Cultural Integration in Islamic Religious Education: Examining Bedengah and Mentanak Parenting Practices Among Sasak Families in Indonesia

This ethnographic study examines the integration of Islamic religious education within the cultural context of the Sasak tribe in Lombok, Indonesia, focusing on traditional parenting patterns known as Bedengah and Mentanak. Through a twelve-week study of twelve Sasak Muslim families in Central and North Lombok, this research investigates how local wisdom values influence parenting practices in transmitting Islamic religious education to children. Using in-depth interviews with parents, traditional leaders, and religious figures, alongside participatory observation, the study reveals a harmonious synthesis between Islamic values and Sasak cultural traditions that creates an integrated identity formation process. The research identifies significant differences between Bedengah practices in Central Lombok, which emphasize formal religious education and structured discipline, and Mentanak in North Lombok, which focuses on communal involvement and traditional ritual participation. Traditional practices such as Peraq Api, Ngurisan, and Buang Au have incorporated Islamic elements while maintaining cultural significance, creating what the study terms “integrated parallelism.” This research contributes to religious education scholarship by demonstrating how indigenous cultural frameworks can effectively serve as vehicles for religious transmission, offering insights for developing contextually sensitive approaches to religious education in multicultural societies.