This paper examines the role of the kenduri tradition as a medium for improvised interreligious dialogue and alliances in the multireligious community of Jatimulyo, Girimulyo Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Despite Indonesia's religious diversity and history of conflicts, kenduri persists as a way of life, fostering harmony amid differences in beliefs. The research problem centers on understanding why this community remains deeply rooted in kenduri and how it generates organic dialogue and cooperation across religions, addressing gaps in prior studies that overlook its improvisational aspects in building tolerance. Employing a qualitative ethnographic approach, data were collected through participatory observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation. Findings reveal that Kenduri’s a culture and tradition that has become a way of life and even the life style of the community. Based on its implementation, there are 3 types of kenduri, namely religious, traditional, and cultural. All three types of kenduri gave birth to a process of dialogue and alliance. Ultimately, kenduri serves as a powerful instrument for fostering interfaith harmony, presenting a compelling model for inclusive societies. It should therefore be deliberately integrated into multicultural policies and educational frameworks as a practical and culturally grounded approach to promoting social cohesion.
To this day, women are still viewed as a vulnerable group. This stigma renders women’s roles in social, political, and religious life insignificant and leaves them feeling powerless. This patriarchal culture fosters gender-biased societal perspectives and perpetuates women’s subordination. Yet, within religious traditions, women’s roles as key participants in religious rituals cannot be underestimated. For example, in the doa wura bola religious tradition of the Bima community, women hold a crucial role as makers of oha mina. This study aims to explore the relationship between women, religiosity, and the formation of agency in the making of oha mina. This study employs a qualitative approach through interviews and literature review to explore the relationship between women, food, and religiosity from the perspective of Anthony Giddens’ agency theory. The findings of this study indicate that food in Bima society is an expression of religiosity and a means of reconciling local values with Islamic traditions. The doa wura bola tradition involves an equal division of roles and distribution of power between women and men. Furthermore, the practice of making oha mina is the locus where agency is formed and new religious authority is consolidated for women.
The increasing use of social media has enabled the rapid dissemination of ideological narratives and facilitated the formation of online communities based on shared beliefs. One account that has attracted public attention is @muslimahnewsid, which is often associated with narratives rejecting democracy, promoting the caliphate, and criticizing religious moderation. However, limited research has examined how these narratives contribute to the formation of group cohesion among followers. This study aims to analyze how fantasy themes, fantasy chains, and rhetorical visions are constructed in the Instagram content of @muslimahnewsid using Symbolic Convergence Theory (SCT). This study employed a qualitative approach with content analysis. Data consisted of three Instagram video posts selected from ten purposively sampled posts uploaded between January 2024 and March 2025. The analysis focused on captions, visual elements, and audience comments. To strengthen the findings, in-depth interviews were conducted with expert informants. The findings show that the account constructs fantasy themes centered on leadership crisis, the delegitimization of democracy, and the idealization of the caliphate. These narratives are reinforced through audience interactions, forming fantasy chains that ultimately generate a rhetorical vision portraying Islamic governance as the preferred alternative. The study concludes that symbolic communication plays a significant role in fostering ideological cohesion and collective identity within digital communities.
Studies on food taboos are mainly discussed within the context of pregnancy. There is less focus on the relationship between practices and ethnic groups. TBBR, as one of the Dayak organisations, requires its members to perform food taboos. These are believed to be a vital part of Dayak culture and spirituality, inherited through generations, serving as a code of conduct, a protector of spiritual harmony, and a marker of cultural identity. This ethnographic study aims to identify food taboo practices, their contributing factors, and their impact on members of the Tariu Borneo Bangkule Rajakng (TBBR) Organisation. The analysis reveals that food taboos within TBBR are not only related to physical health but also function as spiritual rituals to gain strength and immunity, as well as to connect the present people with their ancestors. In addition, these taboos reinforce discipline, promote solidarity, and affirm the Dayak cultural identity. In conclusion, the practice of food taboos in TBBR is a complex tradition that integrates spiritual, physical, and social aspects, aiming to preserve the ancestral cultural heritage in the modern era.
