Religious Moderation of The Manager of Vipassana Kusalacita Temple in Social Interaction with The Residents of Bojong Menteng, Bekasi City

Abstract

Religious intolerance in Indonesia’s urban areas, documented by the Setara Institute  and the WAHID Foundation, underscores the urgency of understanding how minority religious institutions navigate interfaith relations. Despite growing scholarship on religious moderation, empirical studies examining it as a practice of Intercultural Communication Competence (ICC) in majority-minority religious settings remain scarce. This study aims to analyze how the management of Vipassana Kusalacita Vihara a minority Buddhist institution enacts religious moderation through daily social interaction with the predominantly Muslim community of Bojong Menteng, Bekasi City, using the ICC framework of Spitzberg and Cupach. A qualitative case study approach within an interpretive paradigm was employed. Three key informants (the head of vihara management and two senior administrators) were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected over two months via semi-structured in-depth interviews, non-participant observation, and document analysis, and analyzed thematically according to the ICC dimensions of motivation, knowledge, and skills. Findings reveal that motivation is grounded in humanistic values and social responsibility; knowledge is reflected in contextual understanding of local norms (RT/RW structures) and interfaith sensitivities; and skills are enacted through polite interpersonal communication, conflict-preventive dialogue, and non-discriminatory social assistance. This study extends ICC scholarship to majority–minority religious relations and offers a replicable grassroots model for fostering interfaith trust in pluralistic urban communities.