Religious Tolerance Rooted in Local Wisdom: A Comparative Analysis of Religious Education Teachers' Strategies

Background: Religious tolerance in multicultural education is increasingly important in plural societies, yet previous studies rarely compare Islamic and Hindu religious education teachers within the same school ecology. Local wisdom is also often treated as cultural background rather than as a pedagogical mechanism for shaping tolerance. Research Objectives: This study analyzes how Bugis local wisdom supports religious tolerance, compares the strategies of Islamic Religious Education (PAI) and Hindu Religious Education (PAH) teachers, and formulates a hybrid pedagogical model for multireligious education. Methods: The study used a qualitative comparative case-study design at SMPN 3 Dua Pitue, a multireligious school where Muslim and Hindu Tolotang students interact in learning and school culture. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, classroom and school observations, and document analysis, then analyzed through thematic coding and comparative analysis. Trustworthiness was strengthened through triangulation, member checking, peer debriefing, and an audit trail. Results: The findings show two complementary pedagogical orientations. PAI teachers use a normative-textual strategy to strengthen doctrinal understanding of moderation, tasamuh, and ukhuwah insaniyah, while PAH teachers use a contextual-experiential strategy to strengthen identity confidence, social adaptation, and intercultural interaction. Bugis values of Sipakatau, Sipakalebbi, and Sipakainge operate as pedagogical bridges that translate religious values into daily practices of respect, cooperation, and mutual care. Conclusions: The study proposes a Hybrid Pedagogical Model of Religious Tolerance that integrates normative religious pedagogy, contextual-experiential learning, and local wisdom-based cultural pedagogy. The model contributes to comparative religious pedagogy, multicultural education, and intercultural competence by showing how locally rooted values can inform inclusive curriculum design, teacher training, and school policy in plural societies.