Representasi Nilai Toleransi Antarumat Beragama dalam Film My Name Is Khan: Analisis Semiotika Charles Sanders Peirce

Abstract

This study examines the representation of interreligious tolerance values in Karan Johar’s film My Name Is Khan. The research is motivated by the rise of intolerance and stereotypes against Islam after the September 11 attacks, positioning film as an important medium for promoting tolerance discourse. Using a qualitative method, this research applies Charles Sanders Peirce’s semiotic approach to analyze 30 key scenes depicting interfaith interactions. Data were collected through close observation of visual, verbal, and gestural signs representing tolerance, focusing on the triadic relation of sign, object, and interpretant. The findings reveal three major forms of interreligious tolerance represented in the film. First, respect for others’ beliefs, illustrated by the scene of zakat being given to a non-Muslim family. Second, religious freedom, represented by Rizwan Khan’s efforts to assert his identity as a peaceful Muslim. Third, mutual understanding across faiths, shown in the solidarity of Muslim characters helping Christian flood victims in Georgia. The discussion highlights that the film not only presents a personal narrative of a character with autism but also voices a social critique of post-9/11 religious discrimination in global media. The scientific contribution of this study lies in mapping the semiotic construction of tolerance values in film narratives, thereby enriching cross-cultural communication and religious representation studies within popular media scholarship.