Often called the muslim archipelago, southeast asia is home to more than 240 million muslims about 42 percent of southeast asians, and about 25 percent of the worlds 1. This essay looks at the spread of islam into southeast asia and how religious belief and expression fit with extant and modern polictical and economic infrastructures. Southeast asia could be a haven for displaced islamic. Southeast asia and have significant implications internationally and for greater understanding of southeast asian internal interactions. Islamization in southeast asia cseas journal, southeast. Reflections and reconsiderations with special reference to the role of sufism anthony h. Pdf well over half of the worlds muslim population lives in asia. Research and create a presentation describing the variations of female pilgrims hajj attire and their roots in diverse local traditions of muslim societies.
A terrorist attack in the countrys restive south is believed to be the work of islamic statelinked. With the withdrawal of the british from their indian empire at this time, the political boundaries of south asia were redrawn. Islam in southeast asia melbourne law school university of. Islam in the classical age since the 7th century, muslim traders from india, persia, and south arabia frequented the harbors of insular southeast asia. The series publishes academic and policy research on historical and contemporary muslim communities, both in the region and in the diaspora, and on all aspects of islam in southeast asia. The new challenges that face southeast asia bring with them varied responses from different actors and create another forum of debate for scholars and practioners. The muslim communities of southeast asia are diverse, complex and increasingly influential in the broader islamic world. Crossborder connections in terms of religious education and commerce have always existed in southeast asia and other islamic regions thus far. Islam in southeast asia countries search this guide search. The islamic state of pakistan later to break up into pakistan and bangladesh was created. The actual timing and introduction of the islamic religion and its practice to southeast asia is subject to debate. Over the centuries a rich constellation of muslim cultures developed there.
The book presents a dynamic contestation of religious orientations in the public sphere that can coexist or be in conflict with one another, and explore its ramifications on the social, political, and economic lives and lived realities. Islam is the second largest religion in south asia with about 600 million muslims, forming about one third of south asias population. He placed the country under martial laws, suppressed opposition. Metcalf sri lanka and the southern coasts for long centuries, india, in a memorable phrase, was on the way to everywhere abu lughod 1989. Southeast asiahome to approximately 240 million muslims, or about 42 percent of the southeast asian population and 25 percent of the estimated global muslim population of 1. A preliminary survey of the literature, journal of the royal asiatic society, 1977, 2, 177206. A lawyer by training, he joined the allindia muslim league in 19. The inclusivist muslim response created a remarkable muslim renaissance through the late 19th and early 20th century in south asia. Students are asked to turn in a research question and tentative bibliography for the paper during week 8. This book examines the ways in which muslim politics in southeast asia has greatly impacted. Despite this, scholars focusing on studies of muslim societies in south and southeast asia.
Here their papers and discussions are compiled into a. Asia society is the leading educational organization dedicated to promoting mutual understanding and strengthening partnerships among peoples, leaders and institutions of asia and the. Trade brought arabs to indias southern seacoasts and to the coasts of sri lanka, where small muslim communities were established at least by. Peter hardy, modern european and muslim explanations of conversion to islam in south asia.
Muslim cultures in south asia a considerable number of muslim migrants in europe, especially in great britain, comes from countries in south asia, notably from india, pakistan, and bangladesh. Southeast asia still has weak information security against cyber threats by paul baka with the huge increase in internet use, southeast asia is more prone to attacks from outside sources. The recent announcement by al qaeda that it intends to start operations in south asia, including myanmar, should also be a concern for the region. Through the 1970s to the early 1980s, ferdinand marcos ruled the philippines as a dictator wurfel 1988. Malayislamic nationalist narratives, mobilized by the malaysian. Islam began in asia in the 7th century during the lifetime of muhammad. Islamic state has professed its intent to expand into southeast asia, while the hundreds of southeast asian isil jihadis from indonesia, malaysia and cambodia will cause problems if they return.
