Search

Background: This study explores the impact of Islamic character education on child development across two regions: Asia and Europe. It compares how Islamic schools and pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) in Asia and Europe integrate Islamic values into educational environments, considering the cultural, social, and educational differences between the regions.

Methods: A qualitative research design was used, employing interviews, case studies, and classroom observations in Islamic educational institutions in both Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Middle East) and Europe (United Kingdom, France, Netherlands). Data were gathered from teachers, administrators, and students to assess how Islamic education influences moral and social development.

Results: The study reveals that in Asia, Islamic character education is seamlessly integrated into students' daily lives and academic routines, emphasizing values such as discipline, honesty, and compassion. In contrast, European Islamic schools, operating within multicultural and secular contexts, face challenges in balancing Islamic teachings with societal norms. Despite these challenges, both regions place strong emphasis on developing moral values and social responsibility.

Discussion: Cultural and societal contexts significantly affect how Islamic character education is delivered. In Asia, societal support for Islamic values aids their integration, while European schools must navigate multiculturalism and secularism. This contrast presents both opportunities and challenges for character education in diverse environments.

Conclusion: Islamic character education is effective in promoting moral development in both regions, though methods must be adapted to local contexts. This study provides insights into improving character education in multicultural and Islamic-majority societies.

Novelty: This research contributes to the comparative study of Islamic character education, offering valuable insights for adapting educational models in multicultural settings.

Background: Islamic acculturation has developed as a dynamic process through which Islamic values interact with diverse cultural systems across different regions. However, most studies remain geographically limited and lack a comparative intercontinental perspective that connects material culture and museum heritage across Asia and Europe.

Methods: This study employs a qualitative comparative approach using interpretative analysis of museum-based cultural heritage in Indonesia (Ronggowarsito Museum), Egypt (Ismailia cultural heritage context), and Portugal (Algarve Islamic legacy). Data are derived from secondary sources, museum documentation, and relevant scholarly literature, with a focus on material culture, architecture, and symbolic representations of Islam.

Results: The findings reveal distinct patterns of Islamic acculturation across regions. In Indonesia, Islamic values are strongly integrated into symbolic and ritual material culture. In Egypt, Islamic heritage reflects a synthesis of social practice, historical continuity, and colonial interaction. In Portugal, Islamic presence is primarily preserved through architectural remnants, toponymy, and linguistic traces of the Andalusian legacy.

Discussion: The study demonstrates that Islamic acculturation is not uniform but context-dependent. In Asia, it tends to be adaptive and symbolic; in Africa, it is historically layered and socially embedded; while in Europe, it is largely residual and materialized through heritage fragments. These differences highlight the flexibility of Islam in engaging with diverse civilizational environments.

Conclusion: Islamic acculturation operates as a transregional cultural process shaped by historical interaction, material heritage, and local reinterpretation. Museums and heritage sites function as critical spaces for preserving and interpreting these diverse Islamic cultural expressions.

Novelty: This study offers a strengthened comparative framework of Islamic acculturation across Asia and Europe by integrating museum heritage analysis, providing a transcontinental perspective rarely addressed in Islamic Studies literature.

Background: Islamic family law, derived from Sharia, and national statutory laws are crucial for protecting human rights, particularly in areas such as marriage, divorce, and child custody. While Islamic law emphasizes the preservation of family integrity and individual well-being, its interpretation and application often intersect with national legal frameworks, raising questions about the compatibility of religious principles with international human rights standards. This study aims to explore the relationship between human rights principles and Islamic family law, focusing on how these laws are applied in diverse cultural and legal contexts.

Methods: This research employs a qualitative approach, using case studies from different countries to explore the interaction between human rights principles and Islamic family law. The analysis examines how Islamic family law addresses human rights issues such as gender equality, fair treatment in divorce, and the protection of children’s welfare. The study also considers the socio-cultural and legal factors influencing the enforcement of these rights within different legal systems.

Results: The findings indicate that Islamic family law addresses key human rights concerns but faces challenges when applied within national legal frameworks, especially in multi-religious and pluralistic societies. In some cases, the interpretation of Sharia law can conflict with international human rights standards, particularly in issues related to gender equality and the rights of women in divorce proceedings. The study also highlights the variations in how these issues are addressed across different countries, reflecting the complexity of balancing Sharia law with statutory regulations.

