Social media serves as a dynamic platform for shaping contemporary religious discourse, particularly in Indonesia’s diverse society. This study investigates Indonesian netizens’ perceptions of moderasi beragama [religious moderation, RM], a government initiative by the Ministry of Religious Affairs aimed at fostering interfaith harmony and countering radicalism. A corpus of Indonesian-language tweets containing the phrase “moderasi beragama” was compiled from January 2019 to December 2023, yielding 17,948 tokens after duplicate removal and text normalization. Using Sketch Engine, collocation and Key Word in Context analyses uncovered key themes and evaluative patterns in the discussion of RM. The findings reveal five recurring themes: RM as a top-down policy, its focus on social harmony, its explicit role in combating extremism, the media’s influential role in shaping RM narratives, and perceptions that RM disproportionately “targets” Islam. While many users applauded RM for reducing sectarian conflict and promoting tolerance, critics argue that it could serve political motives by marginalizing conservative voices or monopolizing religious truth. These critiques highlight tensions between RM’s stated goals and its perceived implementation. This study highlights the potential of RM to foster unity in Indonesia’s pluralistic society but emphasizes the necessity of inclusivity, transparent dialogue, and respect for diverse theological views. The findings conclude that RM must remain an authentic initiative for harmony, rather than a tool for political or ideological control, to achieve meaningful and sustainable interfaith cooperation.

Key words: moderasi beragama, religious moderation, secularization, religious truth monopolization, social harmony

DOI: 10.22250/20728662-2025-4-148-160

Download the paper (PDF)

About the authors

	Suhandoko – M.Pd., Lecturer at the English Department, Universitas Islam Negeri (State Islamic University of Sunan Ampel; 682 Dr. Ir. H. Soekarno St., Gunung Anyar, Surabaya, 60294, Indonesia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
	Dian Riesti Ningrum – Master in the Humanities, Adjunct Lecturer at the Faculty of Humanities, Airlangga University; Dharmawangsa Dalam St., Gubeng, Surabaya, 60286, Indonesia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.