Religious tolerance in Indonesia remains a significant issue within the context of the country’s religious and cultural diversity, while media representations of tolerance often remain superficial and symbolic. Using Branston and Stafford’s Theory of Meaning and Media, this study interprets how religious tolerance is constructed through digital dialogue in the Login podcast episode “6 Religious Figures Unite on Eid al-Fitr.” This study employs a qualitative case study approach focusing on three units of analysis: the podcast’s verbal and visual elements, 14 selected YouTube comments reflecting variations in audience reception, and in-depth interviews with six religious figures featured in the podcast. The triangulated analysis reveals an imbalance in symbolic representation despite the podcast’s effort to construct a narrative of equality and interfaith harmony. The dominance of denotative meanings over deeper connotative interpretations indicates that media discourse on tolerance tends to emphasize surface-level unity rather than critical engagement with religious differences. These findings highlight the importance of more inclusive and reflective media practices in representing interfaith dialogue and promoting meaningful religious tolerance in digital media.
Religious multiculturalism presents both opportunities for harmony and risks of conflict when differences are exploited, with ineffective communication frequently triggering social disintegration. In this context, religious leaders play a pivotal role in bridging societal divides and cultivating shared understanding to strengthen interfaith relations while countering religious radicalism. This study employs qualitative methods with a phenomenological approach, collecting data through observation, interviews, and documentation, analyzed via data reduction, presentation, and verification techniques. Results demonstrate that religious leaders in Nggeru Kopa Hamlet drive peacebuilding by constructing social values anchored in local traditions:such as the InaRiha practices in prayer gatherings, second,consensus prohibiting open pork processing by Christians to respect Muslim neighbors, and mutual cooperation in Mbolo Weki and Karawi Ulucempe traditions. These mechanisms fortify interfaith bonds and ensure social stability amid diversity.These practices strengthen interfaith relations and ensure social stability amidst diversity. These findings contribute to interfaith communication theory by demonstrating how religious leaders act as social architects, not merely facilitators, of peace in a multicultural society. .
This study aims to analyze the practice of religious moderation and the influence of Islamic tradition and law on the values of moderation in traditional Muslim families in West Sumatra. This study employed a qualitative approach, with data collection techniques including in-depth interviews, observations, and documentation. The research informants imprised 23 parents from traditional Muslim families in the Tigo Lurah District, Solok Regency. Data analysis utilized Nvivo 12 software with thematic coding presented in a project map. The author also employed the theories of Religious Moderation and Legal Pluralism as analytical tools. The results show that religious moderation in traditional Muslim families is realized through a balance between adherence to religious teachings and respect for local customs. The values of tolerance, deliberation, and moderation in religion are instilled through role models and dialogue within the family. The Nvivo 12 analysis demonstrates the strong interaction of religious law, customs, and social norms in family religious practices. Furthermore, informants expressed a preference for leaders of the same faith as part of the principles of religious law, without eliminating tolerance for differences. This research confirms that religious moderation in traditional Muslim families is contextual and rooted in local religious and cultural values.
Social piety in religious traditions is considered a moral obligation that must be carried out by every individual. Social piety is part of a process of defining Islamic worship in a contemporary context. As is the case in Sumenep Regency, this practice is well-maintained, but challenges in maintaining social and moral values remain. News about immoral acts, such as murder, rape, and corruption, often appears in the media and indicates a humanitarian crisis that requires attention. Therefore, it is necessary to measure and evaluate through the Social Piety Index and the Tolerance Index of Sumenep Regency. This study uses a mix-methods approach. The respondents were residents of Sumenep Regency, using multistage random sampling (400 respondents). Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics and index analysis. The results showed that the Social Piety Index of the Sumenep Regency Community reached a score of 85,91. This figure represents the condition of the community successfully creating a harmonious, caring, and mutually supportive social atmosphere. Second, the tolerance index with a score of 87,95, the community feels harmonious social relations and mutual respect for differences. This achievement illustrates a strong foundation for realizing social harmony as a main pillar in the development vision of Sumenep Regency.
