Islam, Digital Media, and Identity

Abstract

Abstract This chapter examines the impact of Islamic identity in physical spaces on its representation online. It finds that even though the media plays an essential role in expanding religion, the different logic of each in most cases creates conflicts, particularly in the case of identity. In Indonesian online media, the issue of “the criminalization of ulama” shows a clear token of how the long-established concept of religious identity in Islam faced various challenges and threats in the contemporary media environment. Consequently, Muslim religious leaders are more cautious in adopting new media. This chapter finds the same evidence in the early Muslims’ interactions with traditional media. Using mediatization and Campbell’s Religious-Social Shaping Technology as its theoretical basis, this chapter argues that the logic of Islamic identity, which is strongly attached to physical values, is different from the logic of media online. Accordingly, this mentality causes a cautious attitude among Muslim religious leaders to adopt media (from the old to the current digital media).