A Muslim Archipelago: Islam and Politics in Southeast Asia

This study focuses on Islam in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand. It is intended as the beginning of a knowledge base for policy makers and analysts. The author was Dean of the School of Intelligence Studies at the National Defense Intelligence College and Professor of Intelligence (Middle East). The material here is organized thematically around countries and five questions: (1) How did Islam come to the country? Or how did the country come to be predominately Islamic? (2) How central has Islam (as opposed to other political ideologies) been in the political history of the country? (3) What is the offi cial policy of the current government of the country toward Islam? (4) What principal Islamist movements exist within the country (or in exile)? (5) What is the prognosis concerning the future of contemporary Islamic movements in the country? The current volume is a projected Volume One of a multi-volume study.