This study aims to analyze the role of Islamic civil society in maintaining social harmony and strengthening the future of democracy in Indonesia by highlighting the contributions of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, the two largest Islamic organizations in the country. Employing a field research design and a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews, observations, and documentation involving organizational leaders, academics, and relevant sources. The analysis utilized a descriptive-analytical method grounded in the civil society theories proposed by Robert W. Hefner and Larry Diamond. The findings reveal that NU and Muhammadiyah play strategic roles in reinforcing democratic values, promoting tolerance, and sustaining social cohesion within Indonesia’s pluralistic society. NU, through the concept of Islam Nusantara, integrates Islamic teachings with local cultural values, while Muhammadiyah advances progressive Islam by emphasizing rationality, education, and social reform. Despite these contributions, Indonesian democracy continues to face significant challenges, including religious populism, identity-based politics, and shifting political dynamics. This study concludes that strengthening Islamic civil society is essential for preserving social stability and ensuring the long-term sustainability of democracy in Indonesia.
This study aims to reveal and analysis the potency of violent values in early childhood education that is taught through religious teaching materials. This study is critical to analyze because the understanding of violence instilled in childhood can have long-lasting effects on their social and mental development such as fostering aggressive behavior, normalizing violence, and causing social maladjustment. This study uses a qualitative method. And, to reveal the forms of potential violence through the teachings being taught, this study is also supported by questionnaire data. The findings in this study show that two types of religious teachings have the potential as seeds of violence internalized in kindergarten namely exclusivism and fanaticism. These two types represent characteristics of theological claims that exert consequences in shaping the understanding of intolerant motivations and behaviors. By using the genealogy of power theory as knife analysis, this study concludes that the potency of violence based on religious values in early childhood education does not only reflect how the power operates systematically within religious teachings in a micro context in the form of teacher-student relationships in generating violence understanding but also reflects a broader context within social and political structures.
This study examines how Pancasila and Kemalism shape state ideology and national identity in Indonesia and Türkiye, particularly regarding religion, secularism, and political legitimacy. It employs a qualitative, literature-based approach within comparative political science. The study draws on the constitutional and legal framework of both nations as a primary foundation, but relies heavily on secondary sources, including scholarly works, research articles, and a literature review as the framework. The findings reveal that Pancasila represents an inclusive and accommodative model that integrates religious values within a pluralistic society, while Kemalism reflects a state-led, assertive secularism characterized by a top-down modernization process. Both ideologies are dynamic and subject to reinterpretation in response to contemporary political developments. This study contributes to comparative political analysis by demonstrating how state ideologies function as dynamic instruments for negotiating legitimacy, pluralism, and religion-state relations in Muslim-majority democracies. It offers a novel analytical framework that foregrounds the role of political parties and ideological contestation as drivers of ideological transformation. The research further introduces the concept of “ideological architecture,” highlighting how an ideology is constructed and by whom determines its long-term durability and its capacity to manage the intersection of religion and democracy in Muslim-majority states.
The Rowot Sasak Calendar is an indigenous calendrical system that once connected ritual time, agricultural cycles, and ecological knowledge in Lombok. This article examines how Islamization and cultural acculturation gradually shifted the calendar from a lunisolar-stellar system to a predominantly lunar-religious system, thereby weakening its agrarian and seasonal functions. The study aims to explain the calendar’s original astronomical structure, analyze the consequences of removing intercalation, and propose a culturally grounded model for restoring its ecological relevance. Using a qualitative-descriptive approach based on ethnoastronomy and religious-cultural studies, the research was conducted in East Lombok, North Lombok, Central Lombok, and West Lombok in 2025. Data were collected through participatory observation, semi-structured interviews with four key informants, analysis of warige manuscripts and local calendrical records, and comparative astronomical calculations. The findings show that the omission of intercalation caused an annual drift of about 10 to 11 days. Reinstating a thirteenth-month mechanism can restore the calendar’s lunisolar logic while preserving its religious, cultural, and social functions.
Inter-sectarian debates on social media have triggered sharp internal polarization among Muslims. While previous Living Qur'an studies overlook institutional academic habitus in verse reception, this research explores how Islamic Studies master's students from five PTKIs; UIN Jakarta, PTIQ Jakarta, UIN Yogyakarta, UIN Banjarmasin, and UNIDA Gontor reproduce tolerance verses responding to digital internal conflicts. Employing a qualitative Living Qur'an approach with sociology of knowledge and habitus analysis, this study involved 22 purposively selected informants. The study reveals three primary findings. First, students' reception of tolerance verses is non-monolithic, spanning six intersecting paradigms that demonstrate the text's flexibility when engaging with readers' distinct habitus. Second, digital responses are polarized between disengagement strategies as academic distinction mechanisms and varied active strategies. Third, students' reception is constructed by an interlocking web of academic habitus, undergraduate background, organizational activism, cross-disciplinary interactions, fragmented reference authority, and digital literacy. This study demonstrates that religious moderation in the digital sphere is profoundly shaped by students' academic habitus, institutional ecosystems, and critical digital literacy.
