The Consumption of Mecca: Umrah Pilgrimage among Indonesians
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.220324/6p8fdn18Keywords:
Comsumption, Indonesia, Mecca, Madinah, Umrah, Hajj, PilgrimageAbstract
This article analyzes the surge in the consumption of the Umrah pilgrimage among Indonesian Muslims, the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, from a Social Anthropology perspective. The rise in pilgrims, reaching 1.57 million visits in 2024, is driven by the growing middle class, global mobility, and purchasing power, rather than solely due to the limited Hajj quota. This qualitative research employs the frameworks of ritual economy, commodification of religion, and the concept of Muslimpreneurship to examine how the ritual is merged with market logic and lifestyle. Findings indicate that Umrah functions as a consumed commodity and a marker of social status, supported by premium travel packages and branding. This rapid consumerism triggers the risk of massive financial fraud (up to IDR 2 trillion), questioning the authenticity of the ritual. The article contributes to anthropological debates on the globalization of ritual, highlighting the nexus between devotion, desire, and the market reshaping contemporary Islam in Indonesia.
Downloads
References
Antaranews. (2019, January 24). Kemeneg Lebak imbau masyarakat waspadai penipuan Umroh. Antaranews Banten. https://banten.antaranews.com/berita/33618/kemeneg-lebak-imbau-masyarakat-waspadai-penipuan-umroh
Baiquni, A. (2018, February 26). Haji dan Umroh jadi gaya hidup Muslim kekinian. Dream.Co.Id. https://www.dream.co.id/dinar/haji-dan-umrah-jadi-bagian-gaya-hidup-masyarakat-kini-1802265.html
Brown, N., McIlwraith, T., & Tubelle de González, L. (2020). Perspectives: An Open Introduction to Cultural Anthropology. American Anthropological Association.
CNN Indonesia. (2018, September 24). PHRI: Tourism industry becomes the Indonesian idol sector. CNN Indonesia. https://www.cnnindonesia.com/gaya-hidup/20180924155205-269-332743/phri-industri-pisata-so-sector-idol-indonesia
Darmadi, D. (2014). Hak Angket Haji: Pilgrimage and the cultural politics of Hajj organization in contemporary Indonesia. Studia Islamika, 20(3), 443.
Detik.com. (2015). Membuat Umrah lebih bermakna, tak sekadar wisata. Detik.Com. https://news.detik.com/berita/d-3080506/membuat-umrah-lebih-bermakna-tak-sekadar-wisata
Gallarotti, G., & Al-Filali, I. Y. (2012). Saudi Arabia’s Soft Power. International Studies, 49, 233–261.
Hanifan, A. F. (2016, August 31). Komersialisasi Umrah, ketika ibadah bernilai bisnis. Tirto.Id. https://tirto.id/komersialisasi-umrah-ketika-ibadah-bernilai-bisnis-Dl
Hasan, H. (2015, October 9). Sistem pendukung keputusan pemilihan paket umroh (Studi Kasus: PT. Amanah Iman). Konferensi Nasional Sistem & Informatika 2015.
Ho, E. (2017). Inter-Asian concepts for mobile societies. Journal of Asian Studies, 76(4), 907–928.
Jahroni, Jajang., et. al. (2022). Pengusaha Kelas Menengah Muslim Kontemporer. Prenada Media.
Lücking, M. (2014). Making “Arab” one’s own: Muslim pilgrimage experiences in Central Java, Indonesia. Internationales Asien Forum: International Quarterly for Asian Studies, 45(1–2), 129–152.
Marranci, G. (2008). The Anthropology of Islam. Berg.
Masitah, D. (2015). Dinamika bisnis travel Umroh se-Kota Pasuruan di era globalisasi. Iqtishadia: Jurnal Ekonomi Dan Perbankan Syariah, 2(2).
Maula, F. (2018, March 29). Ibadah Umroh dan Industri Religiusitas. Geotimes. https://geotimes.co.id/opini/ibadah-umroh-dan-industri-religiusitas/
McAnany, P. A. (2008). Dimensions of Ritual Economy. Emerald Group Publishing.
Moh. Nurjaman. (2019, July 5). [Personal communication].
Moh. Reza. (2019, July 4). [Personal communication].
Neng Alit. (2019, July 3). [Personal communication].
Nirwesthi, F. (2015). Perlakuan akuntansi pembiayaan multijasa Umroh (Studi kasus pada Bank Jatim Syariah Cab. Darmo Surabaya). Jurnal Akuntansi AKUNESA, 3(3).
Pujianto, W. E., Yulianto, M. R., & Hidayatulloh, H. (2024). Commodification of religion: Between religion and manipulation (A literature review). IJECEP: Journal of Economic and Economic Policy, 1(2), 1–23.
Republika. (2018, March 14). Pariwisata Indonesia tumbuh paling cepat di dunia. Republika.Co.Id. https://www.republika.co.id/berita/nasional/umum/18/03/14/p5l1gb423-pariwisata-indonesia-tumbuh-paling-cepat-di-dunia
Thimm, V. (2023). Shopping with Allah: Muslim Pilgrimage, Gender and Consumption in a Globalised World. UCL Press.
Tirta, E. B. E. (2025, March 22). Warga RI habiskan Rp 43 juta sekali umroh, Arab cuan besar. CNBC Indonesia. https://www.cnbcindonesia.com/research/20250319121227-128-619920/warga-ri-habiskan-rp-43-juta-sekali-umroh-arab-cuan-besar
Additional Files
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Dadi Darmadi (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
