The Dynamics of The Relationship between Religious Identity and Fundamentalism in Predicting Muslim Prejudice against Christian in Indonesia

Abstract

Many empirical studies have explored the relationship between religious identity, fundamentalism, and prejudice. However, very few investigations have been conducted into whether the relationship between fundamentalism and religious identity generates prejudice; this is because fundamentalism is often seen as a particular form of religious identity. This research positions religious identity and fundamentalism as two separate things, stemming from an awareness of contemporary developments that a fundamentalist does not always display “hard” or “extreme” expressions of religious identity. This study also analyzes the two within the context of a mutually explanative relationship (Religious identity → Fundamentalism, and Fundamentalism → Religious identity). 639 Islamic college students (372 males, 267 females) recruited with convenience sampling method participated in this study. Using a correlational design, the data were analyzed using hierarchical regression analysis to determine the role of gender, age, and religious fundamentalism in predicting prejudice. Furthermore, mediation analysis was carried out twice, by placing fundamentalism and religious identity, exchangeably, as mediating variables to predict prejudice. Results showed that (1) Age and gender did not significantly contribute to the prejudice. However, the prejudice can be predicted by religious identity and fundamentalism, (2) Fundamentalism is a mediator between religious identity and prejudice, (3) Religious identity is a mediator between fundamentalism and prejudice. This finding indicates that inter-religious prejudice can emerge as a reflection of both (1) fundamentalism through religious identity, as well as (2) religious identity through fundamentalism. The use of mediation analysis in this research sheds light on the complex interplay between religious identity, fundamentalism, and prejudice. It reveals that both fundamentalism and religious identity can mediate the relationship between each other and prejudice. This insight into the mediation processes can help researchers and policymakers better understand the mechanisms behind inter-religious prejudice.