MMI Ed-in-Chief: Building Moderate Narratives through ‘Friday Newsletter’

PPIM.UINJKT.AC.ID –  Following the rise of weekly newsletter propaganda circulated by radical, extremist and anti-democracy movements in mosques and majelis taklim (Quran study groups), Muhammad Hanifuddin initiated the publication of Indonesian Young Muslim Bulletin (MMI) as an effort to spread moderate Islam to counter the extremist movements.

“We are in touch with the grassroots offline, particularly in mosques. We are partnering with 240 mosques, to which we distribute our newsletters every Friday. The newsletters are expected to be alternatives to counter the ones that promote Islamic caliphate,” Hanifuddin said.

The alumni of Darus Sunnah Islamic Boarding School said that his bulletin was first published in 2017, in collaboration between the Center for the Study of Islam and Society (PPIM) of the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) Jakarta with Political Literacy Institute. The publication of the bulletin is part of the collaboration initiated by Convey Indonesia program. 

Hanifuddin said that the newsletters aimed for spreading the messages of Islam rahmatan lil ‘alamin (blessing to all universe) to the public, strengthening religious understanding that was inclusive and open-minded, and providing comprehensive views about the society, nation and the state.

“Our tagline is to spread the spirit of Islamic moderation and peace, and that affects how we produce our narratives and news framing. We synergize classical resources that exist in Islam, then we pack them in contemporary languages and interesting appearances that can be easily understood by young generation and people visiting the mosques,” Hanifuddin said.

The MMI, he added, did not only appear as printed newsletters, but also collaborated with several online media platforms which also actively promoted moderate Islam. “We entrust our contents to Islami.co, Muhammadiyah [online portal], and the communication forum for tafsir hadits students,” he said, referring to students who specifically learn about the meanings of the words and deeds of Prophet Muhammad. “That is part of our efforts to help spread a strong religious moderation to the people.”

The virtual seminar on Religious Moderation is held every Friday via “Convey Indonesia” official Youtube channel. The discussion, moderated by Convey Indonesia Team Leader Jamhari Makruf, also presented other speakers, such as Ed Sepsha (a journalist of Kyodo News), Makroen Sanjaya (Deputy Editor-in-Chief of RTV), and Savic Ali (Director of NU Online and Islami.co).

Writer: Herda Maulida
Editor: M. Nida Fadlan