Transnational Migration and Religious Practice: Uyghur Students in Malaysia

Abstract

This article examines the impact of transnational migration on the religious (Islamic) practices of Uyghur students in Malaysia and analyzes the role of social environment and social networks as the determining forces of change in those practices. This will be done with a conceptual analysis of four interlinked concepts: (1) transnational migration, (2) social environment, (3) social network (4) and religious practice. Then, these concepts will be operationlized in the context of Uyghur students in Malaysian institutions of higher education. The study takes on the characteristics of both quantitative and qualitative modes of research with a survey administered to examine the changes in religious practices and in-depth interviews conducted to analyze the role of social environment and social networks in these changes. Our research findings show that positive changes in the religious practices of Uyghurs studying in Malaysia have taken place in varying degrees after their migration from Xinjiang to Malaysia and that the social environment of Malaysia and the social networks these students establish therein played determining roles in bringing about those changes. The results also show that the influence of social environment on changes in religious practices is greater than that of social networks.