MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, JAKARTA – Islamic mass organizations in Indonesia face mounting pressure to adapt as artificial intelligence and digital technologies rapidly reshape social life, a senior Muhammadiyah leader said on Friday (23/01), warning that religious movements risk being left behind without transformation.
Speaking at a public religious gathering hosted by the Muhammadiyah Central Executive in Jakarta, Dadang Kahmad, a chairman of the organization, said the pace of change today far exceeds that of earlier eras. In the conventional and mechanical ages, he noted, major shifts unfolded over a century. In the age of artificial intelligence, they can occur within a year or even faster.
“The acceleration of technology has fundamentally altered the landscape of human life,” Dadang said. “If religious organizations fail to respond, they will lose relevance.”
Revisiting Ahmad Dahlan’s Message
Dadang said such challenges had already been anticipated by Ahmad Dahlan, the founder of Muhammadiyah, who famously urged followers to remain flexible in changing times while staying rooted in core values.
“Muhammadiyah today is not the same as Muhammadiyah tomorrow,” Dadang said, paraphrasing Dahlan’s message. “Become anything you must–but always return to Muhammadiyah.”
He added that without transformation aligned with the times, even long-established organizations would struggle to retain followers.
A Shared Challenge for Religious Groups
The challenge, he said, extends beyond Muhammadiyah to other major Islamic organizations, including Nahdlatul Ulama and Persis. In Bekasi, he noted, surveys show that nearly 70 percent of junior and senior high school students do not recognize these organizations.
This does not mean young people are indifferent to religion, Dadang said. Rather, their patterns of information consumption have shifted. Many encounter religious figures primarily through social media, where popular preachers dominate attention.
Knowledge, Not Resistance
Drawing on his background as a professor of sociology of religion, Dadang urged Islamic organizations to respond through knowledge rather than resistance. Ahmad Dahlan, he said, foresaw the rise of an era defined by science and learning.
“If religion cannot keep pace with the development of knowledge, people will abandon it,” he said.
He pointed to western societies, where people see religion as outdated. Dadang warned that similar trends are emerging in Indonesia. Recent research by doctoral students at UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung found that many adolescents rank religion only sixth among their personal priorities.
Translator: Bintang Adrian
