Ulil Abshar-Abdalla

"Is God Subject to Vote? Islam, Democracy and Religious Pluralism in Indonesia"

Thursday, May 10, 2007
Noon
Mershon Center for International Security Studies
1501 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH 43201

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Ulil Abshar-Abdalla is founder of Jaringan Islam Liberal (Liberal Islam Network, widely known in Indonesia as JIL), which he began as a response to the rising trend of Islamic conservatism that ensued after the collapse of the authoritarian regime of Suharto in May 1998.

JIL's mission is to:
• Develop the liberal Islamic interpretations that are appropriate to our principles, and disseminate it to as many people as possible.
• Attempt to create dialogue rooms that are open and free from any pressures of conservatism.
• Endeavor the formation of a fair and humanely social and political structure.

Abshar-Abdalla has a long history of political activity in Indonesia. Besides founding JIL, he was director of the Freedom Institute and executive director of the Institute for the Study of Free Flow of Information (ISAI), a non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of expression and free press in Indonesia. It was founded after the closing of prominent weekly magazine, Tempo, by the Suharto regime in 1994.

He was also a member of MADIA (The Society of Interreligious Dialogue); chief editor of Tashwirul Afkar, a quarterly journal of Islamic thought; and head of Lakpesdam Nahdlatul Ulama (Research and Human Resource Development Institute, affiliated with Nahdlatul Ulama).

Abshar-Abdalla has a bachelor's degree in Islamic Law from the Al-Aqidah Institute of Islamic Studies (AIIS), and is currently working on a master's in religion from Boston University.

Ulil Abshar-Abdalla
Founder, Liberal Islam Network (JIL), Indonesia