Imaging Muslim women in Indonesian Ramadan soap operas

Each year during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Indonesian television stations adopt Muslim themes in virtually all of their programmes, ranging from religious teaching to quiz programs to cooking shows to soap operas. The latter are Muslim-themed serials featuring melodramatic stories about upper- and middle-class women with an emphasis on prayer and devoutness. This study investigates how these serials have contributed to constructing images of contemporary Islamic culture and urban Muslim women in Indonesia. Using textual analysis and audience ethnography, the author shows how women and Islam have been "framed" by the media in transitional Indonesia. Rachmah Ida is a lecturer in communications at Airlangga University in Surabaya, Indonesia.