Celebrity Ustaz on YouTube: Moderate Islamic Education and Students’ Interreligious Tolerance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31958/jies.v6i2.17195Keywords:
Celebrity Ustaz, Digital Da’wah, Netnography, Audience Reception, Interreligious ToleranceAbstract
This study examines students’ reception of celebrity ustaz preaching on YouTube in relation to moderate Islamic education and interreligious tolerance. The study focuses on how Ustaz Abdul Somad, Ustaz Adi Hidayat, and Habib Husein Ja’far Al Hadar construct messages of moderation and tolerance, as well as how UINSU students interpret these messages as active digital audiences. This research employed a qualitative approach with a netnographic method. Data were collected through observation of selected YouTube preaching content, semi-structured interviews with eight students from Islamic-based faculties at UINSU, and documentation of relevant digital materials. Data were analyzed through coding, thematic categorization, and netnographic interpretation by connecting digital content with students’ offline religious experiences. The findings show that the three celebrity ustaz construct moderate Islamic education and tolerance messages through normative-ethical, educational-argumentative, and dialogical-inclusive communication patterns. The novelty of this study lies in its integration of digital da’wah content analysis and students’ audience reception, showing that YouTube functions not only as a preaching medium but also as a space for shaping students’ religious understanding, digital religious literacy, and interreligious tolerance.
References
Arnett, J. (2007). Encyclopedia of Children, Adolescents, and the Media. SAGE Publications, Inc. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412952606
Azisi, A. M., & Syam, N. (2023). Moderasi Beragama di Ruang Digital: Studi Kontribusi Habib Husein Ja’far dalam Menebar Paham Moderat di Kanal Youtube. Empirisma: Jurnal Pemikiran Dan Kebudayaan Islam, 32(1), 125–141. https://doi.org/10.30762/empirisma.v32i1.803
Bari, A., Wazis, K., & Jannah, S. R. (2025). Pemanfaatan YouTube sebagai Media Dakwah Islam. Al Qalam: Jurnal Ilmiah Keagamaan Dan Kemasyarakatan, 19(2), 828. https://doi.org/10.35931/aq.v19i2.4180
Budiantoro, W. (2017). Dakwah di era digital. KOMUNIKA: Jurnal Dakwah Dan Komunikasi. https://ejournal.uinsaizu.ac.id/index.php/komunika/article/view/1369
Choirin, M., Abdul Kadir, F. A., Setiyanti, A., Larhzizer, F., & Iqbal, Moch. (2025). A Decade of Digital Da’wah: Global Research Trends And Thematic Evolution (2013 - 2025). El Harakah: Jurnal Budaya Islam, 27(1), 21–48. https://doi.org/10.18860/eh.v27i1.33487
Creswell, J. W. (2022). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. SAGE Publications.
Dahlan, Z., Tanjung, M., Asari, H., & Wibowo, B. S. (2025). Celebrity ulama’: Opportunities for the commodification of religion and the values of Islamic education Das’ad Latif. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 12(1), 2492427. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2025.2492427
Dania, R. (2024). Ekologi media podcast “Login” Habib Ja’far sebagai upaya meningkatkan minat Gen Z dalam mempelajari keislaman [Skripsi, Falkutas Dakwah Dan Komunikasi UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta]. https://repository.uinjkt.ac.id/dspace/handle/123456789/82957
Daulay, V. D. Y., & Khatibah, K. (2025). Analysis of Religious Moderation in Ustadz Adi Hidayat’s YouTube Content. Syiar: Jurnal Komunikasi Dan Penyiaran Islam, 5(1), 203–214. https://doi.org/10.54150/syiar.v5i1.762
Effendi, D. I., Lukman, D., & Rustandi, R. (2022). Dakwah digital berbasis moderasi beragama. Yayasan Lidzikri. http://digilib.uinsgd.ac.id/
Eriyanto. (2021). Metode netnografi: Pendekatan kualitatif dalam memahami budaya pengguna media sosial. PT. Remaja Rosdakarya.
