Original Research

Religious inconsistency on corruption behaviour among Muslim politicians in Indonesia

Nur Khoirin, Mahfudz Junaedi
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies | Vol 78, No 1 | a7361 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v78i1.7361 | © 2022 Nur Khoirin, Mahfudz Junaedi | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 19 January 2022 | Published: 06 June 2022

About the author(s)

Nur Khoirin, Department of Islamic Economic Law, Faculty of Sharia and Law, Universitas Islam Negeri Walisongo Semarang, Semarang, Indonesia
Mahfudz Junaedi, Department of Qur’an and Tafseer Studies, Faculty of Sharia and Law, Universitas Sains Al-Qur’an Jawa Tengah di Wonosobo, Wonosobo, Indonesia

Abstract

The problem of corruption in Indonesia is like an unbroken chain. Since the 1998 reformation until now (2021), many persons with corruption cases involving politicians or officials have been arrested and even imprisoned. Among those entangled in corruption are many Muslim politicians and religious leaders known to the public as having a high level of religiosity and a clean reputation. Ideally, these Muslim politicians will be at the forefront of guarding the nation’s anti-corruption morality. However, the reality is different. This study explains the discrepancy of the relationship between religiosity and anti-corruption attitudes by Muslim politicians. This study relies on a qualitative approach with a descriptive analysis of the online media findings regarding Muslim politicians’ corrupt behaviour. The results of this study indicate that there is no correlation between religiosity and unethical behaviour. Politicians entangled in corruption come from all circles of political parties, socio-economic levels, intellectuals and various religious backgrounds. It means that other factors besides religious morality encourage a person to commit corruption, such as motives for power, high political costs, a hedonistic lifestyle, an incompetent law enforcement system and a deep-rooted culture of corruption.

Contribution: Efforts to eradicate corruption in Indonesia need to be carried out in an integrated and comprehensive manner with various approaches. Thus, the goal to minimise the corruption behaviour in Indonesia can be achieved.


Keywords

discrepancy; inconsistency; religiosity; corruption; Indonesian Muslim politicians

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