The Role of Interfaith Law and Policy in Managing Human Resources: Addressing Religious Diversity in the Workplace

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15294/0dks2w56

Keywords:

Human Resources, Religious Diversity, Workplace Environment, Policy

Abstract

The increasing religious diversity in Indonesia poses significant challenges to human resource (HR) management in the workplace. This paper explores the role of interfaith law in addressing these challenges and promoting inclusivity in the Indonesian workplace. The novelty of this study lies in its focus on the intersection of religious diversity and HR management within the legal framework of Indonesia, particularly through the lens of interfaith law. By examining the current legal provisions and practices surrounding religious rights and freedoms, the paper underscores the critical role that interfaith law plays in creating an environment where employees from diverse religious backgrounds can coexist harmoniously. The urgency of addressing religious diversity in HR management is highlighted by the potential risks of discrimination, conflict, and marginalization, which can negatively impact organizational performance and employee well-being. With Indonesia being a predominantly Muslim country, but home to various other religious communities, the challenge of balancing religious rights and organizational goals remains ever-present. This paper contributes to the growing body of literature on diversity management by proposing legal frameworks and HR practices that not only comply with religious laws but also enhance organizational effectiveness. The findings call for more robust policies that integrate interfaith principles to manage religious diversity effectively, ensuring equitable treatment of all employees and fostering an inclusive workplace culture. By addressing the gaps in existing HR strategies, this study offers valuable insights for practitioners, policymakers, and scholars in managing religious diversity in Indonesia's dynamic workplace environment.

References

Abdillah, Muhammad Torieq. “Kontroversi Pemotongan Gaji karena Salat Jumat: Pelanggaran Hak dan Perspektif Agama”, Badamai Online, April 29, 2025. Retrieved from https://badamai.com/kontroversi-pemotongan-gaji-karena-salat-jumat-pelanggaran-hak-dan-perspektif-agama/.

Adam, Ilke, and Andrea Rea. "The three “i” s of workplace accommodation of Muslim religious practices: Instrumental, internal, and informal." Ethnic and Racial Studies 41 no. 15 (2018): 2711-2730.

Affendi, Ahmad. “’Katanya Pancasila, Tapi Pakai Jilbab Saja Tak Boleh’ – Cerita Pekerja Jakarta yang Dipecat Gara-gara Tak Mau Melepas Hijab”, MOJOK, January 21, 2025. Retrieved from https://mojok.co/liputan/ragam/larangan-hijab-di-tempat-kerja/.

Afrianty, Tri Wulida, Theodora Issa, and John Burgess. "Work-based religiosity support in Indonesia." Managing Religious Diversity in the Workplace. (London: Routledge, 2016), pp. 253-278.

Ahmad, Jafar, et al. "Multiculturalism and identity politics: Reading on the Religious Harmony Forum." IBDA: Jurnal Kajian Islam dan Budaya 21 no. 2 (2023): 259-278.

Alidadi, Katayoun. Religion, Equality and Employment in Europe. (London: Hart Publishing, 2017).

Al-Zaman, Md Sayeed, and Moh Yasir Alimi. "Islam, religious confrontation and hoaxes in the digital public sphere: Comparison of Bangladesh and Indonesia." Komunitas: International Journal of Indonesian Society and Culture 13 no. 2 (2021): 206-223.

Annisa, Neng Nur, and Nabila Tabassum. "Challenges of multiculturalism: Integration of religion in state policy." Religion and Policy Journal 1 no. 1 (2023): 8-15.

Anwar, Ahmad Khoirul. "Protection of the right to freedom of religion in Indonesia (case study: destruction of the Ahmadiyah Mosque in Balai Harapan Village, Temunak District, Sintang District, West Kalimantan)." Journal of Creativity Student 6 no. 1 (2021): 111-130.

Arifin, Ridwan, et al. "The adversity on establishing places of worship: has religious freedom failed in Indonesia?." Legality: Jurnal Ilmiah Hukum 29 no. 1 (2021): 93-113.

