The Paradox of Religiosity: Corruption Practices in Islamic Faith-Based Organizations
Keywords:
Paradox of religiosity, Corrupt practices, Religious organizations, Muslim communityAbstract
Background: The incorporation of religious symbols into organizational life does not necessarily translate into ethical integrity in institutional practice. This disconnect challenges the enduring normative assumption that the institutionalization of religious teachings and values inherently functions as a safeguard against corruption. Rather than reinforcing ethical conduct, symbolic religiosity may coexist with, or even obscure, governance failures within institutional settings.
Purpose: This study aims to critically examine the paradox of religiosity in Islamic faith-based organizations by exploring how religious legitimacy is constructed and mobilized. It further seeks to identify recurring patterns through which such organizations become implicated in corrupt practices.
Method: This study adopts a qualitative descriptive design with a netnography approach. Online news documents are used as the primary data source, enabling an examination not only of corruption cases but also of how these cases are publicly framed and represented.
Findings: The study identifies three major findings. First, the misappropriation of religious funds is carried out through the manipulation of zakat, infaq, sadaqah, and grant management, reflecting an exploitation of public trust driven by weak institutional accountability and oversight. Second, the involvement of organizational elites demonstrates how religious authority and strategic positions are leveraged to access and control resources illicitly within mutually protective power networks. Third, the instrumentalization of religious teachings occurs through the use of symbols, terminology, and religious narratives as tools of legitimacy to construct a moral image while simultaneously concealing corrupt practices.
Significance: The findings of this study provide a critical foundation for strengthening governance in religious institutions through approaches that integrate ethical values with robust oversight mechanisms in institutional management.
References
Abdulfatah, M. (2019). Islamic Charities and Global Governance. In International Political Economy Series (pp. 149–169). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92561-5_6
Abdullah, M. W., Hanafie, H., & Bayan, A. Y. M. (2023). Internal governance and fraud prevention system: The potentiality of the spiritual quotient. Journal of Governance and Regulation, 12(4), 50–59. https://doi.org/10.22495/jgrv12i4art5
Akhmad, A., Fernando, Z. J., & Teeraphan, P. (2023). Unmasking Illicit Enrichment: A Comparative Analysis of Wealth Acquisition Under Indonesian, Thailand and Islamic Law. Journal of Indonesian Legal Studies, 8(2), 899–934. https://doi.org/10.15294/jils.v8i2.69332
Al-Jundi, S. A., Shuhaiber, A., & Al-Emara, S. S. (2022). The Effect of Political Instability and Institutional Weakness on Administrative Corruption. Contemporary Economics, 16(2), 168–181. https://doi.org/10.5709/ce.1897-9254.475
Ayub, M., Khan, K., Khan, M., & Ismail, M. (2025). Management and governance of Awqāf as social finance institutions. Qualitative Research in Financial Markets. https://doi.org/10.1108/QRFM-01-2025-0013
Balci, A., & Duman, T. İ. (2022). Muslim Solidarity in the UN General Assembly. Global Governance: A Review of Multilateralism and International Organizations, 28(3), 330–354. https://doi.org/10.1163/19426720-02803001
Bensaid, H. (2025). Epistemological Contestations in Global Governance: The OIC and the Conceptualization of Minorities. Politics and Religion Journal, 19(1), 211–235. https://doi.org/10.54561/prj1901211b
Bourne, D., & Alanazi, M. (2025). Islamic Leadership. In Elgar Encyclopedia of Leadership (pp. 125–126). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035307074.00058
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022). Thematic Analysis: A Practical Guide. SAGE Publication Ltd. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=mToqEAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&hl=id&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
