6 out of 10 teachers have an intolerant attitude

BERITAGAR.ID – Teachers are a factor in spreading the seeds of intolerance in schools. Based on the 2018 National Islamic and Community Studies Center (PPIM) survey of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, it was found that school/Islamic school teachers from kindergarten to high school levels have high intolerance and radical attitudes.

In his presentation received by Beritagar.id, one of the findings was that 63.07 percent of teachers had an intolerant attitude towards followers of other religions. For example, can non-Muslims build a house of worship in their neighborhood? Or is it permissible for non-Muslims to hold religious events around them?

As a result, 56 percent of teachers disagreed that non-Muslims were allowed to establish religion-based schools around them. Then, 21 percent of teachers disagree if neighbors of different religions hold religious events.

Not only the attitude, if the opportunity arises, the teachers also want to express their views in action. For example, if the opportunity arises, 29 percent of them want to sign the petition rejecting heads of education offices of different religions. Meanwhile, 34 percent of teachers want to reject schools based on religions other than Islam where they live.

In the matter of radicalism, teachers also have a similar attitude. One-third of the survey population, aka 33 percent, agreed to encourage others to fight for their version of an Islamic state. Meanwhile, 29 percent of teachers agreed to join the jihad in the Southern Philippines, Syria or Iraq, in fighting for the establishment of an Islamic state according to their imaginations.

Not limited to attitude, if there is an opportunity, as many as 27.59 percent of teachers want to encourage others to fight in realizing their version of an Islamic state. In fact, 13.30 percent of teachers want to attack police who arrest people who are struggling to create their dream country.

This survey was conducted from 6 August to 6 September 2018 with 2,237 teachers in 34 provinces throughout Indonesia. The sample was chosen randomly according to the proportion of the number of teachers in each region.

According to PPIM Executive Director Saiful Uman, this research aims to see the views and religious attitudes of school and madrasa teachers in Indonesia. “Teachers have a strategic position and have an important role in shaping students’ values, views, and thoughts,” he said at the Le Meridien Hotel, Jakarta, Tuesday (16/10/2018) as quoted from Tempo.co.

Heru Purnomo, Secretary-General of the Federation of Indonesian Teachers’ Unions, considered this a threat to the nation. “Do not let the potential for radicalism and intolerance of teachers be trapped in conditions of passive radicalism. This will uproot the Pancasila personality, ”Heru said on the same occasion.

Why do they have such attitudes and desires?

According to the PPIM, there are three factors. First, the view of radical Islamism. As an illustration of Islamism, for example, 40.36 percent of teachers agree that all knowledge is already in the Koran so that Muslims do not need to learn knowledge from the west. To make matters worse, 82.77 percent of teachers agreed that Islam was the only solution to all society’s problems.

The second factor, demographics. Female teachers are more intolerant than male teachers. In addition, kindergarten teachers are more intolerant than elementary, junior high, or high school teachers. Another finding, the lower the teacher’s salary, the higher the intolerance and radical attitudes. And the older the teacher, the more tolerant. Teachers in madrasah are also more intolerant than ordinary school teachers.

The third factor is the teacher’s closeness to Islamic organizations. The findings of previous research show that the struggle for influence between Islamic organizations has played a role in producing conservative tendencies and symptoms of intolerance and even radicalism.

For that, PPIM suggests that the welfare of teachers must be considered. This is done by establishing a better minimum payment standard for teachers, regardless of the status of public and private schools.

In addition, teachers also need to have their experiences enriched in situations of diversity. Teacher education institutions must also be collaborated to prevent the spread of intolerance and exclusivity.

Henny Supolo Sitepu, the education observer and chairman of the Cahaya Guru Foundation, assesses that the problem of diversity in Indonesian educational institutions has occurred since 2007. For this reason, a more strategic approach is needed on how to educate future generations. Because someday the children will work together with people of various backgrounds,

He proposed to include the values ​​of human rights, religion, democracy, and national pluralism – which are contained in Article 4 of the National Education System Law No. 20 of 2003– into school accreditation and teacher assessment.

“If you are not used to working together from your childhood, your children will be left behind,” said Henny as quoted by BBC Indonesia.