INTERNALIZING RELIGIOUS MODERATION VALUES THROUGH ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS EDUCATION: A CONTEXTUAL STUDY IN AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ON ARAR ISLAND, SOUTHWEST PAPUA

Abstract

Religious diversity in elementary schools requires educational practices that foster tolerance, mutual respect, and peaceful coexistence. However, limited empirical attention has been given to how Islamic Religious Education (PAI) internalizes religious moderation within the everyday social context of religiously diverse island communities. This study examines how religious moderation values are internalized through PAI at an elementary school on Arar Island, Southwest Papua. A qualitative descriptive approach involved the principal, teachers, and students as key informants. Data were collected through observations, in-depth interviews, and documentation and analyzed through data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing, supported by source and technique triangulation. The findings show that religious moderation was internalized through the integration of moderation values into PAI learning, dialogic learning practices, teacher role modeling, and interactions among students from different religious backgrounds. Observation and interview data indicated that students cooperated across religious differences, respected peers’ religious practices, and participated in shared school and community activities without religious segregation. These findings suggest that PAI serves not only as a means of teaching religious moderation explicitly but also as a context for developing its values through everyday social interactions. The study contributes empirical insight into PAI-based religious moderation by showing how its internalization is shaped by the religiously diverse social context of an island community in Arar Island, Southwest Papua.