Busiri. (2020). Implementation of Anti-Corruption Values in Islamic Education Perspective. International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, 24(4), 5253–5259. https://doi.org/10.37200/IJPR/V24I4/PR201623
Callison, K., & Schultz, J. (2024). Never have a personalized mug: Examining best practices to combat corruption in organizations. In Ethical Quandaries in Business Practices: Exploring Morality and Social Responsibility (pp. 159–182). https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-3948-0.ch007
Costa, J. (2017). Networks and illicit associations in corrupt exchanges: representing a gelatinous system in Italy. Global Crime, 18(4), 353–374. https://doi.org/10.1080/17440572.2017.1332594
Diar, A., Munandar, T. I., & Abd Aziz, S. N. (2025). A Comparative Analysis of the Transformation of Corruption Practices in Indonesia and Malaysia. IJCLS (Indonesian Journal of Criminal Law Studies), 10(2), 851–900. https://doi.org/10.15294/ijcls.v10i2.30206
Enikeeva, I. I. (2024). Features of the perception and construction of sacred images by the generation Z (on the example of the technical university in the Republic of Bashkortostan). RUDN Journal of Sociology, 24(2), 460–476. https://doi.org/10.22363/2313-2272-2024-24-2-460-476
Fakihudin, R. (2023). Formulation of Public Policy Based on Islamic Legal Studies as a Solution in the Contemporary Era. Contemporary Issues on Interfaith Law and Society, 2(2), 161–186. https://doi.org/10.15294/ciils.v2i2.68868
Fenwick, S. (2018). Eat, pray, regulate: the Indonesian Ulama Council and the management of Islamic affairs. Journal of Law and Religion, 33(2), 271–290. https://doi.org/10.1017/jlr.2018.23
Fernando, H., Larasati, Y. G., Abdullah, I., & Horakova, H. (2024). Leadership and the Money Politics Trap in Islamic Legal Thought: A Case Study of Indonesia as a Muslim-Majority Country. Nurani: Jurnal Kajian Syari’ah Dan Masyarakat, 24(1), 199–214. https://doi.org/10.19109/nurani.v24i1.22275
Fernando, H., Larasati, Y. G., Abdullah, I., Listyani, R. H., Martiara, R., & Effendi, G. N. (2025). Cultural Barriers to Preventing Corrupt Practices in Indonesia. The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Civic and Political Studies, 20(2), 135–159. https://doi.org/10.18848/2327-0071/CGP/v20i02/135-159
Galain Palermo, P., & Olasolo, H. (2023). Actos individuales desviados, corrupción significativa, gran corrupción, captura del Estado y corrupción institucional. Ius et Praxis, 29(3), 103–127. https://doi.org/10.4067/s0718-00122023000300103
García Portilla, J. (2022). Corruption and Religion (A), (B), (1). In Contributions to Economics (pp. 61–64). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78498-0_6
Gebrihet, H. G. (2024). The effects of the perception of corruption on public trust in government in Africa: a comparative analysis. Politikon, 51(1–2), 18–39. https://doi.org/10.1080/02589346.2024.2344276
Ginting, A. G., Danil, E., Marlina, & Sukarja, D. (2024). Duty of Civilians Security Agencies that Suffer Losses Due to Civil Corruption. Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental, 18(3), e06720. https://doi.org/10.24857/rgsa.v18n3-148
Gokcekus, O., & Ekici, T. (2020). Religion, Religiosity, and Corruption. Review of Religious Research, 62(4), 563–581. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13644-020-00421-2
Hangabei, S. M., Dimyati, K., Absori, A., & Akhmad, A. (2021). The Ideology Of Law: Embodying The Religiosity Of Pancasila In Indonesia Legal Concepts. LAW REFORM, 17(1), 77–94. https://doi.org/10.14710/lr.v17i1.37554
Hariyanto, E. (2022). Public Trust in the Religious Court to Handle Dispute of Sharia Economy. AHKAM : Jurnal Ilmu Syariah, 22(1), 185–208. https://doi.org/10.15408/ajis.v22i1.26216
Husain, M. K. (2025). From Historical Caliphate to Modern Governance Alliance: Tracing the Origin and Evolution of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Politics and Religion Journal, 19(1), 49–67. https://doi.org/10.54561/prj1901049h
Khoirin, N., & Junaedi, M. (2022). Religious inconsistency on corruption behaviour among Muslim politicians in Indonesia. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 78(4). https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v78i1.7361
