Gen-Z, Intolerance and Renewal of Islamic Religious Education

tirto.id – Generation Z is said to be creating people who value diversity. However, this characterization did not make Generation Z immune from the seeds of intolerance.

Through a national survey, the Center for the Study of Islam and Society (PPIM) UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta identified the seeds of intolerance from Generation Z’s religious attitudes in schools and universities. This survey draws on the perceptions of students, students, teachers and lecturers on Islamic Religious Education (PAI), the relationship between religion and the state, and the problem of tolerance in Indonesia. The survey was conducted with a total sample of 2,181 people consisting of 1,522 students, 337 students and 264 teachers in 34 provinces in Indonesia.

For the perception of PAI, the PPIM survey showed 48.95 percent of students felt that “religious education has a large portion in influencing them not to associate with followers of other religions”. In other words, instead of acting as a learning medium to respect differences, religious education makes students stay away from friends of different religions.

This result is quite worrying. Indonesia’s track record in monitoring freedom of religion / belief is far from perfect. According to the Setara Institute report throughout 2016, there were 208 events on freedom of religion / belief in Indonesia.

Generation Z, as the future generation of stakeholders, should ideally be equipped with education to guide them away from the national level. According to the PPIM, the pattern of Islamic religious education should also be “the virtues of citizenship values ​​(freedom, equality, justice, tolerance and unity) based on Pancasila and UDD 1995”.

Alif (21 years), a Generation Z who migrated from Aceh to study at the University of Indonesia, felt that the PAI he attended at his high school in Aceh Besar had not helped him in understanding social and religious issues.

“The lessons I learned most were how to pray, how to pray. Meanwhile, there are very few religious lessons that can be applied in social life, ”said Alif to Tirto. “In my opinion, there is absolutely no focus on other religions. For example, what inspiration can we base on other religious groups? “

As a rule, material on how to pray, pray, fast, and perform wudu properly are very important in worship rituals as well as part of the Islamic religious curriculum in schools and universities. However, Islamic Religious Education can be developed as a learning gateway for students to study Islam comprehensively so that they can live harmoniously in diversity.

However, the problems with PAI are not the only ones. Generation Z’s proximity to internet access also opens up access to intolerant views that undermine the importance of diversity values. The PPIM survey findings show that it is more separating students and students from getting religious knowledge through the internet such as social media, blogs, and brave news sites.

The phenomenon of searching for religious information via the internet is supported by the presence of “scholars” on social media and other sites. In a follow-up analysis, the survey found Generation Z without internet access had more moderate opinions than those connected to the internet.

Another finding from the survey results also found negative perceptions of students / students and teachers / lecturers towards minority sects such as Ahmadiyah and Shia. As many as 30.99 percent (students and university students) mentioned Shia as the group that did not come in first. Meanwhile, 64.66 percent of teachers and lecturers said Ahmadiyah was in the first place.

In understanding the symptoms of intolerance, it is important to listen to the minority voice representing Generation Z. Derril, a 19-year-old generation, who is studying Economics at the University of Indonesia, recounts his experience of being a victim of intolerance by friends of his age.

“So if I was relaxed with him, he wouldn’t have a problem, but if I checked and checked a little I immediately brought up the fact that I’m Chinese. ‘Basic Chinese’ just came out, ” explained Derril to Tirto.

Derril’s racial insults are relatively easy to find in daily practice, including in interactions among Generation Z. Derril’s experience also shows that intolerance is not only due to religious differences, but also due to differences in race, ethnicity and ethnicity.

Recommendations for Renewal of Islamic Studies

Tolerance should not be practiced solely for pragmatic reasons, namely to prevent conflict. Andrew Cohen, in an article entitled What Toleration Is (2004), provides a comprehensive definition of tolerance. He describes tolerance as “the act of someone who deliberately and principally refrains from activities that interfere with those who are against them (or their behavior, etc.) in various situations involving diversity, when the individual believes he has the power to interfere.”

Educational institutions play a crucial role in instilling the principle of such tolerance so that it becomes the basis for addressing various situations and conditions of diversity. In the context of religious education, PPIM UIN Jakarta recommends three recommendations for changes to the Islamic Religious Education (PAI) curriculum. At the material level, there must be the development of religious literacy through interfaith education in order to reduce prejudice against different religious groups.

In addition, students must be accustomed to actively participating in activities that provide diverse experiences. For example, exchanging stories about experiences of religious day celebrations and values ​​of goodness that are also taught by other religions. As a final recommendation, learning activities must also be made interactive which combines various forms of learning material.

Mastuki, Head of the Public Relations, Data and Information Bureau of the Secretariat General of the Ministry of Religion, explained that currently various strategies for mainstreaming PAI are being carried out in textbook material, the learning process, teacher recruitment and approaches to children who are members of Rohani Islam (Rohis). For the material aspect, the Book of Islamic Education Rahmatan Lil ‘Alamin, whose approach is more to the moderation of Islamic teachings, is being piloted in 8 regions in the last two years.

For material about tolerance, PAI is also designed to familiarize students with appreciating diversity.

“Children are introduced to various religions. Because this is Islamic education in schools, it will be easier to implement. Because it is not homogeneous. Muslim children can meet Christian children, ”Mastuki explained to Tirto.

Apart from learning tolerance on a practical level, children are also taught about the understanding of Islam which sees diversity not as a reality that must be eliminated.

“That there are Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, and so on is undoubtedly. Plurality is an inseparable part of sunnatullah. So [roughly] for example the teaching. Children better understand that diversity and plurality are part of sunnatullah. When it is sunnatullah, it is impossible to make efforts to force it to be homogeneous, ” said Mastuki.

The Ministry of Religion is also committed to carrying out the recruitment and selection process of Islamic Education teachers by providing material that focuses on comprehensive and moderate understanding of Islam. However, according to Mastuki, what must also be improved is the procedure for the appointment of Religion teachers in schools which is currently not centralized.

“There are three religious teachers at the school who raised this. The Ministry of Religion has made appointments but is limited, most of which are from the Ministry of Education and Culture and the local government directly. This is what we cannot control what kind of religious teacher the recruitment is, ”Mastuki explained.

In addition, discussions on national themes and Islamic relations with the state have also been carried out with children who are Rohis members. According to Mastuki, “radical” religious information is usually obtained by Rohis members from their mentors outside educational institutions as well as unverified internet sources.

Reporter: Terry Muthahhari
Author: Terry Muthahhari
Editor: Zen RS