INTRODUCTION

Lately, scholars have noted the rise of “market Islam”, which refers to the middle class in many Muslim countries who associate consumption and wealth with Islamic piety (Haenni 2009; Rudnyckyj 2009; Jones 2007, 2010). Muslims have become passionate consumers and producers of “Islamized” products in the last two decades (Roy 2004; Njoto-Feillard 2004, 2012; Adas 2006; Fealy 2008; Nasr 2009; Haenni 2009; Rudnyckyj 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2014b; Hoesterey 2012, 2016). Advocates of market Islam typically have “more open attitudes toward Western management theory, popular psychology, and self-help industries” (Hefner 2012, p. 93). They consider Western management theories promoting self-sufficiency, discipline and entrepreneurship as in line with Islamic morals and ethics. Their encounter with Western management theories was significantly mediated by the massive development of self-help and popular management theory publications in Western countries. These books were then translated into various languages including Arabic and Indonesian (Thrift 1997, 2005; McGee 2005). Some popular Western management publications that were circulated in Muslim countries— including Indonesia—are Stephen R. Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Dale Carnegie's Guide to Enjoying Your Life and Work and Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad, Poor Dad (Rudnyckyj 2010, 2014a; Hefner 2012; Kenney 2015).

The popularity of self-help and Western management theories cannot be separated from the role of Muslim televangelist-cum-management trainers who have wedded Western management theories with Islamic teachings. In Egypt, these popular Muslim televangelist-cum-management trainers include Amr Khaled, Khaled al-Gendy and Muhammad Abdel Gawad, and they have promoted the entrepreneur subject and self-sufficiency (Atia 2013; Jung, Juul Petersen and Lei Sparre 2014; Zaied 2008). In Saudi Arabia, there is a young trendy preacher, Ahmad Al-Shugairi, the host of a television show called Yalla Shabab (Hello Youth). The show encourages young people to become open-minded and tolerant (Nasr 2009, p. 182; Wright 2011, pp. 176–84). To be sure, one should not discount the influence of Western neo-Pentecostal Charismatic televangelism and self-help gurus have on Muslim preachers (Einstein 2008; Njoto-Feillard 2004, 2012; Thomas and Lee 2012; Rudnyckyj 2010, 2014b; Hoesterey 2012, 2016).