Ariyani, Riski, and Intan Reffina. “Jelang Ramadhan, Simak Aturan Jam Kerja Selama Bulan Puasa”, Heylaw Online, March 20, 2024. Retrieved from https://heylaw.id/blog/jelang-ramadhan-simak-aturan-jam-kerja-selama-bulan-puasa.

Arvante, Jeremy Zefanya Yaka, Maulana Fuad Nugraha, and Andrew Sergei Rostislav. "A Comparative Study of Religious Freedom Between Indonesia-Russia and Its Limitations." Jurnal Scientia Indonesia 8 no. 2 (2022): 197-222.

Aspinall, Edward, Sebastian Dettman, and Eve Warburton. "When religion trumps ethnicity: a regional election case study from Indonesia." South East Asia Research 19 no. 1 (2011): 27-58.

Bagir, Zainal Abidin, and Renata Arianingtyas. "Limitations to freedom of religion or belief in Indonesia: Norms and Practices." Religion & Human Rights 15 no. 1-2 (2020): 39-56.

Becker, Elizabeth. "Interfaith practices." Routledge Handbook of Islamic Ritual and Practice. (London: Routledge, 2022), pp. 489-499.

Beelmann, Andreas, and Sebastian Lutterbach. "Preventing prejudice and promoting intergroup relations." Prejudice, stigma, privilege, and oppression: A behavioral health handbook. (Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2020), pp. 309-326.

Bowen, John R. "Regions, Religions, and Ethnicities." Multiculturalism in Asia (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005): 152.

Brewer, Marilynn B., and Samuel L. Gaertner. "Toward reduction of prejudice: Intergroup contact and social categorization." Blackwell handbook of social psychology: Intergroup processes (2003): 451-472.

Budi, Mohammad Wahyu Adji Setio. "Indonesian State System Based on Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution: A Contemporary Developments." Indonesian Journal of Pancasila and Global Constitutionalism 1 no. 1 (2022): 1-16.

Butt, Simon, and Tim Lindsey. The Constitution of Indonesia: A Contextual Analysis. (London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012).

Cash, Karen C., and George R. Gray. "A framework for accommodating religion and spirituality in the workplace." Academy of Management Perspectives 14 no. 3 (2000): 124-133.

Cintas, Caroline, Berangere Gosse, and Eric Vatteville. "Religious identity: a new dimension of HRM? A French view." Employee Relations 35 no. 6 (2013): 576-592.

Colbran, Nicola. "Realities and challenges in realising freedom of religion or belief in Indonesia." The International Journal of Human Rights 14 no. 5 (2010): 678-704.

Colquitt, Jason A. "On the dimensionality of organizational justice: a construct validation of a measure." Journal of Applied Psychology 86 no. 3 (2001): 386.

Colquitt, Jason A., and John C. Shaw. "How should organizational justice be measured?." Handbook of Organizational Justice. (New York: Psychology Press, 2013), pp. 113-152.

Colquitt, Jason A., Jerald Greenberg, and Cindy P. Zapata-Phelan. "What is organizational justice? A historical overview." Handbook of Organizational Justice. (New York: Psychology Press, 2013), pp. 3-56.

Dharta, Firdaus Yuni, et al. "MUI’s fatwa on interfaith greetings and religious tolerance: can Indonesia find a middle ground?." Frontiers in Communication 10 (2025): 1537568.

Dingemans, James. "A Test of Faith? Religious Diversity and Accommodation in the European Workplace. Edited by Katayoun Alidadi, Marie-Claire Foblets and Jogchum Vrielink. Ashgate, Farnham, 2012, 384 pp (hardback£ 75) ISBN: 978-1-4094-5058-0." Ecclesiastical Law Journal 16 no. 1 (2014): 100-100.

Ellemers, Naomi, and S. Alexander Haslam. "Social identity theory." Handbook of Theories of Social Psychology 2 (2012): 379-398.

Fatahillah, Ikhwan Aulia. "Kebebasan Pekerja dalam Menjalankan Ibadah di Kawasan Industri." ADLIYA: Jurnal Hukum dan Kemanusiaan 14 no. 1 (2020): 140-156.

