<![CDATA[Multicultural Islamic education is positioned as a strategic approach to shaping tolerant and ethical Islamic character within plural societies. However, empirical realities reveal a serious paradox when multicultural Islamic education is implemented by Islamic Religious Education teachers who lack adequate conceptual and pedagogical understanding. This study aims to critically examine teachers’ limited comprehension of multicultural Islamic education and its implications for students’ character formation. The research employs a qualitative approach using a literature review method, with data collected through a systematic examination of relevant scholarly sources. Data analysis was conducted thematically to identify conceptual patterns and implementation challenges in multicultural Islamic education. The findings indicate that insufficient teacher understanding leads to the implementation of multicultural Islamic education in a formalistic and symbolic manner, preventing meaningful internalization within classroom practices and school culture. This condition contributes to the persistence of intolerance, exclusivism, and weakened Islamic character among students. The study concludes that the effectiveness of multicultural Islamic education is largely determined by the quality of teachers’ understanding and their role as agents of value transformation. Strengthening and reconstructing Islamic Religious Education teachers’ competencies is therefore essential to ensure that multicultural Islamic education functions substantively and transformatively.]]>
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