The Government and Mainstreaming Religious Education: Religious Moderation in the Reconfiguration of The Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Religious Organization in Jambi Province, Indonesia

Abstract

: This paper focuses on the implementation of policies on the significance of religious moderation on education organized by The Ministry of Religious Affairs and religious organizations which affects different educational institutions of religious communities that exist throughout Jambi Province. We selected four religions respectively, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and Confucianism that have educational institutions affiliated at the school level or university. Based on ethnographic-based fieldwork, this research will explore how the state’s ideology and discourse are implemented in the religious moderation project to build fairness, patriotism, tolerance, non-violence, and inclusive attitudes towards local traditions. The research will also examine the extent to which the attempts by the religious organization influence the policies of religious moderation on education, which then accommodate the local context of Jambi in particular and Malay tradition in general. Finally, this study proposes the reconsideration of the role of the politics of education in sustaining religious networks in the local context.