POLITICAL COMMUNICATION AND ISLAMIC-BASED POLITICAL DIPLOMACY: THE ROLE OF SYEIKH ALI AKBAR MARBUN IN PLURAL SOCIETY OF NORTH SUMATRA, INDONESIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70489/0h9nn292Keywords:
political communication, Islamic diplomacy, ulama, moral legitimacy, plural society, IndonesiaAbstract
This article examines how Islamic-based political communication operates as a form of political diplomacy in a pluralistic society, focusing on the case of Syeikh Ali Akbar Marbun in North Sumatra, Indonesia. The study employs a qualitative case study design based on document analysis of twenty-three sources collected between January and June 2024, including religious sermons, institutional publications from Pesantren Al-Kautsar Al-Akbar, biographical narratives, and academic writings discussing the public role of the ulama. The findings show that Syeikh Ali Akbar Marbun acts as a non-state political communicator through ethical and symbolic communication practices such as elite visits (sowan), sermons addressing leadership ethics, and informal consultations with political actors. These communicative practices function as symbolic mechanisms that reinforce moral legitimacy, encourage ethical reflection among political elites, and facilitate dialogue across religious and ethnic boundaries. The novelty of this study lies in conceptualizing ulama as ethical political communicators who perform informal diplomatic functions through symbolic and relational communication practices in plural democratic societies.
References
Amir, A. S., & Pangkam, M. (2025). Political public relations in digital health communication: Engagement and trust building. PRofesi Humas, 10(1), 1–23.
Aytaç, U. (2023). Global political legitimacy and the structural power of capital. Journal of Social Philosophy, 54(4), 490–509.
Bagçeci, H. (2025). Cultural instruments of legitimacy in constitutionalization: Constituent power through ceremony, ritual, and symbol. Law, Culture and the Humanities, 17438721251389430.
Bennett, W. L., & Kneuer, M. (2024). Communication and democratic erosion: The rise of illiberal public spheres. European Journal of Communication, 39(2), 177–196.
Byrne, D. (2022). A worked example of Braun and Clarke’s approach to reflexive thematic analysis. Quality & Quantity, 56(3), 1391–1412.
Creswell, J. W. (2021). A concise introduction to mixed methods research. SAGE publications.
Dalimunthe, M. A., Syam, A. M., Suhendar, A., & Al-Mujtahid, N. M. (2024). Deconstructing Islamic Cyberculture: Mitigating Inferiority and Cancel Culture in Virtual Space. OPINI: Journal of Communication and Social Science, 1(2), 12–26.
Daoudi, O. (2025). Communicating across cultures: Military strategies and the use of Islamic expressions in the Arabic IDF’s digital diplomacy on Twitter (X). Media, War & Conflict, 17506352251368780.
Erbil, C., Özbilgin, M. F., & Mergen, A. (2025). Red Pill Leadership Behaviours and Discourse Ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 1–21.
Ferreira, D. do N., & Nobre, F. R. F. (2024). State challenge and social legitimacy: Brazilian militias as violent non-state actors and informal institutions. Trends in Organized Crime, 1–25.
Harahap, S. M., Siregar, F. A., & Harahap, D. (2023). Tracing the dynamic spectrum of religious moderation in the local custom of North Sumatera. Qudus International Journal of Islamic Studies, 11(1), 65–102.
Hefner, R. W. (2023). Islam and citizenship in Indonesia: democracy and the quest for an inclusive public ethics. Routledge.
Hidayah, A. R., Bajari, A., Hidayat, D. R., & Maryani, E. (2025). Shifting from religious populism to authoritarian populism: Two decades of identity politics dynamics in Indonesia. Social Sciences, 14(1), 45.
Holdo, M. (2022). How can we trust a political leader? Ethics, institutions, and relational theory. International Political Science Review, 43(2), 226–239.
Hossain, M. I. (2024). Creation of ‘other’in their own country, politicized identity-based division, and the rise of hostility toward ‘out-group’in a multi-ethnic, poly-cultural world: a study on genocide prevention, human security, and peacebuilding. Social Identities, 30(2), 88–109.
Indainanto, Y. I., Dalimunthe, M. A., Sazali, H., & Kholil, S. (2023). Islamic Communication in Voicing Religious Moderation as an Effort to Prevent Conflicts of Differences in Beliefs. Pharos Journal of Theology, 104(4).
Kalia, S. (2025). Politicizing Prophethood: Techniques of Far-Right Encroachment on Civil Society in Pakistan. International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society, 1–25.
Kholil, S., Ismail, I., Dalimunthe, M. A., Suhendar, A., & Rambe, R. F. A. K. (2024). Strengthening Religious Moderation through PTKIN and SIT Collaboration to Build Social Harmony. JIPI (Jurnal Ilmu Perpustakaan Dan Informasi), 9(2), 228–236.
Klinger, U., Kreiss, D., & Mutsvairo, B. (2023). Platforms, power, and politics: An introduction to political communication in the digital age. John Wiley & Sons.
Muhammad, M. (2026). Research Methods in Religious Studies: Focus On Islamic Methodology and Ethics.
Purba, A. M., Dirbawanto, N. D., & Dalimunthe, M. A. (2025). Urban digitalization through clean energy: policies and communication of Medan City government towards “Medan Smart City.” IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1445(1), 12067.
Ritonga, A. R., Dalimunthe, M. A., Veronica, A., & Ginting, L. D. C. U. (2023). The Effectiveness of Social Media As A Promotional Medium Of The University Of Sumatera Utara (USU) Library. Talenta Conference Series: Local Wisdom, Social, and Arts (LWSA), 6(3), 16–20.
Suhendar, A., Syam, A. M., & Ritonga, A. R. (2023). Efektivitas Instagram Sebagai Ruang Motivasi Hijrah Mahasiswa IAIN Lhokseumawe. KomunikA, 19(02), 12–20.
Usman, R., & Abdullah, A. (2025). Ulul Azmi’s Communication Patterns: Diplomatic and Transformative. Ijtimaiyya: Jurnal Pengembangan Masyarakat Islam, 18(2).
Weber, T. J., Hydock, C., Ding, W., Gardner, M., Jacob, P., Mandel, N., Sprott, D. E., & Van Steenburg, E. (2021). Political polarization: Challenges, opportunities, and hope for consumer welfare, marketers, and public policy. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 40(2), 184–205.
Wells, C., & Friedland, L. A. (2023). Recognition crisis: Coming to terms with identity, attention and political communication in the twenty-first century. Political Communication, 40(6), 681–699.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Muhammad Safikqi Lubis, Mohd Syakir Bin Mohd Rosdi (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
