Crowdfunding for inter-faith peace: youth, networked social movement, and Muslim philanthropy NGOs in contemporary Indonesia

Abstract

This study examines the involvement of Indonesian youth and Muslim philanthropy NGOs in the promotion of inter-faith harmony through crowdfunding. Crowdfunding or online fundraising has been rapidly growing in Indonesia. It has been used to respond to various issues, among which is religious violence. Oftentimes, when radical acts happened in Indonesia, people turned to crowdfunding to express inter-faith solidarity and support. This study draws from the concept of networked social movement to explain the characteristics of crowdfunding campaigns for inter-faith harmony. This concept highlights contemporary online movements that are spontaneous, leaderless, and temporal in nature which is distinct from the well-organized movements commonly studied by scholars. This study employs digital ethnography on campaigns that responded to religious violence in the largest crowdfunding platform in Indonesia, Kitabisa, which is complemented by interviews with the campaign initiators and Muslim philanthropy NGOs. This article argues that the characteristics of network social movement fit with the current generation of remaja that is assumed to be socially apathetic and more immersed in developing themselves and consuming media. Nevertheless, despite the spontaneous and temporal tenets, the youth’s inter-faith movements were able to mobilize a significant number of donations and attract Muslim NGOs that were often perceived to be sectarian to support the inter-faith campaigns. The findings of this study contribute to the studies on Indonesian youth, Islamic philanthropy, and the state of inter-faith relations in Indonesia, which was argued to be experiencing a conservative turn.