Digitalizing Islamic Community Education: Historical Continuityand Women’s Religious Agency in Indonesian Majelis Taklim
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26811/peuradeun.v14i3.2627Keywords:
Digital Majelis Taklim, History of Islamic Education, Layered Pedagogical Continuity, Islamic Digital Pedagogy, Women’s Educational AgencyAbstract
The digitalization of Islamic education raises questions about how historically rooted religious institutions adapt to technological change while maintaining their pedagogical identity. This study examines the transformation of Indonesian majelis taklim by focusing on historical pedagogical continuity and women’s educational agency. Using a qualitative historical approach, the study integrates Islamic educational historiography, gender studies, and digital religion. Data were drawn from historical sources and 36 digital archives across YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and publicly accessible WhatsApp communities observed from January to April 2025 and analyzed through historical source criticism and thematic coding. The findings reveal that digitalization reconfigures learning media and interaction while preserving core pedagogical functions and mechanisms of knowledge validation. It also expands women’s roles from religious learners to educators, facilitators, organizers, and knowledge curators. Based on these findings, the study proposes layered pedagogical continuity to explain how preservation and transformation operate simultaneously across historical, institutional, interpersonal, and digital dimensions. The study contributes a historically grounded perspective to international debates on digital religion, women’s educational agency, and the adaptation of community-based religious education.
References
Abdullah, I., Tang, M., Nurhakim, P. R., Suprianto, B., & Fernando, H. (2023). Religion of Pandemic: Delegitimization of Authority During the Covid-19 Era. Al-Albab, 12(2), 293–314. https://doi.org/10.24260/alalbab.v12i2.2926
Abidin, Z. (2019). Majlis Ta’lim (Islamic Forum) And Harmonizing Inter Faith Communication. INJECT (Interdisciplinary Journal of Communication), 4(1), 115. https://doi.org/10.18326/inject.v4i1.115-136
Adli, M., Hakim, P. R. N., Abdullah, I., Lestari, A. D., & Tabrani ZA. (2025). The Theology of Divine Names and Attributes: A Comparative Examination of Salafi and Ash’Ari Doctrines. Al-Albab, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.24260/alalbab.v14i2.3760
Alam, L., Setiawan, B., Harimurti, S. M., Miftahulhaq, & Alam, M. (2023). The Changing Piety and Spirituality: A New Trend of Islamic Urbanism in Yogyakarta and Surakarta. Indonesian Journal of Islam and Muslim Societies, 13(2), 227–252. https://doi.org/10.18326/IJIMS.V13I2.227-252
Albantani, A. M., Sufyan, A., Rozak, A., Jaeni, M., & Ardiansyah, A. A. (2026). Harnessing Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy for Modern Arabic Language Instruction in Islamic Universities. Ascarya: Journal of Islamic Science, Culture, and Social Studies, 6(1), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.53754/iscs.v6i1.790
Arweck, E. (2025). Digital Religion: The Basics. Journal of Contemporary Religion, 40(1), 198–199. https://doi.org/10.1080/13537903.2025.2501428
Askar, A., Nurdin, N., Pettalongi, A., Pettalongi, S. S., & Basire, J. H. I. T. (2025). Online Islamic Knowledge Sources and their Authority in Islamic Learning: A Case Study of Indonesian Muslim universities. Cogent Education, 12(1), 1–134. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2504236
Berger, A., & Golan, O. (2024). Online Religious Learning: Digital Epistemic Authority and Self-Socialization in Religious Communities. Learning, Media and Technology, 49(2), 274–289. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2023.2169833
Campbell, H. A., & Evolvi, G. (2020). Contextualizing Current Digital Religion Research on Emerging Technologies. In Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies (pp. 201–231). https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.149
Campbell, H. A., & Tsuria, R. (2021). Digital Religion (2dn editio). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429295683
Campbell, H. A., & Tsuria, R. (2022). Digital Religion: Understanding Religious Practice in Digital Media. In Digital Religion.
