Contesting Authority in Urban Islam: Mosque-Based Muslim Intellectuals and the Production of Religious Knowledge in Yogyakarta

Abd Aziz Faiz, Noorhaidi Noorhaidi

Abstract


Academic discourse on Muslim intellectual authority shows a pessimistic tendency alongside the development of new media and the post-Reformasi 1998. Muslim intellectuals are often positioned as actors who possess scholarly capacity, yet lack authority in the production of Islamic knowledge in the public sphere. This study challenges this assumption through an examination of the appropriation of Muslim intellectual authority in producing Islamic knowledge through the mosque and its online media. A qualitative method is employed. Primary data derive from observations of Muslim intellectual activities at Jenderal Sudirman Mosque Yogyakarta and public responses on the mosque’s online platforms. Additional data derive from interviews with mosque administrators and its audience. The study produces three findings. First, Muslim intellectuals build their scholarly authority in modern universities, while their public authority is consolidated through the mosque and its media. Second, they produce public Islamic discourse through critical approaches relevant to the challenges of urbanity and gain urban public support. Third, the mosque mediates the relationship between intellectual authority, the production of critical Islamic knowledge, and public religious commitment. These findings contribute to understanding the appropriation of Muslim intellectual authority in the production of Islamic knowledge through the everyday micro-practices of the mosque and its media in urban Yogyakarta.

Keywords


Authority; Jenderal Sudirman Mosque; Muslim Intellectual; Religious Knowledge

References


Abdullah, M. Amin. “Religious Authority in Indonesian Islam: Mainstream Organizations under Threat?” In The New Santri: Challenges to Traditional Religious Authority in Indonesia, edited by Norshahril Saat and Ahmad Najib Burhani, 13–27. Singapore: ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, 2020.

Akmaliah, Wahyudi. “The Demise of Moderate Islam: New Media, Contestation, and Reclaiming Religious Authorities.” Indonesian Journal of Islam and Muslim Societies 10, no. 1 (2020): 1–24. https://doi.org/10.18326/ijims.v10i1.1-24.

Alatas, Ismail Fajrie. What Is Religious Authority?: Cultivating Islamic Communities in Indonesia. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2021.

Alwee, Azhar Ibrahim. “Asian Intellectuals for Cultural Resistance: Departures and Disruptions.” KnE Social Sciences 1, no. 3 (2017): 32. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v1i3.723.

Anam, Wahidul, and Mubaidi Sulaeman. “Law, Ethics, and Hadith Ahkam: An Analysis of Fatwa MUI in the Perspective of Progressive Interpretation.” Samarah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Dan Hukum Islam 8, no. 2 (June 28, 2024): 1023–53. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v8i2.21594.

Arifianto, Alexander R. “Rising Islamism and the Struggle for Islamic Authority in Post-Reformasi Indonesia.” TRaNS: Trans -Regional and -National Studies of Southeast Asia 8, no. 1 (2020): 37–50. https://doi.org/10.1017/trn.2019.10.

Becker, Elisabeth. “Reconstructing the Muslim Self in Diaspora: Socio-Spatial Practices in Urban European Mosques.” International Journal of Islamic Architecture 8, no. 2 (2019): 389–414. https://doi.org/DOI:10.1386/ijia.8.2.389_1.

Burhani, Ahmad Najib. “Muslim Televangelists in the Making: Conversion Narratives and the Construction of Religious Authority.” Muslim World 110, no. 2 (2020): 154–75. https://doi.org/10.1111/muwo.12327.

Cheong, Pauline Hope. “Authority.” In Digital Religion: Understanding Religious Practice in New Media Worlds, edited by H. Campbell, 72‐87. New York: Routledge, 2021.

———. “Religious Authority and Social Media Branding in a Culture of Religious Celebrification.” In The Media and Religious Authority, edited by S. Hoover, .81-104. Pennsylvania: Penn State University Press, 2016. https://doi.org/10.2752/9781474280051/schmidt0008.

Cooper, Travis Warren. The Digital Evangelicals: Contesting Authority and Authenticity After the New Media Turn. Indiana: Indiana University Press, 2022.

Creswell, John W., William E. Hanson, Vicki L. Clark Plano, and Alejandro Morales. “Qualitative Research Designs: Selection and Implementation.” The Counseling Psychologist 35, no. 2 (March 1, 2007): 236–64. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000006287390.

