The Piety and Aspirations of Education Muslim Middle Class in Yogyakarta

Abstract

Elite Islamic schools have recently become the alternative of the urban Muslim middle class. Its presence has raised alternative educational options in addition to madrassa and pesantren. As a student city and a fertile ground for investment, Yogyakarta is an excellent place for private schools to establish to accommodate the middle ups’, including Muslim families, needs. Using a qualitative approach, the study obtains data from both literature and field work and was held in Yogyakarta from March 2017 to December 2018. This research shows that the idea of elite Islamic schools in Yogyakarta was backgrounded by the eagerness to provide qualified Islamic education without neglecting the government’s policy on it. Characterized as a non-partisan Islamic school in Yogyakarta, Al-Azhar is a modern Islamic school that vocalizes moderate Islamic belief with no specific ideological affiliation. Budi Mulia Dua presents Islamic education emphasizing egalitarianism, inclusivity, and introduces Islamic values substantively without ignoring person-to-person relationships.