Yogyakarta, 26/3/2025 – The Middle Eastern Culture & Religion Issues (MECRI) Journal has reached an important milestone by receiving SINTA 4 accreditation on Friday, March 21, 2025. Established in 2022, the journal is managed by the Middle Eastern Cultural Studies program within the Department of Intercultural Studies at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FIB UGM). MECRI focuses on the study of language, literature, culture, and religion in the Middle East, providing a valuable platform for researchers to explore the complex interactions between culture and religion and their impact on global society. This accreditation reinforces MECRI’s position as a leading reference journal in cross-cultural studies, particularly regarding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 4, which emphasizes quality education. 

As an academic platform, MECRI offers researchers, academics, professionals, practitioners, and students a space to share ideas through high-quality empirical and theoretical research articles. Topics covered include social, political, cultural, literary, linguistic, and religious studies related to Middle Eastern Studies. The journal publishes articles regularly in July and December and follows a strict peer-review process conducted by a team of editors and reviewers from leading universities in Indonesia and abroad. MECRI also establishes strategic partnerships with Ittihad Mudarrisin Lugah Arabiyyah (IMLA) Indonesia—a national organization that oversees Arabic language teachers—and the International Center for Arab Studies and Training (ICAST) in Egypt. These collaborations not only ensure the maintenance of academic quality but also enhance the journal’s relevance to the development of global science. 

The SINTA 4 accreditation represents a significant opportunity for MECRI to further promote cross-cultural dialogue through research on Middle Eastern language, literature, religion, and culture. The published articles enrich academic understanding and offer practical solutions to various global challenges. With a broad range of topics, MECRI has featured numerous insightful articles on contemporary issues in the Middle East, such as feminism, social inequality, cultural diplomacy, and peace efforts. These studies contribute to the achievement of several other SDGs, including SDG 5 on gender equality, SDG 10 on reducing social inequality, and SDG 16 on peace and justice. 

As part of its commitment to the SDGs, MECRI continues to strive to be a research platform that promotes cross-cultural understanding for a more inclusive world. With this achievement, MECRI is poised to advance as a leading force in innovative and globally impactful Middle Eastern studies.

[Public Relations Master of Middle East Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM, Nafila Azzahra]

Yogyakarta, 26/3/2025 – Amidst the vibrant celebrations of Indonesia’s Independence Day, an inspiring achievement emerges from the literary world. Nur Fitrianti Aspany, an alumna of the Master’s Program in Literature, has been selected as one of the seven chosen writers in the prestigious Emerging Writers program at the Makassar International Writers Festival (MIWF) 2025, themed “Land and Hand.”

MIWF 2025, set to take place from May 29 to June 1, carries the theme “Land and Hand” as a form of resistance against various acts of land appropriation, oppression, and environmental destruction that persist in different regions. This year, the festival’s visual artwork is created by Taufiqurrahman ‘Kifu,’ a multidisciplinary artist from Palu, Central Sulawesi.

As in previous years, MIWF provides an opportunity for writers to participate by submitting works in various forms, including poetry, short stories, novels, and literary criticism. This year, 256 applicants from diverse backgrounds submitted outstanding works in various genres. Out of these hundreds of submissions, only seven writers were selected, including Nur Fitrianti Aspany.

Nur Fitrianti captivated the jury with two of her works: a digital poem titled “Aporia dan Epiphany dalam Sebuah Puisi Digital“ and a printed poem titled “Tragedi yang Dibalut Serendipity.“ These works were born from her creative process under the mentorship of Prof. Dr. Faruk, S.U., a distinguished cultural studies expert and professor at Gadjah Mada University.

Reflecting on her achievement, Nur Fitrianti admitted that she initially had doubts about participating, given the fierce competition. However, she remained consistent in her writing, which eventually led her to this valuable opportunity. “At first, I wasn’t sure. Compared to my peers, I wondered if I could compete in both fiction and non-fiction. But when this opportunity arose, I happened to have some works ready, and fortunately, I never stopped writing,” she said.

Nur Fitrianti Aspany’s accomplishment is a testament to how passion and perseverance in the creative process can yield remarkable results. Her success at MIWF 2025 is not only a proud moment for the Master’s Program in Literature but also an inspiration for the younger generation to continue creating and contributing to the literary world.

