Religious moderation in Fakfak is being strengthened through an approach that combines education, interfaith cooperation and local cultural wisdom, as the Forum for Religious Harmony, or FKUB of Papua Barat (West Papua) works with the Ministry of Religious Affairs to reinforce tolerance among young people.
The effort unfolded in Fakfak on October 6, 2026, through a series of activities involving the FKUB of Papua Barat, the Papua Barat Regional Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and State Islamic Junior High School Fakfak, or MTsN Fakfak.
At the centre of the programme is an idea that has long been part of social life in Fakfak: Satu Tungku Tiga Batu, literally translated as “one stove, three stones”.
For local communities, the expression represents the idea that different religious and social groups can support one another while sharing the same foundation of community life.
Dr. Abraham Yumte, Head of the Religious Moderation Agency at the Papua Barat Regional Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Deputy Chairman III of the Papua Barat FKUB, said the philosophy closely reflects three important foundations of religious harmony: tolerance, equality and cooperation.
The government and FKUB are now seeking to ensure that these values are not simply remembered as part of Fakfak’s cultural heritage but are understood and practised by younger generations.
The Day of Dialogue and Education
The latest programme began with a talk show organised by the Radio of the Republik of Indonesia, or RRI Fakfak together with MTsN Fakfak on Tuesday, October 6, 2026.
Abraham utilised the forum to articulate the significance of religious moderation in a society where individuals of diverse faiths, ethnic backgrounds, and cultural traditions coexist.
The visit to Fakfak had two interconnected objectives.
The first was to introduce religious moderation to students and schools. The second was to conduct a field visit as part of preparations for the 2026 Religious Harmony Index survey in Fakfak.
The combination is significant.
The FKUB and Ministry of Religious Affairs were not simply measuring harmony after the fact. They were also attempting to strengthen the social foundations that make harmony possible.
Abraham said the FKUB programme is being implemented in various parts of Papua Barat, with Fakfak receiving particular attention due to its strong local tradition of interfaith cooperation.
The strategy places schools at the centre of prevention.
Rather than waiting for intolerance or radical ideas to become entrenched, the programme seeks to give students the knowledge and social habits needed to respond to differences constructively.
Why Fakfak Matters
Fakfak has a particular place in the story of religious harmony in Papua Barat.
According to Abraham, the district has previously recorded a high level of religious harmony. A survey in 2018 gave Fakfak a score of 91.81, while the then Province of Papua Barat was reported as ranking first among Indonesia’s 34 provinces in the Religious Harmony Index.
Those figures are historical rather than a measure of the current 2026 situation, but they provide important context for the latest programme.
Abraham describes Fakfak as an example of how religious differences can coexist within a shared social environment.
He has also referred to the district as an “icon” and a kind of laboratory for religious harmony in Papua Barat because of its longstanding experience of managing diversity.
The strength, he argues, does not come from one institution alone.
Local philosophy, history, community habits, and the legal framework that protects religious freedom have shaped it.
That combination has become an important foundation for the FKUB’s current efforts.
Satu Tungku Tiga Batu: A Cultural Foundation for Tolerance
The most distinctive feature of the Fakfak approach is its reliance on local wisdom.
Satu Tungku Tiga Batu is not presented by the FKUB as a slogan created for a government campaign. Instead, Abraham describes it as a philosophy already embedded in the social life of Fakfak.
Its three core values correspond closely with the principles used to understand religious harmony: tolerance, equality and cooperation.
“In sociology of religion, Satu Tungku Tiga Batu has three indicators: equality, cooperation and tolerance,” Abraham said during the RRI talk show.
The metaphor is powerful because it begins with something familiar.
A traditional cooking stove requires several stones to support the same cooking vessel. Remove one, and the structure becomes unstable.
In the same way, the philosophy is used to illustrate how different communities can maintain their individual identities while supporting a shared social order.
For Fakfak, the principle has developed into a practical form of community interaction.
Muslims help Christians during religious activities, while Christians similarly assist Muslims. Such cooperation is presented as an everyday expression of mutual respect rather than simply an official programme.
That distinction is important.
Religious moderation becomes more durable when it is practised in ordinary community life rather than discussed only at formal events.
