<![CDATA[Islamic education curriculum transformation under the Merdeka Belajar policy presents a distinctive challenge for remote pesantren, where demands for curricular flexibility, digital adaptation, and twenty-first-century competencies intersect with established Islamic epistemologies and institutional traditions. This study examines the Merdeka Belajar paradox in remote pesantren by synthesizing evidence from previous empirical studies and relevant literature on Islamic education curriculum transformation. A mixed evidence approach was organized through the Context-Input-Process-Product (CIPP) framework and supported by Fuzzy Synthetic Evaluation (FSE) as an analytical lens for interpreting multidimensional and uncertain evaluative evidence. The synthesis indicates that curricular autonomy creates opportunities for contextualized, project-oriented, and competency-based learning, yet its implementation remains constrained by unequal infrastructure, educator readiness, digital resources, and institutional capacity. The evidence further suggests that curriculum transformation cannot be evaluated solely through cognitive and technological outcomes because pesantren education simultaneously emphasizes spiritual formation, religious traditions, kitab kuning learning, and the pedagogical authority of kiai. These tensions constitute the Merdeka Belajar paradox: greater curricular flexibility does not automatically produce effective transformation when institutional capacity and local educational values are insufficiently accommodated. The study proposes a hybrid contextual Islamic curriculum framework integrating national competencies, contextual pedagogy, institutional capacity, and pesantren epistemological traditions]]>
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