Al-A'raf: Jurnal Pemikiran Islam dan Filsafat
Vol. 23 No. 1 (2026)

CONSTRUCTING PLURALISM THROUGH MEDIATIZATION: A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF MUHAMMADIYAH’S DIGITAL RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY AND IDENTITY

Fathurrahman Kamal (Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta)
Surwandono Surwandono (Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 Jun 2026

Abstract

This study examines Muhammadiyah’s social construction of pluralism through the lens of mediatization theory as developed by Stig Hjarvard. It explores how a modern Islamic organization constructs, negotiates, and sustains religious authority in a rapidly changing public sphere through the systematic production and circulation of religious messages. The study employs qualitative content analysis to examine the construction of pluralism-related messages published on Muhammadiyah’s official website, muhammadiyah.or.id, during the period 2020–2025. The analysis is guided by the Pluralism Agenda-Setting Cluster, which assesses the frequency of news coverage, thematic dimensions, key figures, institutional forums, and discursive objectives embedded in Muhammadiyah’s public communication. The findings reveal that Muhammadiyah’s mediatized discourse on pluralism is not incidental but systematically organized. Its official media platform enables the organization to articulate pluralism productively, consolidate religious authority, and maintain its relevance as a visionary Islamic movement within Indonesia’s plural society. The study concludes that Muhammadiyah’s media platforms and official decrees function as plausibility structures: institutional supports that make a progressive and pluralistic Islamic reality credible, acceptable, and internally meaningful for its members. Through this process, Muhammadiyah performs strategic reality maintenance by anchoring a reformist Islamic identity, strengthening pluralistic commitments, and protecting its community from ideological instability.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

al-araf

Publisher

Subject

Religion Humanities Social Sciences

Description

AL-ARAF: Jurnal Pemikiran Islam dan Filsafat is highly dedicated as a public space to explore and socialise academic ideas and research findings from the researchers, academics, and practitioners who are concerned with developing and promoting the values of religious moderation and tolerance, with ...