FSH News, 2nd Floor Theater Room — The Faculty of Sharia and Law at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) Jakarta held an international guest lecture on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, at the Ruang Rapat Madya. The event featured Prof. Melissa Crouch, a legal scholar from Melbourne University, Australia, widely recognized for her research on law and society in Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia.

Attended by lecturers, researchers, and postgraduate students, the lecture unfolded in a warm and interactive academic atmosphere, with discussions highlighting challenges and opportunities in harmonizing Indonesia’s positive law, customary law, and Islamic values.

The event was also graced by Vice Rector for Student Affairs, Prof. Ali Munhaif; Dean of the Faculty of Ushuluddin, Prof. Ismatu Rofi; Vice Dean for Student Affairs of the Faculty of Sharia and Law, Prof. Kamarusdiana; and alumna Ferinda, S.H., LLM—an LPDP awardee and graduate of Melbourne University—alongside numerous students of the Faculty of Sharia and Law.

In her presentation, Prof. Melissa Crouch offered deep insights into the development of Indonesian law in the post-reform era. She noted Indonesia’s unique legal dynamics, maintaining a pluralistic system where civil law, customary law, and Islamic law coexist dynamically. However, she also pointed out serious challenges such as regulatory inconsistencies at the regional level, weak oversight in policy implementation, and public resistance to certain legal reforms.

Prof. Melissa emphasized that evidence-based approaches and public participation are crucial to ensuring that legal policies serve substantive justice, not merely procedural justice. The presence of alumna Ferinda enriched the discussion by sharing firsthand experiences of legal dynamics in both Indonesia and Australia.

Dean of the Faculty of Sharia and Law, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Maksum, expressed full support for the event, stating that international guest lectures are strategic agendas to broaden the horizons of students and lecturers on global legal developments while strengthening academic networks between UIN Jakarta and leading universities worldwide. His commitment was evident from the planning stages through to the execution of the event, with a pledge to continue fostering similar collaborations in the future.

The lecture also became a forum for critical discussion on the relevance of contemporary Islamic law in addressing issues such as labor rights, migrant workers’ protections, and fair wage systems. Prof. Melissa compared practices in Indonesia, Myanmar, and Australia, and praised UIN Jakarta’s efforts to integrate fiqh studies with modern socio-legal approaches.

Participants, especially students studying comparative Islamic and positive law in Southeast Asia, showed great enthusiasm. At the close of the event, Prof. Melissa presented a distinctive Australian tie to the faculty representatives as a token of friendship, warmly received as a symbol of strong academic and cultural ties between UIN Jakarta and Melbourne University.

As a follow-up, the Faculty of Sharia and Law at UIN Jakarta plans to appoint Prof. Melissa Crouch as an Adjunct Professor. This collaboration will be formalized through her return visit, which is expected to include student exchange programs, joint research initiatives, and a series of regular guest lectures. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Maksum affirmed that this step is part of the faculty’s internationalization efforts and its commitment to bringing global perspectives into the teaching of Islamic and positive law in Indonesia, with full support from university leadership and the academic community.