Youth Narratives of Moderate Islam: Study of Islamic Philosophy For Indonesian Millennials

This study seeks to understand the narratives of Islam that have developed among Muslim millennials in Indonesia, who have commonly been targeted for recruitment by radical groups. Youths, who are in the process of self-actualization, are easily influenced to adopt mindsets that run contrary to Pancasila — the national philosophy — when they are exposed to narratives that promote intolerance and radicalism. The Islamic experiences and narratives of Indonesian Muslim millennials will shape their activities and knowledge. This study deals with three aspects of the Islamic narratives that have emerged amongst Muslim Millennials in Indonesia: the sources of these narratives, the understandings of moderatism and ideal Muslimhood that have emerged, and the responses to moderate Islamic narratives. Using a phenomenological approach, this qualitative research finds that Islamic narratives to which millennials are exposed convey diverse messages — some radical, some liberal, and some moderate. These millennials receive these narratives from pesantren (Islamic boarding schools), teachers, prayer groups, books, and social media. Millennial Muslims in Indonesia tend to idealize moderate leaders over Salafi ones, and all support the propagation of moderate Islamic narratives.


INTRODUCTION
The millennial generation (commonly abbreviated as millennials) will determine the future direction of society in the Industrial Revolution 4.0 era.They are deeply familiar with digital technologies, and they commonly rely on social media to connect with their peers and access information (Helmi Supriyatno 2019).
The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the public's reliance on social media for communication and interactions within their secondary social groups.This is also true for millennials (Zis, Effendi & Roem 2021), who have spent even more time interacting with technology (Mardetini et al. 2021).Millennials have also been highly active offline (Manggabarani, Marzuki & Mahendro 2020), in part because their social mobility and interactions are greater and more intense than those of other generations (Sugiharto & Puspitasari 2020).
Numerous radical groups have attempted to influence millennials, a situation that must be carefully monitored due to the youth of their targets (Muhanna-Matar 2017;Theriault 2019;Ljamai 2020;Marquardt 2020;Ballesté 2021;IVANOV & SIRYUKOVA 2021;Jacot et al. 2021;Zhu, Chan & Chou 2021).Young people are in the midst of searching for and actualizing themselves, and thus are easily swayed to adopt mindsets that run against Indonesia's national philosophy, Pancasila, by promoting intolerance and radicalism.
Radical movements' efforts to target youths underscore the need for government actors, academics, societal leaders, and religious leaders to carefully monitor the situation and undertake preventative action (Arifianto 2019).Such a problem is not limited to Indonesia.Saudi Arabia, for example, has also been plagued by radicalism, which is influenced by macro-social factors-state, religion, region, terrorism, unrest, democracy, corruption, human development, unemployment (youth and total), and the Arab Springand individual factors-low self-control, life stress events, youth unemployment, religiosity, and feelings of fear and anger (Diab M. Al-Badayneh, Rami A. Al-Assasfeh & Nisreen A. Al-Bhri 2016).This research focuses on understanding how Islamic narratives have emerged amongst Muslim Millennials in Indonesia, including their moderate narratives, desired characteristics, and responses to moderate narratives.It explores four aspects of the narratives that have emerged amongst Indonesia's Muslim millennials; from whom do they receive these narratives, whom do they hold as exemplary Muslims, how have they responded to moderate narratives, and how have they responded to topics such as the Sunni/Shia divide, jihad, and violence.
The researchers have focused on understanding how Indonesia's Muslim millennials have responded to moderate Islamic narratives.It is necessary to consider the diverse narratives to which youths have been exposed by investigating the sources of these narratives, the understandings of moderatism and ideal Muslimhood that have emerged, and youths' responses to moderate Islamic narratives.This will provide a foundation for carefully monitoring the activities of radical groups and designing preventative measures to protect youths from intolerance and radicalism.
This qualitative research employs a phenomenological approach, investigating a certain phenomenon to capture and understand its objective reality (de Oliveira e Silva, Lopes, and Diniz 2008).Informants were selected using purposive sampling, in accordance with criteria that were designed to facilitate the achievement of the research goals.For this research, Indonesian Muslims who were born between 1980 and 2000 were se-lected as informants.To ensure representativeness, informants were selected from throughout the Indonesian Archipelago, including in Singkawang, Makassar, Kuburaya, Yogyakarta, Surakarta, Madailing Natal, Jakarta, Bandung, Pekalongan, Pemalang, De-mak, and Pontianak.A total of 22 Muslim millennials were selected as informants.
Data for this research was analyzed in several stages: horizontalization, description of text, description of structure, and description of meaning (Nuryana, Pawito, and Utari 2019;Ravn 2021;Urcia 2021).During this investigation of Muslim millennials' response to moderate narratives, interviews with informants were transcribed and coded to uncover their experiences with the narratives of moderate Islam in Indonesia; their sources of moderate narratives; the leaders and characteristics whom they idealize; and their responses to narratives of moderate Islam.As such, questions were developed to uncover the Islamic narratives that have spread amongst Muslim millennials in Indonesia.Whence do Muslim millennials receive these narratives?Which leaders and characteris-tics do they idealize?How have they responded to narratives of moderate Islam?These essential statements were subsequently categorized thematically to achieve the research goals.
Informants were asked to prepare a textual description of their experiences and responses to narratives of moderate Islam, as well as structurally describe how Muslim millennials have responded to such narratives.Afterward, the researchers conducted the analysis using the grand narrative theory of Jean François Lyotard to understand whether moderate narratives of Islam have continued to exist amongst Muslim millennials in Indonesia or whether such narratives have been rejected.As argued by Lyotard, grand narratives can be subsumed by the small narratives that exist within society.as containing little more than an explanation for the natural world.Some have a deep understanding of the history of Islam in Indonesia, while others do not.Few millennials have a detailed understanding of the differences between Sunni and Shia.
Millennials' understandings of jihad tend to be moderate, as most view jihad in Indonesia as having been undertaken peacefully, without violence or armed conflict.
Likewise, many Muslim millennials understand hijrah in a moderate sense, seeing it as a process of self-improvement through which individuals become more consistent and istiqomah (steadfast).
Millennials also agree that dawah (proselytization) activities in Indonesia should be undertaken in a refined and humanitarian manner.However, when asked about the use of violence to spread Islam, one informant (P) agreed with such an approach.Such a view, which diverges considerably from those of other millennials, shows that the seeds of misunderstanding have been sown and that the informant is vulnerable to radical ideologies.
When asked about terrorism, most informants rejected and criticized the practice.
However, one informant-P-described terrorism as the "act of instilling terror through any means necessary" and offered an opinion that differed from others.This informant did not reject or criticize terrorism.
Most millennial Muslims understand the concept of religious moderatism as avoiding radicalism.However, few millennials understand moderatism as following the middle path-avoiding not only radicalism but also liberalism.
The majority of informants agreed with religious tolerance, except for one informant (P), who argued that tolerance was too narrow.Rather, the informant emphasized the need for patience.Such a view suggests that informant P has been influenced by liberal thought, not emphasizing the need for tolerance between human beings in all situations.
Muslim millennials' views in Indonesia fall into two categories.The majority of millennials hold that the current practice of Islam in Indonesia is appropriate.A minority (majelis) system, conversely, were mixed.The majority accepted such a system, while others opposed it as disruptive to those who were baligh (over the age of majority) and not afdhal (excellent).
It may be concluded that the Islamic narratives that have developed amongst Muslim millennials in Indonesia have influenced their attitudes and understandings.Radical and liberal views have also emerged.

