Islamic Studies in the World

The New ‘Aisyahs: A Comparative Political Analysis of Female Muslim Legislators and Gender-Inclusive Policies in Indonesia and Turkey

Murat Arslan — 2025-08-23

Female Muslim legislators have become increasingly visible in the political landscapes of several Muslim-majority countries, including Indonesia and Turkey, where shifting democratic norms and evolving interpretations of Islamic gender ethics shape women’s participation in governance. Despite expanded representation, questions remain regarding how these women influence gender-inclusive policymaking and how their political strategies differ across distinct socio-religious and institutional contexts. Understanding these dynamics is essential for analyzing the broader transformation of Muslim women’s political agency in contemporary Muslim democracies.

This study aims to compare the roles, strategies, and policy impacts of female Muslim legislators in Indonesia and Turkey by examining how they navigate religious discourse, party structures, and political constraints while advocating for gender-inclusive reforms. The research seeks to identify convergences and divergences in their legislative behavior, institutional challenges, and use of Islamic arguments in political debates.

A qualitative comparative political analysis was conducted using parliamentary documents, policy archives, and twenty semi-structured interviews with legislators, political advisors, and civil-society actors from both countries. The analysis employed thematic coding and cross-case comparison to evaluate how religious identity intersects with political participation and legislative outcomes.

Findings reveal that Indonesian female Muslim legislators tend to mobilize pluralist Islamic narratives and civil-society alliances to strengthen gender advocacy, whereas their Turkish counterparts often navigate more centralized party systems and heightened ideological polarization. Both groups, however, strategically employ Islamic ethical frameworks to legitimize gender-inclusive policies. The study concludes that female Muslim legislators play a crucial role in transforming gender governance in Muslim-majority democracies, though the extent of their influence remains shaped by national political structures.

The Quantified Self and Digital Piety: Analyzing Islamic Prayer Apps, Datafication, and their Impact on Daily Worship

Nandar Hlaing — 2025-08-22

The widespread adoption of Islamic prayer applications has introduced new forms of digital piety in which acts of worship become increasingly structured, quantified, and mediated through mobile technologies. The rise of these apps reflects broader cultural shifts toward datafication, self-tracking, and algorithmically guided religious practice. While prayer apps offer convenience, reminders, and personalized worship analytics, concerns have emerged regarding overreliance on digital tools, potential erosion of spiritual intentionality, and the implications of data extraction for user privacy. These dynamics highlight the need to critically examine how quantified self technologies shape Muslim devotional life.

This study aims to analyze the influence of Islamic prayer apps on daily worship by investigating how datafication, algorithmic nudges, and quantified worship metrics affect users’ spiritual habits and perceptions of religious discipline. The research seeks to explore both the empowering and constraining effects of digital piety on contemporary Muslim practice.

A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining a quantitative survey of 268 Muslim prayer app users with qualitative interviews involving twenty participants who regularly engage with worship-tracking features. Document analysis of popular prayer apps was also conducted to examine interface design, tracking mechanisms, and data-collection practices.

Findings reveal that prayer apps significantly increase worship consistency, particularly in maintaining prayer schedules and tracking missed prayers. However, the quantification of worship introduces psychological dependence on reminders and metrics, shifting spiritual motivation from intrinsic intentionality to external digital cues. The study concludes that while prayer apps enhance ritual discipline, they also reshape devotional experiences through datafication, necessitating ethical reflection on privacy, autonomy, and the meaning of worship in a digital age.

DAKWAH GOES VIRAL: A STUDY OF ISLAMIC PRACHING, RELIGIOUS AUTHORATY AND AUTHENTICITY ON TIKTOK AND INSTAGRAM IN INDONESIA

Siti Nuri Nurhaidah — 2025-12-31

Baground. The rapid rise of social media platforms, particularly TikTok and Instagram, has significantly transformed Islamic preaching (dakwah) in Indonesia. These platforms, known for their viral nature, provide a unique space for religious figures to engage with a broader audience, challenging traditional forms of religious authority and authenticity. However, the democratization of religious content on these platforms raises questions about the reliability and authenticity of the messages shared.

