Al-Albab
Vol 15, No 1 (2026)

Not Muslim, Not Acehnese: Digital Counterspaces, Religious Conversion, and Identity Negotiation among Acehnese Christians

Muhammad Ansor (Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau, Indonesia)
Fernando Yudistira (Institut Agama Islam Diniyyah Pekanbaru)
Muslem Ibnu (Institut Agama Islam Negeri Langsa)
Abdul Rahim Hakimi (Herat University)
Laila Sari Masyhur (Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau)



Article Info

Publish Date
28 Jun 2026

Abstract

This study examines the dynamics of digital counterspace as a platform for activism among former Acehnese Muslims who have converted to Christianity. It focuses on how digital spaces contribute to the articulation of narratives that resist the marginalization and discrimination these individuals have encountered. This resistance is expressed through shared testimonies of conversion experiences, the normalization of apostasy, and the redefining of a social identity as Acehnese Christians. Data were gathered through an ethnographic study of 65 videos produced by 5 Christian ex-Muslims, including 3 YouTubers and social media activists, and 2 in-depth interviews with one of them. The findings demonstrate that digital platforms enable Christian ex-Muslims in Aceh to re-negotiate the inseparability of their Acehnese ethnicity with Islam by reformulating their social identity as Acehnese Christians. Ultimately, this study aims to enrich the discourse on political Islam and its implications for the religious practices of subaltern minorities, drawing on experiences from Aceh, the only province in Indonesia that implements Islamic law as a sharia-based special autonomy regional government.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

alalbab

Publisher

Subject

Social Sciences

Description

Al-Albab ISSN 0216-6143 (print) and ISSN: 2502-8340 (online) is an interdisciplinary journal published twice a year in print and online (e-journal) by the Pontianak State Institute of Islamic Studies, Pontianak. The journal was offline and started to be online in 2012. The e-ISSN was issued in 2016. ...