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AFTER THE BAN: Rebranding Islamic Utopian Thought through Felix Siauw’s Digital Entrepreneurial Preaching
Abstract
The ban on Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) in 2017 prompted its actors to adapt to digital platforms. Combining a case study approach with netnography, this article examines Felix Siauw’s da‘wa strategies for propagating Islamic Caliphate ideology after 2017. It finds that Islamic utopian thinking persists through evolving communication strategies and the rebranding of Islamic preaching within the digital media ecosystem. By collaborating with influencers on podcasts and engaging contemporary political issues through short videos and visual content, Siauw has developed a more adaptive and commercially oriented approach to digital preaching. His growing popularity as an alternative religious authority is also shaped by broader socio-political developments, including perceptions of Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama’s (NU) limited response to mining concessions and the One-Piece movement in August 2025, which mobilised young Indonesians through mass protests. These dynamics have expanded the discursive space for his digital presence, enabling him to rebrand as a digital entrepreneurial preacher while retaining his ideological commitment to Islamic utopianism.
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DOI: 10.15642/JIIS.2026.20.1.78-107
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