FSH Online, Semarang, Indonesia — How can Sharia values contribute to Indonesia’s modern legal system while responding to the country’s constitutional framework, social diversity, and changing public needs? This question was central to the second Walisongo International Conference of Sharia and Law (WICSHLAW 2nd), held on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, at UIN Walisongo Semarang.
The conference brought together 150 students at the Theatre Room in the Kiai Saleh Darat Building to discuss the role of Sharia and law in a world experiencing geopolitical shifts, economic transformation, and rapid advances in artificial intelligence.
Prof. Dr. Muhyar Fanani, M.Ag., Professor of Law and Islamic Philosophy at UIN Walisongo’s postgraduate programme, delivered a presentation titled “Integrating Sharia Values into Indonesian Legal System.” His topic addressed a longstanding question in Indonesian legal thought: how can Islamic ethical and legal principles contribute to national law in a way that is responsive to contemporary society?
Indonesia’s legal system operates within a constitutional framework shaped by its national principles, statutory rules, and diverse social and religious traditions. In this context, discussions about Sharia and national law involve more than the formal adoption of particular rules. They also require reflection on the ethical values, social purposes, and public interests that law is intended to serve.
Integration therefore calls for careful consideration of the relationship between Islamic jurisprudence and Indonesia’s existing legal institutions. Questions of justice, public welfare, legal certainty, and social responsibility provide important points of discussion when examining how Sharia values can inform legal development.
Prof. Muhyar Fanani’s published work provides a broader intellectual context for this theme. His book, Ilmu Ushul Fiqh: Dalam Perspektif Falsafah Kesatuan Ilmu (2022), explores Islamic legal theory through the philosophy of the unity of knowledge. His writings on Walisongo and local adaptation also examine how Islamic values have interacted with Indonesian culture and social life.
This perspective is relevant to contemporary legal education because legal problems rarely exist in isolation. The interpretation and application of law may require insights from ethics, philosophy, sociology, politics, and other fields. An integrated approach can help students understand not only how legal rules operate, but also the social circumstances and values surrounding them.
The discussion is particularly timely as Indonesia faces new legal questions arising from digital transactions, artificial intelligence, economic change, and evolving patterns of social interaction. These developments demand legal reasoning that is both grounded in established principles and attentive to emerging realities.
WICSHLAW 2nd was officially opened by Prof. Dr. H. Imam Yahya, M.Ag., Vice Rector I of UIN Walisongo, as keynote speaker. Dr. H. Tolkah, M.A., Dean of the Faculty of Sharia and Law (FSH), delivered the welcoming remarks.
The conference’s main theme, “Sharia in a Disruptive World: Navigating Geopolitical Shifts, Economic Transformation, and Artificial Intelligence for Global Sustainability,” connected the discussion of Islamic legal values with wider global challenges.
The programme also featured Prof. Madya Datin Dr. Rafeah Saidon of Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia, who examined tensions between Sharia principles and contemporary family norms, and Selin Aydin, M.A., a policy advisor in Berlin, who discussed meaningful inclusion and participation.
For students preparing to enter legal practice, the conference offered a broader understanding of how legal traditions can engage with modern challenges. The task is not simply to place religious values and national law side by side, but to examine carefully how ethical principles can contribute to a fair, coherent, and socially responsive legal order.
Through international academic dialogue, FSH UIN Walisongo continues to provide a platform for discussing the relationship between Islamic legal thought, national legal development, and the demands of a changing world.
