religious Issues), writes annual report on religious freedom and life in Indonesia, develops networking, and advocacy. Recently, with scholarship, she also continues her study in Graduate School of UIN (Universitas Islam Negeri – State Islamic University) Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta focuses on Islamic Political Thought. Her area of interests includes interfaith dialogue, politics–especially on state regulation concern on religion—and women movement in Islam. She likes Gus Dur’s quote: “Gitu aja kok repot” (What a big deal)
Mustaghfiroh Rahayu (2012 ISSRPL)
Mustaghfiroh Rahayu is a doctoral student at Universiteit voor Humanistiek, Utrecht, the Netherlands. Her dissertation topic is on Multiculturalism and Women’s rights dilemma. She earned two masters on religious studies; first is from Center for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies, Gadjah Mada University (2005) and second is from Florida International University, Miami, USA (2008). Right after her return from USA, she joined her alma mater as researcher and program assistant for Indonesia Pluralism Knowledge Programme (http://crcs.ugm.ac.id/pluralism/news). She, with other colleagues, is an author of Annual Report of Religious Life in Indonesia since 2008 (http://crcs.ugm.ac.id/annualreport) especially on public policy part. She also serves as one of chairpersons of Fatayat NU provincial chapter of Yogyakarta. Fatayat NU is a young female wing of NU (Nahdlatul Ulama), the largest religious mass organization in Indonesia. Her article “Akomodasi Transformatif: Tawaran atas Pengelolaan Keragaman dan Hak-hak Perempuan” (Transformative Accommodation: An Alternative to a Dilemma of Managing Diversity and Women’s Rights) is published in a book Pluralisme Kewargaan; Arah Baru Politik Keragaman di Indonesia (Civic Pluralism: A New Direction to Politics of Diversity in Indonesi), Bandung: Mizan & CRCS, 2011.
Fazlul Rahman (2012 ISSRPL)
Fazlul Rahman is a Researcher in Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS) Graduate School of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, Jakarta. He got his Master of Religion from the same Graduate School. He earned his Licence (Lc) from Faculty of Da’wa and Islamic Cultures Al-Azhar University, Cairo Egypt. He did his Master thesis on the authority of Dai (Muslim preacher) in cyberspace. His main interests are religion communication, and cyber culture. Currently, he is planning on doing his Ph.D research on New Muslim Youth Generation Facing New Media.
Husni Mubarak Toha (2012 ISSRPL)
Husni Mubarak is currently researcher and project coordinator for Police and Religious Freedom Project at Paramadina Foundation, Indonesia. He is interested in religion, democratic policing and democracy. He obtained his undergraduate degree at the Department of Theology and Philosophy, Islamic State University (UIN), Syarif Hidayatullah, Indonesia. Beside at national daily newspaper such as Koran Tempo, he also has published his papers in the Journal of Harmoni and Bimas Islam (in Bahasa). With other researcher, he has published Kontroversi Gereja di Jakarta [Church Controversy in Jakarta] (2011) and Mengelola Keragaman: Pemolisian Kebebasan Beragama di Indonesia [Managing the Diversity: Policing Religious Freedom in Indonesia] (2012).
Najiyah Martiam (2011 ISSRPL)
She currently serves as the coordinator of public education in the master program of Center for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies (CRCS) of Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia. She obtained her Master degree in religious studies from the center and her bachelor degree from food technology department of the same university. Previously she worked in an NGO concerns on Reproductive Health, Sexuality and HIV/AIDS prevention as program coordinator of media and training development, and at the same as freelance religion tour guide in a traveler café in Yogyakarta. Her main interest topics are Sufism and Art, gender and spirituality, and science and religion.
Siti Sarah Muwahidah (2011 ISSRPL)
Siti Sarah Muwahidah is a first-year doctoral student in Religion at Emory University, with study concentration on religion, conflict and peacebuilding. She received an MA in Religious Studies from Florida International University, in the United States and another MA in Religious Cross-Cultural Studies from Center for Religious and Cross-Cultural Studies, Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia. She has been actively engaged in and has also managed human rights, interfaith and peacebuilding programs among the various elite and grassroots groups especially during her work in MAARIF Institute for Culture and Humanity, Jakarta. She is a Fulbright Presidential Fellow (2010) and Asian Public Intellectual Fellow (2009). Her research interests include: interfaith dialogue, religion and peacebuilding, Islam and human rights, religion and science, religion and ecology, as well as women and religion.
