Tolerance model of Muslim students for Christians in Indonesia

Abstract

This research is aimed to examine the influences of Islamic identity and Islamic Fundamentalism on the tolerance for Christians, either directly or indirectly, mediated by the Islamic ethnocentrism in Indonesia. Such influences are constructed in the theoretical model of tolerance for Christians. In order to examine the model, data were collected from a sample consisting of 387 undergraduate Muslim students in the fourth semester in state higher education in Semarang, Indonesia by applying stratified cluster random sampling. The data collection used the Scale of Tolerance for Christians, Scale of Islamic Ethnocentrism, Scale of Islamic Identity, and Scale of Islamic Fundamentalism. The obtained data were then analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. The results of the analysis indicated that: 1) The theoretical model of the influence of Islamic identity and Islamic fundamentalism on the tolerance for Christians, either directly or indirectly, mediated by Islamic ethnocentrism is valid or supported by the empirical data. 2). Variables of Islamic identity and Islamic fundamentalism have influences upon Islamic ethnocentrism. 3). Variables of Islamic identity, Islamic fundamentalism, and Islamic ethnocentrism have influences upon the tolerance for Christians. 4) Islamic identity and Islamic fundamentalism have indirect influences upon the tolerance for Christians through Islamic ethnocentrism.