REPRESENTING IDENTITY POLITICS THROUGH THE DISTORTION OF ISLAMIC SYMBOLS IN THE BIDAAH SERIES IN THE DIGITAL 5.0 ERA / REPRESENTASI POLITIK IDENTITAS MELALUI DISTORSI SIMBOL ISLAM DALAM SERIAL BIDAAH DI ERA DIGITAL 5.0

Siti Nurul Hikmah (Universitas Islam Negeri Antasari Banjarmasin)

Muẚṣarah: Jurnal Kajian Islam Kontemporer
Vol. 8 No. 1 (2026): Januari - Juli

This research aims to examine how the digital religious series Bidaah represents and distorts Islamic symbols within the context of identity politics in the Digital 5.0 era. Employing a descriptive qualitative approach and a critical analysis framework of identity politics, this study analyzes the representation of Islamic symbols in the series’ visual and verbal narratives, as well as public responses to these representations on social media. The findings indicate that Islamic symbols are reduced from their substantive meanings and utilized as instruments of spiritual power. The series also reinforces narratives of religious exclusivism through manipulative symbolic representations. These findings highlight the need to strengthen religious media literacy, engage Islamic educational institutions in digital education, and develop counter-narratives that emphasize substantive Islamic values in the digital space.