A cursory glance at world news today may suggest that the faultline where buddhism and islam meet in asia is increasingly characterized by conflict between the two religions. 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. History of islam in east, central, south, and southeast asia contested borders in the caucasus link fixed 18 august 2005 is an online book edited by professor bruno coppieters and consisting of essays by various scholars dealing with the recent political history of the caucasus. Although its roots go back further, scholars typically date the creation of islam to. The relevance is do tue history of the introduction of islam in south east asia is one of the most important points to understand south east asian islam. Atlas provides the main outlines of islamic history from the immediate preislamic period until the end of 1920, that is, before most parts of the muslim world became sovereign nation states. Introduction the history of islam concerns the religion of islam and its adherents, muslims. In accounting for driving factors behind the repoliticisation of islam in southeast asia, the line dividing gl obal and local factor s is not always clear. History of southeast asia from prehistoric times to the contemporary period. Java today is home to 59 percent of indonesias population, which is projected to surpass a quarter of a. Topics will be determined in close consultation with the instructor.
Significant minorities are located in the other southeast asian states. Islamic teachings began to spread in southeast asia from around the thirteenth century. For example, the celebrated twovolume cambridge history of southeast asia,5 with the exception of essays by. Reflections and reconsiderations with special reference to the role of sufism anthony h. Finally, a fourth group of islamic studies is concerned with the political economy of southeast asia. Islam in southeast asia part six of a sixpart series on the rise and spread of islam the border islands southeast asia. Persian mariners were sailing to and through southeast asia even before the rise of islam, but persian sources for the early history of islam in the region are still under explored. Students are asked to turn in a research question and tentative bibliography for the paper during week 8. The cambridge history of southeast asia download ebook. Southeast asian islam was characterised by a peculiar prominence of adat, or customary law, and qanun, or statute law. The advent of islam, with some interventions of political regimes, had been an important cause for the decline of hindubuddhist traditions in some areas of southeast asia, especially indonesia, the coming of pentecostalism has challenged the wellestablished mainstream protestantism and catholicism, especially in indonesia and the philippines.
South east asia is taken in this history to include the countries of the asian mainland south of china, from burma in the west to vietnam in the east and the islands from sumatra in the west to the philippines and new guinea in the east. With both secular and islamic governments, southeast asia is often portrayed as a representative model of progressive islam, while also suffering longstanding muslim separatist conflicts. View islam in the southeast asia research papers on academia. Part i outlines islamic doctrine and traces the history and growth of islamic economic institutions in the region. This paper examines the various factors that contributed to the spread of islam in southeast asia. Research has several answers as to what caused the distinct syncretic its modern expression is cultural islam, as opposed to middle eastern and north african political islam islam in southeast asia, that allowed the continuation and inclusion of elements and ritual practices of hinduism, buddhism and ancient paneast asian animism. The authors of the chapters academics and researchers with proven prowess in their respective fields present articles that offer in depth explanations of t. Scholars still debate the means by which islam came to southeast asia, with little direct evidence available to support any particular theory. The island of bali has maintained a hindu identity, and vietnam a blend of confucianism and mahayana buddhism. Java today is home to 59 percent of indonesias population, which is projected to surpass a quarter of a billion people by the end of the decade. 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. Arab traders who came to south asia used to visit the malabar region, which is an area which relate them to the port in southeast asia. A history of islam in central asia javad haghnavaz1, saiedjamaledden alerasoul2 1, 2department of islamic thoughts faculty, jolfa branch, islamic azad university, jolfa, iran i.
The internalization since the 1970s of the wahhabi brand of salafism among southeast asian muslims is the major factor behind this apparent shift towards a more radical worldview. A historical overview of islam in south asia barbara d. Islam teaches the oneness of god known to muslims as allah, who has revealed his message through a succession of prophets and finally through muhammad ca. The muslim communities of southeast asia are diverse, complex and increasingly influential in the broader islamic world. Southeast asia, a subject which sheds important light on historical specificities pertaining to both islam and sexuality in the region, yet which continues to be treated with silence, embarrassment or even scholarly condemnation. An example of the social studies approach is the 1986 study of taufik abdullah and sharon siddique on islam and society in southeast asia. Islam in the classical age since the 7th century, muslim traders from india, persia, and south arabia frequented the harbors of insular southeast asia. Trade brought arabs to indias southern seacoasts and to the coasts of sri lanka, where small muslim communities were established at least by. Islam in southeast asia muhamad ali southeast asia, a region below the winds, is a crossroad of world and local beliefs, but is today home to about 230 million muslims, almost half of the regions population 550 million, in 2002 and about 20 percent of the worlds estimated 1. Muslim is an arabic word meaning one who submits to god. The time frame for conversion to islam in southeast asia is also uncertain. Most southeast asian muslims are sunni, and follow the shafii school of muslim jurisprudence.
