Muslim-Christian Relation on the Basis of Christian Village in Malang, East Java, Indonesia: Socio-Theological Reconstruction for Building Religious Harmony

Abstract

Inherited by a long history of fluctuating relations between Muslims and Christians, both communities are suspicious each other if among them being the ruler, it will curb religious freedom for others. I argue that power and majority domination does not always deprive religious freedom for other groups. This paper focuses on the socio-theological reconstruction of Muslim minority and Christian majority for building religious harmony, although the relation was colored by conflict and violence in New Order Era. The portrait of Muslim-Christian relations in two different era. In the New Order era characterized by conflict and violence, because they both departed from the doctrine of religious sentiments existing in each holy books and majority domination. In the Reform Era, portraits of the relation became more harmonious, because of the transformation of a community views of the two religions on exclusivism toward inclusiveness. Strategies and models of teaching the Muslims involve an inclusive approach, values of universality in Islam, and the tolerance to the Christian culture. While the teaching strategy adopted by the Christian community is doing reconstruction of religious theology through the rearrangement of Christian teaching to be more inclusive to other religion. The strengthening of harmonious relations between Muslim and Christian in Peniwen marked by increasing religious awareness, cooperation in various aspects of life and theological reconstruction to be more tolerant, inclusive and humanistic.

Keywords: Muslim-Christian relations, fluctuations, conflict, harmony, Christian village