Trending Islam: Cases from Southeast Asia

What are trending Islamic ideas in Southeast Asia; how are they transmitted and who transmits them? These are questions that linger among the minds of policymakers, diplomats and scholars interested in Islam in Southeast Asia. Trending Islam maps and discusses key personalities, groups or institutions that influence Muslims in the region. This book dedicates more space to discuss the role of the Internet in disseminating religious discourses. Internet’s role, in particular the use of social media either to advance interpretations of Islamic ideas or to gain influence in the public sphere, is becoming more significant as it allows information to spread faster and wider. While not discounting traditional issues such as extremism and terrorism, matters that continue to affect many people’s lives in the region, the book delves into the interaction between violent and non-violent extremism and the liberal and progressive responses to them. Trending Islam covers the transmission of Islam in several countries and some case studies.

“This timely and important volume brings together scholars providing nuanced analyses of the current dynamics of Islam in Southeast Asia. This volume guides readers through the complexities of Muslims’ evolving engagement with global modernity by exploring different aspects of Islam in the region. In addition to chapters devoted to understanding major actors and institutions, this volume also examines the transmission of Islamic ideas; assesses how multiple actors from diverse backgrounds, competing for Islamic interpretation and expression, are impacted by the Internet and social media; and discusses the paradoxes of established Muslim organizations and state-sponsored da’wah groups. A must-read for whoever is interested in Southeast Asian Islam!”–Noorhaidi Hasan, Professor in Islam and Politics at Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia of Jakarta and Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University of Yogyakarta

• Norshahril Saat, Editor

  Norshahril Saat (PhD) is Senior Fellow at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore. He is Coordinator of the Regional Social and Cultural Studies Programme.

• A'an Suryana, Editor

  A’an Suryana (PhD) is Visiting Fellow at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. He is also a Lecturer in Political Science at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (UIII).

• Mohd Faizal Musa, Editor

  Mohd Faizal Musa is Visiting Fellow at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore and Research Fellow at the Institute of the Malay World and Civilization, National University of Malaysia (UKM). He also contributes to the Global Shi’a Diaspora, Project on Shi’ism and Global Affairs at Harvard Divinity School.