Article published in:
Language and Islam in the Asian Pacific
Edited by Ali H. Al-Hoorie
[Journal of Asian Pacific Communication 32:2] 2022
► pp. 214–235

Islam, language and intra-Asian student mobility

A case study of three Indonesian male students in Saudi Arabia

| Royal Commission for Yanbu Colleges and Institutes Royal Commission for Yanbu Colleges and Institutes

In this study I examine the interplay of Islam, Arabic and intra-Asian student mobility. Specifically, through semi-structured interviews with three Indonesian male students who are pursuing their Arabic medium of instruction (AMI) degrees in Islamic Sharia at the Islamic University of Madinah in Saudi Arabia, I investigate two central questions: (1) What are the driving forces behind Indonesian Muslim students’ mobility to Saudi Arabia for pursuing their degrees in AMI? (2) How do Indonesian Muslim students perceive Arabic in general and AMI programs in particular? The findings reveal that the participants’ desire to move and pursue their AMI degrees in Saudi Arabia were charged with different expectations, objectives and agendas. At the heart of these differences lies what I term as the sacralization of language phenomenon among the participants. This very phenomenon refers to the ways in which Arabic (including its practice) is construed by the participants as beneficial in this world and the Hereafter; as a linguistic vehicle for sustaining Islamic identity; and as a tool through which they show their true engagement with and commitment to Islam and Islamic life. I conclude the paper with a call for serious scholarly engagement with the sacralization of language phenomenon in the emerging scholarship of intra-Asian student mobility within the Asian region.

Keywords: intra-Asia, student, mobility, Arabic, medium of instruction, Islam
Article outline
  • Foregrounding the charge
  • Conceptual framework: Islam, Arabic, and transnationalism
  • Intra-Asian student mobility, Islam, and Arabic in Asia Pacific
  • Research site, methodological overview, and focal participants
  • The focal participants
  • Research methodology
  • Results and discussion
    • Religion, Arabic, and scholarship as driving forces for education mobility
      • Noor: Studying in Saudi Arabia is a validation of my Arabic and understanding of Islamic sciences
      • Mohammed: From religious to monetary gains
      • Ali: Studying in the land of Islam is the dream of all Indonesians
      • Unpacking the desires for AMI among three transnational Indonesian students in Saudi Arabia
      • Noor: علم ولدك القران والقران سيعلمه كل شئ
      • Mohammed: Arabic is a sacred language and it has a spiritual value in Aceh community
      • Ali: Through Arabic we can sustain our identity as Muslims
      • Putting it all together: Sacralization of Arabic among Indonesian students in Saudi Arabia
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 15 February 2022
https://doi.org/10.1075/japc.00074.bar
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