Unity Lens

Rahmatus Solikha

Gender inequality remains a persistent issue in many Muslim societies, often reinforced by patriarchal interpretations of religious texts and institutional practices that constrain women’s agency. This study examines a particular strand of Islamic feminist thought by analyzing Musdah Mulia’s reinterpretation of tauhid as an ethical-theological framework for gender justice. Using a qualitative descriptive, library-based approach, the study analyzes selected texts, publications, and documented initiatives associated with Mulia through thematic content analysis. The findings indicate that tauhid is articulated as an ethical principle that rejects hierarchical gender relations and emphasizes moral and ontological equality between men and women. Contextual interpretations of Qur’anic passages such as Q.S. al-Aḥzāb: 35 and Q.S. 7:189 are used to challenge gender hierarchy and affirm shared religious responsibility. The analysis further shows that this framework integrates elements of Islamic ethics, liberal feminist theory, and critical pedagogy, resulting in a dual orientation toward institutional reform and cultural-educational transformation. Rather than proposing a universal model, the study situates this approach within the Indonesian context as part of a humanist-liberal current in Islamic feminism. This study contributes to existing literature by demonstrating how tauhid-based interpretation can be analytically linked to feminist theory and social praxis while remaining contextually and methodologically bounded.

Unity Lens

Isnaen Rachmat Al-Hafidz, Nur Hasyim, Akhriyadi Sofian

Digital platforms have become important sites for contemporary feminist activism, particularly in sociocultural contexts where patriarchal norms, moral conservatism, and platform governance shape public discourse. In Indonesia, Instagram has emerged as a contested digital space in which feminist expressions are both enabled and constrained. This study examines how feminist discourse is constructed, sustained, and adapted through the Instagram account @indonesiabutuhfeminis, a grassroots digital feminist community. Grounded in Berger and Luckmann’s theory of the social construction of reality, the study explores feminist activism not merely in terms of visibility or engagement, but as an ongoing process of meaning construction within a structurally challenging digital environment. Using qualitative content analysis of visual and textual posts published between 2021 and 2022, complemented by systematic online observation of interaction patterns and platform practices, the findings show that feminist discourse on the account is maintained through adaptive practices rather than isolated campaigns. These practices include the repeated circulation of accessible visual-textual content, the strategic use of hashtags to foster collective identification, sustained interaction with followers, and the activation of a secondary account following platform disruption. As a single-case qualitative study, the findings are not intended for generalization; however, they provide an in-depth understanding of how grassroots feminist activism navigates digital vulnerability while maintaining ideological continuity. This study contributes to digital feminism scholarship by demonstrating how social media functions as a site where feminist meanings are continuously constructed, negotiated, and stabilized within contested digital spaces in contemporary Indonesia.

Unity Lens

Ahmad Wafir

Religious diversity in Indonesia presents both social opportunities and challenges for sustaining interfaith harmony. Salatiga, a pluralistic city often referred to as “Mini Indonesia,” provides a significant context for examining community-based mechanisms of religious tolerance. This study aims to analyze how the Forum for Religious Harmony (Forum Kerukunan Umat Beragama/FKUB) of Salatiga promotes interfaith tolerance and to identify factors that support and constrain these efforts. Using a qualitative descriptive approach, this study draws on in-depth interviews with FKUB leaders, document analysis, and indirect observation of FKUB programs. The findings show that FKUB Salatiga employs an integrated strategy combining educational outreach, symbolic interfaith engagement, humanitarian services, and institutional coordination. These strategies are effective because they embed tolerance within everyday social interactions, mobilize religious leaders as moral authorities, and rely on direct, face-to-face communication to maintain contextual sensitivity. Government facilitation strengthens program sustainability, while challenges remain related to unequal regulation of worship facilities and resource limitations. This study contributes to the literature on interfaith communication and community-based peacebuilding by demonstrating how a locally embedded interfaith institution can function as a preventive governance mechanism for social conflict. The findings offer practical implications for policymakers and practitioners seeking to strengthen religious harmony in plural societies and suggest directions for future research on comparative interfaith governance and digital engagement strategies.

Unity Lens

Juliana Juliana, Arni Arni

Intercultural communication in multicultural societies is often assumed to foster mutual understanding and social integration through sustained interaction. However, empirical evidence suggests that coexistence does not always translate into deep intercultural engagement. This study examines intercultural communication practices in Desa Lilimori, a rural transmigration village in West Sulawesi characterized by ethnic and religious diversity. Employing a qualitative descriptive approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews, observation, and documentation, and analyzed using Gudykunst’s Anxiety/Uncertainty Management (AUM) framework. The findings indicate that intercultural communication in Lilimori is primarily sustained through pragmatic adaptation rather than deep intercultural integration. Residents manage cultural differences through shared linguistic practices, communicative restraint, and situational negotiation that prioritize social stability and predictability. While tolerance and peaceful coexistence are evident, interaction remains bounded by ethnic homophily, managed social distance, and implicit cultural boundaries. Language choice, religious accommodation, and everyday social norms function as mechanisms for reducing uncertainty and minimizing communicative risk rather than fostering intercultural intimacy. This study contributes to intercultural communication scholarship by extending AUM theory into a rural, non-institutional context and by reconceptualizing multicultural harmony as an outcome of situational negotiation rather than integrative intercultural competence. The findings highlight the importance of examining everyday communication practices in understanding how social cohesion is maintained in long-term multicultural coexistence.

Unity Lens

Desi Riskawati, Idrus Ruslan

Religious life in rural farming communities plays a significant role in shaping social behavior, yet its dynamics remain understudied within agrarian Islamic contexts. This study examines how patterns of religious practice influence the social conduct of Muslim farmers in Kelurahan Pajar Bulan, where labor-intensive agricultural routines frequently limit opportunities for individual worship. Guided by Glock and Stark’s multidimensional framework encompassing belief, ritual practice, religious experience, religious knowledge, and religious consequences this research explores the interplay between religiosity and everyday social behavior. A qualitative descriptive design was employed through semi-structured interviews, extended participant observations, and document analysis involving 10 purposively selected informants, including religious leaders, village officials, and farmers active in communal religious life. The findings indicate that although economic pressures disrupt the regularity of individual ritual observance, farmers maintain strong foundational beliefs, actively participate in communal activities such as pengajian, Yasinan, marhabanan, and metik, and continue to internalize religious values through locally embedded religious education. These practices foster social cohesion, mutual assistance, and ethical interpersonal conduct. The data further reveal that farmers negotiate their religious identity by adjusting ritual performance to farming constraints while reaffirming their moral and spiritual commitments through collective worship and shared ethical norms. The study concludes that religiosity among rural farmers functions not only as an expression of faith but also as a cultural framework that shapes social norms and reinforces community solidarity. The findings contribute to the broader discourse on rural Islamic sociology and highlight the importance of strengthening community-based religious guidance within agrarian settings.

Unity Lens