REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, DEPOK -- President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has hoped that the planned Indonesian International Islamic University (UIII) would become a study center and a research center for Islamic civilization in Indonesia. Jokowi along with Vice President M. Jusuf Kalla laid the first cornerstone for the construction of the UIII campus in Cimanggis, Depok, West Java, on Tuesday.

"Because we are known as the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, it is normal if Indonesia becomes a reference for Islamic civilization progress in the world," Jokowi said.

The UIII campus is expected to become a place that produces ideas for the acceleration of welfare for Muslims, and social justice for all Indonesian people.

"And ideas to materialize Indonesia as 'baldatun thayyibatun wa Rabbun ghafur," he said.

President Jokowi and Vice President M. Jusuf Kalla laid the first cornerstone for the construction of the UIII campus.

On the occasion, the head of state was accompanied by Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin; Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljno; Research, Technology, and Higher Education Minister M. Nasir; and Governor of West Java Province Ahmad Heryawan.

Construction of the UIII campus had been planned since the past two years, according to Jokowi. The plan had been discussed for two years but finding the land was not easy, he noted.

Jokowi said he was keen to allocate one thousand hectares of land for the UIII campus, but it was difficult to find land on Java Island. "I offered (land) outside Java, but all teams disagreed," he added.

"In fact, we get 142 hectares of land, which is far from one thousand hectares. However, after I observed it on the field, I was surprised, as 142 hectares of land is already quite vast. Alhamdulillah (thank God). Imagine if we could have got one thousand hectares," Jokowi pointed out.

Government prepared about 142 hectares of land for use. However, only about 30 percent of the land will be built. Meanwhile, the remaining land will be used for the preparation of facilities and infrastructure and green land.

Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education Mohamad Nasir said the preparation stage of the construction is under the authority of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Meanwhile, his ministry is responsible for the academic university submitted by the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

The president revealed that the design of the UIII campus will be futuristic.

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