Identity Transformation and Social Psychology of Religious Conversion Actors from Christianity to Islam in Indonesian Sundanese Ethnic Settlements

Abstract

The most basic human right is the right to embrace religion to have the freedom to determine religion and even convert religion. Religious conversion occurs in almost every area, including in the Sukabumi district. Perpetrators of religious conversion from non-Muslims to Muslims and Muslims to non-Muslims have different personal experiences and motives, so it is interesting to do a more in-depth study. The purpose of this study was to find out the Sundanese ethnic perspective on religious conversion from non-Muslims to Muslims and from Muslims to non-Muslims, self-concept and social psychology of Sundanese ethnicity as perpetrators of religious conversion, Sundanese ethnic communication patterns, and stages of transformation of Sundanese ethnic identity as religious converts. This study uses a qualitative approach because this approach is more flexible in digging comprehensive and in-depth data. While the research method used in this study is the phenomenological tradition, which reveals the personal experience of a person who converted to Islam. The results of this study indicate that everyone has a motive to change religions which is influenced by their social psychological conditions, so they have different self-concepts from one another. Even in carrying out religious conversion, a unique and exciting transformation of religious identity was found. However, the pattern of communication between them is relatively the same.