Piety, Prestige, and Moral Panic: Muslim Parents’ Preferences for Tahfidz Schools in Kediri Following the Conservative Turn

Abstract

This study examines Muslim parents’ preferences for tahfidz schools in Kediri following the conservative shift in Indonesia. The research aims to explain how the pursuit of piety, moral panic, and social prestige shape parental educational choices. Using a qualitative multi-sited design, the study was conducted in eight tahfidz-based schools and involved 35 informants consisting of parents, school leaders, and tahfidz teachers. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis, then analyzed through data reduction, categorization, comparison across sites, and triangulation. The findings show that parents choose tahfidz schools not merely to ensure that their children memorize the Qur’an, but because these institutions are perceived as capable of forming disciplined, pious, and morally controlled children. Tahfidz schools are also viewed as moral strongholds against perceived threats such as digital media, permissive social norms, drugs, and the erosion of parental authority. At the same time, parents seek a model of Islamic education that is religiously robust yet avoids radicalism or social exclusion. Furthermore, Qur’anic memorization serves as symbolic capital that enhances family prestige and as a practical asset for securing scholarships, access to higher education, and future employment opportunities. Theoretically, this study demonstrates that the rising popularity of tahfidz schools cannot be attributed solely to religious motivation or conservative ideology. Rather, tahfidz education constitutes a space where piety, moral panic, symbolic capital, and aspirations for social mobility converge. The findings thus expand discussions on the conservative turn in Indonesia by demonstrating that contemporary Muslim families navigate the tension between religious commitment, social anxiety, and class aspirations when selecting Islamic educational institutions. The study concludes that the growing preference for tahfidz schools reflects the interplay of religious aspirations, moral anxieties, social status, and the pursuit of social mobility within contemporary Muslim families.