Ushuluna: Jurnal Ilmu Ushuluddin
Vol. 12 No. 1 (2026)

Digital Preachers and Authority: Reframing MUI’s Boycott Fatwa on YouTube

Rifqi Favian (Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia)
Fahrizal Mahdi (UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta)
Hanafi (UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 Apr 2026

Abstract

This study analyzes how the 2023 fatwa issued by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) on boycotting Israeli-affiliated products is reframed by digital religious authorities on YouTube, using Fairclough's three-level model of Critical Discourse Analysis. Data include the fatwa text, video narrations by Buya Yahya, Guru Gembul, and audience comments on their channels. At the micro level, MUI's cautious legal language is later sharpened into explicit moral condemnation of Israel, while Buya Yahya emphasizes conscience-based affective language and Guru Gembul adopts a rational-strategic register questioning the boycott's effectiveness. At the meso level, these differences stem from contrasting institutional positions: pesantren-based authority versus non-institutional commentary. At the macro level, this produces divergent audiences, homogeneous and affirmative for Buya Yahya, polarized and critical for Guru Gembul. The study shows how a single fatwa fractures into competing digital religious publics, with authority increasingly shaped by rhetorical strategy rather than credentials alone.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

una

Publisher

Subject

Religion Humanities Social Sciences

Description

Ushuluna: Jurnal Ilmu Ushuluddin is a journal published by the Faculty of Ushuluddin Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University of Jakarta. The journal is published twice annually (June and December) and consists of articles on Qur’anic studies and interpretation, hadith and Prophetic tradition, ...