Paper short abstract:

This paper focuses on the current lives of young female Muslims in Indonesia and Singapore. In recent times, young Muslim women in both countries have been inclined to search for religious gatherings that assist them in constructing themselves to become what they consider ethical Muslim women.

Paper long abstract:

From 2012 onwards, a new trend has grown in the stage of Islamic da'wa (proselytisation) dedicated to young Muslim women in Southeast Asia. Numbers of Islamic events organised by young Muslims, using convention centres and social media, have been held to cater to the demand of female youth. This phenomenon is different to the more established forms of becoming religious, as studied by many scholars, and as has been experienced by older generations who are driven to be religious by their religious socio-cultural environment. Little, however, has been said regarding this new phenomenon of young Muslim women returning to Islam. Drawing from fieldwork in Indonesia and Singapore, this paper will focus on the aspects that have led young Muslims to self-fashion themselves by using their own youth subculture. It will also analyse to what extent the notion of being an ethical young Muslim has coloured the life of these female Muslims. The young female Muslims are not united by certain strict religious groups. They are individuals who maintain relative autonomy and are eager to self-fashion themselves as true ethical Muslims.