Would non-Muslim students studying at Muhammadiyah campuses be targets of Islamization? Not at all. Not even in thought.
Those who are Christian and study at Muhammadiyah campuses actually become more Christian. Those who are Catholic become more Catholic. The same goes for Hindus and Buddhists.
Stories like this are quite common. Both in the eastern part of Indonesia, where Muhammadiyah campuses are dominated by non-Muslim students, and in other areas where non-Muslims are a minority. An example is ITB AD (Institut Teknologi dan Bisnis Ahmad Dahlan) in Jakarta.
At that campus, Yulianti Muthmainnah, a lecturer at ITB AD, has received several “love letters” from parents of students. Their children—non-Muslims—who previously rarely went to church, suddenly became diligent churchgoers after attending the AIK (Al-Islam and Kemuhammadiyahan) course cluster. Yuli teaches these courses.
There are five courses in this cluster: Akidah Akhlak (Faith and Morality), Ibadah (Worship), Quran Practicum, Kemuhammadiyah (Muhammadiyah Studies), and Islamic Studies and Muamalah (Social Transactions). All of these are mandatory for all students, including non-Muslims.
In the Quran Practicum course, non-Muslim students are not required to memorize specific chapters or verses of the Quran. Instead, non-Muslim (Christian or Catholic) students are assigned to take notes on sermons at church on Sundays. Students who previously never went to church now regularly attend church every weekend. Christians are coming to know their God through the Muhammadiyah campus.
“Thank you, ma’am. My child, who previously did not go to church, now goes to church. I never expected that at an Islamic campus, they would become diligent in worship. Even though they had previously attended Christian educational institutions several times,” read one of the “love letters” sent to Yuli. This happened several times, each from different parents.
In the Worship course, non-Muslim students are asked to present about their religious practices that are similar to or intersect with Islamic worship. For example, if Islam has zakat (almsgiving), Christianity or Catholicism has tithing. Similarly, Islam has obligatory fasting during Ramadan, and their religion also has fasting. Generally, they will choose topics like fasting or tithing and present them to the class.
On one occasion, there were Christian students, both male and female, who chose the topic of fasting and presented fasting from a Christian perspective. At the end of the presentation, one of them shared a story, tearing up. Unable to hold back their tears, with swollen eyes, they explained that it was the first time they spoke about their religion freely, without fear, in front of non-Christians. Because, from kindergarten through high school, they never had the opportunity to talk about their religion at all.
Tolerance is not only present in theory but is deeply rooted in actions.
So, why do some non-Muslims choose Muhammadiyah campuses? There are, of course, normative considerations, such as the availability of specific programs and the cost of tuition. Interestingly, some of them admit that Muhammadiyah is moderate. How do they see this? It’s simple. Muhammadiyah has never disrupted others’ religious gatherings or burned other Islamic mosques.
Muhammadiyah rarely has a history of conflicts on the ground. The paramilitary within Muhammadiyah is only used to protect public figures, not to carry out anarchic actions at all.
Aside from these reasons, there is no Islamization in Muhammadiyah. No coercion. Including the matter of wearing the hijab. In fact, Christians become more devout Christians, strengthening their faith.
This simple fact is what people outside of Islam notice.
Why is AIK (Al-Islam and Kemuhammadiyahan) mandatory for all students, regardless of their religion? Yuli mentions several reasons. First, AIK is a characteristic of Muhammadiyah campuses. There is no AIK course cluster at other campuses. AIK becomes the foundation, the basis of their lives, serving as a compass and a light to guide their way. In the future, graduates of ITB-AD Jakarta, whether they become public accountants, architects, or pursue other professions, will not only be experts in their fields but also have religious grounding such as trustworthiness, not engaging in corruption, respect for women’s rights, moderation, and using religion as a guiding light in life.
Second, non-Muslim students who take AIK are expected to become peace builders. They observe Islamic discourse up close, not from an outsider’s perspective tinged with Islamophobia or accusations of Islam as a terrorist religion. They will become messengers of peace. People who bear witness that Islam is a peaceful religion. People who bear witness that in the classroom, there is no material that teaches hatred of other religions or enmity toward different beliefs
Third, students can also become agents of interfaith dialogue because they have learned about things outside their own religion.
In the classroom, including those taught by Yuli, all beliefs are respected equally. Everyone is given the space to speak. There is absolutely no coercion to believe in this or that. There is no Islamization just as there is no Christianization.
In fact, rather than judging, Yuli goes further by offering solutions to problems found in other religions. Yuli often includes current issues such as the SDGs, Climate Change, UN Resolutions, and various Human Rights Declarations from organizations like the UN, OIC, or ASEAN in each AIK course.
In the Akidah Akhlak course, during a dialogue in the Sarjana Desa class, there was a warm discussion among students in response to a Hindu student’s presentation on the obligation of sea offerings. Other students asked questions such as, “How can sea offerings avoid polluting the ocean?” The Hindu student seemed to think hard and struggled to explain.
“What if the trays used are made from banana leaves or coconut leaves? Because if the trays are made of plastic, it will pollute the environment. If eaten by fish, the fish could die. Leaves are safe,” Yuli suggested to her students. The students agreed. At the end of the course, when creating a creative video assignment, the Hindu student uploaded a video on how to make trays with banana leaves and coconut leaves as containers, which she used for the Hindu sea offering ceremony in Bali. This is how the AIK course is taught at ITB-AD Jakarta. Everyone is happy, everyone learns about diversity and respect.
Penerjemah: Keziah Abigail
