ISLAMIYYAT 33 (2011): 67 - 76 Film as a Medium of Communication for Da c wah: Analysis of Religious Elements in Selected Malay Films Filem sebagai Saluran Komunikasi Da c wah: Analisis Unsur Keagamaan dalam Filem Melayu yang Dipilih Rosmawati mohamad Rasit mohd salleh hassan mohd nizam osman muhamad sham shahkat ali ABSTRACT The use of ilm for conveying the message of da c wah is seen as a new approach that has to be taken as an opportunity. This research uses a qualitative content analysis in dealing with religious elements in Malay feature ilms within the genre of (religious) drama. FINAS (2010) recorded that 26 ilms had been produced throughout the year 2009. Out of the 26 ilms, two were selected for the research by purposive sampling – categorized as ilms with religious elements – namely Syurga Cinta (2009) and Muallaf (2009) – Paradise of Love (2009) and Muslim Convert (2009). The research uses two important principles in ilm analysis, which are the story and plot, and the characters and character traits. The main objective of the research is to identify religious elements adopted in Malay ilms belonging to the religious genre in line with the concept of Islamic da’wah or the opposite. Keywords: Qualitative content analysis, Malay ilms, religious elements, Islamic da’wah ABSTRAK Penggunaan ilem untuk tujuan menyampaikan mesej dakwah dilihat sebagai pendekatan baharu yang perlu diambil peluang. Kajian ini menggunakan analisis isi kandungan kualitatif dalam membincangkan unsur keagamaan dalam ilem cereka bergenre drama (keagamaan). FINAS (2010) mencatatkan sebanyak 26 buah ilem telah dihasilkan sepanjang tahun 2009. Daripada 26 buah ilem tersebut, dua buah ilem telah dipilih secara persampelan bertujuan yang mencapai kategori ilem yang mengandungi unsur keagamaan iaitu Syurga Cinta (2009) dan juga Muallaf (2009). Kajian menggunakan dua prinsip penting dalam penganalisaan ilem iaitu cerita dan plot serta watak dan perwatakan. Objektif utama kajian ialah untuk mengenal pasti unsur keagamaan yang diangkat di dalam ilem Melayu bergenre keagamaan selari dengan konsep Dakwah Islamiah yang sebenar atau sebaliknya. Kata Kunci: Analisis kandungan kualitatif, ilem Melayu, unsur keagamaan, dakwah Islamiah INTRODUCTION Research in the field of media and communication from the perspective of Islam and da c wah has been explored by a number of Muslim scholars (Mohd Yusof 1985: 1-14; Zulkiple 2003: 1-23; Zulkiple 2009: 53-62; Olayiwola 1993: 91-104; Hamid Mowlana 1989 (in Khiabany 2003: 415-422). Shahril Anuar (2006: 127) has clearly explained that the concept of da c wah has to be streamlined with a mass media approach in ensuring that the effort of da c wah will become a more effective process. Postmodern da c wah preachers have to take every available opportunity to bring forward the light of Islam to the public. The field of da c wah and that of communication basically share the same process in the sense that they both require receivers as targets. What differentiates between them is that da c wah is made for the purpose of amar ma c ruf and nahi munkar – enjoining right conduct and forbidding indecency. It is a concept to differentiate the approach of da c wah from the process of communication. Through the model of communication introduced by Laswell (1948: 37-51), it can be clearly utilized as the process of the da c wah approach through the medium of film as proposed by the research. The Laswell Model (1948: 37-51) portrays the importance of every element such as the family factor and level of education as the factor that determines the effects from the occuring communication process. Bab 8.indd 67 12/19/2011 2:15:34 PM