Thailand

Understanding Islam in Indonesia: Politics and Diversity is intended as a "primer on Islam in Indonesia" for non-experts, which is home to more Muslims than any other country on earth. Indonesia is also the worlds fourth most populous country and its third-largest genuine democracy. Interest in Indonesian Islam has increased since the events of September 11, 2001, but most people know little about the country and much less about Indonesian Islam. Even those who know something about Indonesia tend to be in the grip of contending stereotypes. The first is that Indonesian Islam is "moderate," quite different from the frightening Middle Eastern variety. The second is that, notwithstanding the moderation of its Islam, Indonesia is a soft state, at risk of succumbing to a theocratic, extremist, sometimes violent Islamic minority.

To go beyond the stereotypes and make sense of what is happening today, it is necessary to know something about Indonesian society and especially about certain historical events which have great explanatory force. Most readers will be interested primarily in the politics of Islam, and its ability to co-exist with, or even help nurture, a modern democratic state. With that in mind, the book is not about the theology of Islam, except insofar as doctrine relates to political culture, which of course it quite often does.

The first four chapters aim to provide a base-level understanding of the history that has conditioned the development of Islam in Indonesia. The fifth chapter explores aspects of Islamic institutions in Indonesia which are of particular interest to foreigners, including Islamic law, Islamic education, and two mass organizations unique to the country, Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah. 

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Introduction
A Note on Terms and Spelling

1. How Islam Arrived

2. Islam under Dutch and Japanese Rule (1629-1945)

3. Sukarno and the Roots of Islamic Marginalization: 1945-1966

4. The Suharto Era: Islam Repressed, Islam Resurgent

5. Islam Organized

6. Communal Conflict and Violent Islamic Extremism

7. Islamic Extremism and Democracy

8. The Resilience of Diversity: A Summing Up

Further Reading on Islam in Indonesia
Glossary
Indonesian Political Parties
Index

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ROBERT PRINGLE was US Ambassador to Mali and postings elsewhere in Africa as well as in the Philippines and Papua New Guinea. His experience with Indonesia began with a four-year posting at the US Embassy in Jakarta from 1970 to 1974. He has followed Indonesian history, politics and culture ever since.

Editions Didier Millet (First Published, 2010)
1220 pages including Bibliography and Index

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KAWAH BUKU adalah sebuah pojok buku sederhana, yang menawarkan judul-judul terpilih Pengajian Melayu (Malay Studies) dan Pengajian Asia Tenggara (Southeast Asian Studies) meliputi sejarah, sosiologi, politik, budaya, sastera, bahasa dan hal-hal seputarnya.