ISLAMIC REJANG CULTURAL ACCULTURATION AND RELIGIOUS MODERATION: DELIBERATION, MUTUAL COOPERATION, AND SOCIAL ETHICS IN REJANG LEBONG, BENGKULU

Abstract

This study examines how Islamic values interact with Rejang customary practices, particularly deliberation (musyawarah) and mutual cooperation (gotong royong), as forms of social ethics associated with religious moderation in Rejang Lebong Regency, Bengkulu Province, Indonesia. Prior research on Rejang culture has focused on ritual and customary-law dimensions, and studies of religious moderation in the region on formal institutional programs; this study addresses the role of everyday customary practices in enacting religious moderation. Using a qualitative descriptive-analytical design, data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with three key informants, participatory observation, and documentation, then analyzed using the interactive model of Miles and Huberman, guided by Berry’s acculturation framework, the concept of wasathiyyah, and the social fiqh perspective. The findings show that Islam and Rejang culture interact through an integrative pattern of acculturation, in which local cultural identity is preserved while Islamic values provide moral orientation, through a process of selection and reinterpretation rather than replacement. Deliberation functions as a meeting point between the principle of syura and customary decision-making and as a means of managing differences through dialogue, while mutual cooperation actualizes the values of ta'awun and ukhuwah. Customary mechanisms also play a role in resolving community problems through dialogue and mediation oriented toward maslahah, with religious and customary leaders serving as mediators between normative and socio-cultural dimensions, although maslahah cannot be equated automatically with every customary decision. Together, these practices constitute a form of social infrastructure for religious moderation. The study concludes that religious moderation in Rejang Lebong is supported not only by government programs and religious institutions but also by longstanding customary practices. This does not imply that local culture automatically eliminates intolerance or radicalism, and, given the limited number of informants, the findings are an in-depth account of one community rather than a generalizable claim. The study recommends strengthening deliberation, mutual cooperation, and religious–customary collaboration as social capital, and extending these values into digital spaces as well.