South Tangerang, FAH Online News – As part of the visit by international students participating in the ISEATRAC program, the SEASREP Foundation, in collaboration with the Faculty of Adab and Humanities, organized a screening of an Indonesian religious film. The event was held on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at the Abdul Ghani Theater on the fifth floor of the Faculty of Adab and Humanities building. The activity aimed to provide a new perspective on understanding Islam through Indonesian cinema.

The event was initiated by the SEASREP Foundation in collaboration with the Faculty of Adab and Humanities of UIN Jakarta. It featured Dr. Nuril Huda, a researcher at Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency, or BRIN, and was attended by all international student delegates of ISEATRAC, along with members of the academic community of the Faculty of Adab and Humanities.

During an interview session, Dr. Nuril Huda explained that film was selected as a medium for understanding Islam in the Indonesian archipelago because it could provide a new perspective on Islam through cultural, social, customary, and political approaches. Through this perspective, Islam is not understood merely in a rigid and dogmatic manner, but can also be viewed through the realities of everyday life.

He said:

“Islam as a religion is often seen merely as something ritualistic or dogmatic. However, when we examine how Islam is represented in cinema, or how Islam enters the world of cinema, we can see that Islam can also be relaxed, popular, and part of people’s everyday lives.

Being a Muslim does not only mean being religious; it also means being human. Human life includes economic, political, social, and ritual dimensions. It also involves struggles, difficulties, and mistakes. What I want to demonstrate is that being a Muslim also means being human. The existence of Islamic films, films with Islamic themes, or the relationship between Islam and film demonstrates the flexibility between religion and all aspects of life,” he said.

The film screened during the event was Negeri 5 Menara, which was adapted from the well-known novel written by Ahmad Fuadi. The film was selected to explore Islam through a setting and storyline considered closely connected to everyday life.

At the end of the event, an interactive question-and-answer session was held. Participants asked the speaker questions related to the material presented earlier and the film screened during the session.

Through this activity, it is hoped that Islam will not be viewed merely as a rigid or monolithic reality, but as a flexible religion that interacts with the various dimensions of human life.

Writer: Ahmad Daffa Rasyidi

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