The Functioning of Religious Figures in the Political Sphere: Ahead of the 2024 Elections
Abstract
The 2024 elections will be politic year in Indonesia, indicating a democratic process for its citizens. It encourages candidate pairs to seek figures known to the community, one of whom is a religious figure whose authority to the society is highly respected by the society, especially in Indonesia. This paper aims to explore how religious figures, as public figures, possess extensive knowledge, particularly in religion. This study, in the process of data analysis, employs a descriptive qualitative approach. The primary data source are several religious figures in Central Kalimantan, with the criteria of clerical figures who have a congregation/followers, at least 10 years in preaching in the community and have broad insights from various aspects and mastery of the main Islamic teachings. Based on the observations, it is evident that religious leaders, in carrying out their functions in the realm of politics/political literacy, are still few. This is evidenced by some existing religious leaders who still speak at the level of Islamic law, family/marriage issues and personal practices. Based on the observations conducted, it was shown that religious figures, in carrying out their functions in the political/literary sphere, are still few, as evidenced by some religious characters still speaking on the subject of Islamic law, family/marriage issues and practices of a personal nature.
Keywords: functionalization, religious leaders, political, election
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