COMMUNICATING ISLAMIC VALUES THROUGH MALAY ETHNOPARENTING PRACTICES ON BENGKALIS ISLAND

Abstract

This study examines how Islamic values are communicated through Malay ethnoparenting practices on Bengkalis Island, Riau Province, Indonesia. Malay ethnoparenting is understood as a culturally embedded form of child-rearing shaped by Islam, adat, oral tradition, family relationships, and local wisdom. Using a qualitative interpretive approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with twelve purposively selected informants, including parents, elders, Qur’anic teachers, religious figures, customary figures, cultural figures, and community figures. The data were analyzed thematically to identify recurring patterns in parenting practices, religious and moral meanings, and forms of communication. Four interconnected forms of communication were identified: oral-affective, relational, symbolic, and communal. Oral-affective communication involved mendodoi, doa, selawat, advice, petuah, and storytelling; relational communication was expressed through affectionate forms of address, kinship terms, respect for elders, and intergenerational involvement; symbolic communication operated through pantang larang, customary prohibitions, and indirect reminders; while communal communication was reflected in Maghrib Mengaji, Qur’anic learning, shared religious routines, and the involvement of extended family and community actors. The study conceptualizes these patterns as family-based Islamic value communication and contributes to discussions on cultural parenting, Malay local wisdom, and Muslim family communication by illustrating how religious and moral meanings are expressed through ordinary, repeated, and culturally meaningful parenting practices.