MUHARRIK: Jurnal Dakwah dan Sosial

Da’wah in the Algorithmic Era: Investigating Bias and Validity of Islamic Artificial Intelligence Applications

Asna Istya Marwantika, Kazeem Oluwaseun Dauda — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The emergence of Islamic AI applications represents a pivotal transformation in the mediation of daʿwah. Yet, it raises pressing concerns about bias, epistemic validity, and the absence of recognized religious authority. This study examines ChatMu GPT and MuslimAI.ai, two prominent platforms with distinct theological orientations, to evaluate how they address religious questions framed within Indonesia's four indicators of religious moderation across the domains of message of da'wah, such asʿaqīdah (creed), ʿibādah (worship), and muʿāmalah (social ethics). Using qualitative content analysis and drawing on Algorithmic Bias Theory, six prompts were designed to test inclusivity, doctrinal balance, and ethical framing. Findings reveal that ChatMu GPT consistently grounds responses in Muhammadiyah doctrinal sources, producing structured but institutionally aligned guidance, while MuslimAI.ai prioritizes emotional inclusivity and accessibility at the expense of jurisprudential depth. Both exhibit limited transparency of sources and potential algorithmic bias. These results suggest that while Islamic AI can enhance accessibility to religious knowledge, its unsupervised use risks narrowing interpretive diversity. The study recommends hybrid AI models supervised by qualified ʿulamāʾ, trained on pluralistic datasets, and aligned with Islamic ethical principles of ṣidq (truthfulness), amānah (trustworthiness), and maṣlaḥah (public good) to preserve the integrity of digital daʿwah.

Interactive Da’wah Communication of KH. Anwar Zahid on YouTube: Integrating Traditional and Contemporary Methods

Mubasit Mubasit — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Preachers need effective communication patterns for their religious messages to be conveyed properly. KH. As a preacher, Anwar Zahid has combined traditional and contemporary communication patterns and created interactive dialogue with his audience. This study aims to identify KH Anwar Zahid's communication patterns on his YouTube platform, focusing on his preaching methods. This research uses a qualitative approach with digital ethnography. Journals, books, electronic documents, and da'wah content analysis are used as research data. Data collection techniques include observation, content analysis, and documentation. Data analysis is done through data reduction, presentation, and conclusion drawing. This research was conducted from June to December 2024. The results of this study show that the integration of traditional preaching and the adaptation of contemporary preaching through the method of dialogue creates religious participation among audiences. He can implement interactive verbal and non-verbal communication in his preaching—the YouTube channel of KH. Anwar Zahid, as a representation of Islamic media, not only conveys religious messages but also facilitates value transformation through communicative-dialogic da'wah methods. This research has implications for da'wah communication patterns in the digital space, positively impacting audience engagement in religious activities.

Integration of Da'wah Ethics and Psychology in Banjar Culture: A Humanistic Approach to Religious Communication

Anita Ariani, Anwar Fuadi, M. Idris, Ermalianti Ermalianti — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Religious communication in multicultural societies requires approaches that are both ethically sound and culturally sensitive. While da'wah efforts in Indonesia often emphasize textual or dogmatic methods, they frequently overlook the psychological dimensions of communication and the importance of local wisdom. This study addresses that gap by exploring how da'wah ethics and psychological principles can be integrated within the cultural framework of the Banjar community in South Kalimantan. Known for their strong Islamic values and traditions such as ba’iman (faith), ba’adab (civility), and ba’budaya (cultural identity), the Banjar people provide a relevant context for examining localized religious outreach. Employing a qualitative-descriptive approach with literature analysis, the study uses a humanistic communication framework that prioritizes empathy, respect, and psychological awareness in message delivery. The findings show that aligning da'wah with Banjar cultural values and emotional norms not only enhances message receptivity but also reduces resistance to religious messages. This integrated approach fosters deeper engagement, strengthens social cohesion, and makes religious communication more relevant to the lived experiences of the audience. The study contributes to the discourse on contextualized da'wah by proposing a model that respects both Islamic ethical principles and the cultural psychology of local communities.

Living Together in Difference: Enhancing Intercultural Communication through Religious Moderation in Post-Conflict Aceh

Zulkarnain Zulkarnain, Muhazir Muhazir — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The implementation of Islamic law in Aceh has often been perceived as restricting the rights of religious minorities and fostering intolerance. In Langsa City, however, the reality of interreligious interaction demonstrates a more tolerant, harmonious, and cooperative communication dynamic. This study aims to analyze the practice of religious moderation in Langsa City by focusing on interreligious communication strategies within the framework of Islamic law. The research employs a phenomenological approach guided by Face Negotiation Theory. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis, and interpreted to identify recurring patterns of communication. The findings show that religious moderation in Langsa is enacted through strategies of face management—maintaining both self-face and other-face—visible in formal arenas such as government programs (Gampong Moderasi), inclusive policies, and interfaith forums, as well as in everyday social interactions. The practice of moderation is sustained by local cultural and religious values, accommodative legal frameworks, interreligious education, and social expectations that encourage harmony. The study concludes that moderation in Langsa is not merely the outcome of regulation but emerges from ongoing interreligious communication and negotiation. The theoretical contribution extends Face Negotiation Theory from intercultural to interreligious communication. At the same time, the practical implication offers a communication-based model of moderation that can guide inclusive interfaith policies in multicultural societies.

