Understanding of Students of the Faculty of Ushuluddin, State Islamic University Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau, about Liberal Islam in Indonesia

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze the understanding of students of the Faculty 
of Ushuluddin UIN Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau towards liberal Islam and the 
factors that shape this understanding and its implications on students' 
religious and social attitudes. This research uses a qualitative approach 
with field research methods through in-depth interviews, limited 
observations, and documentation studies. The results of the study show 
that students' understanding of liberal Islam is diverse, ranging from 
open-critical attitudes to theological rejection, which are influenced by 
educational backgrounds, campus environment, digital media literacy, 
and organizational experience. Liberal Islam is understood as a relevant 
intellectual discourse to be studied, but it is still addressed selectively by 
making faith a normative boundary. This finding confirms that 
Ushuluddin students are in a dialectical dynamic between contextual 
thinking and commitment to Islamic orthodoxy, so the results of this 
research are important as a contribution to understanding the direction 
of development of contemporary Islamic thought in the Islamic 
university environment.