The Grand Narrative of Moderatism amongst Millennials
This research shows that grand/meta-narratives do not necessarily influence the paradigms embraced by postmodern society.As this study has shown, many Muslim millennials agree with and understand the narrative of religious moderatism.This challenges Lyotard's argument that postmodern societies do not trust existing grand narratives, and that such narratives may ultimately be subsumed by smaller ones.
Lyotard's postmodernism emphasizes the failure of modernism, the downfall of socialism, the collapse of communism, and the fragmentation of modern society (Chow 2019).In his book The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge, Lyotard argued that no absolute truth can be claimed; it is contextualized and informed by linguistic tricks (Zembylas 2020).Lyotard's argument is no longer relevant, as contemporary grand narratives do not deal with socialism, the fall of communism, or modernity.Instead, narratives deal primarily with moderatism and its tangible benefits.It is this grand narrative that has structured the knowledge of Indonesian millennials, who have accepted and embraced it.
These findings also reject the grand narrative of universalism, holding that nobody can truly and comprehensively understand society (Matei 2021).The narrative of religious moderatism has become ensconced in Indonesian society because it offers a middle road between radicalism and liberalism, one with tangible benefits that emphasizes diversity and respect over universalism (Ritonga 2021).It is these very characteristics that have made it possible for moderate Islam to be accepted by Indonesian millennials in the post-modern era.Likewise, moderatism is not intended to promote universalism, but rather to acknowledge and respect the diversity that exists in Indonesia and to maintain harmony between all elements of society (Hefni 2020)

