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Vol. 32 No. 1 (2026): Jurnal Al Qalam

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Nov 9, 2025
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Jun 18, 2026

Copyright (c) 2026 Arhanuddin Salim, Rahman Mantu

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NEGOTIATING RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY: FEMALE ULAMA IN MANADO AND YOGYAKARTA :

https://doi.org/10.31969/alq.v32i1.1809
Arhanuddin Salim
Institut Agama Islam Negeri Manado, Indonesia
Rahman Mantu
Institut Agama Islam Negeri Manado, Indonesia

Corresponding Author(s) : Arhanuddin Salim

arhanuddin@iain-manado.ac.id

Al-Qalam, Vol. 32 No. 1 (2026): Jurnal Al Qalam

Abstract

This study examines how female ulama negotiate religious authority and articulate Islamic moderation
within two contrasting socio-religious contexts in Indonesia: Manado, a Christian-majority city in North
Sulawesi, and Yogyakarta, a Muslim-majority center of Islamic education and intellectualism. Employing
a qualitative interpretive phenomenological approach, the research draws on in-depth interviews,
literature review, digital content analysis, and comparative case studies involving female ulama, Islamic
educators, and community leaders. The study finds that women’s religious authority is not determined
solely by demographic context, but is shaped through the interaction of educational background,
organizational networks, cultural adaptation, digital engagement, and social legitimacy. In Manado,
female ulama develop what this study terms moral-dialogical authority, emphasizing interfaith coexistence,
cultural accommodation, and ethical engagement within a minority Muslim setting. In Yogyakarta, female
ulama exercise scholarly-institutional authority through universities, pesantren, and Islamic organizations,
enabling broader participation in gender discourse, public education, and religious moderation programs.
The findings also reveal that digital media play a significant role in transforming women’s religious
visibility and legitimacy. In Manado, online platforms function as alternative spaces for expanding
religious influence amid limited institutional access, while in Yogyakarta digital media amplifies already
established scholarly authority. This study argues that female ulama represent a transformative model of
Islamic leadership that integrates religious scholarship, civic ethics, and gendered agency. Their
contributions demonstrate that Islamic moderation in Indonesia is a lived and contextually negotiated
practice shaped by local culture, pluralism, and evolving forms of religious authority

Keywords

Female Ulama, Religious Authority, Islamic Moderation, Gender and Religion, Manado, Yogyakarta
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