The volume is the first comprehensive compilation of texts on gender constructions, normative gender orders and their religious legitimizations, as well as current gender policies in islamic southeast asia, which besides the islamic core countries of malaysia and indonesia also comprises southern thailand and mindanao the philippines. Johns in 1961 i published a paper on the islamization of peninsular and insular southeast asia johns 1961j. The muslims first occupied arabia in about 150,000 bc which were called the old stone age. The authors of the chapters academics and researchers with proven prowess in their respective fields present articles that. At that time it had seemed that there was a simple explanation to. A short history of south east asia1 stanford university. In a book topping 700 pages and containing over 300 photographs, esposito brings together experts in fields such as early islamic history, art and architecture, science and medicine, islam in africa and southeast asia, and contemporary islam. Islamization in southeast asia cseas journal, southeast. The cambridge history of southeast asia is a multiauthored treatment of the whole of mainland and island southeast asia from burma to indonesia. Unlike other histories of the region, it is not divided on a countrybycountry basis and is not structured purely chronologically, but rather takes a thematic and regional approach to southeast asia. History of islam in asia history, american history. The relatively low level of concern over rising islamist extremism among indonesian and malaysian muslims indicates a worrying institutionalization of radical interpretations of islam in the general islamic.
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. 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. This book looks at islam and its strategic implications for southeast asia. The cambridge history of southeast asia edited by nicholas. Islamic influence first came to south asia was at the beginning of the 7th century with the advent of arab traders. 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. Muslim political activism and engagement is increasing across southeast asia. Underpinning this is a belief, held in many quarters of the regions vast and diverse muslim populations, that islam is not just a religion, but an organising principle for modern society. May 22, 2006 the muslim communities of southeast asia are diverse, complex and increasingly influential in the broader islamic world. While the majority of thai are buddhist, there is a muslim majority in the southern provinces of yala, pattani, and narathiwat.
Metcalf sri lanka and the southern coasts for long centuries, india, in a memorable phrase, was on the way to everywhere abu lughod 1989. The cambridge history of southeast asia download ebook pdf. Asia is home of 65 percent of the worlds muslims, and indonesia, in southeast, is the worlds most populous muslim country. The most significant islamic kingdom to emerge in southeast asia at this time was the sultanate of melaka, which was founded around 1400 by a local prince who converted to islam. Origins of islam in southeast asia islams roots in sea are debated. 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.
It consists of a continental projection and a string of archipelagoes to the south and east of the mainland. The religious mosaic of modern southeast asia shows a unique pattern. There is general agreement however that conversion happened peacefully and followed the path of the trade networks linking the region with south asia, china and the middle east. Islam in southeast asia institute for south asia studies. For a closer look at how islam has been localized in southeast asia, the history of islam on the island of java in the republic of indonesia provides a good example. In part ii, politics, governance, civil society and gender issues are examined in the context of southeast asian islam. This vast area is situated east of the indian subcontinent and south of china. Today more muslims 88 % are living in indonesia 234 million people than in any. For a general history of indonesia as well as of events related to islam in southeast asia, see the project timeline of interweaving cultures. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Islam is the second largest religion in the world after christianity, with about 1.
In addition, islam came to south asia before the muslim invasion of india. Islam a brief overview of the history of islam the origin of islam is placed around 610 ce when muhammad, a highly spiritual and religious man who spent months in praying and self contemplation in a secluded cave near the town of mecca, is thought to have received divine messages. Muslim and christian minorities in mainland southeast asia myanmar, thailand, cambodia, laos and vietnam, it is in the island areas singapore, malaysia, philippines, indonesia, brunei and timor loro sae where christianity and islam are most strongly established. The region has been the target of numerous terrorist attacks over the past decade, but the character and motivation for these attacks varies widely. Islam in the southeast asia research papers academia. Click download or read online button to get the cambridge history of southeast asia book now. The ancient maritime trading links enabled by the seasonal monsoons between east africa and china, via the arabian, indian and southeast asian ports, have played an important but overlooked role in the history of human civilization. The entire history of islamic civilization is, of course, too much to cover in a single volume, but john esposito comes close. Southeast asia is projected to be the home of more than 760 million by the middle of the century. Pdf the spread of islam in india and southeast asia.
Negotiating modernity is a compilation of eight articles that offers new insights on the dynamic developments which have taken place within muslim society in malaysia, indonesia and singapore. It does not include taiwan formosa, whose history seems to be more naturally part of that of china. Their main occupation was as shepherd and goatherds and they moved around like nomads. Mar, 2014 islam in southeast asia part six of a sixpart series on the rise and spread of islam the border islands southeast asia. The book includes cds with quranic recitation from around the world. Established along the straits of melaka on the western malay peninsula, the sultanate became the main entrepot for merchants traveling between india and china, and was noted for its safe harbor and effective administration. Underpinning this is a belief, held in many quarters of the regions vast and diverse muslim populations, that islam is not just a religion, but an organising principle for modern society from which political leaders, parties, and organisations can derive legitimacy and authority. Atlas of islamic history map 30 the spread of islam in southeast asia c.