Howard M. Federspiel Livres

The book explores the evolution of Islam in Southeast Asia across four significant periods: its introduction before 1300, the emergence of Islamic identity from 1300 to 1800, the impact of imperialism from 1800 to 1945, and the transition to independent nation-states from 1945 to 2000. It highlights how Southeast Asia has historically integrated Islam into its cultural and societal fabric, showcasing the region's unique relationship with the religion throughout these eras.

The book explores the emergence of major Islamic organizations in twentieth-century Indonesia, including Sarekat Islam, Muhammadijah, Nahdlatul Ulama, and Masjumi. Each group represents traditional Middle Eastern Islamic beliefs, advocating for the importance of Islamic law, though their interpretations vary. They share a conviction that the state should uphold religious values, despite differing views on what those values entail and how they should be integrated into modern Indonesian society. This highlights the complexity of Islamic thought and its role in governance.

The Persatuan Islam (Islamic-Union) was a small group of Indonesian Muslim activists during the period from 1923-1957. Their efforts involved them in the great disputes of the time, namely the shape of the emerging Indonesian state as the region broke loose from colonial control, and the direction of Islamic discourse in that new nation. Deeply ideological, these activists called themselves "radical-revolutionaries". Their outlook, starting as a manifestation of Islamic Modernism, later became a form of Islamic Neo-Fundamentalism. The views raised by the group were not generally accepted, as elites with other outlooks gained control of the nationalist agenda and the direction of the Indonesian Muslim community. The story of these activists, however, tells us much about the context of both Indonesian nationalism and Indonesian Islam as both developed during the first half of the twentieth century.