Paulo Freire’s Conscientization for Transformative Islamic Religious Education in the Digital Era

Abstract

Contemporary social changes marked by digital disruption, shifts in religious authority, and increasingly diverse identity constructions among younger generations call for a reorientation of Islamic Religious Education.. This study examines the conceptual relevance of Paulo Freire’s conscientization for rethinking the epistemological and pedagogical foundations of PAI. Rather than beginning with a critique of banking education, the study addresses how religious awareness is constructed within educational practices that remain predominantly normative and minimally dialogical. Using a qualitative library-based approach and conceptual-critical analysis, the study examines literature on Freirean conscientization and Islamic education. The analysis focuses on five interconnected dimensions: conscientization, Islamic educational objectives and epistemology, dialogical methodology, teacher–student relations, and critical digital literacy. The findings indicate conceptually that conscientization can be aligned with Islamic educational objectives through a dialectical relationship between reflection and action, connecting normative religious knowledge with contextual engagement with social reality. This perspective positions knowledge not merely as transmitted information but as a basis for critical reflection and ethical responsibility. It also reconceptualizes teacher–student relations through reciprocal dialogue and extends critical awareness to digital environments through value-based critical digital literacy. The study contributes a conceptual framework for rethinking PAI as a dialogical and transformative praxis responsive to contemporary social and digital changes.