Contesting a Religious Minority Status: Actor-Networks and the Discourses on the Ahmadiyah Decree in Indonesia

Adeni Adeni (Department of Communication, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia)
Nina Mutmainnah (Department of Communication, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia)
Eriyanto Eriyanto (Department of Communication, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia)
Yanti Yanti Dwi Astuti (Department of Communication, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia)

Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik
Vol 30, No 1 (2026): July

This study aims to examine the actor-discourse network in the debate surrounding the 2008 Joint Ministerial Decree (SKB; Surat Keputusan Bersama) concerning the Ahmadiyah Muslim Community, which has long served as an instrument to legitimise violence against this minority group. To understand how this debate took shape, who the actors were, what discourses emerged, and what kind of network was formed, this study employs the Discourse Network Analysis (DNA) method, focusing on the digital traces (statements) of actors on news media and organisational websites. The data were processed using DNA Analyzer and Visone software. The findings indicate that discourse regarding the SKB initially centred on the regulation of the Ahmadiyah, with regulation-oriented actors dominating the discourse network. However, due to the prevalence of violence linked to the SKB, the discourse shifted toward a review, and even the revocation, of the SKB, with various actors forming coalitions to advocate for this disposition. The government emerged as a change maker and a mediator between the opposing sides. This study affirms that the dynamic nature of the SKB discourse could pave the way for a revocation. In other words, the actor-discourse network formed around the SKB can drive policy institutionalisation.