News from Southeast Asia

Negotiating Modernity

The two essays featured here are condensed chapters from the upcoming book entitled Islam in Southeast Asia: Negotiating Modernity? This book is edited by Norshahril Saat and is the end-product of the ‘Islamic Developments in Southeast Asia Workshop’ held at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in 2015. Its aim is to understand some of the contemporary socio-cultural and political challenges facing Islam in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Its underlying theme is how Muslims come to terms with modernization and the social changes that have impacted laws, politics, ideas, and consumption patterns. It is a modest attempt to take stock of recent developments facing the three countries. The book comprises nine chapters written by local scholars and activists. Chapters cover the political Islamist divide in contemporary Malaysia; the behaviour of Malaysian muftis; Saudi Arabian influence on Malaysian education; the ‘Aksi Bela Islam’ protests against former Jakarta governor Ahok in 2016; the Middle East impact on Indonesian campus movements; progressive responses to radicalism in Indonesia; the rise of capitalistic Islam; and syariah revivalists in Singapore.