Aluysius Budi Purnomo (2011 ISSRPL)
I am a diocesan priest at the Archdiocese of Semarang, Indonesia. I was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest on July, 8, 1996. I hold my Licentiate of Theology Contextual from Pontifical Faculty of Theology “Wedabakti” Yogyakarta in Indonesia. I have a special experience as a domestic missionary at North Sumatra (Indonesia) as a Staff and Rector of St. Peter Major Seminary at Pematangsiantar. It’s very special for me for two reasons. Firstly, at the time, I was the youngest priest served seminarians among eleven other senior priests, but the six bishops of Sumatra Region trust me to be a Rector. Secondly, it’s a cross-cultural experience of mine. I was born as a Javanese ethnicity, but served in Batak ethnicity and in our Seminary, there were so many seminarians (almost 40 per cent at the time) came from Flores with their uniqueness in ethnicity as well. Since September 2004, I found Monthly Catholic Magazine “INSPIRASI, Lentera yang Membebaskan” (“INSPIRATION, Liberatif Light”) in interreligious and ecumenical perspective, and also serve as Chief Editor. Since May 2008, I serve as the Chief of Commission for Interfaith Affairs at the Archdiocese of Semarang, Central Java and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Playing saxophone and singing are two of the things that make me happy in doing interreligious dialogue. I call it “interreligious saxophone” due to I’ve played it in so many interreligious events for Muslim, Hindu, Buddha, Konghucu and Christian in Indonesia. Since 1999 up to now, more than 60 books are published in Indonesia. As a journalist, I also write some opinion articles at some daily newspapers especially at the Jakarta Post (in English), Kompas, Investor Daily and Suara Merdeka (in Indonesian).
Marthen Tahun (2011 ISSRPL)
Marthen Tahun completed his M.A from the Center for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies (CRCS), a graduate School of Gadjah Mada University Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in 2007. His master thesis analyzes the aspect of religion in the Ambon Conflict, 1999-2002. In 2008-2010 he joined the American Friends Service Community (AFSC) Indonesia for a social integration project among local people in West Timor (Indonesia) and the ex-refugees groups from East Timor (the former Rimor Leste) living in the West Timor. Then he became a research staff member of CRCS Gadjah Mada University Yogyakarta, Indonesia since 2010. At the moment Marthen is a member of the coordinating team for a research of the growing Pentecostal Charismatic movement in Indonesia, a two years research in five different cities in Indonesia.
Wening Udasmoro (2011 ISSRPL)
Wening Udasmoro received her PhD in Gender Studies from University of Geneva, Switzerland in 2005. She obtained her Master degree in the same field from the same university. Previously, she obtained a Master degree in literature and got her undergraduate degree in French literature from Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia. Currently, Wening Udasmoro is the Associate Director of the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies, an International PhD program organized by three universities; Gadjah Mada University, Sunan Kalijaga Islamic State University and Duta Wacana Christian University. She also teaches in several Master and Doctorate programs at Gadjah Mada University, such as in the Department of Literature, Media and Cultural Studies and Anthropology. Her main interest of research is on gender studies, religion and identity, politics of reproduction and critical discourse analysis.
Mohammad Yusuf (2010 ISSRPL)
Mohamad Yusuf is working for the Center for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies, the University of Gadjah Mada in Indonesia. Since the last two years, he is doing his Ph.D in the Department of Religious Studies, Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. He specializes in empirical studies of religion with particular interest in the role of religious education in the construction of religious identity among students in High School level in Indonesia. He holds his MA in religious and cross-cultural studies from the University of Gadjah Mada in Indonesia, and a BA in Islamic Law from the State Islamic Collage in Indonesia.
Elcid Li (2008, 2009 ISSRPL)
He is a Ph.D researcher in Sociology Department, University of Birmingham. He was a journalist in West Timor, Indonesia. He works with other humanitarian workers in Eastern part of Indonesia to find other alternatives to solve communal conflict related to religious and ethnic identities.
Maria Parera (2009 ISSRPL)
Maria Parera used to work as a social activist in Indonesia. She worked with several national and local non-government organizations in diverse projects related to conflicts and poverty issues in eastern Indonesia. In the last two years she is living in Birmingham, UK, with her husband, a PhD student in University of Birmingham. She is still pursuing her interest in social activism by doing voluntary work for community library and peace institute in Indonesia.