The Landscape of Community-Based Islamic Education in Indonesia in Strengthening Ideological Continuity and Integrating Knowledge

This article performs a comparative analysis of three Islamic education programs under prominent Islamic mass organizations (ormas) in Indonesia—Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Muhammadiyah, and Jaringan Sekolah Islam Terpadu (JSIT). This study primarily examines how these three groups sustain religious belief and incorporate information into educational activities. This paper employs a qualitative methodology grounded in literature review to examine the ideological traits, educational frameworks, and knowledge integration paradigms adopted by each organization. The findings indicate that NU prioritizes moderation via pesantren and Ma’arif institutions; Muhammadiyah advocates for progressive Islamic education that amalgamates religion, science, and social consciousness; whereas JSIT embeds the tarbiyah ideology, grounded in the Muslim Brotherhood, through an integrative curriculum and ideological indoctrination. Notwithstanding their distinct theological foundations, these three educational paradigms concur on abolishing the division between religious and secular knowledge. This paper advocates for national Islamic education policies to acknowledge ideological diversity in order to establish an adaptive, contextual, and exemplary Islamic education system in response to global and local issues.