Culturally Based Religious Moderation Communication in Bagansiapiapi for Interfaith Harmony
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18326/inject.v10i2.4736Keywords:
Communication, Moderation, Religion, Harmony, InterfaithAbstract
This study explores religious moderation communication in fostering interreligious harmony in Bagansiapiapi, Rokan Hilir, Riau. It focuses on three aspects: (1) community understanding of religious moderation, (2) communication practices that support interfaith harmony, and (3) supporting and inhibiting factors in promoting religious coexistence. Using a qualitative approach, data were collected through field observation, interviews, and documentation involving religious leaders, community figures, local authorities, organizations, and multireligious communities. Findings reveal that religious moderation in Bagansiapiapi is deeply embedded in the local culture, with core values such as national commitment, tolerance, anti-violence, and acceptance of cultural diversity shaping daily interactions. Communication of religious moderation is practiced through inclusive and symbolic interactions based on Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) and Symbolic Interactionism. Key enablers include inclusive cultural values, proactive community leadership, and empathy-driven communication. Challenges arise from the absence of permanent interfaith youth forums and limited institutional support. The novelty of this research lies in three contributions: (1) the formulation of a Cultural-Accommodative Communication Model, where symbolic convergence fosters organic interfaith engagement; (2) positioning religious moderation as a community-based collective identity rather than a top-down directive; and (3) demonstrating how religious and national symbols function as active instruments of moderation communication. These findings provide valuable insights for the development of sustainable religious harmony strategies in other multicultural settings.
References
Anas, M., Saraswati, D., Ikhsan, M. A., & Fiaji, N. A. (2025). Acceptance of “the Others” in religious tolerance: Policies and implementation strategies in the inclusive city of Salatiga Indonesia. Heliyon, 11(2), e41826. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e41826
Arikunto, S. (2019). Prosedur Penelitian. Rineka cipta.
Azis, S., & Samad, D. (2024). Religious moderation in an Islamic perspective: Literature review and recent research developments. Moderatio: Jurnal Moderasi Beragama, 4(2), 125–140. https://doi.org/10.32332/moderatio.v4i2.9353
Burhan, S. (2017). Peranan tokoh agama dalam meningkatkan kerukunan antar umat beragama di kelurahan Lewoleba Utara Kabupaten Lembata Nusa Tenggara Timur [Bachelor Thesis]. Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar.
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research Design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approach (4th ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2023). Research Design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Hadiyanto, A., Putri, K. Y. S., & Fazli, L. (2025). Religious moderation in Instagram: An Islamic interpretation perspective. Heliyon, 11(4), e42816. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e42816
Handayani, S., & Giantara, F. (2021). Analisis faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi kerukunan umat beragama pada saat pandemi virus corona. Madania: Jurnal Ilmu-Ilmu Keislaman, 11(1), 2620–8210.
Hati, L. P., al-Mujtahid, N. M., Kholil, S., Sahfutra, S. A., Ginting, L. D. C. U., & Fahreza, I. (2023). Religious harmony forum: Ideal religious moderation in the frame of building tolerance in Medan city, Indonesia. Pharos Journal of Theology, 104(4). https://doi.org/10.46222/pharosjot.104.420
Hermawan, A., & Matas, J. A. V. (2024). Religious moderation in shaping interfaith relations: A comparative study of Indonesia and Malaysia. Religious: Jurnal Studi Agama-Agama Dan Lintas Budaya, 8(2), 95–110. https://doi.org/10.15575/rjsalb.v8i2.20273
Idi, A., & Priansyah, D. (2023). The role of religious moderation in indonesian multicultural society: A sociological perspective. Asian Journal of Engineering, Social and Health, 2(4), 246–258. https://doi.org/10.46799/ajesh.v2i4.55
Karaosmanoglu, E., Isiksal, D. G., & Altinigne, N. (2018). Corporate brand transgression and punishing the transgressor: Moderation of religious orientation. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 27(2), 221–234. https://doi.org/10.1108/jpbm-01-2017-1388
