Shifting Patterns of Religious Literacy among University Students: A Study of Islamic Identity Formation in Indonesian Higher Education
Abstract
This article investigates emerging patterns of religious literacy and Islamic identity formation among university students in Indonesia, particularly within public and Islamic higher education institutions. Through mixed-methods research involving surveys, focus group discussions, and document analysis, the study identifies a significant shift in students’ modes of engaging with Islamic knowledge—from conventional textual study to digital platforms such as social media, online preachers, and algorithm-driven content. The findings reveal variations in students’ interpretive frameworks, ranging from textual-literal to contextual-progressive orientations, influenced by digital ecosystems and campus environments. While online access has democratized religious learning, it has also created fragmented understanding and susceptibility to polarized discourses. The study argues that universities must redesign Islamic education programs to strengthen critical digital literacy, foster dialogical engagement, and cultivate balanced Islamic worldviews. By analyzing how young Indonesians negotiate personal faith, social identity, and mediated religious authorities, this research offers insights into the dynamic landscape of contemporary Islamic religiosity in Southeast Asia.
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Barnes, M., & Smith, J. D. (2015). Religious Literacy as Lokahi: Social Harmony Through Diversity. In A. Dinham & M. Francis (Eds.), Religious Literacy in Policy and Practice (pp. 77–98). Bristol University Press. https://doi.org/DOI: 10.46692/9781447316671.006
Brown, C. (2018). Politeness, Hypocrisy and Protestant Dissent in England after the Toleration Act. Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies, 41(1), 61–80. https://doi.org/10.1111/1754-0208.12521
Carpenter, T. P., & Marshall, M. A. (2009). An Examination of Religious Priming and Intrinsic Religious Motivation in the Moral Hypocrisy Paradigm. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 48(2), 386–393. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5906.2009.01454.x
Doostdar, A. (2016). Empirical Spirits: Islam, Spiritism, and the Virtues of Science in Iran. Comparative Studies in Society and History, 58(2), 322–349. https://doi.org/DOI: 10.1017/S0010417516000098
Firdaus, F. A., & Husni, H. (2021). Desain Kurikulum Perguruan Tinggi Pesantren dalam Mewujudkan Pendidikan yang Berkualitas. Tsamratul Fikri | Jurnal Studi Islam, 15(1), 83–102. https://riset-iaid.net/index.php/tf/article/view/703.
Formichi, C. (2021). Displacing Political Islam in Indonesia. Itinerario, 45(3), 413–434. https://doi.org/DOI: 10.1017/S0165115321000267
Giuliani, F., Ruch, W., & Gander, F. (2020). Does the Excellent Enactment of Highest Strengths Reveal Virtues? Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/FPSYG.2020.01545
Hamdani, N. A. (2023). Scrutinizing Islamic Higher Education Institutions in Indonesia. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 9(1), 79–92.
Hounguevou, B. (2023). Religious Hybridity: Opportunities and Challenges for African Christian Theology. Exchange, 52(1–2), 54–75. https://doi.org/10.1163/1572543x-bja10028
Husni, H. (2020). The Effect of Inquiry-based Learning on Religious Subjects Learning Activities: An Experimental Study in High Schools. Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan Islam, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.36667/jppi.v8i1.434
Istiani, N., & Islamy, A. (2020). Fikih Media Sosial Di Indonesia. Asy Syar’Iyyah: Jurnal Ilmu Syari’Ah Dan Perbankan Islam, 5(2), 202–225. https://doi.org/10.32923/asy.v5i2.1586
Juhaidi, A., Fitria, A., Hidayati, N., & Saputri, R. A. (2025). Examining Factors Influencing Enrolment Intention in Islamic Higher Education in Indonesia, does Islamic Senior High School Matter? Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2024.101243
Kersten, C. (2015). Islamic Post-Traditionalism: Postcolonial and Postmodern Religious Discourse in Indonesia. Sophia, 54(4), 473–489. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11841-014-0434-0
Lisak, M. (2016). Socio-Religious Perspectives on the Ecumenical Paradigm Shift according to Konrad Raiser and Hans Küng. Angelicum, 93(1), 109–134.
Matthews, M. A., & Mazzocco, P. J. (2017). Perceptions of Religious Hypocrisy: When Moral Claims Exceed Moral Action. Review of Religious Research, 59(4), 519–528. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13644-017-0307-4
Maulana, D. (2017). The Exclusivism of Religion Teachers: Intolerance and Radicalism in Indonesian Public Schools. Studia Islamika, 24(2), 395–401. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.15408/sdi.v24i2.5707
Moberg, D. O. (1987). Holy Masquerade: Hypocrisy in Religion. Eview of Religious Research, 29(1), 3–24. https://doi.org/10.2307/3511949
Mohamed, A. E. (2023). The Relationship between Islamic Education and Islamism. SSRN Electronic Journal, 17(May), 468–493. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4504692
Rosyad, A. M., & Ma’arif, M. A. (2020). Paradigma Pendidikan Demokrasi Dan Pendidikan Islam Dalam Menghadapi Tantangan Globalisasi Di Indonesia. Nazhruna: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 3(1), 75–99. https://doi.org/10.31538/nzh.v3i1.491
Shadiqin, S. I., Fuadi, T. M., & Ikramatoun, S. (2023). AI dan Agama: Tantangan dan Peluang dalam Era Digital. Jurnal Ilmu Sosial Dan Ilmu Politik Malikussaleh (JSPM), 4(2), 319. https://doi.org/10.29103/jspm.v4i2.12408
Suherman, H. (2020). Problematika dan Tantangan Pembelajaran Pendidikan Agama Islam di Tengah Pandemi Covid-19. Tsamratul Fikri| Jurnal Studi Islam, 14, 199–212.
Suyanto, B., Sirry, M., Sugihartati, R., Kartono, D. T., & Yani, M. T. (2024). Problems of Religious Literacy in Indonesian Education. Journal of Religious Education, 72(2), 165–181. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40839-024-00228-1
Umro, J. (2020). Tantangan Guru Pendidikan Agama Islam Dalam Menghadapi Era Society 5.0. Jurnal Al-Makrifat, 5(1), 79–95.
Untea, I. (2017). Contemporary Uses of the Golden Rule of Reciprocity in Abrahamic Interfaith Discourses. Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses, 47(1), 107–136. https://doi.org/10.1177/0008429817721904
Published
2026-01-13
How to Cite
HUSNI, Husni; SAHAL, Yosep Farhan Dafik.
Shifting Patterns of Religious Literacy among University Students: A Study of Islamic Identity Formation in Indonesian Higher Education.
Bestari, [S.l.], v. 22, n. 2, p. 170-186, jan. 2026.
ISSN 2807-6532.
Available at: <https://riset-iaid.net/index.php/bestari/article/view/1305>. Date accessed: 09 feb. 2026.
doi: https://doi.org/10.36667/bestari.v22i2.1305.
Section
Articles