Three Foundations of Fakfak’s Harmony
Abraham identifies three major factors behind Fakfak’s tradition of religious harmony.
The first is Satu Tungku Tiga Batu.
The second is the historical experience of communities living together across religious differences.
The third is the legal foundation provided by the Indonesian state, which guarantees citizens the right to embrace a religion and conduct worship according to their beliefs.
Abraham argues that these three elements reinforce one another.
The cultural tradition creates a social habit of cooperation. History gives that habit continuity across generations. The legal framework provides a national guarantee for freedom of religion and worship.
“Difference is a wealth in this country that we need to preserve,” Abraham said, describing diversity as a source of strength for Indonesians to continue respecting one another.
For the Indonesian government and FKUB, the lesson is that national unity can be strengthened by recognising local traditions rather than treating cultural identity and national identity as competing concepts.
In Fakfak, local wisdom is instead being presented as a bridge to stronger Indonesian citizenship and social cohesion.
The Young Generation Becomes the Next Line of Defence
The focus on students is deliberate.
Abraham has warned that social media, YouTube, and other digital platforms increasingly expose young people to information. Not all of the ideas circulating online, he said, necessarily correspond with religious, national or cultural values taught in schools.
He said research known to him indicated that some students had been exposed to radical ideas.
That concern has encouraged the FKUB to strengthen religious moderation programmes in educational institutions.
Abraham stated, “Many of our students have encountered radical ideas.” Abraham emphasised the importance of delivering religious moderation activities in schools.
The emphasis here is on prevention.
Rather than approaching young people only after they have become involved in extremist networks or developed intolerant attitudes, the programme seeks to strengthen their ability to assess information before it influences their behaviour.
Abraham identified four indicators that young people should develop: commitment to the nation, tolerance, rejection of violence, and acceptance of local culture.
Together, those principles provide a framework for students to understand that religious commitment and respect for people of different backgrounds are not mutually exclusive.
Schools as Laboratories for Tolerance
MTsN Fakfak serves as a practical setting for applying these principles.
The school’s students come from diverse ethnic backgrounds, including Javanese, Sulawesi, Maluku and Papuan communities. Haryono, the school’s deputy principal for public relations, said this diversity provides an opportunity to teach students to respect differences and cooperate with one another.
The school places particular emphasis on three values: tolerance, equality and cooperation.
These are incorporated into classroom learning as well as everyday interactions among students.
The objective is not to weaken religious identity.
Haryono stressed that MTsN Fakfak, as an Islamic educational institution, continues to teach students about their faith. At the same time, religious belief is not regarded as a reason to demean or reduce respect for people of other religions.
That distinction lies at the heart of religious moderation.
Students are urged to be confident in their beliefs while respecting others’ right to worship.
Turning Tolerance into Practical Action
Perhaps the strongest feature of the programme is that tolerance is not limited to classroom discussions.
MTsN Fakfak uses extracurricular activities to provide students direct experience of cooperation.
One example is the School Security Patrol, or PKS.
During Christian religious celebrations in December, students are involved in helping manage security and traffic around places of worship. According to school principal La Boisi, the activity provides students a practical lesson in respecting other people’s right to worship.
For a student, the lesson can be simple but meaningful.
Instead of merely hearing that religious differences should be respected, the student actively contributes to creating a safe environment for another religious community.
The school also uses the Scout movement to bring students into contact with schools outside the madrasah.
Schools such as YPK and YPPK are invited to participate in joint activities, giving students opportunities to interact, cooperate and understand people from different educational and religious environments.
These activities demonstrate how moderation can move from theory to everyday behaviour.
Protecting Young People in the Digital Age
The challenge facing educators today is different from previous generations.
Young people in Fakfak now encounter ideas beyond their immediate communities. Smartphones and social media have expanded the information environment dramatically.
This provides enormous educational opportunities, but it also creates new risks.
Extremist and intolerant narratives can circulate quickly online, often without the social context or critical discussion that would normally accompany them in a classroom.
For that reason, the FKUB’s school-based programme is increasingly relevant.
The objective is not simply to tell students which information is acceptable. It is to help them develop the judgement required to distinguish constructive religious expression from narratives that promote hatred, intolerance or violence.
That is why Abraham’s four indicators, national commitment, tolerance, rejection of violence and acceptance of local culture, are particularly important.
