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August 21, 2025
Komparatif.ID, Jakarta— AKBP Benny Bathara, SIK, MIK, on Thursday (21/8/2025) attended a doctoral promotion defense at the Police Science College (STIK-PTIK), Jakarta. AKBP Benny Bathara’s dissertation was entitled Intra-Religious Policing: A Study of the Indonesian Ahmadiyya Congregation in Manislor, Kuningan, West Java.
The Doctoral Promotion Session was chaired by BJP. Dr. Joko Sutiyono, SH, SIK, M.Hum. The promoters consisted of Prof. Dr. H. Iskandar Zulkarnain, Prof. Dr. Robertus Robet, MA, and Dr. Ilham Prisgunanto.
The examiners consisted of Prof. (Ris) Hermawan Sulistyo, MA, Ph.D., Prof. Angel Damayanti, Ph.D., Prof. Yon Macmudi, Ph.D., Dr. Novi Indah Earlyanti, M.Pd., Dr. Tamrin Tomagola, and Dr. Supardi Hamid, M.Si.
AKBP Benny Bathara explained to Komparatif.ID that he chose to delve into intra-religious issues in order to deepen his understanding of various religious issues occurring in Indonesia.
The Republic of Indonesia is a country with a very high level of plurality. Amidst its multiculturalism and plurality, conflicts between groups, including those based on religion, often arise.
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The study aims to evaluate the role and challenges of the police in handling intra-religious conflicts.
Using a qualitative approach, the research shows that each conflict has unique characteristics, which influence the resolution process.
In the case of the Ahmadiyah congregation in Manislor, Kuningan, Benny Bhatara stated that the violence was situational and rooted in differences in religious ideology. The conflict was exacerbated by social, economic, and political factors.
Using Pierre Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice , it is found that the struggle between habitus and various forms of capital—especially social capital—plays a crucial role in this conflict; although JAI has economic and cultural capital, they are less influential due to their weak social capital compared to non-JAI groups supported by official religious institutions and large Islamic mass organizations.
This research proposes a new model of policing intra-religious conflict, which positions the police not only as mediators, but also as coordinators and collaborators involving third parties.
This model emphasizes the importance of cross-sector collaboration and the application of both coercive and collaborative approaches by involving state institutions, business actors, and civil society groups to increase the effectiveness of policing religious conflicts.
Categories: Ahmadis, Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Asia, Indonesia, Intolerance, Intra-Religious Tolerance, religious freedom, Tolerance