Transforming Islamic Education Curriculum in the Era of Religious Moderation: Between Digital Integration and the Resilience of Pesantren Values
Keywords: Merdeka Belajar, Penndidikan Nasonal, Pesantren
Abstract
This article examines the ongoing transformation of Islamic education curriculum in Indonesia as the country promotes the national agenda of religious moderation. The study explores how Islamic schools and universities negotiate the tension between digital integration—accelerated by the expansion of online learning—and the preservation of pesantren values that emphasize character formation, spiritual discipline, and traditional scholarship. Using a qualitative approach, data are drawn from curriculum documents, interviews with educators, and observations of instructional practices in selected institutions. Findings reveal that digital learning environments have broadened access to Islamic knowledge but simultaneously challenge the depth of interpersonal transmission central to pesantren pedagogy. The curriculum reforms highlight a hybrid model that seeks to balance technological innovation with ethical, cultural, and theological continuity. The paper argues that successful integration depends on strengthening teachers’ digital pedagogical competence while ensuring that core religious values remain integral to instructional design. This study contributes to understanding how Muslim-majority countries can harmonize modernization and tradition within Islamic education systems.
References
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Ma’Arif, S. (2018). Education as a foundation of humanity: Learning from the pedagogy of pesantren in Indonesia. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 9(2), 104–123. https://doi.org/10.17499/jsser.58854
Millie, J. (2025). “Talaqqi” in the age of bureaucracy; Symbiosis of pedagogical cultures in West Javanese “pesantren.” Wacana, 26(2), 236–251. https://doi.org/10.17510/wacana.v26i2.1799
Mistar, J., Anwar, S., & Azizah, N. (2025). Fostering Tolerance Through the Hidden Curriculum: An Ethnographic Study of Inclusive Education in an Indonesian Islamic Boarding School. Munaddhomah, 6(4), 603–617. https://doi.org/10.31538/munaddhomah.v6i4.1960
Muis, A. (2025). Incorporating religious moderation values into the Islamic religious education curriculum in secondary education: a systematic review of goals, experiences, methods, and evaluation. British Journal of Religious Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2025.2598619
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Muliadi, M., Syamsidar, S., & Islam, N. (2025). Religious Moderation By Design: A Comparative Sociological Da’wah Study In Indonesian Higher Education. Jurnal Ilmiah Peuradeun, 13(2), 1549–1580. https://doi.org/10.26811/peuradeun.v13i2.1778
Mumtaz, N. M., Muafiah, E., & Witro, D. (2024). Educational Policy Analysis: Examining Pesantren Policies and Their Implications on the Independence of Kyai and Pesantren in the Contemporary Era. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 21(2), 287–306. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpai.v21i2.9612
Nasir, M., & Rijal, M. K. (2021). Keeping the middle path: mainstreaming religious moderation through Islamic higher education institutions in Indonesia. Indonesian Journal of Islam and Muslim Societies, 11(2), 213–241. https://doi.org/10.18326/ijims.v11i2.213-241
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Saepurohman, A., Erihadiana, M., Sri Lestari, A., & Alai, A. (2025). Strategic Management of Digital Literacy Initiatives in Islamic Boarding Schools of Tasikmalaya. Munaddhomah, 6(2), 238–250. https://doi.org/10.31538/munaddhomah.v6i2.1711
Samsu, S., Kustati, M., Perrodin, D. D., Ritonga, M., Kosim, M., Rusmini, R., & Suwendi, S. (2021). Community empowerment in leading pesantren: A research of Nyai’s leadership. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 10(4), 1237–1244. https://doi.org/10.11591/IJERE.V10I4.21833
Setiawan, A. I., Abidin, Y. Z., Rustandi, R., Sarbini, A., & Aziz, R. (2026). Transforming Religious Education Through Inclusivity: How Indonesian Pesantren Cultivate Moderate Islamic Values and Da’wah Practices. Nazhruna: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 9(1), 70–92. https://doi.org/10.31538/nzh.v9i1.406
Sofi, M. J., Manaf, S., & Ali, J. (2025). Pesantren In Dynamic Transformation: Harmonizing Classical Roots and Modern Practices. Miqot: Jurnal Ilmu-Ilmu Keislaman, 49(2), 333–353. https://doi.org/10.30821/miqot.v49i2.1459
Suresman, E., Faqihuddin, A., & Abdullah, M. (2025). From sorogan to digital learning: a systematic literature network analysis of pesantren learning models. Cogent Education, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2580776
Syafi’i, I., Hasyim, F., & Jawid Marwat, M. (2025). Transformational Curriculum Model through Interpretation Epistemology; Islamic Boarding School Curriculum Management Perspective. Munaddhomah, 6(3), 387–403. https://doi.org/10.31538/munaddhomah.v6i3.1802
Ubaidillah, U., & Faiz, M. F. (2025). Beyond The Sacred Walls: Reimagining Pesantren’s Architecture of Islamic Moderation. Ulumuna, 29(1), 32–70. https://doi.org/10.20414/ujis.v29i1.1362
Yasin, M., & Khasbulloh, M. N. (2022). Constructing Ethical Critical Thinking At Pesantren. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 8(2), 127–144. https://doi.org/10.15575/jpi.v8i2.19028
Zaman, M. B., Mawardi, I., & Muna, M. Y. (2024). Local Wisdom For Peacebuilding In Java: An Analysis Of Religious Moderation In Shodiq Hamzah’s Tafsīr Al-Bayān. Jurnal Lektur Keagamaan, 22(2), 455–482. https://doi.org/10.31291/jlka.v22i2.1295
Aripin, S., Nurdiansyah, N. M., Arief, A., & Yusof, N. B. (2025). Effectiveness and Reformulation of Islamic Religious Education in Schools in the Modern Era. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 22(1), 215–234. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpai.v22i1.7432
Athoillah, M., Rahman, A. S., Firdaus, A. S., & Septiadi, M. A. (2024). Policies And Practices Religious Moderation In Pesantren. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 10(2), 387–396. https://doi.org/10.15575/jpi.v10i2.27543
Budiharso, T., Bakri, S., & Sujito, S. (2023). Transformation of Education System of the Pesantren in Indonesia from the Dutch Colony to Democratic Era. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 14(4), 179–206.
Bulan, S., & Fuad, Z. (2025). The dynamics of religious moderation and interfaith dialogue in educational institutions: perspectives from religious educators in Indonesia and Malaysia. International Studies in Catholic Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/19422539.2025.2600994
Burga, M. A., & Damopolii, M. (2022). Reinforcing Religious Moderation Through Local Culture-Based Pesantren. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 8(2), 145–162. https://doi.org/10.15575/jpi.v8i2.19879
Darwanto, A., Prahmana, R. C. I., Susanti, A., & Khalil, I. A. (2024). Transformation of Boarding School Management Models in Enhancing Student Accessibility and Educational Quality. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 21(1), 145–164. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpai.v21i1.8632
Hanif, M., Suwito, H., Mubaroq, A. C., & Dharin, A. (2024). Pesantren Resistance To Indonesia’s National Curriculum To Defend Its Curriculum Model. Revista de Gestao Social e Ambiental, 18(7). https://doi.org/10.24857/rgsa.v18n7-049
Helmy, M. I., Kubro, A. D. J., & Ali, M. (2021). The Understanding of Islamic Moderation (wasaṭiyyah al-Islam) and the Hadiths on Inter-religious relations in the Javanese Pesantrens. Indonesian Journal of Islam and Muslim Societies, 11(2), 377–401. https://doi.org/10.18326/ijims.v11i2.377-401
Ibda, H., Sofanudin, A., Syafi, M., Soedjiwo, N. A. F., Azizah, A. S., & Arif, M. (2023). Digital learning using Maktabah Syumilah NU 1.0 software and computer application for Islamic moderation in pesantren. International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 13(3), 3530–3539. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijece.v13i3.pp3530-3539
Ichsan, Y., Syamsudin, S., & Nuryana, Z. (2024). Realizing Islamic Education Based on Religious Moderation with the Wasathiyah Islamic Paradigm from the Perspective of the Qur’an. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 21(1), 247–263. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpai.v21i1.9944
Ihsan, I., Pabbajah, M., Abdullah, I., & Hidayati, H. (2024). The contestation of national and religious curricula in indonesia’s madrasas since the passage of the uuspn. Educational Studies, 50(4), 434–447. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2021.1958757
Kawakip, A. N. (2023). The Practice Of Shared Values And Islamic Educational Identity Evidence from a Pesantren in East Java, Indonesia. Journal of Indonesian Islam, 17(1), 27–53. https://doi.org/10.15642/JIIS.2023.17.1.27-53
Kholis, N., & Rini, J. (2023). Navigating The Nexus: Government Policies In Cultivating Religious Moderation Within State Islamic Higher Education. Qudus International Journal of Islamic Studies, 11(1), 207–236. https://doi.org/10.21043/qijis.v11i1.12677
Kosim, M., Kustati, M., Sirait, W. R., Fajri, S., Febriani, S. R., & Perrodin, D. D. (2024). Developing A Religious Moderation-Based Curriculum Module For Laboratory Madrasah Tsanawiyah In Islamic Higher Education. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 10(2), 350–362. https://doi.org/10.15575/jpi.v10i2.39163
Kustati, M. (2020). The characteristics of pesantren in the development of islamic education in west sumatra. Ulumuna, 24(1), 132–154. https://doi.org/10.20414/ujis.v24i1.382
Listrianti, F., & Mundiri, A. (2020). Transformation Of Curriculum Development Based On Nationality-Oriented. Jurnal Ilmiah Peuradeun, 8(1), 37–52. https://doi.org/10.26811/peuradeun.v8i1.380
Ma’Arif, S. (2018). Education as a foundation of humanity: Learning from the pedagogy of pesantren in Indonesia. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 9(2), 104–123. https://doi.org/10.17499/jsser.58854
Millie, J. (2025). “Talaqqi” in the age of bureaucracy; Symbiosis of pedagogical cultures in West Javanese “pesantren.” Wacana, 26(2), 236–251. https://doi.org/10.17510/wacana.v26i2.1799
Mistar, J., Anwar, S., & Azizah, N. (2025). Fostering Tolerance Through the Hidden Curriculum: An Ethnographic Study of Inclusive Education in an Indonesian Islamic Boarding School. Munaddhomah, 6(4), 603–617. https://doi.org/10.31538/munaddhomah.v6i4.1960
Muis, A. (2025). Incorporating religious moderation values into the Islamic religious education curriculum in secondary education: a systematic review of goals, experiences, methods, and evaluation. British Journal of Religious Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2025.2598619
Mukhibat, M., Effendi, M., Setyawan, W. H., & Sutoyo, M. (2024). Development and evaluation of religious moderation education curriculum at higher education in Indonesia. Cogent Education, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2302308
Muliadi, M., Syamsidar, S., & Islam, N. (2025). Religious Moderation By Design: A Comparative Sociological Da’wah Study In Indonesian Higher Education. Jurnal Ilmiah Peuradeun, 13(2), 1549–1580. https://doi.org/10.26811/peuradeun.v13i2.1778
Mumtaz, N. M., Muafiah, E., & Witro, D. (2024). Educational Policy Analysis: Examining Pesantren Policies and Their Implications on the Independence of Kyai and Pesantren in the Contemporary Era. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 21(2), 287–306. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpai.v21i2.9612