Discussion: This study discusses the challenges of reconciling Sharia law with human rights norms, particularly in countries where there is a multi-religious or pluralistic society. It emphasizes the importance of balancing religious principles with international human rights standards to ensure the protection of fundamental rights. The research calls for greater dialogue between religious and legal authorities to harmonize Islamic family law with human rights frameworks.

Conclusion: The study concludes that while Islamic family law provides a foundation for protecting human rights, there are significant challenges in its application, particularly in countries with diverse legal traditions. Addressing these challenges requires a more nuanced approach that takes into account both religious principles and international human rights standards to create a legal system that is fair and inclusive.

Novelty: This research offers new insights into the complexities of integrating Islamic family law with international human rights standards. By examining case studies from various countries, it highlights the socio-cultural and legal factors that influence the enforcement of human rights within Islamic legal systems. The study contributes to the understanding of how religious legal systems can coexist with modern human rights frameworks, offering practical recommendations for improving the protection of human rights in Islamic family law contexts.

Background: Islamic acculturation is a dynamic process through which Islamic teachings interact with local traditions, producing diverse forms of lived religious expression. Yoruba Islam in Nigeria and the Ebeg performance tradition in Indonesia represent localized expressions of Islam shaped by distinct historical and cultural contexts. Comparative studies connecting African and Southeast Asian Muslim cultural experiences, however, remain limited.

Methods: This study employs a qualitative comparative approach using literature-based cultural analysis. Data were collected from peer-reviewed articles, ethnographic studies, historical records, and cultural documentation related to Yoruba Islam and Ebeg performance traditions. The analysis focuses on cultural adaptation, religious negotiation, and performative integration.

Results: The findings reveal that Yoruba Islam demonstrates strong cultural embeddedness through the integration of Islamic values into festivals, naming systems, kinship practices, and communal rituals. In contrast, the Ebeg tradition reflects a selective and negotiated form of acculturation in which Islamic elements are incorporated into dance, music, and ritual performance. Both cases indicate that Islamic identity is shaped through continuous interaction between religion and local culture.

Discussion: The comparative analysis shows that Islamic acculturation is historically adaptive and context-dependent. Material and performative culture function as important mediums for negotiating religious meaning and communal identity.

Conclusion: Islamic acculturation in Nigeria and Indonesia represents a non-linear process shaped by cultural continuity, reinterpretation, and social negotiation.

Novelty: This study offers a comparative African–Southeast Asian perspective by highlighting the role of material and performance culture in shaping localized Islamic experience.

Background: Rapid digitalization has fundamentally transformed the global halal ecosystem by integrating digital technologies into halal certification, electronic commerce, Islamic finance, tourism, pharmaceuticals, education, and supply-chain management. In Indonesia, digital innovation has accelerated the development of a modern halal lifestyle by improving accessibility, efficiency, and market connectivity while simultaneously creating new governance challenges related to regulatory fragmentation, institutional coordination, consumer trust, digital literacy, and compliance with the objectives of Islamic law (Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah). Although previous studies have examined digital technologies or halal governance separately, limited research has integrated both perspectives within a comprehensive Islamic governance framework capable of explaining how technological innovation can simultaneously promote ethical governance and sustainable public welfare.

Methods: This study employed a qualitative doctrinal research design through a systematic literature review. Data were collected from peer-reviewed journal articles, legal regulations, policy documents, and authoritative publications concerning digitalization, halal governance, and Islamic law. The collected data were analyzed using thematic content analysis, comparative analysis, interpretive analysis, and source triangulation. Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah served as the principal analytical framework for evaluating how digital technologies contribute to transparency, accountability, consumer protection, institutional collaboration, and sustainable halal ecosystem development.

Results: The findings demonstrate that digital technologies—including halal e-commerce platforms, electronic halal certification, blockchain-enabled traceability, Internet of Things (IoT), and digital compliance systems—significantly improve transparency, accessibility, operational efficiency, and stakeholder participation within Indonesia's halal ecosystem. Nevertheless, their implementation remains constrained by fragmented regulations, inconsistent certification practices, technological disparities, limited digital literacy, insufficient interoperability, and weak institutional collaboration. To address these challenges, this study develops the Maqāṣid-Based Digital Halal Governance Framework (MDHGF) as a conceptual model integrating digital technologies, halal governance, stakeholder collaboration, and the five objectives of Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah.

