SOME years later, many artists homeland declared hijrah. Latest there are famous names such as Arie Untung, Fenita Arie, Muhammad Hamzah (Bjah The Fly), and Love Penelope. Their self-proclaimed self has changed towards a better alias hijrah.

According to Irna Pearl in Hijrah Story: Always Fashionable, the term hijrah comes from Arabic, which means to split, move from one country to another.

Citing an expert on the hadith and biographer of the Prophet, Munawar Khalif, Irna defines hijrah in three senses. One of them, moved from the habit of doing bad deeds to the habit of doing good deeds.

The definition of hijrah also can be attached to a number of artist homeland. Male artists usually appear with a beard that is allowed to grow thick and long. Their pants were cingkrang, with a blackish forehead. While women wearing a long headscarf, some even cover her face with a veil.

In addition to appearances, they even have to release some work in the entertainment world, in order to establish his intention to emigrate.

Islamization

Ary Budiyanto, anthropologist and researcher of the Center for Culture and Frontiers Studies (CCFS) Universitas Brawijaya, said the phenomenon of emerging artists emerge in the 1990s.

"One of the most I remember yes is Astri Ivo. Then there is the artist generation Inneke Koesherawati, "Ary told Historia. They appear with a new appearance, hijab. However, at that time, has not affirmed the term hijrah.

According to Ariel Heryanto in the Identity of Pleasure, in the 1990s Islamization in Indonesia strengthened. This happened when the Soeharto regime began to give wind to Islamic groups from various ideological orientations to enter the government. This differs considerably from Soeharto's political strategy towards Islam in previous years.

On the other hand, Ariel writes, the rapid growth of the Muslim clothing industry was conspicuous in the late 1990s. The wearing of the veil gained political value and novelty as an expression of rebellion at the height of the New Order government.

"Then wearing the veil transformed into a fashion trend dressed since the 1990s, then became a form of political appropriation since the turn of the century," wrote Ariel.

Community closeness to religion, there is also a correlation with the state of the economy. The August 10, 1991 edition of Panji Masyarakat (People's Panji Society) wrote that, as public income improved, awareness of the need for religion also grew. Some of the rich have begun to realize the importance of religion.

This also touches the lives of artists in the 1990s, including the upper middle class. They, one of them, embody the religious consciousness by incorporating their children into Islamic schools.

"The artists also handed their sons and daughters to school in Al-Azhar, among them children Eros Djarot, Leni Marlina, and others," wrote Panji Masyarakat.

Popular Culture

According to Ary Budiyanto, infotainment programs and special programs Ramadan on the screen for three years later popularized the term hijrah the artist. The term hijra is also popularized by present day Islamic movements such as Prosperous Justice Party, Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), Jamaah Tabligh, and so on.

Popular culture such as movies, Ary said, also affect the hijra of artists. One of them and quite influential is the movie Ayat-ayat Cinta (2008).

Ariel writes, the film Ayat-ayat Cinta is considered public as a turning point in the presence of popular Islamic culture in the film. The film is based on the best-selling novel entitled the work of Habiburrahman El Shirazy is able to suck three million viewers during the first few weeks of his screenings in theaters.

The story in this movie takes place in Egypt, with background music and scenes throughout the film showing Middle Eastern and Islamic characters.

"The verses of Love are the top of his pop style hijrah artist generation 2000s. Before Ayat-ayat Cinta, the Islamic soap opera a la Hidayah Ilahi in the mid-1990s also plays a role in herding the term hijrah artist, "said Ary.

Furthermore, Ary saw, the news about artists who migrated to the facts of Muslims is a broad business market. The expanded sensation will make the rating stronger. "It's important for the media business," he said.

Ary said, euphoric crowds may emigrate for reasons of personal faith. However, since Islam as a majority people in Indonesia is read by the media as a potential market, the media is increasingly targeting and cultivating potential land in maximum level.

"It is apparent that the 'Islamic' business of most women's products departs from the Muslim community, in this case the artist who hijrah itself," Ary said. "This process is called capitalization or commodification of religion."

So important is the issue of artist hijrah in this country, so it becomes a news commodity. Not only those who claim to have emigrated; artist who escaped the hijab, converted, and returned to the world of entertainment after stating that the hijrah became massive media consumption.