Ding, Xiaojun, and Feng Yu. “Philosophical Practice as Spiritual Exercises towards Truth, Wisdom, and Virtue.” Religions 13, no. 4 (2022): 1–22. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13040364.

Ghozali, Mahbub, Achmad Yafik Mursyid, and Nita Fitriana. “Al-Qur’an (Re)Presentation in the Short Video App Tiktok: Reading, Teaching, and Interpretive.” Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities 30, no. 3 (2022): 1263–82. https://doi.org/10.47836/pjssh.30.3.18.

Gilardino, Mirko S., Richard J. Warren, and Jugpal S. Arneja. “The Death of Expertise.” Plastic Surgery 30, no. 4 (2022): 281–82. https://doi.org/10.1177/22925503221126932.

Hancock, Beverley, Elizabeth Ockleford, and Kate Windridge. An Introduction to Quality. Leicester: The NIHR RDS for the East Midlands / Yorkshire & the Humber, 2009. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003358404-2.

Hasyim, Syafiq. “New Contestation in Interpreting Religious Texts: Fatwa, Tafsir, and Shariah.” In The New Santri: Challenges to Traditional Religious Authority in Indonesia, edited by Norshahril Saat and Ahmad Najib Burhani, 1st ed. Singapore: ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, 2020.

Husaini, Adian. Hegemoni Kristen-Barat Dalam Studi Islam Di Perguruan Tinggi. Cet. 1. Jakarta: Gema Insani, 2006.

———. Liberalisasi Islam di Indonesia. Cet. 1. Jakarta: Gema Insani Press (GIP), 2015.

Hutchings, Tim. “Now the Bible Is an App: Digital Media and Changing Patterns of Religious Authority.” Religion, Media and Social Change 10, no. August 2013 (2014): 143–61.

Ibrahim, Azhar. “Being Authoritative But No Authority?” Muslim Religious Intellectuals in Shaping Indonesian Islam Discourse.” In The New Santri: Challenges to Traditional Religious Authority in Indonesia, edited by Norshahril Saat and Ahmad Najib Burhani, 20–47. Singapore: Lectures, Workshops, and Proceedings of International Conferences. ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, Cambridge University Press, 2020.

———. “Contemporary Islamic Discourse in the Malay-Indonesian World: Critical Perspectives.” Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia 29, no. 2 (2022): 495. https://doi.org/DOI:10.1355/sj29-2m.

Iwanebel, Fejrian Yazdajird. “Gerakan Keagamaan Dan Identitas Kultural Masjid Jendral Sudirman Yogyakarta.” IBDA` : Jurnal Kajian Islam Dan Budaya 17, no. 1 (August 12, 2019): 173–94. https://doi.org/10.24090/ibda.v17i1.2817.

Jacobsen, Douglas, and Rhonda Hustedt. “Faith and Learning in a Post-Truth World.” Journal of College and Character 19, no. 2 (2018): 93–100.

Jaiz, Hartono Ahmad. Ada Pemurtadan Di IAIN. Jakarta: Pustaka al-Kautsar, 2005.

Jaiz, Hartono Ahmad, and Abduh Zulfidar Akaha. Bahaya Islam Liberal: Sekular Dan Menyamakan Islam Dengan Agama Lain. Cet. 2. Jakarta: Pustaka Al-Kautsar, 2002.

Jinan, Mutohharun. “New Media And The Shifting Of Muslim Religious Authority In Contemporary Indonesia.” In Proceeding 1 Conference Proceedings Annual International Conference on Islamic Studies XII, 5-8 November, 1011–32. Surabaya: IAIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya Indonesia, 2012. https://doi.org/ISBN: 978-602-9239-98-0.

Kara, Seyfeddin, and Mohammad Saeed Bahmanpour. “The Legal Authority of the Jurist and Its Scope in Modern Iran.” Journal of the Contemporary Study of Islam 1, no. 1 (2020): 1–27. https://doi.org/10.37264/jcsi.v1i1.3.

Khailid, Muhammad, Katimin, and Zainul Fuad. “Dinamika Pembentukan Perda Syariah : Peran Dan Kontribusi Partai Politik Islam Dalam Mewujudkan Wajib Belajar Pada Madrasah Diniyah Takmiliyah Awaliyah ( MDTA ) Di Kota Medan.” Edukasi Islam: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam 12, no. 3 (2023): 2737–50. https://doi.org/10.30868/ei.v12i03.5262.

