Islam in Indonesia. Contrasting Images and Interpretations

While Muslims in Indonesia have begun to turn towards a strict adherence to Islam, the reality of the socio-religious environment is much more complicated than a simple shift towards fundamentalism. In this volume, contributors explore the multifaceted role of Islam in Indonesia from a variety of different perspectives, drawing on carefully compiled case studies. Topics covered include religious education, the increasing number of Muslim feminists in Indonesia, the role of Indonesia in the greater Muslim world, social activism and the middle class, and the interaction between Muslim radio and religious identity.

Review
Contrary to Islam in many other countries, Islam in Indonesia has always had the reputation of being moderate and tolerant. This timely book addresses the issue of this alleged special nature of Indonesian Islam from a theoretical perspective, and presents case studies which both confirm as well as contradict this liberal image, thus showing the complexity of Islam in this country with more than 200 million Muslim inhabitants. -- Dr. Nico J.G. Kaptein, Leiden Institute for Area Studies, Leiden University

About the editors
Jajat Burhanudin is the executive director of the Center for the Study of Islam and Society at the State Islamic University in Jakarta. Kees van Dijk is emeritus professor of the history of modern Islam in Indonesia at Leiden University and former senior researcher of the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asia and Caribbean Studies.