Quo Vadis Ummah in Indonesia? When Ideological Polarization is Overtaken by Personal Issues

In the context of Indonesia’s 2024 elections, Islamist political discourse reflects a shifting meaning of the ummah, the religious counterpart to “the people” as a basis for populism within Muslim communities. This chapter investigates how polarization has shifted from identity-based blocs to personalized political preferences structured through digital media. The articulation of Islamic populism has shifted from street politics to digital attacks, while the influence of ulama appears to have declined compared with the previous electoral cycle. At the same time, the ummah as a political banner has faded, although it persists among segments of supporters of the Islamist candidate, Anies Baswedan. The ummah signals a tendency towards individualized politics rather than an ideological ‘religious versus secular’ cleavage. Meanwhile, it is the platform-mediated personalization of politics that drives polarization.