Voices of Islam in Southeast Asia
by Greg Fealy and Virginia Hooker, editors
Published by Institute of Southeast Asian Studies
Click on book
cover to order
at Amazon.com
Reviewed by Muhammed Hassanali
Subtitled: A Contemporary Sourcebook
Islam was introduced to Southeast Asia through the Indian Ocean shipping routes. The spread was not uniform, and typically incorporated local practices, giving these practices a new meaning within the context of the new faith. Local laws and customs evolved to incorporate Islamic interpretations into their cultures. One effect of nationalism was to bring different groups together as citizens, or split a group across national boundaries. This change, along with Islamic revival movements in the twentieth century, have given rise to unique interpretations of Islam that could be strikingly similar to those found in other Southeast Asian countries, or co-exist with dramatically different ones in the same country.
The first chapter is an introduction that summarizes Islamic tenants, and this book's objective to accurately reflect the richness and diversity of interpretations practiced in Southeast Asia. Part I summarizes the political developments in Southeast Asian countries since the end of colonialism, and tightly focus on how political developments and organized Islamic groups influenced each other.
Part II consists of text excerpts organized under six themes (chapters): personal expressions of faith, Sharia (Islamic law), Islam state and governance, gender and the family, jihad, and interactions: global and local Islam, Muslims and non-Muslims. Each chapter starts with an introduction, which serves to define that chapter's scope. A commentary precedes each extract providing readers with the appropriate contextual references. Here one can find texts defining women's role exclusively in the domestic sphere along side with those promulgating equal participation of men and women in all spheres of human endeavor; texts that advocate armed jihad alongside those that interpret jihad in terms of spiritual struggle; and texts that debate the scope of Shaira law. The background and contextual references are this book's strength as they help the reader appreciate the complex and diverse attitudes of Southeast Asian Muslims.
This book through translated texts represents the rich heritage of more than 200 million Muslims in Southeast Asia, who speak a number of different languages, and have diverse cultures and practices. As the texts are rendered in English, no prior knowledge of Southeast Asian languages is required.
Armchair Interviews says: A good sourcebook for those interested in the attitudes of contemporary Southeast Asian Muslims