Lubis, F. H., Nasution, F. A., & Harahap, R. H. (2024). The Commodification of Religious Rituals: Representations of Political Actors in Indonesian Elections. Pharos Journal of Theology, 105(2), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.46222/pharosjot.105.214
Luna-Pla, I., & Nicolás-Carlock, J. R. (2020). Corruption and complexity: a scientific framework for the analysis of corruption networks. Applied Network Science, 5(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41109-020-00258-2
Martins, A. F., da Cunha, B. R., Hanley, Q. S., Gonçalves, S., Perc, M., & Ribeiro, H. V. (2022). Universality of political corruption networks. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 6858. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-10909-2
Martinsson, J. (2021). Combatting institutional corruption: The policy-centered approach. Crime, Law and Social Change, 75(3), 267–280. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10611-021-09934-5
Mkhize, N., & Nel-Sanders, D. (2025). From policy to impact: an ongoing assessment framework for anti-corruption risk governance in South Africa. Development Studies Research, 12(1), 2580002. https://doi.org/10.1080/21665095.2025.2580002
Moufakkir, O. (2026). “How do Muslims reconcile religious commitment with conventional banking?”: Unpacking Muslims’ rejection of Islamic banking through consistency theories. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 17(4), 1585–1603. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-11-2024-0528
Muhtamar, S., Rauf, A., & Hardi, H. (2024). Multi-Strategies for Treating the Roots of Corruption Behavior in Indonesia. Jurnal Ilmiah Mizani: Wacana Hukum, Ekonomi Dan Keagamaan, 9(1), 19–33. https://doi.org/10.29300/mzn.v9i1.2822
Munawwaroh, S., Larasati, E., Suwitri, S., & Warsono, H. (2020). Work culture change in ministry of religius affairs (Mora) indonesia. Proceedings of the International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management. https://www.ieomsociety.org/detroit2020/papers/577.pdf
Munhanif, A., & Dahlan, M. (2018). Lineages of Islamic Extremism in Egypt: Ikhwan al-Muslimun, State Violence and the Origins of Radical Politics. Al-Jami’ah: Journal of Islamic Studies, 56(2), 421–460. https://doi.org/10.14421/ajis.2018.562.421-460
Nashir, H., Kartono, D. T., Susilo, R. K. D., & Setiaji, B. (2019). Islamic organizations are able to adapt to the modern era. Asia Life Sciences, 28(1), 51–62.
Ndiku, J. M., Nasongo, J. W., & Odero, M. (2024). The Role of Ethics Education in the Fight Against Corruption. Global Journal of Transformative Education, 4(1), 4–13. https://doi.org/10.14434/gjte.v4i1.36656
Ngwoke, P. (2021). Religious Manipulation and Domestic Violence within Christian Homes in Nigeria. The International Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Society, 11(1), 121–136. https://doi.org/10.18848/2154-8633/CGP/v11i01/121-136
Okafor, O. N., Adebisi, F. A., Opara, M., & Okafor, C. B. (2020). Deployment of whistleblowing as an accountability mechanism to curb corruption and fraud in a developing democracy. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 33(6), 1335–1366. https://doi.org/10.1108/AAAJ-12-2018-3780
Perez, N., Zellman, A., & Fox, J. (2026). Re-assessing governmental corruption of religion: Where political theory meets empirical evidence. Ethnicities. https://doi.org/10.1177/14687968261424659
Prabowo, H. Y., Cooper, K., Sriyana, J., & Syamsudin, M. (2017). De-normalizing corruption in the Indonesian public sector through behavioral re-engineering. Journal of Financial Crime, 24(4), 552–573. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFC-10-2015-0057
Qosim, M. R., Hariz, H. S. S., Arowosaiye, Y. I., Azizah, M., & Idamatussilmi. (2025). The Politicization of Religion and Law Enforcement in Indonesia’s Democratic Elections: An Islamic Legal Perspective. Al-Manahij: Jurnal Kajian Hukum Islam, 19(2), 313–334. https://doi.org/10.24090/mnh.v19i2.15244
Quadri, H. M. A., & Al-Azhari, A. A. (2025). The Role of Islamic Religious Institutions in Strengthening the Religious Identity of Muslim Youth in Canada : An Analytical and Research- Based Study. Contemporary Journal of Social Science Review, 3(4), 229–245. https://contemporaryjournal.com/index.php/14/article/view/1716/1482
