Artificial Intelligence as Ethical Mediation in Religious Education: A Transformative Eco-Social Framework from Islamic Educational Contexts

Abstract This study investigates how AI-mediated practices translate ecological ethics and multicultural values within inclusive religious education, focusing on Islamic educational ecosystems. Employing a qualitative systematic review (PICo design) of 137 studies on religious and values-based education, we utilized thematic analysis, SWOT, and CIMO logic. Findings position technology as a culturally embedded mediator shaping pedagogical, curricular, institutional, and systemic practices of religious education. This study proposes the Ethical–Algorithmic Mediation Framework for Religious Education (EAM-RE) , which uniquely bridges Islamic ethics, multicultural pedagogy, and critical digital studies. Unlike generic AI ethics frameworks, EAM-RE integrates religious epistemic resources as constitutive elements of the mediation process, reframing technology as a translational interface for ethics in religious education. The framework offers practical, theoretical, and social implications for fostering inclusive and sustainable citizenship in digitally diverse societies.