The phenomenon of “celebrity ustadz” in Indonesia on the ethics of dakwahtainment

One of the most striking trend of ‘Popular Islam’ in Indonesia is the emerging of celebrity ustadz within the last decade. This phenomenon portrays a modern and fashionable Islam, however, it is also fears to degrade virtuous values of ustadz. This phenomenon appears prominently along with the pol...

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Main Author: Bahri, Media Zainul
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Institut Alam dan Tamadun Melayu, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2016
Online Access:http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10897/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10897/1/IMAN-2016-0401-02.pdf
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author Bahri, Media Zainul
author_facet Bahri, Media Zainul
author_sort Bahri, Media Zainul
building UKM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description One of the most striking trend of ‘Popular Islam’ in Indonesia is the emerging of celebrity ustadz within the last decade. This phenomenon portrays a modern and fashionable Islam, however, it is also fears to degrade virtuous values of ustadz. This phenomenon appears prominently along with the political reformation in Indonesia in the late of 1990s. The emerging celebrity ustadzs with glamorous life-style and highly exposure to public have changed not merely the image of ustadz and the interaction pattern between ustadz and the followers (umma), but also gave rise what the so-called “dakwahtainment.” Now, here is the interaction between ustadz (like an idol-artist) with his fans or followers. This trend also represents an ideal blend between religion (Islam), television industry, and capitalism. The commodification of Islam is obvious, with superficial actors, producers, and consumers. From both, the measure of the ethics of Ulamaship (traditional clerical moral qualifications) and ethics of dakwah, the phenomenon of ustadz celeb is a new Islamic culture that is unethical. Therefore, many Indonesian Muslims, especially Muslim intelligentsia, were very disappointed. In fact, it causes a lot of cynicism. The ustadz profession, especially celebrity ustadz, is now considered “low”, and the only thing that is “high” seem to be their rate and theirlife style.
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spelling oai:generic.eprints.org:108972017-10-31T00:36:05Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10897/ The phenomenon of “celebrity ustadz” in Indonesia on the ethics of dakwahtainment Bahri, Media Zainul One of the most striking trend of ‘Popular Islam’ in Indonesia is the emerging of celebrity ustadz within the last decade. This phenomenon portrays a modern and fashionable Islam, however, it is also fears to degrade virtuous values of ustadz. This phenomenon appears prominently along with the political reformation in Indonesia in the late of 1990s. The emerging celebrity ustadzs with glamorous life-style and highly exposure to public have changed not merely the image of ustadz and the interaction pattern between ustadz and the followers (umma), but also gave rise what the so-called “dakwahtainment.” Now, here is the interaction between ustadz (like an idol-artist) with his fans or followers. This trend also represents an ideal blend between religion (Islam), television industry, and capitalism. The commodification of Islam is obvious, with superficial actors, producers, and consumers. From both, the measure of the ethics of Ulamaship (traditional clerical moral qualifications) and ethics of dakwah, the phenomenon of ustadz celeb is a new Islamic culture that is unethical. Therefore, many Indonesian Muslims, especially Muslim intelligentsia, were very disappointed. In fact, it causes a lot of cynicism. The ustadz profession, especially celebrity ustadz, is now considered “low”, and the only thing that is “high” seem to be their rate and theirlife style. Institut Alam dan Tamadun Melayu, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2016-01 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10897/1/IMAN-2016-0401-02.pdf Bahri, Media Zainul (2016) The phenomenon of “celebrity ustadz” in Indonesia on the ethics of dakwahtainment. Jurnal Antarabangsa Alam dan Tamadun Melayu (Iman), 4 (1). pp. 15-29. ISSN 2289-1706 http://www.ukm.my/iman/jilid-4-bil-1/
spellingShingle Bahri, Media Zainul
The phenomenon of “celebrity ustadz” in Indonesia on the ethics of dakwahtainment
title The phenomenon of “celebrity ustadz” in Indonesia on the ethics of dakwahtainment
title_full The phenomenon of “celebrity ustadz” in Indonesia on the ethics of dakwahtainment
title_fullStr The phenomenon of “celebrity ustadz” in Indonesia on the ethics of dakwahtainment
title_full_unstemmed The phenomenon of “celebrity ustadz” in Indonesia on the ethics of dakwahtainment
title_short The phenomenon of “celebrity ustadz” in Indonesia on the ethics of dakwahtainment
title_sort phenomenon of “celebrity ustadz” in indonesia on the ethics of dakwahtainment
url http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10897/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10897/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10897/1/IMAN-2016-0401-02.pdf