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It specializes in Indonesian Islamic studies in particular, and Southeast Asian Islamic studies in general, and is intended to communicate original researches and current issues on the subject. is journal warmly welcomes contributions from scholars of related disciplines. All submitted papers are subject to double-blind review process. STUDIA ISLAMIKA has been accredited by e Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education, Republic of Indonesia as an academic journal (Decree No. 32a/E/KPT/2017). STUDIA ISLAMIKA has become a CrossRef Member since year 2014. erefore, all articles published by STUDIA ISLAMIKA will have unique Digital Object Identi er (DOI) number.

Manggarai, a community in Flores, Eastern Indonesia is known for its rich culture of folk songs with unique rhythm and lyrics. There are various types of folk songs for different purposes such as traditional chants, harvest celebrations, lamentation of the dead, war anthems, children songs, and other  profane functions. When European missionaries started Catholic evangelization in Manggarai in the beginning of the 20th century, many of these folk songs were prohibited due to their use in rituals deemed idolatry. However, some missionaries saw the potential of folk songs for evangelization and empowered local artists to arrange Catholic liturgical songs based on these traditional songs. Eventually, many folk songs were adapted and transformed into Catholic hymns. This paper explores this irony through socio-historical research to understand the relationship dynamics between the Catholic Church and the Manggaraian culture. This research has discovered that there is a dialectical encounter between Catholicism and the Manggaraian culture which has shaped a unique identity of the Catholic Church in Manggarai

This paper explores the connection between the activity of Catholic Church and the covid-19 pandemic through the case of a bishop ordination held in Ruteng, Indonesia. The ordination Mass took place on March 19, 2020, against the background rising numbers of covid-19 cases globally and in Indonesia. The Mass, which was attended by four thousand participants, led to criticisms of the Catholic Church in Ruteng. The Church was accused of jeopardizing the health of the community and failing to adhere to government advisories. It was labeled as selfish and stubborn. This paper discusses the urgency of both the covid-19 situation in Indonesia and of the bishop ordination in Ruteng. Ordination of a new bishop symbolizes a climax in the journey of the Catholic Church in Ruteng. It is a resolution of past conflicts and controversies in the history of the Church in the region. The Church needed ordination as a way of gaining power and legitimacy.

This study explores the complexity of marriage for people in Manggarai. Since they are citizens of the cultural community of Manggarai, Indonesian citizens, and members of a Catholic community, their marriage is required to follow the provisions of customary law, religious law, and state law. Using a library and ethnographic approaches, the study compares these laws on the legality of marriage and analyzes their differences and the impacts on the rights and obligations of married couples and children born to the couple. The study discovered that the differences in the provisions regarding the validity of a marriage between the three laws have provided space for the emergence of legal uncertainty and discriminatory treatment of customary marriages which are not legalized by religious law and state law as well as marriages that are divorced civilly but are still valid according to Catholic rules. Such a phenomenon is certainly a portrait of failure or incompetence in the attempt to unify marriage law in Indonesia through Law No. 1 of 1974 concerning Marriage. So it is urgent to have a more comprehensive new law that accommodates the wisdom of local customary law and provides protection for every citizen