Islamic Education and the Production of Middle-Class Muslim Identity: Urban Religiousness among Students in Public Universities

Abstract

The transformation of urban Muslim religiosity in Indonesia indicates that students’ religious expressions can no longer be understood merely as individual spiritual practices, but must also be examined in relation to middle-class dynamics, digital culture, and social identity. This article examines the relationship between Islamic Education (Pendidikan Agama Islam or PAI) and urban middle-class Muslim identity among students in public universities, with particular attention to the formation of religious habitus. The study employs a qualitative library research approach with a critical-theoretical orientation. The literature examined includes studies on urban religiosity, hijrah culture, the Muslim middle class, digital religiosity, and PAI. The analysis draws on Pierre Bourdieu’s theoretical framework, particularly the concepts of habitus, field, and symbolic capital. The findings indicate that PAI functions not only as a medium for transmitting religious knowledge but also contributes to shaping students’ religious habitus through discourses of religious moderation, social ethics, and modern Muslim professionalism. At the same time, students’ religiosity operates as symbolic capital that generates social legitimacy and contributes to the negotiation of Muslim identity within the university environment.