Liberalism, Radicalism, and Moderation
In 2005, the Indonesian Council of Ulamas (Majelis Ulama Indonesia, MUI) declared liberalism to be a deviant understanding and ruled that adherence to this understanding is haram (Indonesia 2005).In this study, it was found that many young Muslims employ a rational and innovative approach to understanding Islam, one that recognizes modern challenges while still upholding the universalism of Islam.
The development of social media and other information technologies has facilitated the spread of liberal ideologies.As this situation has yet to receive adequate consideration from the Indonesian government and education system, liberal and radical thoughts have become more commonplace amongst Indonesian millennials.As noted by Al-Badayneh, there is a worrying trend in which state universities are becoming incubators for radicalism and terrorist activity (Al-Badayneh 2011).
The extent to which liberal and radical ideologies have spread amongst millennials can be qualified through several aspects.Education plays no small role, as many institutions have pushed aside the cultural traditions that have long been practiced in Indonesian society.
In the literature, the phrase wasathiyat Islam is commonly translated as "justlybalanced Islam", "the middle path", or "the middle way", wherein Islam serves to create balance and mediate between diverse parties (Agama 2019; Schmidt 2021).These phrases underscore the importance of justice and balance, which prevents people from falling prey to extreme ideologies.Institutions of education, thus, must strive to conduct activities that reflect the religious traditions of Islam instead of simply conveying scientific knowledge.
Those millennials who have embraced wasathiyat Islam are the chosen generation, who act justly and moderately in all things-including in their individual worship and their social interactions-because such moderatism is taught by Islam.It is, therefore, necessary to position religious moderatism within its social context, i.e., the relationship between different elements of society that are committed to moderatism and humanitarian values.
Muslim millennials' commitment to moderatism is evidenced by their commitment to the values of justice.Persons who are more moderate and balanced are more likely to act just in their everyday lives.Conversely, less moderate persons are less likely to act justly.
ISSN: 1411-1632 (Print)  2527-5992 (Online)    Youth Narratives Of Moderate Islam … 264-282 (Imam Kanafi and Syamsul Bakhri) philosophy Narrative Amongst Muslim Millennials in Indonesia Millennial Muslims have diverse understandings of Islam.Some misunderstand Islam Burdman disagreed with efforts to homogenize society and create uniformity, especially when said efforts involve acts of violence.Burdman emphasized that rapid advances in information technology during the late 20th century significantly influenced education and the spread of knowledge, thereby bringing society into the postmodern age (Burdman 2020).The miniaturization and commercialization of machines have also transformed the creation, classification, exploitation, and dissemination of knowledge.The views of Matei and Burdman are not entirely correct, as the narrative of religious moderatism in Indonesia has been widely accepted amongst Muslim millennials.

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millennials, conversely, hold that the Islam currently practiced in Indonesia is not suited to all elements of society, and may lead to radicalism.Muslim millennials' views regarding whether Indonesian Islam must conform to Arabic culture likewise fall into two categories.The majority of millennials hold that Indonesian Islam must not embrace Arabic culture but rather remain suited to the culture of Indonesia.This indicates that the majority of Muslim millennials in Indonesia have a moderate mindset.However, one informant-MF-held that Islam is inexorably intertwined with Arabic culture, and thus be embraced by all Muslims.Such a view indicates that moderatism has not been fully embraced by all Muslim millennials in Indonesia.
Informants understood jihad as involving diverse activities, including controlling the dawah (proselytization), being employed in one's field, continuously seeking knowledge, and raising one's family.All of the Muslim millennials interviewed held that Pancasila, Indonesia's national philosophy, conforms to Islamic jurisprudence (Sharia Law) and understand it as the best ideology for Indonesia.When inquired about the Islamic organizations in Indonesia, informants expressed the view that the Indonesia Institute of Islamic Dawah (Lembaga Dawah Islam Indonesia, LDII) embraced disruptive doctrines and that the Islamic Defenders Front (Fron Pembela Islam, FPI) promoted extremist views.However, all informants had positive views of Nahdlatul Ulama, Muhammadiyah, al-Irsyad, and Rifaiyah, which they viewed as employing a humanitarian approach to dawah. to accept religion and culture as existing side-by-side.The majority of informants also rejected the creation of a caliphate in Indonesia, as they viewed such a system as incompatible with the national ideology of Pancasila.Views regarding a blended council ISSN: 1411-1632 (Print) 2527-5992 (Online) Youth Narratives Of Moderate Islam … 264-282 (Imam Kanafi and Syamsul Bakhri) | 269RELIGIAVol.

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(Trahair 2012)e and characteristics of knowledge in Indonesian society likewise underscore the importance of diversity, be it religious, cultural, or linguistic.In other words, moderatism offers Indonesians a means of understanding how to live side-by-side with people from diverse religious communities.It is an ideology underpinned by humanism and agency, one that has been embraced by Indonesian millennials.Advances in information technology in the late 20th century have had clear and tangible effects on knowledge and education, as shown by Al-Badayneh, and created a post-modern society(Trahair 2012).In Indonesia, however, the effects of information technology have been mediated by the religiosity of Indonesians, which enables them to filter narratives and select only those that are beneficial to them.From the data collected in this study, it is evident that Muslim millennials in Indonesia can filter the narratives that ISSN: 1411-1632 (Print)2527-5992 (Online)Youth Narratives Of Moderate Islam … 264-282 (Imam Kanafi and Syamsul Bakhri)| 271RELIGIAVol.