Firdaus, Muhammad Ananta, and Nuril Khasyi'in. "Legislative Conflicts on Religious Regulations: A Case Study in the Province of South Kalimantan, Indonesia." Pakistan Journal of Criminology 16 no. 431 (2024).

Foblets, Marie-Claire, and Katayoun Alidadi, eds. A test of faith?: religious diversity and accommodation in the European workplace. (London: Routledge, 2016).

Gallala-Arndt, Imen, et al. "Interreligious law." Encyclopedia of private international law 3 (2017): 1020-1026.

Garcia-Yeste, Carme, et al. "Building a more inclusive workplace for religious minorities." Religions 13 no. 6 (2022): 481.

Gelb, Betsy D., and Teri Elkins Longacre. "Acknowledging religious diversity: Opportunities and challenges." Business Horizons 55 no. 5 (2012): 509-518.

Ghumman, Sonia, et al. "Religious discrimination in the workplace: A review and examination of current and future trends." Journal of Business and Psychology 28 no. 4 (2013): 439-454.

Gökarıksel, Banu. "Beyond the officially sacred: religion, secularism, and the body in the production of subjectivity." Social & Cultural Geography 10 no. 6 (2009): 657-674.

Gracia, Aurelia. “Dipaksa Pakai atau Lepas Hijab: Diskriminasi Perempuan di Tempat Kerja”, Magdalene Online, October 16, 2024. Retrieved from https://magdalene.co/story/diskriminasi-hijab-di-perusahaan/.

Greenberg, Jerald. "Organizational justice: Yesterday, today, and tomorrow." Journal of Management 16 no. 2 (1990): 399-432.

Griffiths, Elisabeth. "Religion, Equality and Employment in Europe: The Case for Reasonable Accommodation, written by Katayoun Alidadi." Journal of Religion in Europe 11 no. 2-3 (2018): 280-282.

Gröschl, Stefan, and Regine Bendl. Managing religious diversity in the workplace: Examples from around the world. (London: Routledge, 2016).

Hadi Kusuma, Jamaludin, and Sulistiyono Susilo. "Intercultural and religious sensitivity among young Indonesian interfaith groups." Religions 11 no. 1 (2020): 26;

Handoko, Duwi. "Kajian Terhadap Hak atas Kebebasan Beragama dan Berkeyakinan serta Hak atas Pekerjaan." Ajudikasi: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum 3 no. 1 (2019): 53-74.

Hefner, Robert W. "Islam and institutional religious freedom in Indonesia." Religions 12 no. 6 (2021): 415; Colbran, Nicola. "Realities and challenges in realising freedom of religion or belief in Indonesia." The International Journal of Human Rights 14 no. 5 (2010): 678-704.

Héliot, YingFei, et al. "Religious identity in the workplace: A systematic review, research agenda, and practical implications." Human Resource Management 59 no. 2 (2020): 153-173.

Hoon, Chang-Yau. "Contested Religious Space in Jakarta." In Handbook of religion and the Asian city: Aspiration and urbanization in the twenty-first century (California: University of California Press, 2015), pp. 201-218.

oon, Chang-Yau. "Putting religion into multiculturalism: Conceptualising religious multiculturalism in Indonesia." Asian Studies Review 41 no. 3 (2017): 476-493.

Illahi, Ainin Rizky, and Noer Yasin. "Kewajiban Pengusaha dalam Memberikan Hak Melaksanakan Ibadah Bagi Pekerja di CV. Baurexsa Garda Persada Jabon Sidoarjo." Journal of Islamic Business Law 6 no. 3 (2022).

Indrayanti, Kadek Wiwik, Anak Agung Ayu Nanda Saraswati, and Eka Nugraha Putra. "Questioning human rights, looking for justice: Analyzing the impact of supreme court circular letter on interfaith marriages in Indonesia." Journal of Indonesian Legal Studies 9 no. 1 (2024): 385-416.

