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Teaching Tolerance through Law and Language: English for Sharia Purposes and Interfaith Legal Education in Indonesia

Contemporary Issues on Interfaith Law and Society · Vol. 4 No. 2 (2025) · pp. 289–328

DOI
10.15294/ciils.v4i2.33170
ISSN
2829-8624, 2829-8373
Published
2025-12-31
Publisher
Universitas Negeri Semarang
Language
eng
License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

Abstract

This study examines how English for Sharia Purposes can serve as a pedagogical platform for cultivating tolerance and interfaith competence among Muslim law students in Indonesia’s plural legal order, where state law interacts with Sharia-based norms and diverse religious communities. Conducted at Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN) Salatiga within the Constitutional Law study program of the Faculty of Sharia, the research responds to institutional commitments to Islamic moderation and global engagement. While English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in Sharia faculties has traditionally emphasized linguistic proficiency, limited attention has been given to its potential for preparing future Sharia lawyers to navigate socio-legal challenges involving religious rights, minority protections, and interreligious dispute resolution. Using a qualitative descriptive design, data were collected through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews with lecturers and students, and document analysis of teaching materials and institutional policy statements. Findings show that debates on minority rights, interfaith-mediation role-plays, and analysis of constitutional and international human-rights texts did more than improve students’ legal English; they fostered professional dispositions of fairness, empathy, and rights-aware reasoning grounded in Sharia principles of ʿadl (justice), tasāmuh (tolerance), and wasatiyyah (moderation). Student reflections suggested movement from “othering” to recognizing non-Muslims as equal subjects of justice, consistent with intercultural sensitivity and interfaith competence models. The study contributes to interfaith law and society by demonstrating how discipline-specific language education can serve as a socio-legal formation, translating interfaith ethics into practical legal communication skills for plural, rights-based contexts.

Keywords

Collaboration network of the authors

40 authors · 128 co-authorship links · 7 across different organisations · showing the 40 most connected

Hover or tap a name to highlight its co-authors. Double-click to open the author's page.

  • State University of Semarang
  • Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember
  • Universitas Muhammadiyah Gresik
  • University of Brawijaya
  • Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang
  • Affiliation unknown
  • Different organisations
  • Same organisation
  • Affiliation unknown
  • Thicker line = more joint articles · bigger circle = more articles
Show as table
Co-authorOrganisationJoint articles
Cahya WulandariState University of Semarang7
Muhammad Azil MaskurAffiliation unknown6
Ridwan ArifinAffiliation unknown6
Rudi HartonoAffiliation unknown5
Muhsin MuhsinAffiliation unknown4
Anis WidyawatiAffiliation unknown4
Hendi PratamaAffiliation unknown4
Dwi Anggani Linggar BharatiAffiliation unknown4
‪Eram Tunggul Pawenang‬State University of Semarang3
Aprila NiravitaAffiliation unknown3
Rohadhatul AisyAffiliation unknown3
Rodiyah RodiyahAffiliation unknown3
SRI WAHYUNIAffiliation unknown3
Abdurrahman FaridiAffiliation unknown3
Abdurrachman FaridiAffiliation unknown3
Issy YuliasriAffiliation unknown3
Farid SukmanaUniversitas Muhammadiyah Gresik2
Diana PurwitasariInstitut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember2
Satrio Hadi WijoyoUniversity of Brawijaya2
Septiyan Andika IsantaUniversitas Muhammadiyah Malang2
Nadhira Madania DimartiAffiliation unknown2
Rasdi RasdiAffiliation unknown2
Niken SubektiState University of Semarang2
Heru SetyantoAffiliation unknown2
Sonika MaulanaAffiliation unknown2
Rifa’atunnisa Rifa’atunnisaAffiliation unknown2
Juhadi JuhadiAffiliation unknown2
Windiahsari WindiahsariAffiliation unknown2
Salsabila TriandaniAffiliation unknown2
Rizqan NaelufarAffiliation unknown2
Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad SabriAffiliation unknown2
Roziya AbuAffiliation unknown2
Dwi RukminiAffiliation unknown2
Girindra Putri Dewi SaraswatiAffiliation unknown2

Affiliations come from OpenAlex; journal OAI-PMH metadata carries none. Authors without an OpenAlex ID are matched by name, which can merge or split people.

Metadata source: OAI-PMH (metadata jurnal) https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/ciils/oai, first harvested 5 Nov 2026, last seen 5 Nov 2026.
Original metadata (oai_dc) 
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	<dc:title xml:lang="en">Teaching Tolerance through Law and Language: English for Sharia Purposes and Interfaith Legal Education in Indonesia</dc:title>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Saputra, Heru</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Sakhiyya, Zulfa</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Astuti, Puji</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Rozi, Fahrur</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Masyhar, Ali</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Paudel , Dolendra </dc:creator>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">English for Sharia</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Interfaith competence</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Islamic higher education</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Religious freedom</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en"> Islamic legal education</dc:subject>
	<dc:description xml:lang="en">This study examines how English for Sharia Purposes can serve as a pedagogical platform for cultivating tolerance and interfaith competence among Muslim law students in Indonesia’s plural legal order, where state law interacts with Sharia-based norms and diverse religious communities. Conducted at Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN) Salatiga within the Constitutional Law study program of the Faculty of Sharia, the research responds to institutional commitments to Islamic moderation and global engagement. While English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in Sharia faculties has traditionally emphasized linguistic proficiency, limited attention has been given to its potential for preparing future Sharia lawyers to navigate socio-legal challenges involving religious rights, minority protections, and interreligious dispute resolution. Using a qualitative descriptive design, data were collected through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews with lecturers and students, and document analysis of teaching materials and institutional policy statements. Findings show that debates on minority rights, interfaith-mediation role-plays, and analysis of constitutional and international human-rights texts did more than improve students’ legal English; they fostered professional dispositions of fairness, empathy, and rights-aware reasoning grounded in Sharia principles of ʿadl (justice), tasāmuh (tolerance), and wasatiyyah (moderation). Student reflections suggested movement from “othering” to recognizing non-Muslims as equal subjects of justice, consistent with intercultural sensitivity and interfaith competence models. The study contributes to interfaith law and society by demonstrating how discipline-specific language education can serve as a socio-legal formation, translating interfaith ethics into practical legal communication skills for plural, rights-based contexts.</dc:description>
	<dc:publisher xml:lang="en">Universitas Negeri Semarang</dc:publisher>
	<dc:date>2025-12-31</dc:date>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/article</dc:type>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion</dc:type>
	<dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
	<dc:identifier>https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/ciils/article/view/33170</dc:identifier>
	<dc:identifier>10.15294/ciils.v4i2.33170</dc:identifier>
	<dc:source xml:lang="en">Contemporary Issues on Interfaith Law and Society; Vol. 4 No. 2 (2025): Digital Society and Interfaith Legal Challenges; 289–328</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2829-8624</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2829-8373</dc:source>
	<dc:language>eng</dc:language>
	<dc:relation>https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/ciils/article/view/33170/8067</dc:relation>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">Copyright (c) 2025 Heru Saputra, Zulfa Sakhiyya, Puji Astuti, Fahrur Rozi, Ali Masyhar, Dolendra  Paudel  (Author)</dc:rights>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0</dc:rights>
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