Islamic Ethics in International Relations: A Response to the Treatment of Indonesian Supporters by Saudi Arabia From The Perspective of Global Islamic Family Law

Abstract

This study examines the ethical implications of Saudi Arabia's treatment of Indonesian supporters during the 2025 World Cup qualifiers through the lens of Islamic ethics and global Islamic family law. Against the backdrop of long-standing diplomatic and spiritual ties between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, the incident raised questions about the consistency of state behavior with Islamic principles such as maqāṣid al-sharīʿah, ukhuwah Islamiyah, and the preservation of human dignity. The primary aim of this research is to assess whether Islamic ethical frameworks can serve as normative foundations for evaluating diplomatic conduct and guiding state responses to international incidents involving Muslim citizens. Employing a qualitative case study approach, the study integrates discourse analysis, legal hermeneutics, and ethical diplomacy theory to analyze primary data from official government statements, eyewitness testimonies, and interviews with Islamic law scholars, alongside secondary literature. The findings reveal a significant ethical dissonance between Islamic normative values and the treatment experienced by Indonesian citizens, while also highlighting Indonesia's adoption of a value-based diplomatic approach rooted in religious solidarity and moral accountability. Furthermore, the study expands the conceptual scope of global Islamic family law by positioning it as a relational ethic that can inform inter-Muslim state conduct beyond the private legal domain. This research contributes to the growing body of Islamic diplomacy scholarship by offering a framework for ethical state behavior grounded in Islamic jurisprudence, with practical implications for policy formulation, inter-Muslim relations, and the ethical evolution of international law in Muslim-majority contexts.