The paradox of religious language ideology: bridging the gap between parental attitudes and practices in Indonesian FLP

While Family Language Policy (FLP) highlights the link between ideology and practice, religious contexts often present a paradox of high value but low usage. Using Curdt-Christiansen’s Family Language Policy framework, this sequential explanatory mixed-methods research surveyed 100 parents and interviewed four mothers and four children in East Java, Indonesia. Findings showed that both urban and rural parents strongly supported Arabic learning for their children. However, Arabic use at home was mostly limited to religious rituals, with little application in daily communication. The study highlights a significant gap between parents’ ideological support for Arabic and the absence of structured language planning or active home-based reinforcement. This study enhances the understanding of how Arabic language is preserved in non-Arabic environments and provides practical insights for educators, policymakers, and families. It emphasizes the need for families to move toward more explicit and structured language policies at home, for parents to improve personal proficiency and model Arabic use, and for schools to strengthen home–school collaboration.