In an era, when Islam ostensibly lies at the heart of a volatile nexus of a global campaign of/war on terrorism, simplistic notions and dangerous misunderstandings about the cultures and nature of Southeast Asian Islam, in all its variants, are used to inform and justify policies. This collection of contemporary primary source material is designed to promote a deeper understanding of Muslim attitudes to major political, legal, religious and social issues in Southeast Asia through quotations from documents on Islamic law; state and governance; jihad; society, women and the family; personal expressions of faith; and sources of external influence. The sourcebook looks not only at the ideological and doctrinal content, but also at the motivations and psychology underlying different interpretations and viewpoints. The book will enable government officials, academics, security analysts, journalists and general readers to understand the ideologies, motivations, language and objectives of the main Muslim groups in Southeast Asia.
