Minister Stresses Ecotheology-based Curriculum in Religious Education

Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar has emphasised the importance of strengthening a religious education curriculum based on ecotheology, which highlights the relationship between humans, nature, and God in a unified value consciousness. During a visit to Bandung, West Java on Tuesday, he explained that this spiritual concept can build a mutually loving relationship among humans, fellow beings, the universe, and God as an inseparable unity. “Ecotheology is an awareness that must arise in every person to love fellow humans, to love the universe, and at the same time for humans and nature to love their God. It is like a love triangle,” he said whilst visiting the Al-Qur’an Al-Falah Cicalengka Islamic Boarding School. He explained that this approach is important so that humans do not view nature merely as an object of exploitation, but rather as part of a balanced life system that must be maintained. “If there is no love, nature will only be considered an object. Ultimately, what happens is just exploitation without considering the impact,” he said. He cited that environmental damage can have a wide impact on the ecosystem’s balance, including the loss of biodiversity and disruption of the chain of life in nature. “If forests are cut down without control, the ecosystem can be damaged, animals disappear, and the balance of nature is disrupted,” he stated. In the context of religious education, he highlighted that ecotheology learning is often not conveyed completely, thus causing the deep meaning to be severed in the learning process. He also stressed the importance of continuity in religious education at pesantren, particularly from the Madrasah Tsanawiyah to Madrasah Aliyah levels, so that understanding does not stop at the basic stage. According to him, after the material is studied at the Tsanawiyah level, it should be continued more deeply at the Aliyah level without repeating the same material, but rather developing analytical aspects and advanced interpretation. “If necessary, it should not be repeated again in Aliyah, but continued so that the deeper parts of the text can be fully understood,” he said. On the occasion, Nasaruddin Umar added that classical Islamic texts must also be understood completely in pesantren, not just stopping at the beginning of the learning stages. “Let us look, for example, at classical hadith texts like Sahih Muslim. The beginning is usually studied, but the final parts are not completed. Yet in those final parts, there is a very spiritual dimension,” he said. He asserted that strengthening an ecotheology-based curriculum and ensuring the continuity of pesantren learning is expected to produce a generation that is more whole in understanding religion while possessing a strong ecological awareness.