KARSA Journal of Social and Islamic Culture

Post-Conflict Democratization: A Comparative Case Study of Cambodia and Nigeria’s Experiences

2025-08-12T16:34:32+07:00

Religious conflicts occurred in various countries, from Nigeria's 1980 conflict between Islam and Christianity to Cambodia's religious conflict in 1970. This study examines how religion reconstructs democracy following civil wars in Cambodia and Nigeria. Cambodia emphasizes a spiritual approach for conflict-affected communities to eliminate future conflicts, making religion a collective spiritual tool. Nigeria emphasizes an institutionalized approach using mediation and interfaith dialogue, using religion as socio-political mediation. This comparative study examines religion's role in post-conflict democratic reconstruction in both countries. The research analyzes using Most Similar System Design (MSSD) two countries with systemic similarities, including religious-based civil conflict, influential religious actors, and democracy disruptions between 1970 and 2005. Despite similarities, Cambodia and Nigeria used different faith-based peacebuilding strategies. In Cambodia, Buddhist monk Maha Ghosananda adopted a spiritual approach, focusing on healing through rituals like the “Pilgrimage of Truth” to restore trust and values for reconstructing democracy. In Nigeria, religious leaders Imam Muhammad Nurayn Ashafa and Pastor James Movel Wuye used an institutionalized approach, emphasizing mediation and interfaith dialogue for socio-political reconciliation. While Cambodia's approach yielded stronger personal reconciliation, Nigeria’s strategy effectively reduced violence and polarization, establishing deliberative democracy. The study concludes that religious peacebuilding effectiveness depends on context, with the socio-political environment shaping strategies. Quantitative data from V-Dem shows religious actor interventions coincide with improved democratic indicators, highlighting faith-based peacebuilding’s contribution to democratic reconstruction.

Aestheticizing Coexistence: Public Perceptions of the Istiqlal-Cathedral Tunnel on Social Media

2025-08-12T14:59:03+07:00

Although Indonesia is known for its religious diversity, numerous incidents of intolerance reveal that symbols and practices of tolerance have yet to be deeply rooted in the country's social fabric. the Terowongan Silaturahmi in this context, a connecting passage between the Istiqlal Mosque and the Jakarta Cathedral—stands out as a rare spatial phenomenon symbolizing interfaith harmony in an urban landscape. This study aims to examine the aesthetic and architectural dimensions of the tunnel and analyze public perceptions of it as a representation of pluralist values. Employing a qualitative-descriptive approach supported by digital quantitative analysis, the study integrates architectural interpretation, literature review, and sentiment classification of 2,003 comments from 5 videos on the YouTube page using the IndoBERT model and word cloud visualization. The findings reveal that the tunnel is broadly perceived as a positive symbol of tolerance and national identity, though some resistance emerges from conservative groups. Therefore, the Terowongan Silaturahmi exempli-fies how architecture can function as a medium for dialogue and social education on interfaith coexistence within Indonesia's public spaces.

Constructing Territorial Identity: Strategic Narrative in Aceh’s Maritime Boundary Disputes

2025-08-27T13:06:13+07:00

Territorial disputes concerning maritime boundaries have grown increasingly intricate in the context of subnational autonomy, especially in areas with special administrative status. The communication strategies employed by the Aceh government regarding maritime territorial claims exemplify a distinctive instance of strategic narrative construction within Indonesia’s decentralized governance framework. This study investigates how the Aceh government formulates strategic narratives in territorial claims, scrutinizing the discursive patterns, rhetorical strategies, and power dynamics inherent in their political communication related to maritime boundary disputes. This research utilizes Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) in accordance with Fairclough’s three-dimensional framework, examining official documents, press statements, and public speeches delivered by Aceh government officials from 2018 to 2024. The data were subjected to analysis through textual examination, discursive practice evaluation, and contextualization of social practices. The analysis uncovers three predominant narrative strategies: (1) historical legitimacy narratives that invoke pre-colonial sovereignty, (2) legal-constitutional narratives that underscore special autonomy rights, and (3) economic security narratives that emphasize resource sovereignty. The government employs particular linguistic devices, including metaphorical expressions, intertextuality, and strategic ambiguity, to construct legitimacy while addressing multiple audiences. Aceh's strategic narrative construction illustrates a sophisticated discursive management of territorial claims within constitutional limitations. The findings enhance the understanding of subnational political communication in territorial disputes and provide insights for conflict resolution through narrative mediation.