SPs Theater Room UIN Jakarta, SPs NEWS: The Graduate School of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta held the 2767th Thesis Exam in the SPs Theater Room of UIN Jakarta, on Friday, July 25, 2025 with candidate Aisah.

Aisah is a student of the Master of Islamic Studies study program with a concentration in Anthropology and Sociology of Religion. Aisah wrote a thesis entitled "Social Capital of Urban Communities in Religious Strengthening of Persons with Disabilities (The Role of Kayumanis Non-Governmental Organizations in Bandung)"

Aisah's research departs from an idea, that the implementation of religious inclusion policies, even though it has been regulated in Law No. 8 of 2016, does not necessarily run automatically. Instead, the success of this implementation is highly dependent on the initiative and active role of the community on the ground. This became a strong foundation for Aisah to dig deeper into how social capital can be mobilized for this noble cause.

Through an in-depth case study approach based on the social capital theory of Nahapiet and Ghoshal, this study carefully analyzes the vital role of the NGO Kayumanis in Bandung. Aisah identified five key strategies that the NGO implements in facilitating the religious rights of persons with disabilities: comprehensive volunteer training, provision of disability-friendly facilities, inclusive digital da'wah, strategic external collaboration, and adaptive religious education.

One of the arguments put forward by Aisah is that heterogeneous social networks in urban societies, which are often considered as an obstacle to collective participation, can actually be a driving force in the religious empowerment of marginalized groups. This occurs when the network is mobilized simultaneously through  the bonding and bridging dimensions.

These findings disagree with the conventional view of experts such as Putnam (2007) and Civelli et al. (2023) who tend to think that heterogeneity can weaken collective participation. Aisah pointed out that the management of the NGO Kayumanis acts as a structural facilitator who designs activities, assists volunteers, and opens an inclusion space. It is in this space that emotional bonds as well as internal trust and solidarity between volunteers and pilgrims with disabilities can grow strongly.

Theoretically, this research makes an important contribution by expanding the social capital framework in the urban context in Indonesia. Aisah introduced the concept of "dual capacity", where internal cohesion and external collaboration reinforce each other to achieve the goal of inclusion. This concept offers a new perspective on how social capital can function dynamically in complex urban environments.

From a practical perspective, these findings reaffirm the urgency of community initiatives in filling the gap in government policy implementation. Aisah's research shows that through effective grassroots relations strategies and multi-sector collaboration, communities can be at the forefront of realizing a more inclusive and just society, especially in religious aspects for people with disabilities.

Aisah successfully defended her thesis under the guidance of Prof. Arif Zamhari, M.Ag, Ph.D, and was tested in front of a board of examiners consisting of Hamdani, M.Ag, Ph.D, Prof. Arif Zamhari, M.Ag, Ph.D, Ahmad Abrori, M.Si, Ph.D and Dr. Cucu Nurhayati, M.Si.

After paying attention to the thesis writing, the comments of the examiner team and the candidate's answers, the examiner team determined that Aisah graduated with the title of Very Satisfactory. Aisah is the 2767th Doctor in the field of Islamic Studies, in the master's program of the Graduate School of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta. (JA)