This study examines how Indonesian TikTok users interpreted the escalation of the United States–Israel–Iran war in early March 2026. Using a virtual netnography approach guided by an explicit coding framework, it analyzes 20 purposively selected TikTok posts and 853 comments drawn from Indonesian-language news and commentary accounts that circulated intensively during the opening phase of the war. Through open, axial, and selective coding, the study identifies nine recurring discourse themes: information authority crisis, geopolitical polarization, anti-American sentiment, sacralization of war, imperialism critique, justice for Iran, cynicism toward Western leadership, humor and satire, and digital morality. The findings suggest that TikTok comment sections functioned not only as spaces of reaction, but also as sites where users debated credibility, expressed political alignment, and translated a distant war into locally meaningful moral and religious terms. The corpus also contained calls for peace, empathy for civilians, and criticism of sectarian hostility. The study contributes to digital political communication scholarship by showing how a non-Western public interpreted geopolitical war through short-form video and comment interaction, and by demonstrating the value of virtual netnography, including a multimodal coding framework spanning verbal and visual data, for examining affective, moral, and epistemic contestation on TikTok.
This study addresses the limited integration of Islamic financial literacy in early childhood education, particularly in cultivating foundational understanding of money and Sharia-based saving habits. It aims to analyze teachers’ strategies in teaching the concept of money and Islamic-oriented saving behavior to young learners at Tadika Tahfiz Nur Furqan. The research employs a descriptive qualitative approach, with data collected through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and documentation analysis. The findings reveal that teachers apply play-based learning strategies, including simulations of buying and selling activities, structured daily saving routines, and the integration of Islamic values such as trustworthiness (amanah), honesty (ṣidq), thriftiness (iqtiṣād), and social responsibility. The implementation of a routine saving program enables children to understand the basic functions of money while gradually shaping responsible economic behavior grounded in Islamic principles. Furthermore, active parental involvement reinforces the consistency of saving practices at home. This study contributes to the development of a Sharia-based financial literacy model for early childhood education through contextual learning and systematic habit formation rooted in Islamic values.
This perspective article argues that the rampant spread and resilience of illegal online lending (pinjaman online or pinjol) in Indonesia is not merely a legal violation to be policed, but a symptom of a broader, deep-seated systemic failure. While government crackdowns, including the shutdown of thousands of illicit platforms and mass arrests, are necessary immediate interventions, these measures largely treat the symptoms rather than the underlying disease. We posit that the endurance of illegal fintech stems from a complex, self-reinforcing crucible of socio-economic desperation, a critical deficit in functional financial literacy, a digital culture that aggressively encourages consumption over savings, and a technological agility on the supply side that consistently outpaces regulatory frameworks. By analyzing scholarly literature and media reports, we demonstrate that this phenomenon parallels other intractable societal issues in Indonesia, such as the consumption of lethal bootleg alcohol (oplosan) and the persistent flow of undocumented migrant workers. In all these cases, high-risk illegal choices are made not out of criminal intent, but out of perceived necessity due to structural exclusion. We contend that a sustainable solution demands a radical paradigm shift: moving from a strictly punitive “whack-a-mole” approach to a holistic strategy focused on prevention and inclusion. This requires a coordinated national effort to revolutionize financial literacy education, compel the design of inclusive financial products for the informal sector, foster responsible financial habits through community leadership, and implement adaptive, technology-driven regulation. Only by addressing the root causes of both supply and demand can Indonesia hope to dismantle the illegal fintech ecosystem and build a resilient, ethical, and truly inclusive digital finance landscape.
This article argues Shariati’s work represents one of the most influential articulations of Islamic liberationist thought, as he reconceptualises the Hajj pilgrimage from an individual spiritual rite to a paradigm of a universal symbolic theatre of human liberation. This research is a qualitative study based on a literature review. It discusses the roots of liberation theology, with reference to the works of some of its foremost exponents, such as Asghar Ali Engineer and Hassan Hanafi, to trace the evolution of discourse on the need to actively practise one's faith in the context of being socially and politically oppressed. Moreover, through the semiotic deconstruction of Hajj in Shariati’s works, this study illustrates how the foundational principle of tawhid undergoes a revolutionary transformation from an abstract theological paradigm to a human-centric praxis. This article concludes that, in Shariati’s interpretation, Hajj transcends being a complete paradigm for the modern struggle against ‘idols’ of political oppression (Pharaoh), capitalist exploitation (Qarun), and religious hypocrisy (Bal’am), to also being a scaffold for the construction of an ideologically aware and socially just ummah. This approach should consider the relevance of Shariati’s writings as they connect the spiritual world with social struggle in contemporary society.
The increasing diversity of students’ religious backgrounds highlights the need for Islamic Religious Education (PAI) to move beyond religious knowledge transmission toward the internalization of values that support tolerance, respect, and peaceful coexistence. This study examines how the teacher PAI internalize religious moderation values and how these values are reinforced through school culture. A qualitative descriptive approach was employed through observations, in-depth interviews, and documentation, involving the PAI teacher as the primary informant, supported by the school principal and learning documentation. Data were analyzed using the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña through data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing and verification. The findings indicate that religious moderation may be internalized through classroom instruction, teacher role modeling, religious habituation, dialogic conflict resolution, and collaboration among teachers, guidance and counseling personnel, and parents. The values emphasized include tolerance, mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, nationalism, and appreciation of religious diversity. Theoretically, this study contributes to Islamic educational scholarship by conceptualizing religious moderation as an integrated pedagogical and cultural process that connects religious knowledge with students’ lived experiences. Practically, the findings suggest the importance of integrating moderation values into instruction, curriculum design, and school culture while strengthening collaboration among teachers, counselors, and parents. Thus, religious moderation is not merely an instructional objective but a continuous process of character formation.
