By Asmahanim Amir
Pix Shahiddan Saidi

JAKARTA, 3 August 2016 – Ulama Nusantara, a documentary produced based on research findings by researchers of the Department of Arabic Studies and Islamic Civilization, Faculty of Islamic Studies (FPI), the National University of Malaysia (UKM) was launched in Indonesia, yesterday.

The launch was officiated by Malaysian Prime Minister, Dato’ Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak and Indonesian President, Joko Widodo at the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF 2016) in Jakarta.

The 13 episode documentary will be screened on TV3, Malaysia and MetroTV, Indonesia and will begin its telecast this October.

The travelogue documentary is produced by Primeworks Studios in cooperation with FPI.

Ulama Nusantara is a documentary which discusses the development of Islam in the Malay Archipelago via the spice route and illustrates the story on how they were able to integrate into local communities especially through education and culture.

It will also highlight several locations that became the site of the Islamic Government in the Archipelago, tracking and narrating inside stories of eminent scholars in the region.