Rosana, E., Salim, L., Mahfudin Setiawan, A., & Massay, E. M. (2025). Public Sympathy as Political Mobilization in the Digital Space Based on the Study of Religious Figures on Social Media. Jurnal Lektur Keagamaan, 23(1), 179–210. https://doi.org/10.31291/jlka.v23i1.1187
Rusyidi, I. (2023). Good Governance According To Islamic Perspective. Munaddhomah: Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Islam, 4(4), 1001–1007. https://doi.org/10.31538/munaddhomah.v4i4.727
Samsudin, Aziz, A., Syam, R. M., Hasbi, M. Z. N., & Prabuwono, A. S. (2023). Hajj Funds Management Based on Maqāṣid Al-Sharīʿah; A Proposal for Indonesian Context. AL-IHKAM: Jurnal Hukum & Pranata Sosial, 18(2), 544–567. https://doi.org/10.19105/al-lhkam.v18i2.7268
Silitonga, M. S., Wittek, R., Snijders, T. A. B., & Heyse, L. (2023). Democratizing corruption: a role structure analysis of Indonesia’s “Big Bang” decentralization. Applied Network Science, 8(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41109-023-00535-w
Siregar, M. H., & Sahrul, S. (2022). Searching legal format: Reshaping the role of state and religion in Indonesia post-Suharto. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 78(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v78i1.7922
Sutrisno, N., Heryansyah, D., Hadi, S., & M. Cason, C. (2022). The Regulation of Defendant’s Religious Identity in Court Decisions. Bestuur, 10(2), 85–104. https://doi.org/10.20961/bestuur.v10i2.61409
Tajmazinani, A. A., & Mahdavi Mazinani, Z. (2021). Foundations of Social Policy and Welfare in Islam. In International Series on Public Policy (pp. 15–35). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57753-7_2
Tasman Hamami. (2021). Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama Education: Two Main Pillars of National Education in Indonesia. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 18(2), 307–330. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpai.2021.182-06
Teichmann, F., Falker, M.-C., Boticiu, S., & Sergi, B. S. (2023). Business to government (B2G) corruption and resource misallocation. The case of China at the municipal level. Journal of Economic Criminology, 1, 100005. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeconc.2023.100005
Umar, M., Ismail, F., Rahmi, S., & Arifin, Z. (2024). Transforming of Moderate Character Education in Islamic Educational Institutions. Nazhruna: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 7(1), 171–188. https://doi.org/10.31538/nzh.v7i1.4168
Vian, T. (2020). Anti-corruption, transparency and accountability in health: concepts, frameworks, and approaches. Global Health Action, 13(sup1), 1694744. https://doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2019.1694744
Wardana, A. (2026). Regulated religion, fading belief: how Indonesians’ religiosity has quietly changed, 2000–2020. Frontiers in Sociology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2025.1698036
Zainuddin, S. A. B., Rahman, R. B. A., Ridzuan, F., Aziz, R. B. C., Mahdi, N. M. N., Anuar, N. I. M., Mohamad, S. R., Yasoa′, M. R. Bin, & Zaib, S. Z. M. (2025). Enhancing Transparency and Accountability in Waqf Management Through Digital Accounting Practices. In Studies in Systems, Decision and Control (pp. 251–257). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-91424-9_23
Zulaikha, Paulus, & Muhammad. (2019). Social Constructs in Predicting Corruptive Attitudes and Behavior From Theory of Planned Behavior Perspective. International Journal of Economics and Business Administration, VII(Issue 3), 167–177. https://doi.org/10.35808/ijeba/316
Zulkifli, Hasyim, S., Mubarak, M. Z., Khitam, H., & Helmi, M. I. (2023). Constructing Muslim Identity in a Secular State: The Strategic Role of Two Singapore Islamic Organizations. AL-IHKAM: Jurnal Hukum & Pranata Sosial, 18(1), 27–53. https://doi.org/10.19105/al-lhkam.v18i1.6002
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Romaito Azhar, Cici Rifmayanti, Rahmat Amin Siregar, Aihani Rahmayani Harahap, Muhammad Ikhsan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