Discussion: The proposed framework demonstrates that effective digital halal governance requires collaborative engagement among government institutions, halal certification authorities, technology providers, business actors, academic institutions, and Muslim communities. By positioning Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah as the ethical and normative foundation of digital governance, the framework strengthens legal certainty, institutional accountability, consumer confidence, transparency, and public welfare while supporting sustainable digital transformation across the halal industry.

Conclusion: Sustainable digitalization of the halal ecosystem cannot be achieved solely through technological advancement. Instead, it requires adaptive governance, coherent regulations, institutional collaboration, and continuous integration of Islamic legal objectives into digital innovation to ensure that technological development contributes to justice, transparency, consumer protection, and long-term societal welfare.

Novelty: The novelty of this study lies in proposing the Maqāṣid-Based Digital Halal Governance Framework (MDHGF), which integrates digital technologies, stakeholder collaboration, halal governance, and the five objectives of Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah into a unified conceptual model. This framework provides both a theoretical contribution to the literature on Islamic digital governance and practical guidance for policymakers, halal certification authorities, industry, and researchers in developing a resilient, ethical, and sustainable digital halal ecosystem in Indonesia and other Muslim-majority countries.

Background: Kiai Bandi Bin Kiai Sa’id Lakbok (1901–1951) was a prominent Islamic scholar in Ciamis, West Java, whose educational approach combined traditional pesantren pedagogy with the cultivation of moral character and leadership. His teaching contributed to the formation of ulama cadres across Java and Sumatra, yet systematic studies on his epistemological approach remain limited.

Method: This study employed a qualitative historical-descriptive method, utilizing interviews with family members and disciples, historical literature, and field documentation to trace Kiai Bandi’s educational practices and the spread of his students.

Results: Kiai Bandi initially taught a small group of disciples in Desa Tambakreja, Ciamis, including Kiai Sukemi, Kiai Bashoir, Kiai Majalikin, Kiai Delan, and Kiai Shobrowi, later mentoring others such as Simbah KH. Makmur, Kiai Sanusi, Kiai Adurrohim, and ulama in Ciklapa, Sidareja, Banjarnegara, Lampung, and beyond. His students established educational networks that disseminated his epistemology widely, integrating religious knowledge, ethics, and spirituality.

Discussion: The study highlights how Kiai Bandi’s approach strengthened Islamic education through personalized mentorship, pesantren-based pedagogy, and community engagement via pilgrimage and annual commemoration (haul) events, which also supported local socio-economic development.

Conclusion: Kiai Bandi’s educational epistemology effectively cultivated moral, spiritual, and leadership qualities among ulama, providing a resilient model of traditional Islamic education still relevant in contemporary Muslim communities in Java and Sumatra.

Novelty: This study is the first to systematically document Kiai Bandi’s educational epistemology and its impact on ulama networks across both Java and Sumatra, linking traditional pesantren learning with broader socio-cultural influence.

Background: Islamic fiscal governance integrates law, ethics, and public finance in Muslim-majority societies. Culinary taxation policies illustrate how modern fiscal systems can align with Islamic principles of justice, transparency, and public welfare. This study examines such policies across three continents—Asia, Africa, and Europe—focusing on Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Lithuania.

Methods: A qualitative comparative socio-legal approach was applied. Data were collected from policy documents, scholarly literature, and media discourse. The analysis employed fiqh siyasah maliyah, the principle of maslahah, and socio-legal theory to assess legal interpretation, ethical alignment, and public legitimacy across diverse legal, institutional, and cultural contexts.

Results: All countries use taxation to support public welfare, but implementation varies: Indonesia employs decentralized regional regulations; Malaysia integrates Islamic administrative frameworks; Nigeria uses hybrid Sharia-civil law systems; and Lithuania applies secular legal structures. Policies aligned with justice, proportionality, and transparency achieve higher public acceptance, whereas misaligned implementation produces socio-economic tensions and limits legitimacy.

Discussion: Islamic fiscal principles demonstrate flexibility across political, legal, and cultural contexts. Harmonizing fiscal objectives with ethical and welfare-oriented principles fosters public trust and positive socio-economic outcomes. Institutional capacity, legal pluralism, and ethical communication are key factors in effective implementation.

Conclusion: Comparative analysis confirms that Islamic fiscal governance can coexist with contemporary taxation systems when guided by ethical and socio-legal principles. Principles of maslahah, justice, proportionality, and transparency enhance legitimacy and socio-economic balance across contexts.

Novelty: This study offers a multi-continental socio-legal framework linking Islamic fiscal ethics with contemporary taxation, showing practical adaptability in diverse modern settings.