Mediating piety: How Salafism, WhatsApp and youth leadership are transforming Islamic authority in Indonesia’s urban hijrah movement

This study investigates how WhatsApp/WA-mediated da’wah shapes trust, religious authority and communal identity within Indonesia’s urban hijrah movement, particularly among Salafi-influenced youth networks. Drawing on digital ethnography, and support by in-depth interview, of the Kopdar Masjid BDG Raya WA Group and guided by computer-mediated communication (CMC), media ecology and Islamic activism theory, the research reveals how online religious interaction is structured around peer-led trust, symbolic authority and affective participation. Findings show that WhatsApp functions not merely as a dissemination tool but as a symbolic environment where religious identity is continuously negotiated through daily messages, thematic da’wah and shared rituals. Authority is cultivated less through formal credentials than through interactive consistency, tawadhu’ (‘humility’) and ikhlas (‘sincerity’), a key marker of ethical credibility in Islamic communication ethics. Serialized da’wah content, ranging from voice notes to curated sermons, enables horizontal engagement, with moderators and members co-producing theological meaning. The study finds that Salafi doctrines are localized through youth-led leadership, where values like modesty, ritual precision and moral vigilance are reinforced in daily chat interactions. These peer-driven exchanges shape an alternative public sphere where young Muslims renegotiate orthodoxy, social piety and digital belonging. This article contributes to scholarship on Islamic authority, social media and digital religion by demonstrating how mobile platforms facilitate both theological transmission and grassroots activism. It underscores the roles of affective labour, participatory structure and cultural adaptation in sustaining digital religious communities.