Green Sufism Meets Parmalim Eco-Theology: Interfaith Paths Toward Nature Conservation in Indonesia

Abstract

This comparative study examines two Indonesian faith-based environmental movements—Green Sufism at the Ath-Thaariq Eco-Pesantren (West Java) and Parmalim eco-theology among Batak communities in North Sumatra—to elucidate how spiritual worldviews are translated into conservation practice. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) and social constructionist theory, we analyze participants’ lived meanings and the institutional processes that internalize, objectify, and externalize ecological values. Findings show that Ath-Thaariq’s education-first model integrates agroecology, organic waste management, and daily contemplation with Sufi teachings (tawhid, khalifah, zuhud), fostering an ecological habitus and community outreach. Parmalim eco-theology anchors conservation in ancestral cosmology (Debata Mulajadi Nabolon), ritual prescriptions, and the doctrine of balance (Ugasan), yielding practices such as selective tree felling with obligatory replanting and water-protecting ceremonies. Both cases demonstrate that spiritual doctrines catalyze ecological action, while contextual tensions—doctrinal conservatism, political indifference, and economic interests—shape uptake and scalability. The paper contributes a mid-range mechanism for spiritual ecology (belief → externalization → objectivation → internalization) across education-first and advocacy-first pathways, and argues that faith-based diplomacy can complement technocratic climate policy by mobilizing moral authority and grassroots networks.