Syamsul Arifin is a professor of sociology of religion at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM). Before being appointed as a vice rector I for academic affairs in 2023 (for an eight-year term) and becoming a rector “in term” at UMM (30 November 2023–31 January 2024), he held several positions, including deputy director for academic affairs in UMM’s Postgraduate Program and director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Multiculturalism. As Center director, he managed several programs funded by The Asia Foundation, Oslo Coalition, Norwegian Centre for Human Rights (NCHR, University of Oslo), International Center for Law and Religion Studies (ICLRS, Brigham Young University), and other institutions. Among those programs is a master’s-level course on sharia and human rights, intended to foster a more constructive understanding of human rights and the intersectional relationship between Islam and human rights. These activities have resulted in publications and other scholarly outputs, including Shari’a and Human Rights: A Coursebook (2022). Arifin’s other publications include Indonesian Discourse on Human Rights Discourse and Freedom of Religion or Belief: Muslim Perspectives (BYU Law Review 2012) and Minority Muslims and Freedom of Religion: Learning from Australian Muslims’ Experiences (co-authored, Indonesian Journal of Islam and Muslim Societies 2019). Among his teaching experiences, Arifin supervised the master’s and PhD studies in Islamic religious education of a former convicted terrorist. He has also been invited by several overseas universities to conduct collaborative research, participate in seminars, and guest lecture, including at Minho University (Portugal) under Erasmus+ sponsorship.
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