The Regional Executive Board of the Indonesian Association of Islamic Economists (IAEI) for South Kalimantan for the 2026–2031 term was officially inaugurated by the IAEI Chairman, Prof. Dr. Nasaruddin Umar, M.A., on Sunday (August 9), at the Sabilal Muhtadin Mosque in Banjarmasin. The inauguration marks a milestone in strengthening IAEI’s role in South Kalimantan in promoting the development of an Islamic economy based on research, collaboration, community empowerment, and oriented toward inclusive and sustainable regional development.
In his address, the IAEI Chairman who also serves as Minister of Religious Affairs, Prof. Nasaruddin Umar, emphasized that the Islamic economy is not merely an option but an obligation for Muslims. He likened sharia banking to water used for ritual purification, while conventional banking is like tayammum, a dry ablution performed only when water is unavailable.
“Similarly, when sharia banking services are available, Muslims should make them their primary choice,” Prof. Nasaruddin Umar stressed.
This message underscores the importance of strengthening the Islamic economic and financial ecosystem so that sharia services become more widely available, easily accessible, and capable of becoming the public’s primary choice. In this context, the IAEI plays a strategic role in strengthening the academic foundation, improving financial literacy, and fostering collaboration among academics, the government, the industry, and the public.
The Executive Board of the South Kalimantan IAEI Regional Chapter for the 2026–2031 term is led by Dr. Ahmad Yunani as Chair, accompanied by Dr. Zaki Mubarak as First Vice Chair and Dr. Muhaimin as Second Vice Chair. The board is supported by a secretariat, a treasurer, and 17 working groups that will carry out various initiatives for the development of Islamic and Sharia economics in South Kalimantan.
The strengthening of the South Kalimantan IAEI’s role is also supported by a council structure that includes representatives from the government, academia, the banking sector, religious scholars, and community leaders. The Board of Trustees is chaired by the Governor of South Kalimantan, H. Muhidin; the Advisory Board is chaired by K.H. Ahmad Syairazi; and the Consultative Board is chaired by Prof. Dr. Abdul Hafiz Anshari.
The Chair of the South Kalimantan IAEI Regional Executive Board, Dr. Ahmad Yunani, stated that the new leadership will immediately implement five priority programs as part of efforts to strengthen the contribution of the Islamic economy to regional development.
According to him, this agenda is also part of the South Kalimantan IAEI’s commitment to continuing the struggle and scholarly traditions of the Banua’s ulama, including the values embodied by Datu Kalampayan Syekh Muhammad Arsyad Al-Banjari. This spirit will be realized through strengthening education, research, economic empowerment, and cross-stakeholder collaboration.
“IAEI South Kalimantan aims to make the Islamic economy not merely an academic discourse, but an integral part of the solution for Banua’s development. Therefore, we will strengthen research, develop halal MSMEs, optimize productive zakat and waqf, prepare a new generation of young Islamic economists, and establish tools to map the development of the Islamic economy in South Kalimantan,” said Dr. Ahmad Yunani.
The inauguration ceremony was also attended by the Deputy Governor of South Kalimantan, H. Hasnuryadi Sulaiman; the Head of the Bank Indonesia Representative Office for South Kalimantan Province, Dr. Haris Munandar; and several members of the Board of Trustees and Advisory Board of IAEI South Kalimantan. The involvement of these various stakeholders is expected to further strengthen the coordination of Islamic economic development in South Kalimantan.
The inauguration of the IAEI South Kalimantan Regional Executive Board for the 2026–2031 term also reaffirms IAEI’s commitment to continuously expanding the organization’s contributions at the regional level. Through strengthening research, developing human resources, empowering MSMEs, optimizing sharia social finance, and strengthening the halal ecosystem, IAEI South Kalimantan is expected to become one of the main drivers of Islamic and sharia economic development in South Kalimantan and contribute to Indonesia’s agenda of becoming a global sharia economic hub.
