TANTANGAN PENDIDIKAN AGAMA ISLAM DALAM MEWUJUDKAN MODERASI BERAGAMA DI KAMPUS

Abstract

Religious moderation has become one of the strategic agendas in Indonesian higher education to establish a peaceful and inclusive society that embraces diversity. Islamic Religious Education (IRE/PAI) plays a pivotal role in forming open-minded and tolerant students capable of living harmoniously within pluralistic settings. Nevertheless, its implementation faces numerous internal and external challenges. This article explores the challenges encountered by IRE in fostering religious moderation on university campuses. This study employs a descriptive qualitative method through literature review and analysis of IRE implementation practices related to religious moderation. Findings indicate that the major challenges include varied student understanding, the influence of transnational ideologies, exclusive attitudes, the limited competence of lecturers in applying moderation-based pedagogy, unsystematic curriculum management, and social media penetration shaping instant religiosity. Additionally, resistance toward religious moderation hinders the internalization of tolerance, fairness, and balance. Strengthening efforts require curriculum refinement, lecturer capacity building, integration of digital literacy, and development of cross-religious dialogue culture. This study concludes that IRE functions as a transformative instrument ensuring comprehensive strategies integrating policy, pedagogy, and campus ecosystem are imperative to optimize religious moderation.