Leonard C. Sebastian / Syed Huzaifah Bin Othman Alkaff
This book focuses on Islam in Indonesia, showcasing the wide range of Muslim organisations, belief systems and movements, together with an analysis of the political behaviour of Indonesian Muslims. It includes an investigation of the structure of groups, organizations, and societies, and how Muslims within the archipelago interact within these contexts. In doing so, it promotes a more nuanced understanding of Indonesian Muslim society by approaching it through the utilisation of scholarly frameworks. Theories related to religion and society are used, especially in characterising the transition of the Indonesian Muslim society from pre-New Order to post-New Order. Particularly significant is Abdullah Saeed’s framework in understanding one’s attitude towards key and contemporary issues, originally used to understand one’s attitude towards the religious ’other’. The authors thus adopt this framework in the book, as a method of categorising people in a diverse society which in turnhelps readers to understand the nuances of Islam and Muslims in a huge country like Indonesia.
