Contemporary religious movement in Indonesia: A Study of Hijrah Festival in Jakarta in 2018

Abstract

One result of the interplay between Islamic da’wa, popular culture, and employment of information technology in Indonesian community is the emergence hijrah movement. The term hijrah in Indonesia is employed to denote term tawbah among contemporary young Muslims. This term is well-known among Muslim artists in several countries who declare themselves to have migrate from bad living (decadent) in the past to good ones (Islamic) in present. In 2018, these youths held a three-day festival of Hijrah in Jakarta to display commitment and dedication in their hijrah. Seventeen Muslim well-known Indonesian clerics and thousands of youths of hijrah attended the festival. This article discusses this new religious phenomenon of hijrah as it is reflected in the festival as well as analyzes the quotations of the Holy Quran used by leading figures in this festival by comparing it to Quranic exegesis of past Muslim scholars. From the study, it can be concluded that the festival strengthens the reach of hijrah movement among Muslim youths in the city. This is achieved through the employment of some Quranic verses related to hijrah in this festival.