Jurnal Indonesia Studi Moderasi Beragama

The Role of Religious Moderation in Good Governance in Indonesia’s Democratic Era: An Analysis of the Film Tanda Tanya (?)

2026-02-08T11:50:57+07:00

Background: Indonesia’s cultural diversity creates complex challenges for sustaining religious harmony. The film Tanda Tanya (?) depicts interfaith interactions and social tensions that reflect these challenges in contemporary Indonesian society. Objective: This study examines how the film represents religious moderation and principles of good governance, emphasising the relationship among individual behaviour, community values, and social stability. Method: A qualitative content analysis was conducted, focusing on scenes, dialogues, character interactions, and conflict patterns to identify indicators of moderation and governance practices. Results: The film illustrates tolerance, interfaith cooperation, non-violence, and respect for human dignity, alongside community participation, fairness, and rejection of discrimination. Unresolved conflicts in the narrative reveal vulnerabilities and social tensions when moderation values are absent. Conclusion: Religious moderation provides a foundation for inclusive, stable, and effective social governance, while its absence can lead to imbalance and conflict. Contribution: This study highlights how film can serve as a reflective and educational medium, offering insights and strategies to promote religious moderation and support good governance in Indonesia’s multicultural public sphere.

Thematic Exegesis Analysis of Religious Polarization on Social Media

2026-02-08T12:08:17+07:00

Background: Religious polarisation on social media has become a serious challenge in plural societies, marked by the proliferation of hate speech, misinformation, and exclusive religious interpretations that intensify social fragmentation. Objective: This study aims to analyse Qur’anic values as a foundation for religious communication ethics in responding to the dynamics of religious polarisation in digital spaces. Method: The research employs a qualitative approach using thematic exegesis (maudhu‘i). The data are derived from Qur’anic verses related to the principles of moderation (wasathiyah), freedom of religion, human pluralism, tabayyun (information verification), ethics of dialogue, and peaceful relations with non-Muslims. The analysis is conducted through a comparative examination of classical and contemporary exegeses to identify their contextual relevance within the social media ecosystem. Result: The findings indicate that these Qur’anic values establish a normative framework that promotes moderate, inclusive, and verification-based communication while preventing the escalation of digital conflict. Conclusion: The Qur’an serves as a comprehensive ethical guide to reducing religious polarisation in digital spaces by fostering dialogue, tolerance, and responsibility. Contribution: This study enriches contextual exegesis in the digital era and offers a Qur’an-based framework for the ethics of religious communication to address religious polarisation on social media.

The Role of Majelis Taklim (Islamic Learning Assembly) in Instilling Religious Moderation Values in the Community

2026-02-08T11:46:55+07:00

Background: Indonesia’s multicultural society requires religious moderation to maintain harmony and prevent extremism. As a non-formal Islamic educational institution, Majelis Taklim plays a strategic role in fostering moderate religious attitudes and strengthening social cohesion at the grassroots level. Objective: This study aims to analyse the role, strategies, and contributions of Majelis Taklim in instilling religious moderation values within the Griya Sidomulyo community, Pekanbaru City. Method: This research employs a qualitative descriptive approach. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and documentation involving administrators, preachers, congregants, and community leaders. Data were analysed through reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing, supported by triangulation to ensure validity. Results: The findings indicate that Majelis Taklim actively promotes moderation values through regular religious study sessions, thematic discussions, and social programs such as Jumat Berkah (Friday Charity Program) and Didikan Subuh (Early Morning Religious Education Program). These activities cultivate tolerance, balance, mutual respect, and social solidarity. Supporting factors include active participation, qualified preachers, and strong community engagement, while financial constraints and coordination challenges remain obstacles. Conclusion: Majelis Taklim functions as an effective grassroots institution for cultivating religious moderation and strengthening social harmony in heterogeneous urban communities. Contribution: This study provides empirical evidence of Majelis Taklim’s strategic role as a community-based model for promoting inclusive and moderate Islamic education.

Tradisi Gotong Royong sebagai Cerminan Moderasi Beragama

2026-02-08T12:04:57+07:00

Background: Strengthening religious moderation in Indonesia’s pluralistic society requires the optimisation of wisdom as a durable foundation for social harmony. One of the most deeply rooted cultural traditions reflecting collective solidarity is gotong royong (cooperation). In the context of increasing social fragmentation, identity politics, and religious polarisation, our cultural values are becoming increasingly relevant to reinforce inclusive and balanced religious expressions. Objective: This study aims to analyse the theoretical relationship between the tradition of gotong royong and religious moderation, and to explain how embedded cultural values shape inclusive, tolerant, and socially responsible religious practices. Method: This research employs a qualitative literature review, systematically examining 15 relevant peer-reviewed articles. The collected data were analysed analyzedntent analysis techniques to identify recurring themes, conceptual patterns, and theoretical linkages between cultural practices and religious moderation. Result: The findings reveal that gotong royong functions not merely as a communal activity but also as a value-laden social mechanism that internalises solidarity, equilibrium, and principles of collective responsibility, which resonate strongly with religious moderation. It also strengthens social cohesion and mitigates potential conflict in multicultural settings. Conclusion: The tradition of gotong royong constitutes a concrete manifestation of religious moderation grounded in local wisdom and plays a strategic role in sustaining social harmony. Contribution: This study reinforces a conceptual framework integrating local culture and religious moderation as a contextual, culturally embedded, and sustainable social strategy.

Reconstruction of the Concept of Interfaith Dialogue from the Perspective of Religious Moderation

2026-02-08T11:52:52+07:00

Background: This article is grounded in the reality that interfaith dialogue practices in plural societies tend to be formalistic, elitist, and confined to theological discourse, and therefore have not fully addressed the challenges of intolerance, social polarisation, and disinformation. Objective: This study aims to reconstruct the concept of interfaith dialogue from the perspective of religious moderation to make it more inclusive, contextual, and applicable. Method: The research employs a qualitative method with a constructive-critical approach, grounded in a literature review, and is analysed through stages of deconstruction, critical-comparative analysis, and conceptual reconstruction. Result: The findings indicate the need for a shift in the orientation of dialogue from symbolic-theological to social-transformative, integrating the values of tawazun (balance), tasamuh (tolerance), i‘tidal (justice), and national commitment. The proposed dialogue model is inclusive and participatory, relational and empathetic, and adaptive to contemporary challenges, including those in the digital sphere. Conclusion: Reconstructing interfaith dialogue based on religious moderation can strengthen social cohesion and national harmony. Contribution: This study contributes by reinforcing a theoretical framework of dialogue as a relational paradigm and by offering a conceptual model that may serve as a reference for developing interreligious harmony programs and religious moderation policies.