Gendered Moralities and Cinematic Representations of Indonesian Muslims and their Arab Others

Abstract

ABSTRACT In Indonesia, the trope of the Arab Muslim has long served as a counterpoint to the Indonesian Muslim, who is imagined as more tolerant and peaceful. The enduring force of this trope is evident in the important role it continues to play in 21st-century Indonesian cinema. This article discusses two films in which the contrast between Arab and Indonesian Muslims plays a prominent role: Ayat-ayat Cinta (Verses of Love) and the Ketika Cinta Bertasbih (When Love Glorifies God) duology. It considers the films’ place in an Indonesian Muslim middle-class cultural politics that has evolved post 9/11. By depicting Indonesian Islam as more tolerant of, yet also distinct from, Western gender norms, the films work to distance Indonesian Muslims from the stereotypes of violence and misogyny amplified by 9/11 and reassure middle-class Muslims in Indonesia that their interpretations of the faith are somehow superior.