Chinese ways of being good Muslim: From the Cheng Hoo Mosque to Islamic education and media literacy

Abstract

This article aims to explore the Chinese ways of being Muslim, from building the Cheng Hoo mosque to serving Islamic education and media literacy. In the current millennial disruption era, the role of communication media literacy in the contemporary Indonesian Chinese Muslim community needs to be studied further, especially its role in supporting the status of being good Chinese Muslim. This article is also intended to discuss the Chinese ways of fostering converts and Chinese Muslims through both communication media literacy and information technology literacy. Through media analysis method, communication media literacy is part of communication which is based on who says what, in which channel, to whom, with what effects. This research finds out that communication media literacy is used by the Indonesian Chinese Muslim community through the publication of Cheng Hoo magazine, WhatsApp Forum PITI Jatim, website, and Facebook. All of these media are used and have a significant effect on the relation, interaction, aspiration, and communication between the Chinese Muslim community and Chinese non-Muslim community, and the Chinese Muslim community with non-Chinese Muslims in Indonesia. Moreover, the Chinese ways of being good Muslims could also be understood from various ways in establishing Cheng Hoo Mosque, Islamic education services based on Chinese community from Kindergarten, Islamic Elementary School, Pesantren, and routine or regular discussions.