<![CDATA[Background: The internationalisation of higher education has increased the need for Islamic Studies students to communicate disciplinary knowledge across multilingual academic contexts. However, English courses in many Islamic higher education institutions are still positioned as general language subjects and may not sufficiently address students’ academic literacy and disciplinary communication needs. Purpose: This article proposes an English for Islamic Studies (EIS) curriculum framework that fits English learning with the academic, disciplinary, and scholarly communication needs of Islamic Studies students in higher education. Method: This article employs a design-oriented conceptual synthesis that integrates perspectives from English for Specific Purposes (ESP), English for Academic Purposes (EAP), Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), and English Medium Instruction (EMI). The literature synthesis was conducted by considering conceptual relevance, disciplinary alignment, theoretical contribution, and implementation value for English curriculum development in Islamic higher education contexts. Results and Discussion: The conceptual synthesis proposes an EIS curriculum framework consisting of six interconnected components: needs analysis, Islamic disciplinary content mapping, genre-based academic literacy instruction, contextualised materials development, lecturer collaboration, and authentic assessment. The framework positions EIS as a discipline-sensitive academic literacy curriculum rather than a supplementary general English course. The integration of ESP, EAP, CLIL, and EMI perspectives demonstrates that English learning can support students’ ability to engage with international literature, explain Islamic concepts in English, produce academic texts, and participate in global scholarly communication while maintaining the roles of Arabic, Indonesian, and local intellectual traditions. Conclusions and Implications: The proposed EIS framework provides a conceptual foundation for Islamic higher education institutions to design English curricula that are more relevant to students’ academic and professional needs. It supports the internationalisation of Islamic higher education without replacing Arabic, Indonesian, or local scholarly traditions. As a conceptual model, the framework requires further empirical testing through classroom implementation, evaluation of materials, studies of lecturer collaboration, and assessment of students’ academic literacy development.]]>
