Islamic Education and Archipelago Culture: A Comparative Study of Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam

Abstract

This study aims to examine the role of Islamic education in preserving and developing Islamic culture in the archipelago, particularly in Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam. Both countries have strong Islamic historical roots, but have developed in different social and political contexts. Using a qualitative approach and literature review, this study finds that Islamic educational institutions such as Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia and formal religious institutions in Brunei play an important role in passing on Islamic cultural values. Islamic education in Indonesia is more inclusive and adaptive to local culture, while in Brunei it is more focused on the state's efforts to maintain the orthodoxy of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama'ah Islam. Both, however, show continuity between scientific, spiritual, and cultural values that are characteristic of Malay-Archipelago Islamic civilization.