The use of islam as a political ideology and the use of islam as a source of law and public policy within the context of these societies have had a particularly discriminatory and. Connections between islamic extremism and terrorist organizations in south asia. Islamic state fighters from southeast asia proposed a philippines caliphate in a video that was released in june. Johns in 1961 i published a paper on the islamization of peninsular and insular southeast asia johns 1961j. Islam and politics in southeast asia routledge malaysian. However, the extraordinary breadth of practices and views across the muslim world is not widely understood outside the region, often because of the difficulty of locating and putting in context the material produced by muslims themselves. Here their papers and discussions are compiled into a book, islam and civil society in southeast asia. South asia has the largest regional population of muslims in the world, with about onethird of all muslims being from south asia.
When narratives of global ummah or perhaps the regional ummah of nusantara malay world resonate with peoples. Muslim women in most contemporary muslim societies face many challenges and dilemmas especially with the rise of islamic conservatism or extremism globally. Alternative voices challenges many writings and observations that record muslim life in southeast asia as one that adopts a relatively moderate islam or a religious orientation that is accomodating to the sociocultural life of the people in southeast asia. South asia, central asia and southeast asia involved in the conicts in syria and iraq on the jihadists side could be as high as 1,000. Richard eaton, sufi folk literature and the expansion of indian. First, while islamist parties in indonesia and malaysia appear, prima facie, to be gaining popularity in terms of electoral.
May 22, 2006 the muslim communities of southeast asia are diverse, complex and increasingly influential in the broader islamic world. Topics will be determined in close consultation with the instructor. Once again, muslims in the region responded to the new realities in two characteristic ways. Christianity, judaism, islam and the core beliefs and practices of these religions. Islam and muslims in southeast asia, a bibliography. Most parts of indonesia including most of java, sumatra, kalimantan, west nusa tenggara, north maluku and sulawesi java and sumatra alone have the majority of indonesias population but not including west timor, west papua, papua, east nusa tenggara and maluku. Although archeological remnants, such as tombs, exist from earlier periods, islam only becomes more obviously prevalent in southeast asia after the th century, when it becomes an integral factor in the emergence of new kingdoms or sultanates founded along the. A historical overview of islam in south asia barbara d. The arab spring and islamist activism in southeast asia. Islam in southeast asia today islam is the state religion in malaysia and brunei it is the majority religion of indonesia 90% before the 20th c. A small muslim presence in south asia was established on the southern coasts of india and sri lanka in the early eighth century. Islam and politics in southeast asia routledge malaysian studies series johan saravanamuttu on.
South and southeast asia also have existing insurgencies and militant networks that isis may be hoping to tap into. Islamist groups in the region are diverse and the threat of terrorism is not confined to isis. Other scholars claim that muslim chinese who were engaged in trade introduced it. Asia society is the leading educational organization dedicated to promoting mutual understanding and strengthening partnerships among peoples, leaders and institutions of asia and the united states in a global context. Jun 11, 2017 the philippines has been a recent flashpoint, but violent episodes have taken place elsewhere, too. European historians have argued that it came through trading contacts with india whereas some southeast asian muslim scholars claim it was brought to the region directly from arabia in the middle east. The time frame for conversion to islam in southeast asia is also uncertain.
This volume brings together the work of an interdisciplinary group of scholars discussing various aspects of the complex relationships between the muslim communities of south and southeast asia. As a starting point, use this account by the indonesian author a. The growing reach of isisis has been driven in part by social 1 1 the literature on isis and is is vast and still mainly journalistic. Most parts of indonesia including most of java, sumatra, kalimantan, west nusa tenggara, north maluku and sulawesi java and sumatra alone have the majority of indonesias population but not including west timor, west papua, papua, east nusa tenggara and maluku province. The majority buddhist and hindu societies of southeast asia are not traditionally associated with conflict and intolerance.
