ABSTRACT
The emergence of a Muslim middle-class has brought about a new kind of enthusiasm and energy for manifesting Islam as the guidance of their daily life, hence new demands for contextualized knowledge of Islam. One of the main markets for the production and consumption of such knowledge is public preaching. Apparently, the urban Muslim middle-class prefer the knowledge of Islam which matches their own intellectual and material interests; thus, a more contextualised interpretation of Islam has gained more popularity among them. Such a preference has given a significant rise in the demand for a new breed of university-based preachers as against those from traditional pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) (Dhofier 1999).3
