A Multicultural Approach Based On Islamic Moderation (Wasathiyah) According To Prof. M. Quraish Shihab

Abstract

Indonesia’s ethnic, religious, and cultural plurality makes Islamic education a strategic arena for cultivating religious moderation and multicultural awareness. This study aims to analyze the multicultural approach grounded in Islamic moderation (wasathiyah) according to M. Quraish Shihab and to examine its relevance for the development of Islamic education in Indonesia. It employs a qualitative library research design. Shihab’s Wasathiyyah: Wawasan Islam tentang Moderasi Beragama serves as the primary source, supported by secondary literature on multiculturalism and religious moderation, and the data are analyzed through content analysis consisting of data reduction, data display, interpretation, and conclusion drawing. The findings show that Shihab’s wasathiyah rests on four principles: moderation (tawassuth), balance (tawazun), tolerance (tasamuh), and justice (i’tidal). Together with deliberation (musyawarah) and human fraternity (ukhuwah insaniyah), these principles form a coherent multicultural approach. When mapped onto Banks’s five dimensions of multicultural education, the approach translates into concrete implications for curriculum, character education, dialogical pedagogy, and school culture. The study concludes that the approach offers a normative-theological foundation for inclusive Islamic education, although its effectiveness still requires empirical testing.