"Not Everything Said Online Is True."
Islamic Influencers from the Perspective of Muslim Students and Their Relevance for Religious Learning Environments
In late modern societies, religious learning processes increasingly take place not only in traditional institutional settings such as schools, families, or mosques, but also within digital public spheres. Social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube have become important spaces where religious content is communicated and interpreted. In these environments, Islamic influencers have emerged as new actors of religious communication who address religious questions, provide moral guidance, and shape interpretations of Islam in formats accessible to young audiences.
This paper explores how Muslim students perceive these digital religious actors and how they evaluate their relevance for Islamic religious education in public schools. The analysis is based on an empirical study with 383 students participating in Islamic religious education classes in Austria. Using qualitative content analysis of open-ended responses, the study examines students' perceptions of Islamic influencers, their expectations regarding the credibility of online religious content, and their views on whether such actors should be discussed in the classroom.
The findings show that social media constitutes an important religious learning environment for many students, while also creating uncertainty regarding the reliability and authority of online religious content. The paper argues that religious education can play an important role as a space for critical reflection on digitally mediated religious authority and for fostering students' capacity for informed religious judgment.