TRANSNATIONAL ISLAMIC MOVEMENTS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA: VERNACULAR ISLAMIC COSMOPOLITANISM AS A DISTINCTIVE FEATURE

Abstract

This article examines how transnational Islamic movements contribute to the formation of cosmopolitan Muslim communities in Southeast Asia through religious mobility, intellectual exchange, and socio-cultural adaptation. Employing a qualitative descriptive-analytical approach, the study analyzes three influential Islamic currents in the region: Traditional Islam represented by pesantren and Sufi networks, Jamaah Tabligh as a transnational missionary movement, and Islamic Reformist movements emphasizing religious purification and educational modernization. Data were gathered from academic literature, institutional documents, historical sources, and socio-religious studies concerning Indonesia, Malaysia, and Southern Thailand. The findings indicate that Islamic cosmopolitanism in Southeast Asia emerges not through the erosion of local identities but through the continuous negotiation between global Islamic influences and local cultural traditions. Traditional Islam promotes cosmopolitanism through cultural accommodation and inclusive religious authority, Jamaah Tabligh through transnational missionary brotherhood, and Islamic Reformist movements through educational advancement and global intellectual engagement. This study proposes the concept of Vernacular Islamic Cosmopolitanism, a distinctive Southeast Asian model that integrates global Islamic solidarity with local cultural ethics, moderate religious authority, and flexible communal identities, highlighting the region’s unique contribution to contemporary global Muslim civilization.