Purpose. This study aims to investigate how TikTok and Instagram influence Islamic preaching, religious authority, and the authenticity of religious content in Indonesia.

Method. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research combines content analysis of religious posts with surveys of 300 social media users to explore their engagement patterns, perceptions of authority, and trust in the content.

Results. The findings reveal that TikTok users engage more with entertaining, short-form religious content, while Instagram users prefer longer, more scholarly posts. Additionally, non-traditional religious figures, particularly on TikTok, gain significant trust based on engagement rather than formal credentials.

Conclucion. The study concludes that social media has reshaped the landscape of Islamic preaching, highlighting the need for new frameworks to assess religious authenticity and authority in the digital age.

Navigating Patriarchy and Piety: A Case Study of Islamic Feminist Discourse and Women's Leadership in Malaysian NGOs

Amina Azhigali — 2025-08-20

Patriarchal norms continue to shape socio-religious expectations for Muslim women in Southeast Asia, particularly in Malaysia, where debates around gender, authority, and piety intersect within civil society spaces. Islamic feminist discourse has gained increasing visibility in recent years, yet questions remain regarding how women leaders in Muslim-majority contexts negotiate religious legitimacy while challenging gendered power structures. Malaysian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) provide an important arena for examining the everyday strategies through which women navigate patriarchal constraints and articulate faith-based approaches to gender justice.

This study aims to investigate how women leaders in Malaysian Islamic-oriented NGOs engage with Islamic feminist discourse to negotiate authority, cultivate legitimacy, and advance transformative social agendas. The research seeks to identify the discursive, religious, and organizational strategies that enable or hinder women’s leadership within patriarchal environments.

A qualitative case-study approach was employed, drawing on in-depth interviews with fifteen female NGO leaders, participant observation of organizational activities, and document analysis of mission statements, program materials, and public advocacy texts. Data were analyzed using thematic coding informed by feminist theory, Islamic gender ethics, and discourse analysis.

Findings reveal that women leaders strategically mobilize Qur’anic principles, prophetic narratives, and concepts of justice to challenge patriarchal interpretations while maintaining religious credibility. Participants reported using relational leadership styles, community-based legitimacy, and interpretive flexibility to navigate gendered expectations. The study concludes that Islamic feminist discourse serves as both a protective shield and a transformative tool, enabling women to assert leadership within constraints while promoting more inclusive understandings of Islam in civil society.

Countering Digital Fitna: An Empirical Study on Hoax-Detection and Islamic Digital Literacy Among Online Muslim Communities

Leila Mahdavi — 2025-08-21

The rapid circulation of misinformation in digital spaces has intensified concerns about “digital fitna,” a term used to describe the spread of deceptive content that distorts religious understanding and destabilizes social cohesion within Muslim online communities. The increasing prevalence of hoaxes, manipulated religious narratives, and misattributed hadith on social media highlights the urgent need for Islamic digital literacy that equips users with both critical thinking skills and authentic religious knowledge. The phenomenon poses serious risks to communal harmony, public trust, and the integrity of Islamic teachings in the digital age.

This study aims to examine the effectiveness of hoax-detection skills and the level of Islamic digital literacy among online Muslim communities, with a focus on assessing how users evaluate, verify, and respond to religious misinformation. The research also seeks to identify demographic, cognitive, and behavioral factors that influence susceptibility to digital fitna.

A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative surveys of 312 active Muslim social media users with qualitative interviews involving digital da‘i, Islamic educators, and community moderators. Quantitative data assessed literacy levels and detection accuracy, while qualitative data explored perceptions of misinformation, verification practices, and challenges in navigating religious content online.

Findings reveal that while awareness of digital misinformation is relatively high, actual hoax-detection accuracy remains moderate, with only 47% of participants consistently identifying false religious claims. Higher literacy scores are strongly correlated with formal religious education and prior media-literacy training. The study concludes that strengthening Islamic digital literacy requires integrated interventions combining religious authority, technological competence, and community-based verification practices.