The Internalization of Religious Values in Prostitution Area

Abstract

The internalization of religious values within a prostitution area continues to grow despite remaining consistently misunderstood by the public in Yogyakarta. This study offers an alternative perspective to minimize the stigma that tends to generate horizontal conflict. Employing a qualitative method and phenomenological approach, this study reveals two key insights. First, Gus Miftah internalizes religious values among sex workers through three instructional concepts: the dichotomy between human actions and human dignity, spiritual evolution, and the commodification of religion. Second, the implications of this internalization process are manifested in the religious practices of the sex workers through alterations in sexual service activities during Ramadan, participation in tarāwih prayers and the recitation of the Quran (tadārus), and charitable acts (ṣadaqah) to assist fellow workers. The central analysis of these findings indicates that sexuality needs to become a new consciousness to reconstruct the concept of civil religion for sex workers, thereby fostering equal rights, identity, and participation free from the threat of moral majoritarianism. This study contributes to proposing the concept of a jurisprudence of prostitution (fiqh of prostitution) grounded in the paradigm of the sex worker’s citizenship.