THE MODERATION IN ACTUALIZING THE RELIGIOUS HARMONY AND ISLAMIC CULTURE IN SOUTH WEST COAST OF ACEH – INDONESIA

Abstract

Aceh is a province where Islamic sharia law is applied, owning to diverse understanding towards religious and Islamic cultural practices. One of areas in Aceh, where Islamic values are highly precedent is in the south west coast, the districts of Southwest Aceh and South Aceh. The aim of this study is to find out the attitude of moderation in forming the harmony into culture and religion. The research instruments are observation, interview and documentation. The data analysis is conducted through data reduction, data display and data verification/conclusion. The result of the study indicates that someone that is considerably moderated can be reflected to the attitude of taking the neutral and be considerate towards compromise in reconciliating problems both in religious affair and cultural practices which can encourage society to live together harmoniously. Religious and cultural harmony is a manifestation that is constructed together based on the awareness of individual and group of people to respect each other, maintain the cultural values as heritage, participate in major Islamic days, such as maulid Nabi SAW, samadiyah, grave pilgrimage, tulak bala and kanduri jeurat.Keywords: moderation, harmonious, religion, culture and Acehnese south west coast