<![CDATA[This study examines how female ulama negotiate religious authority and articulate Islamic moderationwithin two contrasting socio-religious contexts in Indonesia: Manado, a Christian-majority city in NorthSulawesi, and Yogyakarta, a Muslim-majority center of Islamic education and intellectualism. Employinga qualitative interpretive phenomenological approach, the research draws on in-depth interviews,literature review, digital content analysis, and comparative case studies involving female ulama, Islamiceducators, and community leaders. The study finds that women’s religious authority is not determinedsolely by demographic context, but is shaped through the interaction of educational background,organizational networks, cultural adaptation, digital engagement, and social legitimacy. In Manado,female ulama develop what this study terms moral-dialogical authority, emphasizing interfaith coexistence,cultural accommodation, and ethical engagement within a minority Muslim setting. In Yogyakarta, femaleulama exercise scholarly-institutional authority through universities, pesantren, and Islamic organizations,enabling broader participation in gender discourse, public education, and religious moderation programs.The findings also reveal that digital media play a significant role in transforming women’s religiousvisibility and legitimacy. In Manado, online platforms function as alternative spaces for expandingreligious influence amid limited institutional access, while in Yogyakarta digital media amplifies alreadyestablished scholarly authority. This study argues that female ulama represent a transformative model ofIslamic leadership that integrates religious scholarship, civic ethics, and gendered agency. Theircontributions demonstrate that Islamic moderation in Indonesia is a lived and contextually negotiatedpractice shaped by local culture, pluralism, and evolving forms of religious authority]]>
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