Cannadine, D. (2019). The Future from the Past. New Scientist, 244(3251), 21. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0262-4079(19)31913-x
Coulange, L., Stunell, K., & Train, G. (2021). Pedagogical Continuity: Myth or Reality? Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching and Learning, 14(1), 75–92. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIT-11-2020-0077
Effendy, E., Abdullah, A., & Rubino, R. (2024). Empowering Muslim Women through Digital Da’wah: A Case Study of Hijabers Community Medan. MUHARRIK: Jurnal Dakwah Dan Sosial, 7(2), 373–393. https://doi.org/10.37680/muharrik.v7i2.6982
Fadillah, N. (2023). Women’s Majelis Taklim And The Gradual Move Toward Gender Equality A study in Jambi Province. Journal of Indonesian Islam, 17(1), 100–123. https://doi.org/10.15642/JIIS.2023.17.1.100-123
Farida, N. A., & Abidin, Z. (2024). Husein Jafar Al-Hadar’s Islam Mazhab Cinta: Meaning and Media Analysis of Instagram Content @husein_hadar. International Journal of Islamic Khazanah, 14(2), 143–155. https://doi.org/10.15575/ijik.v14i2.31151
Feener, R. M. (2019). Islam in Southeast Asia to c. 1800. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Asian History, 5(3), 222–241. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277727.013.40
Gierhart, A. R. (2023). Digital Pedagogy in Dialogue: Student Teaching During COVID-19. Journal of Pedagogical Research, 7(1), 243–259. https://doi.org/10.33902/JPR.202319642
Glassner, A. (2022). Autoethnography of Meaningful Childhood Learning Memories to Clarify and Enhance Auto-pedagogical Identity. Studying Teacher Education, 18(2), 158–174. https://doi.org/10.1080/17425964.2021.2014806
Hakim, P. R. N., Abdullah, I., Musfiroh, M. R., Sintang, S., & Razick, A. S. (2025). Contesting Sharia and Human Rights in the Digital Sphere: Media Representations of the Caning Controversy under the Qanun Jinayat in Aceh. Journal of Islamic Law, 2(1), 178–200. https://doi.org/10.24260/jil.v6i2.3600
Hakim, P. R. N., Asyifa, N., Saputra, H., Adli, M., Al Fajri, M., & Maulina, W. (2024). Mediatization of Clothing Consumption among Muslim Teenagers. IAS Journal of Localities, 2(1), 52–68. https://doi.org/10.62033/iasjol.v2i1.41
Hefner, C. M. (2022). Morality, Religious Authority, and the Digital EDGE: Indonesian Muslim Schoolgirls Online. American Ethnologist, 49(3), 359–373. https://doi.org/10.1111/amet.13088
Hefner, R. W. (2022). How Indonesia Became a World Leader in Islamic Education A Historical Sociology of a Great Transformation. Muslim Education Review, 3(18), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.56529/mer.v1i1.25
Helim, A., Patrajaya, R., Hosen, N., Warman, A. B., & Benevolent, W. S. V. (2024). Fiqh Reference Patterns of the Majelis Taklim in Central Kalimantan. El-Mashlahah, 14(1), 169–188. https://doi.org/10.23971/el-mashlahah.v14i1.7872
Ismail, I., Hendri, N., & Nurhakim, P. R. (2023). Minangkabau’s Doro Tradition: Coexistence of Customary Law and Islamic Law in Caning Punishment. Samarah, 7(1), 579–601. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v7i1.15904
Jamil, Z. A., Nurhuda, N., Alfian, A., Ulfah, S. M., Rasidin, R., & Youssef, A. (2025). Program Evaluation Study on Islamic Religious Education in Pesantren: Addressing Educational Degradation in the Digital Era. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 22(1), 122–139. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpai.v22i1.11358
Kabeer, N. (1999). Resources, Agency, Achievements: Reflections on the Measurement of Women’s Empowerment. Development and Change, 30(3), 435–464. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-7660.00125
Kabeer, N. (2019). Women’s Empowerment and the Question of Choice: An Interview with Naila Kabeer. Journal of International Affairs, 72(2), 209–214. https://www.jstor.org/stable/e26760825
