Islam in Indonesia: Modernism, Radicalism and the Middle East Dimension

Indonesia is home to the largest Muslim community in the world. Much of the media attention given to manifestations of radical Islam in Indonesia after 9/11 and the Bali bombings of October 2002 have been limited to current affairs. This book provides a broader perspective about contemporary Islam in Indonesia through discussing two outstanding streams of thought and movements -- Islamic modernism and radical Islamic fundamentalism. These two multifaceted phenomena clearly illustrate the significant contemporary influence of the Middle East on the Indonesia archipelago, in an Islamic context. Thus the focus is twofold: the local context, and the impact of the Middle East on Islam in Indonesia. These two perspectives allow a comparative and cross-regional view which, combined with the broader historical narrative, provides insights into possible future trends. The author explains the importance of the reformist motivation; religious and social & political dimensions; ideology, perceptions, and interaction in the context of the transmission and dissemination of Islamic ideas; and the current and potential appeal of the war cry of Jihad in opposition to the unique bulwarks against it as suggested by the local Indonesian context. These topics make this book essential reading to understanding the current and future comprehensive challenges posed by radical Islam in the Indonesian archipelago.

Table of Contents:
Contents: Preface; Acknowledgments; The Islamic Modernist Movement in the Malay- Indonesian World: A Comparative Look at Egypt; Muhammad Abduh's Heritage; The Challenge of the Islamic Modernist Movement in the Malay-Indonesian World -- The Reformist Motivation; The Religious Dimension; The Educational Dimension; The Social and Political Dimension; Challenging the Traditional World; A Comparative Look at Egypt; Historical Role and Impacts; Islamic Modernism in the Malay-Indonesian World: Suggested Explanations; Islamic Radicalism in Indonesia: Global and Local Contexts; Radical Islamic Fundamentalism -- Ideology and Perception; Transmission of Ideas and Ideological Interaction; The Social and Political Dimension; The Historical Perspective -- Dissemination of Islamic Ideas to Indonesia; The War Cry of Jihad in Indonesia; Summary and Reflections; Radical Islamic Fundamentalism in Indonesia: The Distinctiveness of the Indonesian Context: Marginal or Significant?; The Indonesian Context through the Fundamentalist Prism; The Indonesian Islamic Context: Summary and Reflections; Notes; Bibliography; Index

About the Author :
Dr Giora Eliraz wrote this book during his tenure at the Australian National University in Canberra, as Visiting Fellow. He is a Research Fellow at the Harry S. Truman Institute for the Advancement of Peace at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel: a lecturer in the program for Contemporary Middle East studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; a Research Fellow at the International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism, Herzliya; and is on the Board of Trustees of the Strategic Dialogue Center at Netanya College.

Review :
"Carefully researched and engagingly written, this fine book deserves to be read by everyone interested in Indonesian Islam, as well as by the general reader curious about the varieties and future of Muslim politics." -- Robert W. Hefner, Professor of Anthropology, Associate Director of the Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs (CURA), Boston University. "Giora Eliraz's book represents a valuable addition to the all too sparse collection of scholarly writing on Islam in the world's largest Muslim nation. With very few exceptions, most such studies are the work of area specialists with a deep understanding of their country of study but comparatively little knowledge of the Middle East. Eliraz's book is very different; it is the fruit of a sharp academic mind honed through decades of study of modernist Islamic thought and related movements in the Arab world now turned upon parallel developments in Indonesia. The result is a very well informed study uniquely enriched by the ability to read developments in Southeast Asia from a Middle Eastern perspective. Consequently anyone seeking to understand Indonesian Islam and its global context will benefit from this work - regardless of whether they are seasoned observers or are coming to this increasingly important subject for the first time." - Greg Barton.