[Public Relations Master of Literature, Anisa Dien Rahmawati]

Malaysia, 7/12/2024 – Two students of the Arabic literature study program successfully presented their essays related to women’s empowerment in the Asean Muslimah Exposure 2024 (AME 2024) event in Malaysia. The program organized by the Qurthubiyah Institute organization was held from December 6 to 8, 2024. As an organization, Qurthubiyah Institute aims to be a forum for empowering Muslim women with character, knowledge, and skilled personality by internalizing Islamic values in life. Thus, the Asean Muslimah Exposure program is designed to increase Indonesian Muslimah’s understanding of social issues through hands-on learning experiences in Asean countries.

In the AME 2024 program, there are three main activities held on Saturday, December 7, 2024. The three activities are Essay Presentation, Panel Discussion, and Campus Tour which took place at the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) and University Malaya (UM). Essay Presentation and Panel Discussion activities held at IIUM were not only attended by AME 2024 participants, but also attended by IIUM students who are members of the Islamic Studies Forum Indonesia (ISFI) organization.

In this activity, there were several delegates who presented their papers, and two of them were students of the Arabic Literature Study Program, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Gadjah Mada. The first student was Vanisa Putri Andarista with her essay entitled The Trend of Delaying Marriage “Waithood” In Indonesian Women and How Islam Views It. The essay was awarded The Best Analytical Perspective. While the second student, Ragil Samas Khofifatunnur conveyed ideas in his essay entitled The relevance of “Risalah Perempuan Berkemajuan” to Increasing The Inclusiveness of Women’s Empowerment In Village, and won The Best Delegates Paper award.

From the series of AME 2024 activities, students not only gain experience in making and presenting their essays, but also gain abundant knowledge through the discussions that have been held. In addition, students are also more familiar with the dynamics of lectures in Malaysia, the socio-cultural conditions of the local community, and how Islamic values are implemented there. With the many experiences and insights that have been gained, students are expected to play an active role in disseminating these insights so that the benefits are received by more people, as is the goal of the Qurthubiyah Institute.

[Public Relations of Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM, Sandya Kirani]

Friday, March 8, 2024 – Institut Français Indonésie (IFI-LIP) Yogyakarta held a round table discussion entitled Gender-based violence in a digital society as a form of international women’s day celebration. IFI invited Wening Udasmoro (lecturer of bachelor of french language and literature) and Ratna Noviani (lecturer of master of cultural and media studies) from Universitas Gadjah Mada. In addition, IFI also invited Marie Nastorg (PhD student in droit de la non-discrimination) from the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers online. The discussion was held in the IFI auditorium, with François Dabin as the moderator. The round table discussion was attended by around 105 participants. The number of participants was certainly influenced by the interesting and important theme of the discussion, namely online gender-based violence or online GBV. 

This discussion was spoken in English, and it was an action to support the Sustainable Development Goals, the goal of quality education and gender equality. What was conveyed by all the speakers proved the action. First, according to Nastorg, as the first speaker to present her argument, she stated that online GBV often occurs in higher education and labor environments, and most forms of violence are discrimination of women’s roles in these two spheres. Wening went on to say that cases of online GBV in higher education tend to be underreported because of the difficulty of reporting the case, even though regulations related to it already exist. Finally, Ratna expressed her opinion that the prevention and handling of online GBV requires collective awareness from the victim’s environment and the digital environment. 

This round table discussion concluded that it is important for the community to raise awareness of the vulnerability of online GBV in an era which is dominated by social media users. The hope of all speakers is that the discussion can inspire the audience to become wise while using social media, and be able to teach the same thing to others. 

[Public Relation Faculty of Cultural Science, Penulis: Jasmine Nabila D
Editor: Rifal Fadlurrahman, Sandya Kirani]

Sunday, 10th March 2024 – Students of the Faculty of Cultural Science, currently in an internship program at Buku Mojok publishing company, became the moderator for Festival Penulis Perempuan to celebrate International Women’s day. The event, initiated by Buku Mojok, was held in three days on the 8th, 9th, and 10th of March at Akademi Bahagia. On the lasy day of the event, Buku Mojok invited Ranting Mangga to lead the journaling workshop and Isnaniar to lead the meditation workshop. This event is in line with the 5th SDGs, gender equality.

The event started at 1PM with the journaling workshop by Ranting Mangga. The participants was encouraged to write and paste scraps paper pieces in their journal as they like. After that, the event was followed with the meditation workshop. Isnaniar invited the participants to meditate by walking on the grass around their meeting area. On this event, student interns also participated in the workshop and helped the staff from Buku Mojok to prepare the event.

[Humas FIB UGM, Author: Catharina Maida Muhamartha, Editor: Rifal Fadlurrahman]