Lehmann, D. “Religion and Globalization.” In Religions in the Modern World:Traditions and Transformations, edited by Woodhead Linda, Kawanami Hiroko, and Partridge Christopher, 2nd ed., 10–24. London: Routledge, 2009. https://doi.org/10.1177/0040571X1011300630.

Menchik, Jeremy. “The Politics of the Fatwa: Islamic Legal Authority in Modern Indonesia.” Cornell University Press 114, no. 1 (2022): 75–97. https://doi.org/10.1353/ind.2022.0012.

Miles, Matthew B., and A Michael Huberman. Analisis Data Kualitatif: Buku Sumber Tentang Metode-Metode Baru. Jakarta: Universitas Indonesia (UI Press), 1992.

Millie, Julian, Greg Barton, Linda Hindasah, and Mikihiro Moriyama. “Post-Authoritarian Diversity in Indonesia’s State-Owned Mosques: A Manakiban Case Study.” Journal of Southeast Asian Studies 45, no. 02 (2014): 194–213. https://doi.org/DOI:10.1017/S002246341400006X.

Mohiuddin, Asif. “Islam, Religious Authority and The State: The Case of Egypt.” Asian Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies 16, no. 2 (2022): 165–88. https://doi.org/10.1080/25765949.2022.2097730.

Muama, Avisena Perdana Putra, and Abdelrahman Moawad Ali Tahawi. “Reconstruction of Rationality in Islamic Philosophy and Theology: Harun Nasution’s Thought and Its Relevance to Contemporary Islamic Studies in Indonesia.” An-Nida’ 49, no. 1 (2025): 73–89. https://doi.org/10.24014/an-nida.v49i1.36321

Mubarok, Sofi. “Democracy in Iran? Genealogy of Wilayat al-Faqih as an Existing Political System in Iran.” In Review on Globalization: From An Islamic Perspective, 153–71. Ponorogo: UNIDA Gontor Press, 2021.

Munawar-Rachman, Budhy. Reorientasi Pembaruan Islam: Sekularisme, Liberalisme Dan Pluralisme Paradigma Baru Islam Indonesia. Malang: Pusat Studi Agama dan Multikulturalism Pascasarjana Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang, 2018.

Mutawakkil, Moch. Ali, J. Nabiel Aha Putra, and Roma Wijaya. “The Scientific Authority in Islam from the Perspective of ʿAbd al-Majīd as-Ṣaghīr: The Ideal and the Reality of Knowledge Production.” An-Nida’ 48, no. 2 (2024): 225–244. https://doi.org/10.24014/an-nida.v48i2.32863

Muthohirin, N, M Kamaludin, and Fahrudin Mukhlis. “Transformasi Pendidikan Islam Salafi: Implikasi Terhadap Multikulturalisme Di Indonesia.” The Annual Conference on Islamic Religious Education 2, no. 1 (2022): 1–24.

Newman, Saul. “Post-Truth, Postmodernism and the Public Sphere.” In Europe in the Age of Post-Truth Politics, edited by Maximilian Conrad, Guðmundur Hálfdanarson, Asimina Michailidou, Charlotte Galpin, and Niko Pyrhönen, 13–30. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13694-8_2.

Nichols, Tom. Matinya Kepakaran : Perlawanan Terhadap Pengetahuan Yang Telah Mapan Dan Mudaratnya. Fourth Edi. Jakarta: Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia, 2020.

Nielsen, Richard A. “Women’s Authority in Patriarchal Social Movements: The Case of Female Salafi Preachers.” American Journal of Political Science 64, no. 1 (2020): 52–66. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajps.12459.

Nisa, Eva. “Negotiating a Space in the Mosque: Women Claiming Religious Authority.” In Mosques and Imams: Everyday Islam in Eastern Indonesia, edited by Kathryn M Robinson, 1st ed., 143–70. Singapore: NUS Press - National University of Singapore, 2020.

Nisa, F. Eva. “Muslim Women in Contemporary Indonesia: Online Conflicting Narratives behind the Women Ulama Congress.” Asian Studies Review 43, no. 3 (2019): 434–54. https://doi.org/10.1080/10357823.2019.1632796.

