Hybrid Da’wah and Embodied Religious Authority: Kyai’s Dialogical Responses to Extremist Narratives in Semi-Rural Indonesia

Abstract

This study examines how kyai and Islamic preachers in two semi-rural districts of Lamongan, Indonesia, combine dialogical communication, moral exemplarity, and selective digital outreach when responding to religious narratives they regard as extremist. A qualitative descriptive design drew on observations of more than 15 religious gatherings, 14 semi-structured interviews with six kyai/preachers and eight congregation members, and documentation of offline and online da’wah practices. Data were organized using the interactive procedures of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña and interpreted thematically. Four themes emerged: (1) dialogical persuasion described as building relational trust; (2) visible moral conduct perceived as supporting religious credibility; (3) the use of WhatsApp, Facebook, and YouTube to extend existing relationships and circulate moderate messages; and (4) community-based responses constrained by limited digital literacy. The findings suggest that digital da’wah amplifies, rather than replaces, authority grounded in offline relationships and moral exemplarity. The study proposes that embodied religious authority and social embeddedness help explain the credibility of hybrid da’wah in semi-rural Muslim communities. As audience attitudes and radicalization outcomes were not measured, the findings indicate perceived communicative capacities rather than demonstrated preventive effects.