IDMAC2014: MOVING ISLAMIC POLITICAL ECONOMY FORWARD

The Participants of IDMAC 2014 with USM Vice Chancellor (front row seated second from right)
Prof. Dato' Dr. Omar Osman.

ISDEV recently organized the 8th ISDEV International Islamic Development Management Conference (IDMAC 2014) at the University Conference Hall (DPU) of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Pulau Pinang. This is the eighth in a series of initiative to encourage related research in Islamic social sciences perspective, with the theme of Islamic Political Economy. The two days conference was held from the 9 till 10 December 2014 with the focus to provide a platform and opportunities for practitioners, managers, scholars, researchers, academicians, graduate students and others from all over the world to engage on an intellectual discourse on Islamic Political Economy and to explore new ideas and issues that is able to lead to the maximization of benefits for the Ummah.

USM Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dato' Dr. Omar Osman (centre) with ISDEV Advisory Council Member, Pehin Orang Kaya lela Dato Seri Laila Jasa Haji Awang Abdul Rahman Haji Abdul Karim (left) and ISDEV Director, Prof. Muhammad Syukri Salleh (right).

The opening remarks for this conference was given by Professor Dato' Dr. Omar Osman , Vice-Chancellor of USM. This year’s IDMAC 2014 also welcomed a very special guest from Brunei Darussalam, Yang Mulia Pehin Orang Kaya Lela Dato Seri Laila Jasa Haji Awang Abdul Rahman Haji Abdul Karim, ISDEV Advisory Council Member.

The packed hall of DPU for IDMAC 2014.

There were two keynote addresses delivered at IDMAC 2014. On the first day, the keynote address was delivered by ISDEV Director, Professor Dr. Muhammad Syukri Salleh on "Islamic Political Economy - Importance, Perspectives and Issues for Research" while the second keynote address was delivered by Dr. Mohd Syakir Mohd Rosdi, Chairman of the 8th IDMAC 2014 on "Tahaluf Siyasi Dalam Ekonomi Politik Islam" (Tahaluf Siyasi in Islamic Political Economy) on the last day of IDMAC 2014.

One of the concurrent sessions in IDMAC 2014 which saw presenters
(from right to left) from Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam.

A total of 30 papers were presented ranging from topics on Islamic Political Economy with the focus on the philosophy, strategy, society, socials, waqf, zakat and the economy itself. Meanwhile, the presenters and participants for IDMAC 2014 came from within USM and other local universities such as Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) and few foreign universities such as Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA) of Brunei Darussalam, Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) and Universitas Medan Area (UMA) of Medan, Indonesia, Universitas  Airlangga  (Surabaya), Universitas  Jember (Jember), and University of  Lahore (Pakistan).

ISDEV members with IDMAC 2014 Special Guest, (seated - centre) Pehin Orang Kaya Lela Dato' Seri Laila Jasa
Haji Awang Abdul Rahman Haji Abdul Karim.

The closing remarks for the conference was given by ISDEV Director, Professor Dr. Muhammad Syukri Salleh. He expressed his optimism that the Islamic Political Economy as an academic field of study is viable, relevant and more importantly has attracted numerous researchers seen from the quantity of quality papers presented at IDMAC 2014. Prof Syukri at the end of the remarks then officially closed IDMAC2014.

An ISDEV tradition - books written by ISDEV members were on sale during IDMAC 2014.