Islam in southeast asia in the context of the arab spring. The philippines has been a recent flashpoint, but violent episodes have taken place elsewhere, too. One important period of muslim history in south asia thus ended. Islam and civil society in southeast asia bookshop.
Islam is the most widely practised religion in southeast asia, numbering approximately 242 million adherents which translate to about 42% of the entire population, with majorities in brunei, indonesia and malaysia as well pattani in thailand and parts of mindanao in the philippines respectively. Hinduism, islam, and buddhism, and their core beliefs and practices, continued to shape societies in south and southeast asia. Significant minorities are located in the other southeast asian states. Islam is the dominant religion in half of all south asian countries which are afghanistan, bangladesh, maldives and pakistan. A muslim archipelago islam and politics in southeast. Armed secessionist struggles by muslim minorities, however, have continued in the southern parts of their territories.
Francis robinson otherworldly and thisworldly islam and the islamic revival, in journal of the royal asiatic society. Asia is home of 65 percent of the worlds muslims, and indonesia, in southeast, is the worlds most populous muslim country. Southeast asia manifests some of the most interesting, nonviolent as well as conflictual elements of islamic social and political life in the world. Islamic culture and societymystical and local beliefs and practices. It concentrates on theoretical, methodological, empirical, religious, spiritual, and critical studies of islam, including mundane praxes and lived islam.
Militant groups like jemaah islamiah, a southeast asian branch of alqaeda, have been launching terrorist attacks in indonesia for more than 15 years, including the bali bombing in 2002 and multiple attacks on the j. Most southeast asian muslims are sunni, and follow the shafii school of muslim jurisprudence. By 1947, muslims in south asia numbered an estimated 100 million people, roughly 24% of the peoples of the region. Without discounting the significance of such transnational connections in politicising islam in southeast asia in a direction away from moderation, this paper, citing examples mostly from malaysia. This volume of princeton readings in religions brings together the work of more than thirty scholars of islam and muslim societies in south asia to create a rich anthology of primary texts that contributes to a new appreciation of the lived religious and cultural experiences of the worlds largest population of muslims. Aug 18, 2016 islamic state fighters from southeast asia proposed a philippines caliphate in a video that was released in june. At that time it had seemed that there was a simple explanation to. Despite this, the internal dynamics of muslim societies in asia do not often receive commensurate attention in international islamic studies scholarship. Muslim women and the challenge of islamic fundamentalism. Navis, from his letters and memories from the hajj surat dan kenangan haji. The entire special section about islam in asia in this issue would be useful for educators, and the thrice yearly publication itself is an invaluable resource for teaching and learning about asia. Islam in southeast asia institute for south asia studies. Well over half of the worlds muslim population lives in asia.
Islamist groups in the region are diverse and the threat of. Moreover, one of the worlds largest concentration of muslim population is situated in this region. As leader of the league from the 1920s on, he negotiated with the british and the indian national congress for muslim participation in indian politics. A commercial middle eastern presence on south asia s western coasts predated the emergence of islam. In november 1999, the sasakawa peace foundation invited ten muslim activists and scholars from the region to japan for exchanging views and experiences among themselves and with japanese participants. Over the centuries a rich constellation of muslim cultures developed there and the region is currently home to some of the most dynamic and important developments in contemporary. Teaching islam in southeast asia, in education about asia, vol. With a population of 228 million, of whom 88% identify themselves as muslims, indonesia has the worlds largest muslim population but remains a secular state. Jul 28, 2012 southeast asia still has weak information security against cyber threats by paul baka with the huge increase in internet use, southeast asia is more prone to attacks from outside sources. Chronologically, it is the philippines where nationalism first reemerged in southeast asia. The inclusivist muslim response created a remarkable muslim renaissance through the late 19th and early 20th century in. The quality and quantity of crossborder connections have gradually changed. Yet recent years have seen a surge in international reports of religious tensions and violence by buddhist and hindu majorities towards muslim minorities in the region.