Netherlands-Indonesia Consortium
for Muslim-Christian Relations.

Who we are

The Netherlands-Indonesia Consortium for Muslim-Christian Relations is a non-governmental network of universities and civil society organizations in the Netherlands and Indonesia, consisting of Muslim and Christian scholars, religious leaders and practitioners.

Vision

The Participants of the Consortium share the view that cross-national, cross-religious and cross-sectoral exchanges are needed to address the challenges faced by communities in the Netherlands and in Indonesia.

Society in both the Netherlands and Indonesia has been significantly shaped by Christianity and Islam, albeit in different ways. Therefore, understanding these religions, in all their positive and negative aspects and acknowledging their transformative impact on nature and mankind, is prerequisite for the development of a just, peaceful and sustainable future. 

The shared history of Indonesia and the Netherlands offers a basis for a shared future, but not without taking into account both sides’ perspectives on that same history. 

The Participants of the Consortium believe in a space for building relations and trust, ongoing dialogue and joint research on issues of common concern. 

Mission

The Consortium intends to contribute to the enhancement of mutual understanding and common action among communities in Indonesia and the Netherlands by using and expanding resources that Participants share in terms of knowledge, experience, relations and funding.

The Participants of the Consortium aim to generate practice-oriented knowledge using dialogical methods.

Structure

The Participants’ Meeting is the highest body of the Consortium and consists of representatives of the Participants.

The Participants are those organizations or institutions who affirm their commitment to the Consortium by signing the ‘Declaration of Commitment’  and pay the Participants’ Fee.

The Participants’ Meeting can invite other organizations to join as Partner. It can also invite resource persons to become Partner as advisors in their professional capacity.

The Participants’ Meeting elects a Steering Committee in its Annual Meeting. The Steering Committee operates within the mandate as given by the The Participants’ Meeting.

The Steering Committee members are elected for a term of three years. Their number can vary, according to the decision made in the Annual Meeting.

The Participants’ Meeting mandates Working Groups or Pokja’s to develop the Consortium’s policy on actual issues in close collaboration with the Steering Committee.

How we work

At least once a year the Consortium takes responsibility for a public event and/or expert meeting. 

The Participants’ Meeting meets every year and decides on the annual program of the Consortium.

The Steering Committee initiates projects in which a certain number of Participants cooperate. For each project, the Steering Committee appoints at least two Participants as project leaders.

Working groups or Pokja’s support the Steering Committee with the implementation of its policy on the following important thematic issues:  

1. Costly Tolerance / Inclusive Religious Education
2. Gender and Religion
3. Ecology and Religion.

Each Pokja evenly consists of members representing both countries, both religions and the different disciplines (academic, faith based, civil society). Within their members, Pokja’s elect coordinators, if possible one from Indonesia and one from the Netherlands. The Pokja’s report to the Steering Committee. For each of their respective projects, the coordinators concurrently act as project leaders.

Within a particular project, cooperation with non-Participants is possible. These non-Participants are called Partners of the Consortium. 

Apart from the work of the Pokja’s the Consortium can adopt initiatives taken by one or more of its Participants at their request.

For each event, the project leaders decide which participating institution(s) will be responsible, in terms of content, planning and financing of the project.

The Consortium is willing to participate in initiatives taken by other parties, including governmental institutions, as far as it falls within its Vision and Mission, and provided that it does not impair the Consortium’s independent position.

In 2019, the Foundation NICMCR was established with a secretarial desk in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. With this legal body, the Consortium will have the liability to be more involved with international programs and international governmental and non-governmental bodies.

Prof. dr. Frans Wijsen

Head of Nijmegen Institute of Mission Studies
Director of Netherlands School for Advanced Studies in Theology and Religion

Dr. Phil. Sahiron Syamsuddin MA

Vice Rector II of Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University, Yogyakarta;
Chairperson of the Indonesian  Association of Qur’anic Studies (AIAT).

Robert Setio Ph.D.

Dean Faculty of Theology, Duta Wacana Christian University, Yogyakarta
Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies, Yogyakarta

Drs. Corrie van der Ven

Program Officer for Kerk in Actie of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands

Zainal Abidin Bagir, Ph.D.

Director of Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies (ICRS), Yogyakarta
Faculty member of Center for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies (CRCS), Graduate School, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM)

June Beckx

Coordinator for Indonesia

Maria Inggrid Nabubhoga, MA.

Coordinator for the Netherlands
Faculty of Philosophy, Theology & Religious Studies at the Radboud University, Nijmegen