Faith, Reason, and Digital Media: A Qualitative Exploration of Young Muslims' Perspectives in Islamic Higher Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61194/ijis.v3i4.1131Keywords:
Faith, Reason, Digital Religion, Muslim Youth, Digital Literacy, Islamic Higher Education, Qualitative PhenomenologyAbstract
The rapid development of digital media has transformed how Muslim youth access, interpret, and practice religious knowledge. While digital platforms offer opportunities for Islamic learning, they also raise challenges related to religious authority, information credibility, and integrating faith with rational inquiry. This study explores how Muslim undergraduate students understand the relationship between faith and reason and how digital media influence their religious learning and decision-making. A qualitative phenomenological approach examined the lived experiences of ten Muslim undergraduate students at Universitas Islam Negeri Alauddin Makassar, selected through purposive sampling based on active engagement with digital religious media. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using Braun and Clarke's six-phase thematic analysis, with trustworthiness ensured through reflexive analysis, member checking, and triangulation. Findings show participants perceive faith and reason as complementary: faith provides spiritual commitment and moral guidance, while reason enables critical evaluation of religious information. Digital media expanded access to Islamic knowledge but also diversified religious authority, prompting participants to distinguish scholarly credibility from online popularity through source comparison and consulting trusted lecturers. Family, education, and algorithmic content shaped their evaluative strategies. The study concludes that faith-reason relations are dynamic and digitally mediated, creating a hybrid religious environment requiring integrated religious and digital literacy in Islamic higher education.
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