Dialectics of Curriculum and Digital Content: An Innovative Strategy for Strengthening Wasathiyah Islamic Literacy in the Face of the Post-Truth Era

Abstract

The post-truth era has presented serious challenges for Islamic education, characterized by the dominance of emotions and subjective opinions over objective facts, as well as the rapid flow of unverified digital information. The younger generation is the group most vulnerable to hoaxes, disinformation, and religious propaganda, which have the potential to foster ideological polarization and intolerance. This context demands the strengthening of Wasathiyah Islamic literacy as a moderating value system based on tawazun (religious tolerance), tasamuh (compassion), and i'tidāl (balanced moderation). However, these efforts face a fundamental dilemma: the dialectic between a static Islamic education curriculum and aggressive digital content, creating a "shadow curriculum" beyond the control of educational institutions. This study aims to analyze curriculum inconsistencies in responding to the challenges of the post-truth era, identify problems with teachers' pedagogical competencies in internalizing Wasathiyah values, and formulate innovative strategies basedon curriculum integration and digital content. The study results indicate that the Islamic Religious Education curriculum remains oriented toward knowledge transfer and memorization, thus under-optimizing critical thinking skills, digital literacy, and contextual learning. Furthermore, teachers face obstacles in implementing transformative pedagogy and utilizing technology as a means of internalizing religious moderation. Innovative solutions are offered through three main pillars: HOTS-based curriculum reform and the 4Cs, transforming teacher pedagogy toward collaborative and digital learning, and developing competitive Wasathiyah digital content as a counter-narrative to extreme ideologies. Thus, the integration of the curriculum and a moderate digital ecosystem serves as an adaptive and anticipatory strategy for building students' ideological resilience and maintaining the relevance of Islamic education amidst post-truth disruption.