Kasdi, A., Farida, U., Huda, M., Rahman, A. F. A., & Dakhoir, A. (2026). Fatwa and Religious Authority: Islamic Law, Social Media Ethics and Digital Age. Al-Ahkam: Jurnal Ilmu Syari’ah dan Hukum, 11(1), 56–66. https://doi.org/10.22515/alahkam.v11i1.10755
Kosim, M., Muqoddam, F., Mubarok, F., & Laila, N. Q. (2023). The Dynamics of Islamic Education Policies in Indonesia. Cogent Education, 10(1), 123–241. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2172930
Larsson, G., & Willander, E. (2025). Muslims and Social Media: A Scoping Review. Information Communication and Society, 28(11), 1908–1922. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2024.2379835
Latief, H., & Madjid, A. (2022). Majlis Taklim and the Path of Women’s Islamization in Indonesia. The Muslim World, 112(4), 457–472. https://doi.org/10.1111/muwo.12449
Lee, D. H. L. (2025). Identity Grafting: Pedagogical Identities Underpinning Teaching Practices Across Five Chinese Cities. Professional Development in Education, 51(4), 603–624. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2022.2155986
Li, P. A., Liou, C. H., Tai, W. H., Yu, I. C., Tsai, G. T., & Chen, Y. S. (2025). Constructing Pedagogical Identity through Experiential Curriculum: A Grounded Theory Study of Facilitators in Outdoor Education. International Journal of Educational Research, 1(1), 134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2025.102857
Luguetti, C., Aranda, R., Nuñez Enriquez, O., & Oliver, K. L. (2019). Developing Teachers’ Pedagogical Identities through a Community of Practice: Learning to Sustain the use of a Student-Centered Inquiry as Curriculum Approach. Sport, Education and Society, 24(8), 855–866. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2018.1476336
Maulana, A. M. R., Farhah, F., Rachmawati, F., & Mulya, A. S. (2026). From Digital Religion to Digital Islam: Finding God in the Society 5.0 through Maqāsīd Sharī’ah. Al-Ahkam: Jurnal Ilmu Syari’ah dan Hukum, 11(1), 3–26. https://doi.org/10.22515/alahkam.v11i1.11066
Motala, S., & Menon, K. (2022). Pedagogical Continuities in Teaching and Learning During COVID-19: Holding up the Bridge. SOTL in the South, 6(1), 7–32. https://doi.org/10.36615/SOTLS.V6I1.249
Mrisho, D. H., & Dominic, N. A. (2023). Media Literacy: Concept, Theoretical Explanation, and its Importance in the Digital Age. East African Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, 6(1), 78–85. https://doi.org/10.37284/eajass.6.1.1087
Muslikun, M., Trisanti, T., Anggoro, R. W., Giri, E. F., & Umar, A. (2026). Digital Governance-Informed Instructional Design Framework for Madrasah Education: A Systematic Literature Review. Online Learning in Educational Research, 6(1), 211-226. https://doi.org/10.58524/oler.v6i1.1027
Nisa, E. F. (2018). Social Media and the Birth of an Islamic Social Movement: ODOJ (One Day One Juz) in contemporary Indonesia. Indonesia and the Malay World, 46(134), 24–43. https://doi.org/10.1080/13639811.2017.1416758
Nisa, E. F., & Saenong, F. F. (2022). Relegitimizing Religious Authority: Indonesian Gender-Just ʿUlamāʾ Amid COVID-19. Religions, 13(6), 485. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13060485
Pappa, S., Moate, J., Ruohotie-Lyhty, M., & Eteläpelto, A. (2017). Teachers’ Pedagogical and Relational Identity Negotiation in the Finnish CLIL Context. Teaching and Teacher Education, 65(1), 61–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.03.008
Pedró, F., & Torres, D. R. (2022). Closing Now to Reopen Better Tomorrow? Pedagogical Continuity in Latin American Universities During the Pandemic. Journal of New Approaches in Educational Research, 11(2), 295–306. https://doi.org/10.7821/naer.2022.7.1003
Prestridge, S., Tan, S. C., Jacobsen, M., Hoppe, H. U., Angeli, C., Milrad, M., Pangeni, S. K., Kovatcheva, E., Kafyulilo, A., Flanagan, B., & Khaddage, F. (2024). Disconnected Connections of Learning Beyond Formal Schooling Through Human–Computer–Human Interactions. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 29(4), 1791–1807. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-024-09779-6
