4 THE AURAD MUHAMMADIAH CONGREGATION: MODERN TRANSNATIONAL SUFISM IN SOUTHEAST ASIA Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid The rising profile of Southeast Asia as a prosperously developing and yet passionately Islamic region necessitates a study of the dynamic interaction between its domestic political imperatives and transnational variables. While transnational factors in themselves may be insufficient to explain the shifting contours of contemporary Islam in Southeast Asia, their presence has arguably been crucial in the continual flourishing and resilience of autonomous Islamism in the face of relentless pressure from the state. 1 Although Islamist movements have over the years become more focused on domestic issues and discourses, none has denied the utility and need to retain transnational dimensions. Notwithstanding the vast diversity of Muslim populations worldwide, as long as the concept of an ummah (global Muslim community) is given credence, the emergence of transnational political entities predicated on relations among the Muslim brethren if not among Islamists, cannot be underestimated. 2 Reproduced from Encountering Islam: The Politics of Religious Identities in Southeast Asia edited by Hui Yew-Foong (Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2013). This version was obtained electronically direct from the publisher on condition that copyright is not infringed. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior permission of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. Individual articles are available at < http://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg >