Religious Moderation in the Frame of B’ Religi

This article discusses the importance of instilling religious moderation for students at SMA Negeri 3 Malang. The cultivation of religious moderation is framed in a religious activity entitled B'Religi with the hope that students can understand and apply religious moderation in everyday life both in the school and especially in the society. This research uses a qualitative approach with a single case study type. Data collection techniques through observation, interviews and documentation. Data analysis used a descriptive-exploratory model involving three components of analysis, namely: data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. This study concludes that religious moderation cannot be done conceptually through formal learning. Religious moderation is important because the ethnicity, religion, and religious ideology of students at SMAN 3 are divers

Pendekatan Inklusif di Perguruan Tinggi Keagamaan Islam dalam Upaya Penguatan Moderasi Beragama

This research explaines the inclusive approach in Islamic Religious Universities in strengthening Religious Moderation. The main focus of the research is to address the challenges of religious plurality in the academic environment. Using qualitative methods, data was collected through interviews, observations and documents. The results of this research show that an inclusive approach is effective in easing inter-religious tensions and building a deeper understanding of tolerance. Religious universities need to adopt inclusive strategies as a progressive step in addressing differences. The findings are consistent with previous literature, illustrating the success of the inclusive approach as an enabler of religious moderation. The conclusion of this study underscores the urgency of implementing an inclusive approach in religious institutions to create a harmonious and inclusive environment. This research provides new insights into how inclusive approaches can be an important foundation in supporting religious moderation, with positive impacts on interfaith interactions and building respectful understanding. The implication is that inclusive approaches are not only relevant as a response to difference, but also as a proactive strategy in shaping religious paradigms that are open, tolerant, and promote interfaith coexistence

The Devil's long tail: religious moderation and extremism on the Web

In this article, we examine Chris Anderson's theory of the long tail with regard not to an economic market, but rather to the competitive marketplace of ideas. In a religious context, we interpret the long-tail theory as predicting that the Web will allow extreme or strict sects to flourish in an unprecedented way by helping proponents cater to the long tail online. If this is true, it threatens the orthodox understanding of the dynamics of religious extremism. It would also undermine the associated idea that groups’ convergence on the middle ground of religious beliefs cultivates and is cultivated by liberal civic virtues. If radical groups can flourish while preaching virtues diametrically opposed to liberalism, freedom of religion might not be so good for liberalism after all

Moderation through exclusion? The journey of the Tunisian Ennahda from fundamentalist to conservative party

The success of processes of democratic change is often predicated on the moderation of anti-systemic and extremist parties. The literature on such parties argues that such moderation, namely the acceptance of democratic procedures, human rights, and a market economy, comes about through inclusion. This seems to be borne out when one analyses a number of Islamist parties having contributed to the progressive democratization of their respective countries. The Tunisian case, however, offers a different perspective on moderation. This article argues that it has been exclusion through repression and social marginalization that has led the Islamist party Ennahda to move from its extreme anti-systemic position of the 1970s to become the mainstream conservative party it is today

A Time to Laugh: Religious Humor in Contemporary Russia

Contemporary Russian religious humor continues the tradition of this spiritual and selfsacrificial laughter. The anecdotes that are gathered here make fun not only of religion and its characteristic attributes, but of human imperfections and shortcomings, which manifest themselves in relation to various aspects of worship. Everything is good in moderation, including religious zeal that is not the goal by itself, but the instrument of spiritual and moral development. There is a proverbial saying in Russia—force a fool to pray to God and he will beat his forehead. Many anecdotes portray in a comic light this certain pseudo-piety, the eternal human intention to follow the letter of religion to the detriment of its spirit, while remaining the same stingy, calculating, deceitful, vain, and lustful creatures that care not a bit about their own inner transformation. Religious anecdotes mock blind imitation of the authorities, literal (and often absurd) interpretation of the Scriptures, inappropriate claims to sainthood, and the insatiable desire to use God and religion in self-interest. Religious humor, therefore, purifies human souls from the filth of intolerance and fanaticism. It awakens respect and compassion toward those people who profess another faith or hold different views and opinions, and belong to diverse races, nations, classes and civilizations. Thus, religious humor teaches us to love and appreciate religion in ourselves and not ourselves in religion—an attitude needed in our contemporary post-Cold War world, stricken by the fever of religious terrorism

The Future of Freedom of Expression Online

Should social media companies ban Holocaust denial from their platforms? What about conspiracy theorists that spew hate? Does good corporate citizenship mean platforms should remove offensive speech or tolerate it? The content moderation rules that companies develop to govern speech on their platforms will have significant implications for the future of freedom of expression. Given that the prospects for compelling platforms to respect users’ free speech rights are bleak within the U.S. system, what can be done to protect this important right? In June 2018, the United Nations’ top expert for freedom of expression called on companies to align their speech codes with standards embodied in international human rights law, particularly the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). After the controversy over de-platforming Alex Jones in August 2018, Twitter’s CEO agreed that his company should root its values in international human rights law and Facebook referenced this body of law in discussing its content moderation policies. This is the first article to explore what companies would need to do to align the substantive restrictions in their speech codes with Article 19 of the ICCPR, which is the key international standard for protecting freedom of expression. In order to examine this issue in a concrete way, this Article assesses whether Twitter’s hate speech rules would need to be modified. This Article also evaluates potential benefits of and concerns with aligning corporate speech codes with this international standard. This Article concludes it would be both feasible and desirable for companies to ground their speech codes in this standard; however, further multi-stakeholder discussions would be helpful to clarify certain issues that arise in translating international human rights law into a corporate context

Islamist movements at crossroads: the choice between ideology and context-driven approach to politics. Case study on the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

The aim of the paper is to analyse the ongoing transformation process within the Islamist movements using the example of the moderate Islamic Action Front party in Jordan. The dilemma of participation in the 2010 general elections raised tensions between the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan and its political wing, the Islamic Action Front, and between doves and hawks of the same organizations. Internal debate on the future has started recently among different groups within the Islamist movement in Jordan. The research is based on the author‘s recent field experience in Jordan (April–July 2010, Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship at the American Centre of Oriental Research, Amman, Jordan). The author also conducted research in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Egypt, where several interviews were carried out with leading and lower level Islamist politicians. The dynamic changes within Islamic Action Front Party in Jordan and its relation with the regime has been used as reference point. The main question of the research was aa how the changing political and regional context shapes decisions of the Islamist with special attention to the acceptance of democratic values and human rights, political participation, and the meanings of Islamic values in the 21st century, possible cooperation with secular parties/movements/the regime

The Middle East Justice & Reconciliation Initiative

Report on Muslim/Christian faith-based reconciliation dialogue in Cyprus - this report includes a description of faith-based reconciliation methodology in relation to The Middle East Justice & Reconciliation Initiative