Explores the history of Islam in the largest Muslim nation state in the worldLocated on the eastern periphery of the historical Muslim world, as a political entity Indonesia is barely a century old. Yet with close to a quarter of a billion followers of Islam it is now the largest and most populous Muslim country in the world. As the greatest political power in Southeast Asia, and a growing player on the world scene, Indonesia presents itself as a bridge country between Asia, the wider Muslim world and the West.In this survey Carool Kersten presents the Islamisation of Indonesia from the first evidence of the acceptance of Islam by indigenous peoples in the late thirteenth century until the present day. He provides comprehensive insight into the different roles played by Islam in Indonesia throughout history, including the importance of Indian Ocean networks for connecting Indonesians with the wider Islamic world, the religions role as a means of resistance and tool for nation building, and postcolonial attempts to forge an aIndonesian Islam.Key FeaturesThe first comprehensive historical survey of the Islamisation of Indonesia from the arrival of Islam in the 13th century until the presentAn interdisciplinary study of the place and role of Islam in IndonesiaAn overview of the religions growing significance in the formation of what is now the largest and most populous Muslim country in the world

In 1998, Indonesia's military government collapsed, creating a crisis that many believed would derail its democratic transition. Yet the world's most populous Muslim country continues to receive high marks from democracy-ranking organizations. In this volume, political scientists, religious scholars, legal theorists, and anthropologists examine Indonesia's transition compared to Chile, Spain, India, and potentially Tunisia, and democratic failures in Yugoslavia, Egypt, and Iran. Chapters explore religion and politics and Muslims' support for democracy before change.

While Muslims in Indonesia have begun to turn towards a strict adherence to Islam, the reality of the socio-religious environment is much more complicated than a simple shift towards fundamentalism. In this volume, contributors explore the multifaceted role of Islam in Indonesia from a variety of different perspectives, drawing on carefully compiled case studies. Topics covered include religious education, the increasing number of Muslim feminists in Indonesia, the role of Indonesia in the greater Muslim world, social activism and the middle class, and the interaction between Muslim radio and religious identity.

The decolonization of Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, was seen by up to half of the population as a religious struggle. Utilizing a combination of oral history and archival research, Kevin W. Fogg presents a new understanding of the Indonesian revolution and of Islam as a revolutionary ideology.

Indonesia is the home of the largest single Muslim community of the world. Its Christian community, about 10% of the population, has until now received no overall description in English. Through cooperation of 26 Indonesian and European scholars, Protestants and Catholics, a broad and balanced picture is given of its 24 million Christians. This book sketches the growth of Christianity during the Portuguese period (1511-1605), it presents a fair account of developments under the Dutch colonial administration (1605-1942) and is more elaborate for the period of the Indonesian Republic (since 1945). It emphasizes the regional differences in this huge country, because most Christians live outside the main island of Java. Muslim-Christian relations, as well as the tensions between foreign missionaries and local theology, receive special attention.

The early history of Islam in Indonesian world is bewilderingly complex, not only in the context of the spread of Islam in the area, but also in the terms of its institutional formation. This book, therefore, discusses such themes as the early introduction of Islam to the Indonesian archipelago, the development of Islamic learning, educational, and legal institutions. Not least important, the book also reveals the religious, intellectual and political relations between Islam in the archipelago with that of the Arabian world “Professor Azyumardi Azra is a brilliant authority in Islam in Indonesia. No one interested in Indonesian Islam can afford to be without this book.” —Professor Dr. M.C. Ricklefs Department of History National University of Singapore Author of acclaimed book, A History of Modern Indonesia since c. 1200 (third edition, 2002) “This well researched book should be a required reading for anyone who would like to comprehend the dynamic of Islam in Indonesian and in Southeast asia as a whole.” —Professor DR. Taufik Abdullah Sejarahwan and member of Akademi Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia (AIPI) [Mizan, Pustaka, Religion, Islam, Refrention]