Patterns of Interfaith Communication in Maintaining Social Harmony in Berau Regency

Abstract

Abstract. This study examines the communication patterns of inter-religious communities in maintaining social harmony in Berau Regency, East Kalimantan. The phenomenon of Masjid Agung Baitul Hikmah and Gereja Katolik Paroki Santo Eugenius de Mazenod, which stand facing each other at a distance of 34-260 meters, has maintained harmony without conflict for more than two decades despite the absence of any written agreement. This research uses a qualitative descriptive approach with a case study method. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with two key informants, the chairman of the mosque management and the head pastor of the parish, complemented by non-participatory observation and documentation. Data analysis employed the Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña model. The theoretical framework uses Habermas's Theory of Communicative Action. Results: (1) social harmony has been maintained stably for more than twenty years, based on shared moral awareness formed through Lebenswelt (2) communication patterns consist of two complementary channels, formal through official correspondence and informal through FKUB forums (3) the communication process fulfills Habermas's three validity claims, truth, normative rightness, and sincerity (4) supporting factors include consistent tolerance education, orderly correspondence mechanisms, mutual facility use, FKUB's role, while inhibiting factors include potential radical ideological infiltration and limited inclusive social interaction.