Building Peace through Social Capital: Preventing Religious Intolerance in Manggarai, Indonesia

Mirsel Robertus, Felix Baghi, Puplius M. Buru — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article examines how social capital prevents and manages religious intolerance and conflicts in Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Departing from the limited attention paid to local community practices compared to previous studies emphasizing state regulation or religious leadership, this study focuses on how bonding, bridging, and linking social capital are operationalized in everyday life. Drawing on Putnam's social capital framework and a qualitative approach, the research employed 20 in-depth interviews, four focus group discussions (FGDs), and document analysis in Ruteng (urban) and Reo (rural), with data triangulation and cross-case comparison to enhance validity. The findings show that symptoms of intolerance are relatively rare. Conflicts such as youth disputes triggered by hoaxes or contestations over places of worship are resolved peacefully through collaborative mechanisms involving religious leaders, traditional leaders, the Interreligious Harmony Forum (FKUB), youth forums, and local government. Cultural norms of kinship, inclusivity, and unity strengthen bonding capital, cross-group dialogues serve as bridging capital, while FKUB's institutional role and government–community partnerships provide linking capital. Theoretically, the study contributes by demonstrating a hybrid model of social capital in Manggarai, where cultural traditions and institutional structures reinforce one another in sustaining interfaith harmony while exposing vulnerabilities such as minority exclusion and dependence on proactive leadership. These findings enrich scholarly debates on social capital and tolerance in plural societies and offer practical recommendations for strengthening interfaith youth engagement, embedding cultural wisdom into institutional forums, and ensuring inclusive representation within FKUB to support broader national efforts.

Charismatic Authority and Transformative Da’wah: the Leadership of K.H Thoifur Mawardi in Pesantren-Based Community Empowerment

Ach Fauzi, Misbah Zulfa Elizabeth, Muhammad Sulthon — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article examines charismatic authority in pesantren-based da'wah, a dimension of Islamic education leadership that remains underexplored. While Max Weber’s concept of charisma has been widely applied in political and organizational studies, its relevance to Indonesian pesantren leadership is rarely addressed. Taking KH Thoifur Mawardi of Daarut-Tauhid, Purworejo, as a case study, this research analyzes how charisma operates as both personal virtue and institutional capital in sustaining transformative da'wah. A qualitative approach was employed through interviews, participant observation, and documentation, with triangulation ensuring data credibility. The study shows that KH Thoifur’s charisma, rooted in moral integrity, Islamic scholarship, and emotional proximity to the community, enables him to mobilize spiritual awareness, social solidarity, and pesantren-based economic initiatives. Although limited to a single institution, the study critically adapts Weber’s notion of charisma to the pesantren context, offering a contextual framework that links leadership, spirituality, and social change. It concludes that effective da'wah must be participatory, human-centered, and sustainable to address contemporary challenges.

Mapping the Intellectual Landscape of Islamic Modernity: A Bibliometric and Critical Discourse Analysis of Global Scholarship

Kurniawan Dwi Saputra, Agus Himmawan Utomo — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This research aims to explore the state of the art of Islamic modernity research using a VOSviewer bibliometric study. The research draws on the 5-year (2020-2025) SCOPUS database, utilizing the keyword "Islamic Modernity." The results were analyzed descriptively and put into a visualization. In each criterion, when possible, regional interpretations are presented to support further analysis. Afterwards, a cross-sectional critical discourse analysis is conducted heuristically. The findings indicate that the number of publications on "Islamic modernity" increases significantly from 2023 to 2024, and this trend continues into 2025. It also suggests that Islamic modernity discourse falls into two poles of intellectual motives: one, more epistemological in the form of theory construction, and the other, more political, as it pays more attention to political issues by scrutinizing the internal dynamics of Islamic society through a political interpretation. Thus, future research could contribute to critiquing the Eurocentric paradigm and foster epistemic justice in the global theory of knowledge.

Visionary Da'wah Strategies of Kiai in Empowering Students as Independent Millennial Farmers

Mutrofin Mutrofin, Muhammad Khoirul Malik, Mohammad Khadziqun Nuha — Sat, 15 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The research in the kiai visionary da'wah strategy is how to take an innovative approach in mobilizing and realizing students to become independent millennial farmers. The lack of studies that examine the integration of da'wah with agricultural economic empowerment among students is one of the gaps in this study. There have been few studies that have explored the role of kiai as an agent of change in addressing the challenges of modern agribusiness today. This research is important for providing an applicable strategic model. The concrete strategies carried out by kiai in realizing millennial farmer students include: first, through the integration of the pesantren curriculum with skills. Second, vocational training programs. Third, partnership programs with external parties. In addition, kiai also implements a learning by doing model so that students are able to implement agricultural science practically. Theoretically, this research contributes to the development of contemporary da'wah theory that integrates spiritual values with agribusiness-based economic empowerment. This study can broaden the understanding that kiai are not only spiritual guides, but also agents of social and economic change. On the other hand, this research also enriches the literature on the visionary da'wah of kiai by emphasizing the aspect of economic independence of students to the needs of the millennial generation in the modern era. Meanwhile, this research can serve as a reference for Islamic boarding schools in designing agriculture-based student empowerment programs aimed at promoting economic independence