The 2024 Presidential Election: Contestation of Religious Ideology in Electoral Politics

Abstract

This descriptive research examines the impact of using religious ideology in electoral politics on interfaith harmony and tolerance in Indonesia, focusing on the 2024 presidential election. This research aims to investigate how political candidates use social media to mobilize religious ideology and its effect on public opinion and electoral outcomes. Secondary data were collected through a comprehensive literature review, analyzing recent elections, content analysis of social media posts, patterns in social media engagement, the effectiveness of existing interfaith dialogue initiatives, and the role of misinformation, hate speech, and hoaxes related to religious ideology in electoral politics. The study found that the use of religious ideology in electoral politics has the potential to negatively impact harmony and tolerance among religious communities in Indonesia. Social media plays a crucial role in the mobilization of religious ideology by political candidates. The combination of religious ideology and social media usage may exacerbate existing interfaith tensions and further polarize the political landscape in Indonesia. The research concludes by recommending that citizens need to have a moderate understanding of religion, understand digital literacy, and always be wise in using social media with a filtering culture before sharing.
 Keywords: electoral politics, Indonesia, interfaith harmony, religious ideology, social media