URBAN MUSLIM CHARACTER FORMATION: AN ANALYSIS OF GUS DUR’S HUMANISM AND AMIEN RAIS’S POLITICAL MORALITY

Abstract

The formation of Muslim character in urban society faces increasingly complex moral, social, and political challenges. Previous studies have largely examined Gus Dur’s humanism and Amien Rais’s political thought separately, while comparative studies that connect their ideas specifically to the formation of urban Muslim character remain limited. This study aims to analyze and compare Gus Dur’s humanism and Amien Rais’s political morality as conceptual foundations for understanding the formation of Muslim character in contemporary urban society. This study employs a qualitative approach with a literature review method. Data were obtained from primary and secondary sources, including books, scholarly articles, speeches, and writings related to the thoughts of Gus Dur and Amien Rais. The data were analyzed through comparative analysis by identifying the central values, similarities, differences, and relevance of both perspectives to urban Muslim character formation. The findings show that Gus Dur’s humanism emphasizes pluralism, tolerance, respect for diversity, and the recognition of universal human dignity, while Amien Rais’s political morality emphasizes integrity, moral responsibility, critical awareness, justice, and ethical participation in public life. The comparative analysis indicates that these perspectives provide complementary dimensions of Muslim character formation: Gus Dur’s humanism strengthens interpersonal and social character in a diverse urban environment, whereas Amien Rais’s political morality strengthens ethical and civic character in the public sphere. This study contributes a conceptual framework that integrates humanistic and political-moral dimensions in understanding the formation of urban Muslim character.