Saputra, K. D., Mughni, F. A. Z., Zohkarnain, N. A., & Dena Sadewa, M. S. (2022). Historical Continuity and Changes: Understanding the Dynamics of Islamic Education in Indonesia and Malaysia. Jurnal Tarbiyatuna, 13(2), 107–118. https://doi.org/10.31603/tarbiyatuna.v13i2.7345
Sari, F. M., Sikumbang, A. T., & Rubino. (2025). Teungku Inong and Digital Da’wah in Aceh: Balancing Social Media, Career, and Family through an Islamic Communication Perspective. El-Usrah, 8(1), 618–642. https://doi.org/10.22373/gn56dh46
Sholeh, M. I., Rohman, H., Suwandi, E. A., Akhyak, Efendi, N., & Muhajir, A. (2023). Transformation of Islamic Education: A Study of Changes in the Transformation of the Education Curriculum. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 20(1), 33–50. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpai.v20i1.6770
Sikumbang, A. T., Dalimunthe, M. A., Kholil, S., & Nasution, N. F. (2024). Digital Da’wah Indonesia Ulema in the Discourse of Theology. Pharos Journal of Theology, 105(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.46222/pharosjot.1051
Susanti, S. S., Nursafitri, L., Hamzah, I., Zunarti, R., Darmanto, D., Fitriyah, F., Asy’arie, B. F., & As’ad, M. S. (2024). Innovative Digital Media in Islamic Religious Education Learning. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 21(1), 40–59. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpai.v21i1.7553
Suwendi, S., Mesraini, M., Gama, C. B., Rahman, H., Luhuringbudi, T., & Sangsawang, T. (2025). Lecturers’ Digital Readiness in the Context of Digital Scholarchy. Munaddhomah, 6(2), 208–222. https://doi.org/10.31538/munaddhomah.v6i2.1674
Syukur, F., Maghfurin, A., Marhamah, U., & Jehwae, P. (2024). Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Islamic Higher Education: Comparative Responses between Indonesia and Thailand. Nazhruna: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 7(3), 531–553. https://doi.org/10.31538/nzh.v7i3.13
Tabrani ZA., Idris, S., Yusoff, M. N., Siswanto, R., & Murziqin, R. (2023). Strategy on Boarding School Development: Between Trend and Performance Analysis. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 6(2), 2023013. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2023013
Tantowi, A., Gunawan, M. A., & Ibrahim, A. (2025). Optimizing Islamic Boarding School Management in the Digital Era: Analysis of Technology Effectiveness in Administration and Operations. Munaddhomah, 6(2), 295–309. https://doi.org/10.31538/munaddhomah.v6i2.1738
Umiralkhanov, A., Abylkassymova, A., Tuyakov, Y., Zhadrayeva, L., & Ardabayeva, A. (2024). Continuity in Teaching the Course Algebra and the Beginning of Analysis: Adaptation of Students to New Conditions. Qubahan Academic Journal, 4(3), 796–808. https://doi.org/10.48161/qaj.v4n3a1050
Wahid, S. H. (2024). Exploring the Intersection of Islam and Digital Technology: A Bibliometric Analysis. Social Sciences and Humanities Open, 10(2), 121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2024.101085
Zaluchu, S. E. (2023). Theological Insight of Digital Religion. Bogoslovni Vestnik, 83((3)), 597–610. https://doi.org/10.34291/BV2023/03/Zaluchu
Zebua, D. R., & Khatibah, K. (2024). Islamic Feminism and Online Communities: Exploring Women’s Empowerment in Indonesia. Ascarya: Journal of Islamic Science, Culture, and Social Studies, 4(2), 99–107. https://doi.org/10.53754/iscs.v4i2.708
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Fauziah Nasution, Abdulroman Mahir, Hasan Asari, Farhani Azkia , Putri Rahmah Nur Hakim (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms: (1) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC-BY-SA) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal; (2) Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal; (3) Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website), as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
