Ishak, Nurfaika. "Religious tolerance in the constitution and guarantees for the protection of human rights." Jurnal Scientia Indonesia 8 no. 1 (2022): 53-70.

Kale, Sudhir H. "Spirituality, religion, and globalization." Journal of Macromarketing 24 no. 2 (2004): 92-107.

Karimullah, Suud Sarim. "The Implications of Islamic Law on the Rights of Religious Minorities in Muslim-Majority Countries." MILRev: Metro Islamic Law Review 2 no. 2 (2023): 90-114.

Karman, Robby, “Terpaksa Melepas Hijab Karena Tuntutan Pekerjaan, Bagaimana Hukumnya?”, Monitorday Online, September 3, 2024. Retrieved from https://monitorday.com/terpaksa-melepas-hijab-karena-tuntutan-pekerjaan-bagaimana-hukumnya/.

Klarsfeld, Alain. "Managing Religious Diversity in the Workplace: Examples from Around the World." Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal 35 no. 2 (2016): 169-172.

Koys, Daniel J. "Integrating religious principles and human resource management activities." Teaching Business Ethics 5 no. 2 (2001): 121-139.

Laksana, Ben KC, and Bronwyn E. Wood. "Navigating religious diversity: Exploring young people’s lived religious citizenship in Indonesia." Journal of Youth Studies 22 no. 6 (2019): 807-823.

Lansing, Paul, and Maureen Feldman. "The ethics of accommodating employees' religious needs in the workplace." Labor Law Journal 48 no. 6 (1997): 371.

Letnar Černič, Jernej. "Managing Religious Diversity in the Private Sphere in Post-Secular Societies: Lessons from Business and Human Rights." Religions 14 no. 12 (2023): 1510.

Linando, Jaya Addin, et al. "The dynamic effects of religion: An exploration of religiosity influences on Islamic work ethic over time." Cogent Business & Management 10 no. 1 (2023): 2181127.

Linando, Jaya Addin. "A relational perspective comparison of workplace discrimination toward Muslims in Muslim-minority and Muslim-majority countries." International Journal of Cross Cultural Management 23 no. 1 (2023): 31-57.

Ma'ruf, Azwar Amar. "Promoting interfaith dialogue and mitigating religious conflicts in Indonesia." JLAST: Journal of Law and Social Transformation 2 no. 1 (2024): 1-7.

Maula, Bani Syarif. "Religious freedom in Indonesia: between upholding constitutional provisions and complying with social considerations." Journal of Indonesian Islam 7 no. 2 (2013): 383-403.

Mazya, Thita M., Kholis Ridho, and Ali Irfani. "Religious and cultural diversity in Indonesia: Dynamics of acceptance and conflict in a multidimensional perspective." International Journal of Current Science Research and Review 7 no. 7 (2024): 4932-4945.

Mukhlis, Mukhlis, et al. "Rejection of Former Shia Community in Sampang Perspective on Human Rights Law: Discourse of Religious Rights and Freedom in Indonesia." Lex Scientia Law Review 7 no. 2 (2023): 959-994.

Muna, Moh. Nailul. “Puasa, Produktivitas, dan Hak Pekerja: Mencari Keadilan di Tempat Kerja”, Mubadalah Online, March 3, 2024. Retrieved from https://mubadalah.id/puasa-produktivitas-dan-hak-pekerja-mencari-keadilan-di-tempat-kerja/.

Naufal, Ibnu. “Dugaan Pemaksaan Lepas Hijab di RS Medistra, MUI dan DPRD DKI Minta Investigasi Segera”, Online, September 2, 2024. Retrieved from https://www.inilah.com/dugaan-pemaksaan-lepas-hijab-di-rs-medistra-mui-dan-dprd-dki-minta-investigasi-segera.

Pettigrew, Thomas F. "Future directions for intergroup contact theory and research." International Journal of Intercultural Relations 32 no. 3 (2008): 187-199.

Pettigrew, Thomas F. "Intergroup contact theory." Annual Review of Psychology 49 no. 1 (1998): 65-85; Pettigrew, Thomas F., et al. "Recent advances in intergroup contact theory." International Journal of Intercultural Relations 35 no. 3 (2011): 271-280.