Firmansyah, D., & Saepuloh, D. (2022). Social learning theory: Cognitive and behavioral approaches. Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Holistik (JIPH), 1(3), 297–324.
Gao, L., & Liu, Z. (2023). Research on the Sustainable Development Strategy of Online Learning: A Case Study of YouTube Users. Sustainability, 15(11), 8437. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118437
Hanum, S. Z. & Baidawi. (2024). Transformasi Dakwah Komunitas Muslimah: Komunikasi Dialogis-Adaptif pada Masyarakat Multikultural. Pawarta: Journal of Communication and Da’wah, 3(1), 41–54. https://doi.org/10.54090/pawarta.835
Haq, S. (2024). Piety and commercialization da’wah: The influence of Hanan Attaki’s Kajian on young urban muslims in Indonesia. Al-Misbah (Jurnal Islamic Studies), 12(1), 18–31. https://doi.org/10.26555/almisbah.v12i1.9951
Katz, E., Blumler, J. G., & Gurevitch, M. (1973). Uses and Gratifications Research. Public Opinion Quarterly, 37(4), 509. https://doi.org/10.1086/268109
Kementerian Agama RI. (2023). Moderasi beragama: Pilar kebangsaan dan keberagaman. Kementerian Agama Republik Indonesia. https://kemenag.go.id/kolom/moderasi-beragama-pilar-kebangsaan-dan-keberagaman-MVUb9
Kemp, S. (2025). Global overview report. DataReportal. https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2025-global-overview-report
Khodafi, M., Zulaili, I. N., Juma’, J., & Sa’adah, S. I. (2024). Islamic Civilization in the Digital Era: The Diversity of Muslim Religious Expression in Social Media. JUSPI (Jurnal Sejarah Peradaban Islam), 8(1), 70. https://doi.org/10.30829/juspi.v8i1.19137
Kiptiyah, S. M. (2017). Kyai selebriti dan media baru. Jurnal Masyarakat Dan Budaya, 19(3), 339. https://doi.org/10.14203/jmb.v19i3.495
KOL.ID. (2025). KOL.ID report: Preferensi konten YouTube Gen Z, Millennial, dan Generasi X di Indonesia.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. SAGE Publications.
Lintang, D., & Pahrudin, A. (2023). Penguatan Moderasi dan Toleransi Beragama (Studi Nilai-Nilai Toleransi Pada KKN Kolaborasi UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta dan UHN I Gede Bagus Sugriwa Bali). Jurnal Penelitian, 17(2), 331. https://doi.org/10.21043/jp.v17i2.23374
Maesura’, L., & Khumaedi, M. (2024). Implementasi Media Sosial sebagai Sarana Revitalisasi Dakwah dalam Studi Kajian Hadis di Ruang Virtual: Analisis Konten Youtube “Adi Hidayat Official” Oleh Ustaz Adi Hidayat. Istinarah: Riset Keagamaan, Sosial Dan Budaya, 6(1), 98. https://doi.org/10.31958/istinarah.v6i1.13111
Muzayanah, A., & Lubis, Y. M. (2023). Dinamika Dakwah Islam dalam Era Digital: Kajian terhadap Strategi Implementasi dan Tantangan yang Dihadapi. El Madani : Jurnal Dakwah Dan Komunikasi Islam, 4(02), 161–180. https://doi.org/10.53678/elmadani.v4i02.1461
Nona, K. (2022). Media Digital dan Audiens Muda: Komunikasi yang Ditargetkan pada Anak-Anak dan Remaja. Syntax Literate ; Jurnal Ilmiah Indonesia, 7(11), 18392–18404. https://doi.org/10.36418/syntax-literate.v7i11.15451
Pranoto, S. S. (2023). Strategy for Constructing Religious Authority in the Digital Pulpit: Study of Three Indonesian Preachers on YouTube. AL-HIKMAH: International Journal of Islamic Studies and Human Sciences, 6(1), 29–52. https://doi.org/10.46722/hikmah.v6i1.352
