FSH NEWS, Kuala Lumpur - After signing the cooperation between the Faculty of Sharia and Law and the Academy of Islamic Studies of the University of Malaya the day before, the parties met again on Thursday, 4 September 2024 to finalise the implementation of the cooperation. The agenda discussed was the preparation of writing a book on Islamic Law in Southeast Asia, collecting data on lecturers' expertise, and mapping cases of Islamic law in the two countries. Present in the discussion were Muhammad Maksum and Kamarusdiana from FSH and Dr Mohd. Zaidi, Dr Mohd. Shahid, Head of the Sharia and Economics Study Programme, Dr. Zalina, Director of Halal Research Centre, and Dr. Hafiz.

The discussion was conducted casually in the campus restaurant followed by lunch and further discussion in the APIUM meeting room. At the meeting it was agreed that APIUM would prepare relevant material to be included in the book. In the near future, APIUM will visit FSH UIN Jakarta to finalise the material. Another agreement is that the parties will record the expertise of lecturers and then lecturers from each institution will be connected based on the same expertise. They are encouraged to collaborate on research, publications, and other relevant activities.

In addition, the meeting discussed Islamic law cases in Malaysia and Indonesia. To note, family law cases for Muslims are settled in the Religious Courts and the Mahkamah (in Malaysia). Sharia economic disputes are handled by the Religious Court in Indonesia and the Civil Court for Malaysia. Both parties agreed to record and collect disputes and judgements related to Islamic law cases. These cases and judgements will be used as sources and data for collaborative research."[MM]