Tahap Kefahaman Mahasiswa di Negeri Selangor Terhadap Isu dalam Ilmu Perbandingan Agama

The Level of Understanding among Students in Selangor on the Issues in Comparative Religion

Abstract

Konflik antara umat manusia boleh berpunca daripada perbezaan yang ada sesama mereka seperti budaya, warna kulit, agama dan kepercayaan. Bagi negara Malaysia yang terdiri daripada masyarakat berbilang agama dan kaum, masalah ini tidak dapat dinafikan apabila terdapat isu yang menyentuh sensitiviti antara agama dari masa ke masa seperti isu penggunaan kalimah Allah, salah faham terhadap ajaran agama lain, gangguan terhadap rumah-rumah ibadah dan seumpamanya. Justeru, pendekatan perbandingan agama merupakan salah satu kaedah yang dilihat boleh mendidik masyarakat agar bersikap lapang dada dan bertolak ansur dalam menerima perbezaan antara agama ini. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti tahap kefahaman mahasiswa universiti awam di Selangor terhadap ilmu perbandingan agama serta menganalisis perbezaan signifikan tahap kefahaman mereka berdasarkan fakulti pengajian. Metodologi kajian yang digunakan ialah kuantitatif dengan reka bentuk kajian tinjauan. Satu set soal selidik telah diedarkan kepada 379 orang mahasiswa di empat buah universiti awam di Selangor. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan tahap kefahaman mahasiswa terhadap isu-isu berkaitan perbandingan agama berada pada tahap tinggi dan tidak terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan berhubung tahap kefahaman mereka berdasarkan fakulti pengajian. Ini membuktikan bahawa mahasiswa bersikap terbuka dalam menilai perbezaan antara agama dan ia perlu ditambah baik melalui peranan pemerintah dan tokoh-tokoh agama agar sebarang isu antara agama yang timbul boleh ditangani dengan baik dan bijaksana.

Religious conflict can be happened because of the differences between people in terms of culture, ethnicity, religion and theology. Malaysia is a multi-racial and multi-religious country, all these differences cannot be denied when inter-religious conflict occurs through sensitive issues such as the issue of using Allah’s name, misunderstanding the teachings of other religions and interference with houses of worship. Hence, comparative religion is one of the ways to enhance and educate all multi-religious societies to be open-minded and tolerant in respecting the differences between religions. The purpose of this study is (i) to identify the level of understanding among public university students in Selangor on the issues in comparative religion and (ii) to analyze the different significance of the understanding based on their faculty at the university. The methodology of study is a quantitative design based on an exploration study. A set of questionnaire conducted to 379 students in four universities in Selangor. The finding showed that the level of understanding among university students regarding issues in comparative religion is at a high level. There is no difference in significance based on their faculty of study also. These showed that the university’s students are open to learning the differences among people of other religions to enhance the harmonious co-existence among people of religions. Nevertheless, it can be improve through the role of government dan religious scholars so any religious issues can be handle wisely.