Educating with Love: Compassion-Based Education as a New Path to Developing Religious Tolerance

This article discusses the practice of compassion-based education as a relatively new approach to developing religious tolerance at Peacesantren (pesantren, Islamic boarding school) Welas Asih Garut, West Java, Indonesia. Departing from criticism of tolerance education models that tend to be normative, cognitive, and based on formal doctrine, this study offers a new perspective that affection, in the form of love, compassion, and empathy, is a more effective pedagogical foundation for shaping tolerant attitudes. This study uses a qualitative approach with a case study design, through participatory observation techniques, in-depth interviews with administrators, educators, and students, as well as analysis of institutional documents and pedagogical practices. The results show that compassion-based education at Peacesantren Welas Asih is not only taught as a normative value but is internalised and implemented through humanistic educational interactions, interfaith coexistence experiences, and daily practices that foster empathy and appreciation for religious identity differences. This approach has proven capable of transcending the boundaries of formal tolerance, from merely accepting differences to nurturing togetherness and celebrating diversity. This article contributes to the development of a theory of affection-based religious tolerance education, enriches studies on Islamic boarding schools as laboratories of peace, and offers a model of peaceful education practices that is relevant and contextual for Indonesia’s multicultural society.