SPs Theater Room UIN Jakarta, SPs NEWS: The Graduate School of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta held the 2773rd Thesis Exam at the SPs Theater Room of UIN Jakarta, on Tuesday, July 29, 2025 with candidate Ismail.

Ismail is a student of the Master of Islamic Studies study program with a concentration in Religion and Society. Ismail wrote a thesis entitled "The Problem of the Establishment of Non-Muslim Houses of Worship in Cilegon City, Banten"

Ismail's research seeks to thoroughly explore the various obstacles faced in the establishment of non-Muslim houses of worship in Cilegon. The focus of his research is on how religious assemblies in Banten Province, local governments, and the general public view this issue. Not only that, Ismail also delved into the driving and inhibiting factors that contribute to shaping this problematic dynamic, providing a complete picture from various perspectives.

Using a qualitative method, Ismail collected data through in-depth interviews with religious council leaders, government representatives, and elements of Cilegon society. Field observation and documentation studies are also pillars in the collection of information. This multi-method approach ensures a wealth of data and depth of analysis that is able to capture the complex nuances of the problem being studied.

In his thesis, Ismail stated a number of reasons behind the rejection of the establishment of non-Muslim houses of worship, including violations of the licensing process, the "Geger Cilegon" incident in 1888 AD, an unwritten agreement between the Al-Khairiyah Islamic Boarding School and PT Krakatau Steel, and the Decree of the Regent of Serang Regency Number 189/Huk/SK/1975. These arguments are then analyzed with two main approaches: legal and social norms.

From a legal perspective, Ismail argued that the rejection clearly violated Human Rights (HAM), the 1945 Constitution, and Law Number 39 of 1999 concerning human rights. However, he also highlighted another side that is no less important: the strong social norms in the form of communal tolerance that are rooted in Cilegon society. This makes the establishment of non-Muslim houses of worship an issue that is not easily accepted in the community.

Interestingly, Ismail's thesis dares to take a different position from similar research conducted by Nashrullah (2024), Zulfikar (2024), and Lestari (2024), which tends to prioritize legal norms as the main analysis. Ismail emphasized that solving the problem of establishing non-Muslim houses of worship is not only a matter of law, but also must consider aspects of culture and traditions of the community to minimize potential conflicts in the future. This research opens a new dimension in understanding the issue of religious tolerance in Indonesia.

Ismail successfully defended his thesis under the guidance of Hamdani, M.Ag, Ph.D and 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, Prof. Dr. M. Ikhsan Tanggok, M.Si and Prof. Dr. Media Zainul Bahri, MA.

After paying attention to the thesis writing, the comments of the examiner team and the candidate's answers, the examiner team determined that Ismail graduated with the predicate of Very Satisfactory. Ismail is the 2773rd master in the field of Islamic Studies, in the master's program of the Graduate School of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta. (JA)