University Students Yearn for State Religion: Setara Institute

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Human rights group Setara Institute released its latest survey on university students’ “religious pattern” across 10 universities which sees the majority of those asked want a  country that is based on religious norms.

“From 1 to 5, the average score sees 3.09 respondents aspiring for a country that adheres to religious norms,” said Noryamin Aini, Setara Institute researcher on Sunday, June 30.

Referring to the survey, the Jakarta State Islamic University (UIN Jakarta) lecturer explained that it shows the majority of respondents wanting religion to be better organized and be better accommodated in the heart of the country’s formal political realm.

The Setara survey involved questioning 1,000 respondents from 10 universities and asked if religious laws should be formulated into positive law, and whether religious people need to fight to uphold a theocratic nation.

 “Take the example of Hizbut Tahrir that fought to establish a caliphate nation,” said Noryamin.

The survey shows 5 campuses that has the majority of its students aspiring to this which consists of University of Mataram (29 percent), Yogyakarta State University (UNY) (22 percent), Bandung Islamic State University (16 percent), Bogor Agricultural Institute (15 percent), and UIN Jakarta (11 percent).

Meanwhile, universities that have students with less interest in having a religious-based country consists of University of Indonesia (UI), Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Brawijaya University, and Airlangga University, all of which scored 8 percent and below.

The latter group of universities saw its students prefer a more substantive relation pattern between the country and religion and that a country only need to adopt the good values from every existing religion.

M ROSSENO AJI