This study examines Bahtsul Masā’il at Darus Sunnah Islamic Boarding School as an institutional mechanism for internalizing religious moderation and fostering students’ critical thinking skills. Drawing on Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, the analysis explores how dialogical interaction, collaborative reasoning, and guided participation shape students’ religious understanding within a socio‑cultural learning environment. A qualitative descriptive–analytic design was employed, using in‑depth interviews with ustaz and senior secondary (Aliyah) students, participatory observation of a Bahtsul Masā’il session, and document analysis. The findings show that Bahtsul Masā’il integrates the pesantren’s classical scholarly tradition with contextual engagement on contemporary issues, enabling students to develop tolerant, open, and reflective attitudes aligned with the values of religious moderation. The scaffolding role of musyrif, the use of digital resources, and students’ involvement in external discussion forums further enhance their analytical abilities. Challenges include uneven student preparedness and limited alignment between logic instruction and applied reasoning during discussions. While the study demonstrates the pedagogical significance of Bahtsul Masā’il, its scope is limited to a single pesantren. This study is to reveal how Bahtsul Masā’il contributes to shaping critically minded and religiously moderate students capable of addressing contemporary socio‑religious challenges in accordance with the Islamic principle of Raḥmatan lil ‘Ālamīn.
Promoting social togetherness through educational institutions in diverse societies often encounters heightened sensitivity and resistance due to differences in religion, belief, culture, environment, and language, compared to approaches rooted in public activities such as tourism. In Indonesia, many tourism attractions originated as places of worship located in culturally significant areas, where local belief systems shape social and cultural practices. This study investigates how values of togetherness are practically manifested at the intersection of belief, nature, and sociocultural patterns in a tourism industry of Rembang, Indonesia. Data were collected through interviews, observations, and documentation involving tourism practitioners, visitors, site caretakers, and local government officials. Triangulation was employed to ensure data saturation, and analysis was conducted ethnographically using Spradley’s domain analysis. The findings reveal that the convergence of religious beliefs, sociocultural activities, and natural attractions fosters social cohesion among individuals from diverse backgrounds. This intersection not only sustains mutual understanding and appreciation of differences but also contributes to social harmony in Lasem, Rembang, enabling respectful interaction within a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multi-racial community.
This article juxtaposes the church struggle against Nazism in Germany with the theological struggle against Christian Nationalism in the US. The Christ-centered theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and of the Barmen Declaration grounded theological resistance in Germany. In the US, there have been many calls for confessing church; five theological movements are documented. The author compares the two historical contexts and analyzes the challenges facing contemporary efforts at confessing church through theological resistance
Based on Luther's twenty-eighth thesis in the Heidelberg Disputation, which contrasts God's love and human love, Tuomo Mannermaa offers a detailed analysis of the theme of love in Luther's theology, highlighting its paradoxical character. According to Mannermaa's interpretation, Luther insists that God's love and human love move in opposite directions: the essence of God's love is creative and self-giving, directed toward nothingness and deficiency; whereas human love is acquisitive and self-seeking, oriented toward what is already good and beautiful. Luther thus grounds the God-human relationship on the basis of God's love, not human love. Additionally, material creation, including neighbors, the natural world, and the self, is understood as a "good gift," each worthy of God's loving embrace. This marks a decisive breakthrough from Anders Nygren's dichotomy of agape and eros. Nygren reduces Luther's conception of God's love to a gift of God imparted through faith, subsequently exercised by Christians in obedience to the command to love their neighbors. In contrast to Nygren, Mannermaa's interpretation demonstrates, at an ontological level, the absolute value of God's love in relation both to human love for God and creation. It thereby confirms the Christian love for God as a central and indispensable theme within Luther's theological system.
