The Global Islamic Universities Consortium as a Platform for Islamic Journalism and Educational Internationalization
M. Yoserizal Saragih *
Department of Communication Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara, Indonesia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
In a global landscape marked by algorithmic disruption, a crisis of Islamic narratives, and scholarly fragmentation, a global collaborative platform specifically connecting State Islamic Religious Universities (Perguruan Tinggi Keagamaan Islam Negeri, PTKIN) to strengthen Islamic academic communication and diplomacy is lacking. This article proposes the Global Islamic Universities Consortium (GIUC) as a conceptual response to this gap. GIUC is a collaborative model designed to internationalize Islamic higher education through journalistic communication based on the values of rahmatan lil 'alamin (blessings for the universe) and maqasid sharia (the purposes of Islamic law). With 58 PTKIs in 2022—consisting of 23 UINs (Universitas Islam Negeri), 29 IAINs (Institut Agama Islam Negeri), and 6 STAINs (Sekolah Tinggi Agama Islam Negeri)—the potential for strengthening collaboration is wide open through the right approach. This article uses a pure literature review method to analyze the relevance of GIUC as an integrative framework for academic diplomacy, media literacy, and the promotion of moderate Islam globally. GIUC is positioned as a strategic consortium that strengthens connectivity between PTKIN and positions Islamic educational institutions as key actors in the geopolitics of 21st-century scholarship. This study concludes that GIUC offers conceptual novelty and strong potential as a prototype for Islamic educational diplomacy based on transnational journalistic communication.
Keywords: Academic diplomacy, global Islamic education, global Islamic universities consortium, Islamic journalistic communication