Nugraha, Dwi Adhe, and Agnes Sunartiningsih. “Masjid Sebagai Ruang Literasi (Studi Kasus Masjid Jenderal Sudirman Colombo, Sleman, Yogyakarta).” Kalimah: Jurnal Studi Agama Dan Pemikiran Islam 19, no. 1 (January 31, 2021): 139–65. https://doi.org/10.21111/klm.v19i1.6370.

Ollerenshaw, Jo Anne, and John W. Creswell. “Narrative Research: A Comparison of Two Restorying Data Analysis Approaches.” Qualitative Inquiry 8, no. 3 (June 1, 2002): 329–47. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778004008003008.

Rizal, Derry Ahmad, M. Yaser Arafat, and Nurul Khorina Seci Vella. “Masjid Dan Literasi Keagamaan: Studi Analisis Sosiologis Gerakan Literasi Di Masjid Jendral Sudirman Yogyakarta.” Empirisma: Jurnal Pemikiran Dan Kebudayaan Islam 33, no. 1 (January 29, 2024): 145–66. https://doi.org/10.30762/empirisma.v33i1.1404.

Robinson, Kathryn M. Mosques and Imams: Everyday Islam in Eastern Indonesia. 1st ed. Singapore: National University of Singapore Press, 2020.

Schäfer, Saskia. “Democratic Decline in Indonesia: The Role of Religious Authorities.” Pacific Affairs 92, no. 2 (2019): 235–55. https://doi.org/10.5509/2019922235.

Soehadha, Moh. Metodologi Penelitian Sosiologi Agama: Kualitatif. Yogyakarta: SUKA Press, 2018.

Sulaeman, Mubaidi, Ahmad Muttaqien, and Jan A. Ali. “Hyperspirituality Of Muslim Teens Learning Religion On The Internet Era.” Al-A’raf : Jurnal Pemikiran Islam Dan Filsafat 21, no. 1 (June 30, 2024): 1–29. https://doi.org/10.22515/ajpif.v21i1.8558.

Syarifuddin, A. “Islamic Knowledge Authority in Disruptive Era.” In International Conference on Islamic Studies (ICIS), 379–89. Ponorogo: IAIN Ponorogo, 2022.

Wai Weng, Hew. “Packaging, Persuasion and Propaganda: Popular Preaching and Islamic Counter-Publics in Indonesia.” Asian Studies Review 00, no. 00 (2022): 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/10357823.2022.2052801.

Weng, Hew Wai. “On-Offline Dakwah: Social Media and Islamic Preaching in Malaysia and Indonesia.” In Mediatized Religion in Asia, edited by Kerstin Radde-Antweiler and Xenia Zeiler, 1st ed., 89–104. New York: Routledge, 2018. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315170275.

Whyte, Shaheen Amid. “Islamic Religious Authority in Cyberspace: A Qualitative Study of Muslim Religious Actors in Australia.” Religions 13, no. 1 (2022): 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13010069.

Widodo, H.M.S. Urip. “Teror Bom Buku Di Jakarta: Peran Polri Dalam Penanganan Terorisme Di Indonesia.” Jurnal Keamanan Nasional 2, no. 2 (2016): 241–68. https://doi.org/10.31599/jkn.v2i2.48.

Yahya, Imam, and Akhmad Arif Junaidi. “Authority of Fatwa in Digital Era: Methodology and Transmission of Nahdlatul Ulama’s Bahtsul Masail in Indonesia.” Webology 18, no. 2 (2021). https://doi.org/DOI:10.14704/WEB/V18I2/WEB18345.

Zaid, Bouziane, Jana Fedtke, Don Donghee Shin, Abdelmalek El Kadoussi, and Mohammed Ibahrine. “Digital Islam and Muslim Millennials: How Social Media Influencers Reimagine Religious Authority and Islamic Practices.” Religions 13, no. 4 (2022). https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13040335.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24014/an-nida.v50i1.39263

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Editorial Office Board :

LPPM Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau

H.R. Soebrantas Street No. 155 KM 18, Simpang Baru Panam, Pekanbaru 28298 PO.Box. 1004 Telp. 0761-562051 Fax. 0761-562051 Web: https://lp2m.uin-suska.ac.id/

  

Creative Commons LicenseAn-Nida by http://ejournal.uin-suska.ac.id/index.php/Anida is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Web Analytics Made Easy - StatcounterView My Stats