Islam in Southeast Asia: Between Tolerance and Radicalism

Abstract

This paper traces the evolution of Islam and Islamic thought and its integration into the fabric of the social, cultural and political orders of the Southeast Asian region. It begins by acknowledging the external discourses that seep into the regions through the religio-intellectual links between the region’s scholars and their Middle Eastern and Western counterparts. However, it asserts that Southeast Asian scholars have, overtime, developed their own distinct Islamic discourse which was formulated to have greater relevance to their own unique contexts.

Thereafter, the paper is divided into two parts. In the first, it explores the historical roots of radicalism, making particular comparisons between early radicalism in the 16th century onwards, to post-Sept 11 political realities. It attempts to elucidate radicalism’s complex politico-religious root causes, explaining the possible processes to radicalization; and finally, it examines various groups that subscribe to radical ideologies and differentiates between those that are “home-grown” and those that are “Middle East-affliated.” The last part of the paper then examines how the presence of such radical movements may be deemed as a blessing in disguise and discusses the vital role that moderate Muslims, in the region, can play in asserting mainstream Islamic thought.