Prasetyani, Rurin Sisilia, and Shally Saniyya Novina. "The Interpretation of Freedom of Religion and Believe: How Do University Understand This to Society?." The Indonesian Journal of International Clinical Legal Education 2 no. 1 (2020): 15-28.

Razaki, Khalid, Anne Drougas, and Mohamed Askar. "Religion and interfaith dialogue: The forgotten pedagogical DEI initiative in business education and strategic planning." Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice 22 no. 10 (2022): 38-52.

Ryan, Ann Marie, and Danielle M. Gardner. "Religious harassment and bullying in the workplace." Dignity and inclusion at work. (Singapore: Springer Singapore, 2021), pp. 463-487.

Saman, Moh, et al. "Prevention of Radicalism and Terrorism in Higher Education: Regulation and Implementation." Indonesian Journal of Advocacy and Legal Services 5 no. 2 (2023): 241-260.

Sampurna, Rizki Hegia. "Accommodating Religious Practices in the Workplace: The Case of Indonesian Workers in Taiwan: Mengakomodasi Praktik Keagamaan di Tempat Kerja: Kasus Pekerja Indonesia di Taiwan." Society 7 no. 2 (2019): 159-172.

Sari, Desika Arum. "The Doctrine of Belief as a Vulnerable Group: How do the Human Rights Laws Accommodate this Group?." Unnes Law Journal 5 no. 2 (2019): 165-182.

Sefriani, Sefriani, et al. "The Conundrum to Wear Religious Uniform in Indonesia: International Human Rights Law and Islamic Law Perspective." Journal of Indonesian Legal Studies 9 no. 1 (2024): 31-62.

Singh, Reetesh K., and M. A. N. S. I. Babbar. "Understanding religious diversity and its implications at the workplace." NMIMS Journal of Economics and Public Policy 5 no. 4 (2020): 10-21.

Singh, Reetesh K., and Mansi Babbar. "Religious diversity at workplace: a literature review." Humanistic Management Journal 6 no. 2 (2021): 229-247.

Sodiqin, Ali, and Roehana Rofaidatun Umroh. "Towards an interreligious fiqh: A study of the culture-based religious tolerance in the Kaloran community, Central Java, Indonesia." Al-Jami'ah: Journal of Islamic Studies 61 no. 1 (2023): 159-180.

St‐Pierre, Isabelle, and Dave Holmes. "The relationship between organizational justice and workplace aggression." Journal of Advanced Nursing 66 no. 5 (2010): 1169-1182.

Sumarto, Slamet. "Constitutional protection of religious freedom and belief for indigenous peoples in Indonesia." International Journal of Business, Economics and Law 12 no. 4 (2017): 11-12.

Syaifullah, Syaifullah. “Gus Aab Pertanyakan Perusahaan yang Halangi Karyawan Shalat Jumat”, NU Jatim Online, February 17, 2021. Retrieved from https://jatim.nu.or.id/tapal-kuda/gus-aab-pertanyakan-perusahaan-yang-halangi-karyawan-shalat-jumat-Pvv04.

Widarahesty, Yusy. "" Diversity in the Workplace": Indonesian Muslim Migrant Workers' Experiences in Japan." Global Strategis 18 no. 2 (2024).

Wiryono, Singgih, and Agus Yulianto. “Tugas Pemerintah Atur Regulasi Perusahaan Terkait Waktu Ibadah”, REPUBLIKA, May 22, 2017. Retrieved from https://khazanah.republika.co.id/berita/oqcd4a396/tugas-pemerintah-atur-regulasi-perusahaan-terkait-waktu-ibadah.

Downloads

Published

2025-06-27

Article ID

22479

How to Cite

“The Role of Interfaith Law and Policy in Managing Human Resources: Addressing Religious Diversity in the Workplace”. 2025. Contemporary Issues on Interfaith Law and Society 4 (1): 1-44. https://doi.org/10.15294/0dks2w56.