UPI Students’ Perceptions of Jihad Based on Their Regions of Origin

Abstract

Extreme and radical events in the name of jihad by a group of Muslims, has now spread to several areas of Indonesia, including in universities such as Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI). It is assumed that UPI students’ regions of origin give effects on their perceptions of jihad. The purpose of this study is to describe and to analyze UPI students’ perception about jihad based on their regions of origin. The study employed descriptive method with qualitative approach. The data collection was performed by using special instrument related to jihad. The instrument was assigned to members of three Islamic Student Activity. The data were analyzed by using Miles and Huberman model and confirmed to the jihad reading variant of Yusuf Qardhawi. The results show that the geographic area and sociological characteristics of a Muslim influence his/her religious views, including the perception of jihad. Textual or literal religious understanding of the source of Islamic teachings and the paradigm of equating all geographical regions tend to give rise to conservative, extreme, and radical perceptions. Meanwhile, the perception of moderate jihad arises from a contextual or ma’nawi understanding of the source of Islamic teachings as well as observing the geographical diversity of a region.