Rahmah, N., Afif, S., Saleh, M., Nurkhofifah, N., Saragih, N. Z. H., & Alkhalid, H. S. (2025). Efektifitas Konten Edukasi Keislaman di Platform Media Sosial: Analisis Resepsi Khalayak Generasi Z. Tabsyir: Jurnal Dakwah Dan Sosial Humaniora, 6(1), 275–295. https://doi.org/10.59059/tabsyir.v6i1.2049
Ridesta, V., Aulia, N., Hajar Zaidah, A., Puji Hastuti, N., Maryunah, M., & Fakhrurozi, F. (2022). Moderasi beragama berbasis masjid: Analisis konten kanal YouTube-TV Masjid Istiqlal Jakarta. Academic Journal of Islamic Principles and Philosophy, 3(2), 167–194. https://doi.org/10.22515/ajipp.v3i2.5556
Risdiana, A., Ramadhan, R. B., & Nawawi, I. (2020). Transformasi Dakwah Berbasis ‘Kitab Kuning’ Ke Platform Digital. Jurnal Lektur Keagamaan, 18(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.31291/jlka.v18i1.682
Rizqana, I., Zahra, A. S., & Ubaidillah. (2024). Implikasi Dakwah Moderat Ustadz Abdul Somad Terhadap Toleransi Beragama di Indonesia. Mu’ashir: Jurnal Dakwah Dan Komunikasi Islam, 2(1), 423–444. https://doi.org/10.35878/muashir.v2i1.922
Roziqin, A. A., Yasinatul, P. A., Azisi, A. M., Zuhriyah, L. F., & Alfarisi, Moh. H. (2025). The Challenge of Religious Moderation amidst the Rise of Religious Extremism among Instant Ustadz in Indonesia. Al-Wasatiyah: Journal of Religious Moderation, 4(1), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.30631/jrm.v4i1.110
Sade-Beck, L. (2004). Internet ethnography: Online and offline. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 3(2), 1–14.
Sianipar, E. M. (2025). Hubungan intensitas menonton dan tingkat ketertarikan konten dengan loyalitas penonton pada kanal YouTube Kompas TV Jawa Tengah. Interaksi-Online: Jurnal Komunikasi Dan Media, 13(2), 77–89.
Sudirman, Z. (2025). Dakwah digital dan moderasi beragama perspektif akademisi vs Salafy pada kanal YouTube FUAD TV dan Rodja TV. Al-Qolamuna: Journal Komunikasi Dan Penyiaran Islam, 2(1), 62–74.
Sugiyono. (2021). Metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif dan R&D. CV. Alfabeta.
Triana, W., Rosyidah, I., Muttaqin, Z., Hendarmin, L. A., Muhamad, A., & Febiyana, A. L. (2021). Hijrah tren keberagaman kaum milenial di Indonesia (1st ed.). PPIM UIN Jakarta.
Wahid Foundation. (2022). Intoleransi masih tinggi, Wahid Foundation gandeng media dan Kesbangpol Jateng gerakkan sekolah damai. Wahid Foundation Seeding Peaceful Islam. Wahid Foundation Seeding Peaceful Islam. https://wahidfoundation.org/news/detail/Intoleransi-Masih-Tinggi-Wahid-Foundation-Gandeng-Media-dan-Kesbangpol-Jateng-Gerakkan-Sekolah-Damai
YouTube channel documentation. (2026). Dokumentasi kanal YouTube Ustaz Abdul Somad Official, Adi Hidayat Official, dan Jeda Nulis [Data set].
YouTube content observation. (2026). Catatan observasi konten dakwah YouTube Ustaz Abdul Somad, Ustaz Adi Hidayat, dan Habib Husein Ja’far Al Hadar [Data set].
Zuhri, A. M. (2021). Beragama di ruang digital: Konfigurasi ideologi dan ekspresi keberagamaan masyarakat virtual. Nawa Litera Publishing.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Mas Teguh Wibowo, Salminawati, Zaini Dahlan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with?áJournal of Islamic Education Students?áagree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a?áCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License?á(CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See?áThe Effect of Open Access).
