As an Indonesian Muslim PhD student in Hungary, life presents a unique blend of academic opportunities and cultural adjustments. Hungary offers a relatively affordable European education experience while presenting distinct challenges for those navigating life at the intersection of faith, nationality, and academic pursuits.
Academic Environment of PhD Students: International Perspectives
International doctoral students from Asian and African countries are increasingly looking toward Hungarian higher education as a destination. Additionally, almost one-third of all incoming PhD students are returning domestic students who completed their Master’s degrees in Hungary, which suggests a relatively high level of satisfaction with the academic climate in the country. The dominant motives for pursuing Hungary as a study abroad destination are in the line of professionalism, such as obtaining knowledge in various fields and the chance to work with professionals in certain fields. Between different universities in Hungary, the Indonesian Student Association (PPI Hongaria) become one of a big support group not only for the Indonesian Students (or students from neighboring countries with the same interests) but they quite often become the bridge to meet Indonesian officials who happened to come visiting.
Cost of living and quality of life
Compared to other European countries, Hungary has a high relatively low cost of living. Basic living expenses could be around 416-520 EUR (160,000-200,000 Ft) for one person per month [1]. Living arrangements are typically the most costly expense, as housing expenses can span anywhere from dormitories (70-100 EUR per month) to shared apartments (260-330 EUR) to independent apartments (520-650 EUR) [1].
When it comes to general quality of life measures, Hungary lags behind the OECD averages across various dimensions such as income, education, health, environmental quality and life satisfaction [2]. The net-adjusted disposable income per capita in Peru is USD 21,026 a year, less than the OECD average of USD 30,490 per year [2]. Life expectancy is about 76 years, five years less than the OECD average, and air pollution conventions are not met[2].
Creating Community and Support Systems
Another significant challenge that is faced primarily by the open group of Indonesian Muslim PhD students is to integrate with both Indonesian and the international society. Particularly, the Indonesian Students Association (PPI Hungary) provides a home away from home and helps with practical matters. Moreover, PCIM Hongaria (Pimpinan Cabang Istimewa Muhammadiyah Hongaria) has also a large share in assisting Muslim Indonesian students in Hungary in terms of religious, social, and academic fields.
PCIM Hongaria is one of the international branches within the organization of Muhammadiyah, and it is one of the 23 PCIMs around the world. As an organization, it also fulfills several significant roles. PCIM acts as a dakwah (Islamic outreach) movement that happened to operate outside of Indonesia with a focus on humanitarian issues. In particular, Hungary is called an “arid spirituality” state, so dakwah activists must act in order to create a positive religious atmosphere. As part of its academic collaboration, PCIM Hongaria also engages in research collaboration as well as community service activities conducted by Indonesian students at different Hungarian universities.
Upgrading religiosity for Muslim Indonesian Citizens (PCIM) has held several events to promote Muslim Indonesian Citizens in increasing religiosity for Muslim Indonesian Citizens in Hungary. The organization runs activities for children and adults. For children, they help memorize small portions of the Quran and telling stories from Islam. PCIM Hongaria arranged for workshops and discussion forums for adults.
PCIM Hongaria has taken steps to fill a huge void for Indonesian Muslim students in Hungary. Most of the activities organized by the latter help Indonesian Muslims to keep their religious identity while studying overseas.
It is hoped that with this recommendation of opening the Quranic teaching class and providing a monthly religiosity course routine to upgrade it can be the answer to and a long-term commitment from the organization in supporting the Muslim Indonesian people in Hungary.
PCIM Hongaria is a really important redundancy support structure that is there for the Indonesian Muslim PhD students and also the whole Indonesian Muslim communities in Hungary who share similar problems in exploring their faith and their study on their campus next to facilities provided by the university (like prayer rooms).
As an Indonesian Muslim PhD student in a foreign country, we have to juggle a few identities while striving for academic success. Though a little shaky there and here, the relatively low cost of living, academic opportunities, and supportive Indonesians in Hungary cement its standing as one of the places to go for an overseas PhD in Europe.
Pécs is one of the largest cities in Hungary. It also has a 16th-17th century Ottoman Islamic heritage as Pécs, like many cities in Hungary, was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire, and was an important Muslim center. Several notable Islamic structures spare due to the city, including Gazi Kasim Pasha Mosque, and Yakovalı Hasan Paşa Mosque, described as the “most complete mosque to have survived from the Ottoman period” and still active as a Muslim place of worship. The tomb of İdris Baba, Ruins of Turkish baths.