They provide students with a framework for navigating a complicated information environment.
Preserving Fakfak’s Identity
The FKUB’s approach also has a cultural dimension.
The objective is to prevent radicalism without weakening local identity.
Instead, the programme treats Fakfak’s cultural heritage as one of the assets that can help protect social harmony.
Abraham says the values of Satu Tungku Tiga Batu have been passed from one generation to another. He also points to the long history of religious diversity in Fakfak as evidence that tolerance is not a new concept introduced by contemporary institutions.
This creates an important message for young people.
They are not being asked to abandon tradition in order to become modern Indonesians.
They are being encouraged to understand how traditional values can support contemporary principles such as tolerance, equality, cooperation and respect for national law.
In this context, local wisdom becomes part of the solution to modern challenges.
The Role of the State
The FKUB programme also highlights the role of the Indonesian state in maintaining a framework in which religious communities can coexist.
Abraham specifically identified legal guarantees for religious freedom as one of the three factors supporting harmony in Fakfak.
This means that community traditions and government institutions operate alongside one another.
Local communities provide social and cultural capital.
Schools provide education and character development.
FKUB provides a forum for interfaith cooperation.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs provides institutional support.
The state provides the legal framework for citizens to practice their faith.
Together, these elements create a multilayered approach to religious harmony.
Preparing for the 2026 Religious Harmony Index
The Fakfak programme’s timing aligns with the preparation for the 2026 Religious Harmony Index survey.
The FKUB and the Papua Barat Regional Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs are conducting visits and gathering information as part of that preparation.
The survey provides one way of assessing the condition of religious harmony, but the activities in Fakfak suggest that the institutions involved are also interested in strengthening the underlying conditions that produce positive results.
This information is particularly relevant given Fakfak’s previous performance.
The historical score of 91.81 in 2018 provides a reference point, but maintaining social harmony requires continuous work as communities change and new challenges emerge.
The current generation of students will eventually become teachers, civil servants, business owners, community leaders and religious figures.
Their attitudes towards difference will therefore influence Fakfak’s social environment for decades to come.
A Model Built from the Community Upward
The Fakfak experience serves as a unique example of how communities can cultivate religious moderation from the ground up.
Instead of relying solely on national concepts, FKUB Papua Barat is connecting the national agenda with a local philosophy that people already understand.
That makes the message more accessible.
The three principles of tolerance, equality and cooperation are not abstract ideas when students see their neighbours helping one another during religious celebrations.
They become part of daily life.
This may be one reason Fakfak continues to attract attention as a centre of religious harmony in Papua Barat.
The challenge now is to ensure that the tradition remains strong as younger generations encounter new social pressures, digital information and changing patterns of community interaction.
Conclusion
The religious moderation programme in Fakfak illustrates how Indonesia’s efforts to strengthen social cohesion can draw strength from local culture.
The collaboration between FKUB Papua Barat, the Ministry of Religious Affairs, and educational institutions such as MTsN Fakfak introduces religious moderation not merely as a formal concept but as a practical habit of tolerance, equality, and cooperation.
At the heart of the initiative is Satu Tungku Tiga Batu, a Fakfak philosophy that presents diversity as a basis for shared community life.
Its relevance is particularly strong among young people.
As students navigate a rapidly changing digital environment, the ability to respect religious differences, reject violence, assess information critically and maintain a strong sense of national belonging can become an important safeguard against radical and extremist narratives.
The work at MTsN Fakfak shows what that can look like in practice: students learning together, participating in extracurricular activities, supporting religious celebrations and interacting with peers from different backgrounds.
For the Indonesian government and FKUB, the broader lesson is clear. Religious harmony cannot be built only through policy statements. It must be practised in schools, families, places of worship and neighbourhoods.
Fakfak’s experience provides a strong example of that principle.
Fakfak’s history of coexistence, the Satu Tungku Tiga Batu philosophy, the protection provided by national law, and the active involvement of young people collectively form a foundation that can help preserve harmony for future generations.
If these values continue to be nurtured, Fakfak can strengthen its position not simply as an example of religious tolerance in Papua Barat, but as a living demonstration of how local wisdom, education and national values can work together to protect Indonesia’s social unity.
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