Transformative Da‘wah through Interfaith Encounters: Experiential Religious Moderation among Santri in Papua

Abstract

This study examines the ‘Jumat Berkah’ (Blessed Friday) program at Yaa Bunayya Islamic Boarding School in Jayapura, Papua, as a form of interfaith-oriented transformative da‘wah in a Christian-majority social context. Rather than treating da‘wah primarily as verbal preaching, the program engages santri in food sharing and respectful encounters with non-Muslim Indigenous Papuan community members. Using a qualitative phenomenological design, the study draws on participatory observation, in-depth interviews with santri, pesantren educators, and non-Muslim Indigenous Papuan participants, and activity documentation. The analysis focuses on ethical modeling, social interaction, reciprocity, and the internalization of four religious-moderation values: tawasuth (the middle path), tasamuh (tolerance), musawah (equality), and tathawwur wa ibtikar (dynamism and innovation). The findings indicate that moderation is learned not only through doctrinal instruction but through repeated embodied encounters in which santri practice non-discrimination, attentive listening, and respectful social presence. The program also creates a relational space in which non-Muslim community members encounter Islam through service rather than persuasion. At the same time, the food-distribution model contains a potential giver-recipient asymmetry, making community voice, reciprocity, and reflection essential to avoiding paternalistic forms of charity. The study proposes interfaith-oriented transformative da‘wah as a contextual pedagogical model that combines humanitarian service, ethical modeling, dialogical encounter, and reflexive learning. It contributes to scholarship on religious moderation in Papua by shifting attention from interreligious contestation and elite dialogue toward everyday pesantren-based experiential practice.