Pécs was, in fact, the foremost Islamic center in Hungary during the Islamic period. At the time of Ottoman rule, it had “seven large mosques and ten small ones” according to Ottoman traveler Evliya Celebi who visited the town in 1663[3]. In fact, based on recent estimates, the Muslim population of Hungary only comprises about 0.3% of the total population[4]. Muslims in Hungary are “mainly settled in the capital Budapest, with smaller groups residing in other urban centers, including Debrecen, Pécs, and Szeged”[4]. Pécs does keep important Islamic heritage sites and has a Muslim community, there are the sizable number of international students enrolled this semester at the University of Pécs (Pécsi Tudományegyetem). Today, the University of Pécs is home to almost 20,000 students overall, roughly 4,200-4,500 of whom are international students from over 114 countries. It has over 70 full training programs and several short training programs in English and other foreign languages. This variety has allowed the center to serve as a meeting place for many different cultures in Eastern-Central Europe.
University of Pécs International Muslim Students
The international student population at the University of Pécs has grown dramatically over the last five years. Beginning in 2015, the university embarked on an internationalization strategy and received financial support from the Hungarian government; in 2020, it successfully doubled the number of international students enrolled there to reach [5] 5,000 students. It has since grown to include more than 5,500 international students and over 136 nations [6] and continues today.
Furthermore, in October 2022, a dedicated “Silent Room” was created by the University of Pécs Medical School (UPMS) to support meditation and religious practices among students of all religions. This project started in the summer of 2020 at the request of the English-German Student Council (EGSC) when they asked for a quiet space that could provide support for religious practice for the international student community.
The Silent Room on the 3rd floor of the old Main Building of the medical faculty (accessed via the back stairs left of the Language Department) opened its doors on October 24, 2022 Regular opening hours: Monday–Thursday, 7:30–15:00; Friday, 7:30–13:30 *Extra opening hours (upon request) [email protected] *
The multifaith prayer room is dedicated to ensuring that students of all religious, spiritual, and nonreligious backgrounds have access to a space where they can feel welcome. When the child-based program launched, it was “the first of its kind at UPMS among the Hungarian universities,” according to the joint statement from the Student Service Department and EGSC.
The Silent Room is in line with the university’s “PotePillars Well-Being concept” and fosters an inclusive, diverse learning environment. Its launch as a pilot project through to the end of the 2022/23 academic year was intended as such, with a view to becoming a permanent service if student feedback was positive[7].
This Silent Room is particularly welcomed by Muslim students, who previously resorted to gathering at individual residences or at other communal prayers[8].
Negating the few formal facilities for praying, Pécs is characterized as a city that embraces “diversity and inclusion as a foundation of Hungarian culture”. The university and city are described as offering “a supportive environment where students of all faiths and cultures feel respected and valued”. The diverse environment that the university offers alongside its strong academic reputation and low cost of education, will encourage both Hungarians and foreigners, especially Muslims to study and achieve their goals whilst enjoying life and help them balance their lives in terms of religion and education in Hungary.
Additionally, there is a recent mosque in Pécs that opened in recent years and it’s the Al-Furqan (مسجد الفرقان). This new mosque and cultural center named al-Furqan was opened in the above-mentioned mosque in downtown Pécs in September 20233 by the Islamic community called Organization of Muslims in Hungary (Magyarorszagi Muszlimok Egyhaza). It is a milestone for the Muslims of Pécs. Al-Furqan Mosque is continuing active. For instance, for a Friday sermon (khutba) on August 9, 2024, Sheikh Asif Pochi from the USA have been heading to the shores. Sheikh Pochi is a respected Islamic scholar and motivational speaker from Dallas, Texas
The mosque acts as a crucial dedicated location for prayer and worship for the local Muslim population as well as the increasing number of international Muslim students in Pécs. Largely until now, Pécs’ Muslims have had few possibilities to congregate for communal prayer, instead gathering in private homes or down the basketball court at Borszokány dormitory for Friday’s Juma prayers. The building of Al-Furqan Mosque can be seen as an important step towards the increasing demand for Muslim prayers in Pécs, which had been repeatedly acknowledged as an emerging issue for the growing number of Muslim students. In contrast to what must have sufficed in the early years, this new mosque more likely offers a proper, formal place for religious observance.
By: Arie Arizandi Kurnianto
Research Fellow at Syroen Research Institute
Research Fellow at Centre for HTA and Pharmacoeconomic Research
References
[2] https://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/countries/hungary/
[4] https://kharchoufa.com/en/islam-in-hungary/
[6] https://international.pte.hu/university/about-university-pecs