Transformative Islamic education in conflict-prone plural societies: a holistic pedagogical model from Papua, Indonesia

This study examines how Islamic Religious Education (IRE) is pedagogically enacted at a private Madrasah Tsanawiyah (MTs), an Islamic junior secondary school in Sentani District, Papua, Indonesia, a predominantly non-Muslim and conflict-prone region. Employing a qualitative-reflective design, the study draws on document analysis of a Grade VIII Fiqh lesson plan (RPP), non-participant classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews with seven purposively selected participants, including an Islamic Religious Education teacher, school leaders, and students. The analysis is informed by holistic educational principles, particularly wholeness, connectedness, and ethical humanisation, as analytical lenses rather than prescriptive frameworks. The findings indicate that IRE at MTs is enacted through context-responsive pedagogical practices that integrate interfaith dialogue, moral reflection, and communal responsibility. At the same time, the study identifies tensions between transformative pedagogical aspirations and established instructional habits, especially the continued reliance on memorisation-oriented learning. Teacher pedagogical agency and reflective curriculum-making emerge as key mediating processes in adapting Islamic education to a Muslim-minority context. While the practices observed are partial, uneven, and limited to a single case, the study offers empirically grounded insights into how holistic pedagogical orientations are negotiated within conflict-sensitive educational environments and highlights directions for future research on institutional support and long-term pedagogical impact.