Negotiating Salafism: Women Prayer Groups and their Preachers in Indonesia's Islamic Digital Mediascapes

Abstract

This article is concerned with Muslim women's negotiation of Salafism at the intersection of online and offline spaces. It focuses on two groups of Indonesian Muslim women who formed majelis taklim (study groups on Islam), namely Majelis Mutia (lit. Assembly of the Obedient) and Majelis Sahabat Cinta (lit. Assembly of the Friends of Love), to examine how these social media‐savvy women, who demand a more contextual interpretation of the Islamic foundational texts, negotiate Salafi teachings in order to bring them in accordance with their everyday lives. This article argues that online and offline encounters at these majelis have brought different negotiations. They have also created incongruencies, especially on the parts of Salafi preachers, as the latter have to adjust to the audience who are not used to pure Salafi discourse. These incongruencies provide opportunities for the members of the majelis taklim to practice a “softer version” of Salafism that, on occasion, seems to contradict those same Salafi teachings. Contrary to the general understanding that Muslim women are easy prey for Salafis, my research shows that the proliferation of preachers in the context of Indonesia's Islamic digital mediascapes have created a far more pluralized and optative religious forum.

A Behaviour of Religious Moderation among Salafi in Ambon

“…This is reflected in the creation of educational institutions, radio stations, and social media they founded (Abacioglu, Volman and Fischer 2020, Chaplin 2018, Iqbal 2014, Nisa 2013, Sunarwoto 2016, Wahid 2014a. Another finding that is the mushrooming of Salafi preachers who are active in mediascape digital Islam has created a religious forum that is far more plural and optative (Husein 2021). In addition, many young people are dissatisfied with Islamic groups in Indonesia, which are impure and less authoritative, so they join forces with Salafi, who are considered pure and authoritative (Arifin, Sofia and Hidayah 2022).…”

“…Salafi is often considered to be contrary to the character of Indonesian Islam, which know to be harmonious with the local traditions (Husein 2021). Not only that, Salafi is also always associated with radical and extreme groups.…”

Defending Traditional Islam in Indonesia: The Resurgence of Hadhrami Preachers, by Syamsul Rijal

“…69-70, 112). This phenomenon could be connected, on one side, to the improving economic participation of Indonesian women (World Economic Forum 2023), the rising popularity of Hadhrami preacher women in urban areas and in digital media (Husein 2021b(Husein , 2021a, and the emergence of young female students graduated from Yemen (Bubalo et al 2011).…”