Journal of Asian Wisdom and Islamic Behavior

Critical Islam and the Muslim Crisis: Z. Sardar’s Double Critique of Western Modernity and Muslim Orthodoxy

Abdessamad Belhaj — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Critical Islam is a Muslim discourse that fundamentally questions contemporary Muslim societies, traditions, and cultures in response to the crisis in Muslim societies, amidst the rise in violence, authoritarianism, and foreign military interventions. This school of thought represents a new development in Islamic thought and an attempt to overcome the problems posed by tradition and modernity. This article examined the British-Pakistani intellectual Ziauddin Sardar’s views of critical Islam. My approach, which is based on intellectual history, places his arguments and theses in the context of the intellectual networks in which they originated as well as the developments that have taken place in the Muslim world over the last two centuries. One of the main findings, underlined here, is that Sardar offers an innovative and dual critique of the West and the Muslim tradition from an ethical and epistemic perspective. Additionally, the goal of his critical Islam is to change, pluralize, and end violence in the Muslim world. However, Sardar’s project is elitist and lacks spiritual appeal for the great majority of Muslims. Therefore, it should be interpreted as an intellectual critical engagement with Islam and the West that emphasizes personal emancipation.

Bangladesh’s Paradoxical Youth: Unfolding University Students’ Contradictory Perspectives on Secularism

Md. Akmal Hossain — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Secularism, dharmanirapekkhta in Bangla, is enshrined in the constitution of Bangladesh as one of the state principles in 1972. It stresses that all religious groups are independent in observing their faiths without fear or restriction. However, in Bangladesh, the concept of secularism has become an issue of contention between secularists and religious groups, particularly among university students. This paper is aimed at investigating the contradictory perspectives of university students on secularism in Bangladesh, as well as understanding the issue from socio-political, cultural, and religious perspectives. This study employed a qualitative research design, including convenience surveys and secondary content analysis, to address the research gap and test a hypothesis regarding the youths’ perception of secularism. The study found a paradoxical view of secularism. The study findings indicate that more than half of the students prefer secularism as one of Bangladesh’s state principles. In contrast, they view secularism negatively from Bangladesh’s socio-economic and political perspectives.

Fatwa Communication in the Digital Era: Synergy of Conventional Media and Digital Technology in Disseminating the Fatwa on ‘Uang Panai’ by the MUI of South Sulawesi

Ibnu Azka, Fathur Baldan Haramain — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study aims to analyze the communication strategy used by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) of South Sulawesi in disseminating fatwas related to dowry in the digital era. Panai, as a tradition of the Bugis-Makassar community in marriage, often causes polemics related to the amount of value that is considered burdensome. The MUI of South Sulawesi plays a role in providing religious guidance through fatwas, which must be disseminated effectively to the wider community. This study uses a qualitative approach with a case study method, where data is collected through interviews, document analysis, and observation. This study focuses on how digital technology, such as social media and online platforms, is utilized to reach a wider audience, as well as the challenges faced in conveying religious messages in the modern era. The results of this study indicate that the MUI South Sulawesi communication strategy elaborates conventional and digital approaches, which include optimizing social media, collaborating with community leaders, and disseminating information through the official website. This study suggests further development in terms of digital innovation and increasing digital literacy to ensure that fatwas can be understood and well received by all groups.

Shaping Virtual Religious Authority: The Power of Digital Media on Micro-Celebrity Da’i

Baidawi Baidawi — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Micro-celebrities preachers have taken an important part in educating the ummah through Islamic messages while establishing virtual religious authority. Celeb da’i gain strategic space and recognition from the community through religious studies and have the potential to become a reference for religious knowledge. The contestation of virtual religious authority with traditional religious authority as an authoritative source is dynamic, and at the same time fragmentation occurs. This research concentrates on da’i micro-celebrities including Ustadzah Oki Setiana Dewi, Ustad Syam, and Aa Gym. This research is focused on three digital platforms including YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. The time span of this research starts from February to July 2024. The research method uses descriptive qualitative through netnography studies. The finding is that virtual religious authority is illustrated through the digital platform micro-celebrities da’i, which offers a new face of entertainment, adapts to the latest trends, and is solutive in carrying out religious missions. The power of digital media catapults the popularity and religious influence of celeb da’i in the Islamic cyber environment, further perpetuating virtual religious authority as a source of religious information for the ummah.

The Changing Da’wah Preference From Salafi to Moderate: Gus Baha and Habib Ja’far in Millennial Muslim Urban

Firmanda Taufiq, Ahalla Tsauro — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Da’wah preferences among urban Muslim millennials are likely changing recently due to the emergence of figures, namely Bahauddin Nur Salim (Gus Baha) and Habib Husein Ja’far Al-Hadar (Habib Ja’far). Da’wah materials offered by mainstream preachers in urban areas tend to be Salafi. Meanwhile, the two figures’ appearance gave a new color with a traditional Islamic pattern based on the nuances of pesantren. This study aims to examine the changes in da’wah preferences among millennial urban and the reason behind it. Through Stuart Hall’s circuit of culture theory, this study attempts to compare the two figures who became religious authority alternatives through da’wah methods in the stages of content production. This qualitative study is based on previous studies, preachers speeches through YouTube channels. The study shows that urban millennial generations have likely experienced changing preferences in da’wah which was originally consumptive listening to da’wah from several Salafi groups to the alternative moderate groups. Meanwhile, Habib Ja’far might be preferable among youngsters as he has a wider segmentation than Gus Baha.