Azyumardi Azra's Thoughts on the Contribution of Multicultural Islamic Education to Strengthening Indonesian Nationalism

Nur Laili Indah Soraya (Universitas Islam Negeri K.H. Abdurrahman Wahid Pekalongan, Indonesia)
Intan Saffana Zahira (Universitas Islam Negeri K.H. Abdurrahman Wahid Pekalongan, Indonesia)
Nailul Amaliyah (Universitas Islam Negeri K.H. Abdurrahman Wahid Pekalongan, Indonesia)
Pramudita Bagas Jati (Universitas Islam Negeri K.H. Abdurrahman Wahid Pekalongan, Indonesia)
Muh. Ikhwan Nurosid (Universitas Islam Negeri K.H. Abdurrahman Wahid Pekalongan, Indonesia)
Fidella Ainindias Tabita (Universitas Islam Negeri K.H. Abdurrahman Wahid Pekalongan, Indonesia)
Arkan Khalid Ibrahim (Universitas Islam Negeri K.H. Abdurrahman Wahid Pekalongan, Indonesia)

TATHO: International Journal of Islamic Thought and Sciences
Volume 3, Issue 2 (2026)

This qualitative study, conducted as a literature review, aims to describe Azyumardi Azra’s views on strategies for strengthening Indonesian nationalism through multicultural Islamic education. The findings indicate that, in Azyumardi Azra’s view, multicultural education not only fosters tolerance but also serves as the ideological foundation for inclusive nationalism. In Indonesia’s pluralistic society, this education shifts the paradigm of nationalism from homogeneous to pluralistic, transforming differences into a source of national strength. This study contributes to the assertion that multicultural education strengthens social cohesion, builds an adaptive national identity, and prevents identity-based horizontal conflicts.