About

Prof. Rijal is a Professor of Sociology of Islam and the Head of the PhD Islamic Studies Program at the Faculty of Islamic Studies, Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (UIII). He has also taught on socio-cultural issues related to Islam at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta.

He earned his first MA in Interdisciplinary Islamic Studies from UIN Syarif Hidayatullah, and his second MA in Asian Studies from the Australian National University (ANU). He holds a PhD from the Department of Political and Social Change at ANU, with a special focus on Islam in Indonesia.

Prof. Rijal’s research interests include Islamic studies, Indonesian studies, Muslim movements, the Hadhrami Arab diaspora, youth and piety, and Islam and popular culture. His work has been published in numerous academic journals, including Archipel, Indonesia and the Malay World, Studia Islamika, Al-Jami’ah: Journal of Islamic Studies, and Journal of Indonesian Islam.

Publication

Consuming and disputing Aisha song: The quest for pleasure & Islamic romance in contemporary Indonesia. Indonesian Journal of Islam and Muslim Societies. (2022)

Devotees of Arab Saints: Traditional Piety and Urban Muslim Youth in Contemporary Indonesia. (2019)

Opposing Wahhabism: The Emergence of Ultra- Traditionalism in Contemporary Indonesia. (2018)

Reviving Yemeni Traditional Sunni Networks. (2017)

Internal Dynamics within Hadhrami Arabs in Indonesia. (2016)

Menarik Kaum Muda Muslim: Studi terhadap Sistem Rekruitmen HTI di Makassar, Sulawesi Selatan. (2010)