Nasir, M., & Rijal, M. K. (2021). Keeping the middle path: mainstreaming religious moderation through Islamic higher education institutions in Indonesia. Indonesian Journal of Islam and Muslim Societies, 11(2), 213–241. https://doi.org/10.18326/ijims.v11i2.213-241
Nasution, S., Asari, H., & Al-Rasyid, H. (2024). Kitab Kuning and Religious Moderation: A Study on State Islamic Universities in Indonesia. Journal of Al-Tamaddun, 19(2), 73–88. https://doi.org/10.22452/JAT.vol19no2.5
Qorib, M. (2025). The religious moderation model based on the unity of theo-socio-anthropological values in Muhammadiyah and NU pesantren in Indonesia. Cogent Education, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2584644
Rohman, A., & Wajdi, M. B. N. (2023). Transforming Islamic Education Through Merdeka Curriculum In Pesantren. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 9(2), 255–266. https://doi.org/10.15575/jpi.v9i2.28918
Rohman, F. (2022). Problem Based Learning in Islamic Religious Education: The Case of the Indonesian Pesantren. Global Journal Al-Thaqafah, 12(1), 82–97. https://doi.org/10.7187/GJAT072022-5
Rostandi, U. D., Busro, B., & Wasik, A. (2026). From tradition to tolerance: Menyama Braya as a model for multicultural education in Islamic boarding schools. Acta Scientiarum - Education, 48. https://doi.org/10.4025/actascieduc.v48i1.75776
Saepurohman, A., Erihadiana, M., Sri Lestari, A., & Alai, A. (2025). Strategic Management of Digital Literacy Initiatives in Islamic Boarding Schools of Tasikmalaya. Munaddhomah, 6(2), 238–250. https://doi.org/10.31538/munaddhomah.v6i2.1711
Samsu, S., Kustati, M., Perrodin, D. D., Ritonga, M., Kosim, M., Rusmini, R., & Suwendi, S. (2021). Community empowerment in leading pesantren: A research of Nyai’s leadership. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 10(4), 1237–1244. https://doi.org/10.11591/IJERE.V10I4.21833
Setiawan, A. I., Abidin, Y. Z., Rustandi, R., Sarbini, A., & Aziz, R. (2026). Transforming Religious Education Through Inclusivity: How Indonesian Pesantren Cultivate Moderate Islamic Values and Da’wah Practices. Nazhruna: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 9(1), 70–92. https://doi.org/10.31538/nzh.v9i1.406
Sofi, M. J., Manaf, S., & Ali, J. (2025). Pesantren In Dynamic Transformation: Harmonizing Classical Roots and Modern Practices. Miqot: Jurnal Ilmu-Ilmu Keislaman, 49(2), 333–353. https://doi.org/10.30821/miqot.v49i2.1459
Suresman, E., Faqihuddin, A., & Abdullah, M. (2025). From sorogan to digital learning: a systematic literature network analysis of pesantren learning models. Cogent Education, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2580776
Syafi’i, I., Hasyim, F., & Jawid Marwat, M. (2025). Transformational Curriculum Model through Interpretation Epistemology; Islamic Boarding School Curriculum Management Perspective. Munaddhomah, 6(3), 387–403. https://doi.org/10.31538/munaddhomah.v6i3.1802
Ubaidillah, U., & Faiz, M. F. (2025). Beyond The Sacred Walls: Reimagining Pesantren’s Architecture of Islamic Moderation. Ulumuna, 29(1), 32–70. https://doi.org/10.20414/ujis.v29i1.1362
Yasin, M., & Khasbulloh, M. N. (2022). Constructing Ethical Critical Thinking At Pesantren. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 8(2), 127–144. https://doi.org/10.15575/jpi.v8i2.19028
Zaman, M. B., Mawardi, I., & Muna, M. Y. (2024). Local Wisdom For Peacebuilding In Java: An Analysis Of Religious Moderation In Shodiq Hamzah’s Tafsīr Al-Bayān. Jurnal Lektur Keagamaan, 22(2), 455–482. https://doi.org/10.31291/jlka.v22i2.1295
Published
2026-01-13
How to Cite
MUNAWAR, Muhamad Aris; ENDANG, Ujang.
Transforming Islamic Education Curriculum in the Era of Religious Moderation: Between Digital Integration and the Resilience of Pesantren Values.
Bestari, [S.l.], v. 22, n. 2, p. 187-210, jan. 2026.
ISSN 2807-6532.
Available at: <https://riset-iaid.net/index.php/bestari/article/view/1130>. Date accessed: 09 feb. 2026.
doi: https://doi.org/10.36667/bestari.v22i2.1130.
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