Kawangung, Y. (2019). Religious moderation discourse in plurality of social harmony in Indonesia. International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 3(1), 160–170. https://doi.org/10.29332/ijssh.v3n1.277
Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Nazmudin, N. (2017). Kerukunan dan toleransi antar umat beragama dalam membangun keutuhan Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia (NKRI). Journal of Government and Civil Society, 1(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.31000/jgcs.v1i1.268
Niazi, Z. (2023). Role of inter-religious harmony in peaceful society. Unpublished. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.31524.04485
Nisa, M. K., Yani, A., Andika, A., Yunus, E. M., & Rahman, Y. (2021). Moderasi Beragama: Landasan moderasi dalam tradisi berbagai agama dan implementasi di era disrupsi digital. Jurnal Riset Agama, 1(3), 79–96. https://doi.org/10.15575/jra.v1i3.15100
Preston, J. L., Hotchin, V., & Zarzeczna, N. (2025). Humility and harmony: The influence of intellectual humility and religiousness on science-religion views. Personality and Individual Differences, 240, 113136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2025.113136
Ridwan, M. K. (2016). Agama: Antara cita dan kritik. FIKRAH, 4(1), 154. https://doi.org/10.21043/fikrah.v4i1.1612
Risnawati, A., & Priyantoro, D. E. (2021). Pentingnya penanaman nilai-nilai agama pada pendidikan anak usia dini dalam perspektif Al-Quran. As-Sibyan: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 6(1), 1–16. http://jurnal.uinbanten.ac.id/index.php/assibyan/article/view/2928
Santoso, J., Sarono, T. B., Sutrisno, S., & Putrawan, B. K. (2022). Moderasi beragama di indonesia: Kajian tentang toleransi dan pluralitas di Indonesia. Jurnal Teologi Berita Hidup, 4(2), 324–338. https://doi.org/10.38189/jtbh.v4i2.167
Setinawati, Jeniva, I., Tanyid, M., & Merilyn. (2025). The framework of religious moderation: A socio-theological study on the role of religion and culture from Indonesia’s perspective. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 11, 101271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2024.101271
Siddiq, A. A., Rachmiatie, A., Muhtadi, A. S., & Rinawati, R. (2024). Dynamics of interreligious communication: How it has led to religious harmony in Indonesia. Library Progress International, 44(3), 132–140.
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1988). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Subchi, I., Zulkifli, Z., Latifa, R., & Sa’diyah, S. (2022). Religious moderation in Indonesian muslims. Religions, 13(5), 451. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13050451
Upenieks, L., Bonhag, R., & McGowan, A. C. (2024). Religious doubt and depression in later life: Gender differences in the buffering role of supportive pastoral relationships. International Psychogeriatrics, 36(8), 643–654. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1041610222000448
Wagner, B., Kettemann, M. C., Tiedeke, A. S., Rachinger, F., & Sekwenz, M.-T. (2024). Mapping interpretations of the law in online content moderation in Germany. Computer Law & Security Review, 55, 106054. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clsr.2024.106054
Wang, S. (2023). Factors related to user perceptions of artificial intelligence (AI)-based content moderation on social media. Computers in Human Behavior, 149, 107971. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2023.107971
Widiyaningsih, A. E., & Yani, M. T. (2023). Partisipasi Masyarakat Dalam Mewujudkan Desa Sadar Kerukunan Antarumat Beragama Di Desa Laban Kecamatan Menganti Kabupaten Gresik. Journal of Civics and Moral Studies, 7(1), 44–60. https://doi.org/10.26740/jcms.v7n1.p44-60
Zalsabella P, D., Ulfatul C, E., & Kamal, M. (2023). Pentingnya pendidikan agama Islam dalam meningkatkan nilai karakter dan moral anak di masa pandemi. Journal of Islamic Education, 9(1), 43–63. https://doi.org/10.18860/jie.v9i1.22808
Zaluchu, S. E., Widodo, P., & Kriswanto, A. (2025). Conceptual reconstruction of religious moderation in the Indonesian context based on previous research: Bibliometric analysis. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 11, 101552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2025.101552
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 INJECT (Interdisciplinary Journal of Communication)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
