Islamic banking has expanded rapidly in Indonesia, yet its acceptance among Muslims has not always followed a straight line. Support for the sharia-based banking system often comes paired with criticism, doubt, and various practical considerations in everyday life.
This phenomenon became the focus of research by Doctoral Candidate Mohammad Wirmon Samawi of the Doctoral Program in Islamic Studies, Islamic Economics Concentration, at UIN Sunan Kalijaga's Graduate School. Under the supervision of Prof. Dr. H. Syafiq Mahmadah Hanafi, M.Ag., as first supervisor and Dr. Moh. Tamtowi, M.Ag., as second supervisor, Wirmon successfully completed and defended his dissertation, titled “Perceptions and Attitudes of Board Members and Activists in the Yogyakarta Special Region (DIY) Toward Islamic Banking,” at his Doctoral Promotion Examination on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, at the Graduate School Auditorium on campus.
The candidate, who also serves on the Board of Commissioners of PT. BP. Kedaulatan Rakyat, explained in his presentation that Islamic banking in Indonesia has shown fairly rapid growth, both in terms of institutional development and the range of services offered to the public.
However, he continued, that growth has not always been matched by uniform acceptance among Muslims. Some Muslims choose sharia banks because they are seen as more aligned with Islamic principles. Others, meanwhile, continue to question the practices, products, governance, and oversight mechanisms involved.
“This shows that attitudes toward Islamic banking cannot be understood simply as a matter of acceptance versus rejection. There are religious, social, institutional, and practical considerations at play that are all intertwined,” he said.
Through his research, Wirmon analyzed the perceptions and attitudes of Muslim board members and activists toward Islamic banking in DIY. He also identified the forms of ambivalence that emerged, the factors shaping those attitudes, and the role religious organizational backgrounds play in shaping perspectives on Islamic banking.
Wirmon's research used a qualitative method with an economic sociology approach. Data were gathered through observation, documentation, and in-depth interviews with board members and activists from eight Islamic organizations and groups.
These eight organizations and groups were Muhammadiyah, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Persatuan Islam (Persis), Ahmadiyah Lahore or the Indonesian Ahmadiyya Movement (GAI), Ahmadiyah Qadian or the Indonesian Ahmadiyya Community (JAI), the Islamic Propagation Institute of Indonesia (LDII), the Qur'an Interpretation Council (MTA), and the Salafi movement.
The findings were analyzed interpretively using theories of Islamic economic behavior, ambivalence, cognitive balance, social identity, and social practice.
“The findings show that Muslim board members and activists do not hold a single, uniform perception of Islamic banking. Some informants view bank interest as riba that must be avoided. On that basis, they choose Islamic banks because they are seen as more consistent with Islamic teachings,” he explained.
Other informants, based on his research, did not stop at the question of bank interest. They also questioned the extent to which Islamic banking practices genuinely deliver justice, benefit (maslahah), and the broader goals of the Islamic economy. Still another group weighed the practical benefits, service quality, and social impact of banking more heavily than the normative debate over bank interest.
Although nearly all informants accepted the existence of Islamic banking, Wirmon noted that this acceptance still came with critical reservations. Criticism was directed, among other things, at financing contracts, banking products, institutional governance, and the effectiveness of oversight carried out by the Sharia Supervisory Board (DPS) and the National Sharia Board of the Indonesian Council of Ulama (DSN-MUI).
Wirmon found that ambivalence is an important characteristic of how some Muslim board members and activists view Islamic banking. Support for Islamic banking can coexist with doubts about its practices.
Ambivalence, he said, also arises when the conviction to avoid riba comes into conflict with economic necessity, which in certain circumstances leads people to continue using conventional banking services.
According to the candidate, this does not necessarily indicate inconsistency. Rather, ambivalence reflects an ongoing process of negotiation between religious conviction, social experience, organizational authority, and the demands of modern economic life.
The research concluded that the relationship between Muslim board members and activists and Islamic banking is dynamic and multilayered. Support, criticism, expectation, and practical adjustment can all exist simultaneously in shaping their attitudes.
Wirmon defended his dissertation before an examination panel chaired by Prof. Dr. H. Khoiruddin, M.A., who also served as an examiner, with Dr. Phil. Munirul Ikhwan, Lc., M.A., serving as panel secretary. The examination panel included both dissertation supervisors along with several UIN Sunan Kalijaga academics: Dr. Abdul Mughits, S.Ag., M.Ag., Prof. Dr. Aziz Muslim, M.Pd., and Dr. Nina Mariani Noor, S.S., M.A. The panel also included an external examiner from Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII): Priyonggo Suseno, S.E., M.Sc., Ph.D., a lecturer at UII's Faculty of Business and Economics.
These findings offer a fresh perspective on the relationship between religion, religious organizations, and Islamic economic practice in Indonesia. The research also underscores the importance of strengthening literacy, transparency, service quality, and governance to build greater public trust in Islamic banking. (humassk)