Bridging Piety and Pluralism in Indonesia Islamic Education Based on Nurcholis Madjid Thoughts

Abstract

Religious Piety Index data released by the Ministry of Religious Affairs from 2021 to 2023 (83.59; 84.51; 82.59) indicate that religious life in the forum internum at very good level. However, the implementation of diversity in the forum eksternum, marked by tensions between and within religious communities, contrasts with these index scores and the spirit of pluralism. This gap highlights the urgency of reexamining inclusive approaches within Islamic education in Indonesia. This study aims to explore Nurcholish Madjid’s thoughts on inclusivism, analyze their relationship with the concept of Islamic education, and assess their relevance to the development of contemporary Islamic education in Indonesia. Employing a qualitative literature review method, the research draws its primary data from Nurcholish Madjid’s seminal works and supports it with secondary literature. Content analysis is applied through four stages: problem formulation, literature search, data screening, and critical interpretation. The findings reveal that Madjid’s values of inclusivism are rooted in Tawhid, which underscores human equality before God, respect for diversity, and the importance of interfaith dialogue. These values offer a theoretical foundation for developing Islamic education that is open, critical, and integrative with national values such as Pancasila. Practically, they suggest the need for curricula that foster critical thinking, tolerance, and intercultural understanding among students. This study contributes to filling the gap between high religious piety and weak interreligious harmony by offering a model of Islamic education that is inclusive, adaptive, and aligned with Indonesia’s pluralistic context.