Islam in the Indonesian religious soap opera: faithfulness for the sake of commodification

Universitas Islam Indonesia, Communications Department Jl. Kaliurang 14.5 Sleman, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: muzayin.nazaruddin@uii.ac.id, begawan.nazaruddin@gmail.com

Abstract

This study discusses Islam representation in Indonesia, focusing on the adaptation of Islamic-mystic magazines into religious soap operas. Its aim is to reveal the norms underlying the adaptation processes. It analyses Hidayah magazine, one of the most popular Islamic-mystic magazine in Indonesia, as the source text, and Rahasia Ilahi, the highestrating religious soap opera, as the target text. The study finds that the basic norm underlying the adaptation processes is market orientation. It determines two subsequent norms, namely the narrative standardization and faithfulness. The flexible narrative sequence in the magazine should be standardized into the fixed cause-effect narrative structure of soap opera. It creates a more specific norm, namely extreme binary opposition. Meanwhile, faithful norm has three aspects, namely adequacy, factual, and Islamic teaching conformity principles. This three-aspects of faithfulness is specific feature of the religious texts translation.