• SUVANNABHUMI
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.35-61
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• 2018

This paper explores the influence of Arab culture on the culture of Bugis-Makassar, the two major ethnic groups in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, particularly after their Islamization in the early 17^th century. The paper argues that since then, the on-going process of Islamization in the region has also brought a continuous flow of ideas and cultural practices from Mecca to Indonesia by means of the hajj pilgrims, Arab traders, and the establishment of Islamic educational institutions that emphasized the teaching and use of Arabic language in education. These factors, among others, have facilitated a cultural inflow which enabled cultural practices borne of West Asia (Middle East) to be integrated into local customs and beliefs. The paper particularly depicts the most observable forms of Arabic cultural integration, acculturation, and assimilation into the Bugis-Makassar culture such as the use of Arabic in Islamic schools and religious sermons; the Arab-style dressing by religious scholars, teachers, and students; the wearing of the hijab (head cover) by women; and the change of people's names from local into Arabic. By utilizing the historical and anthropological approach, this paper investigates this dynamic process of adaptation and integration of a foreign culture that first came through the Islamization of a local culture, exploring the role of an Islamic missionary and educational institutions in mediating and maintaining such cultural integration processes.

• The Southeast Asian review
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.155-182
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• 2011

The purpose of this paper is to examine the process of Islamization in Java, focusing on religious discourse among Muslim intellectuals. How Islamic tradition and knowledge have been perceived and utilized and how they have interacted with those of non-Islamic origin will be discussed. For this, three Islam-related books written in different phases of Islamization are to be analyzed: Babad Tanah Jawi compiled by Mataram court in the 17th century, Serat Cabolek written by a court poet in the late 18th or early 19th century, and Fikih Anti-korupsi published by reformist and scriptural organization of Muhammadiyah in 2006. Babad portrays conversion to Islam as a process which does not demand a dramatic outward change in religious practice. Scriptural tradition of Islam and the dichotomy between what is Islamic and what is not were not mentioned in order to explain conversion. Spiritual and mystical enlightenment was emphasized heavily, and for this, the importance of non-Islamic traditions was fully acknowledged. Serat tells us that this period was characterized by the surge of scriptural and shariah-minded Islam, maintenance of non-Islamic traditions, clashes between scriptural Islam and old religious traditions, and Javanese efforts to harmonize these. In Fikih, non-Islamic tradition is replaced by scriptural Islam and disappears totally. Interpretations based on the Scriptures, however, do not monopolize it and are used together with mode of analysis from the West. It is too much to call this 'intellectual syncretism', in that Islamic Scriptures and Western knowledge do not mix but stand side by side. Three books under examination reveal that the process of Islamization in Java has not been uniform. It has been conditioned and shaped by local socio-cultural and historical circumstances, where active engagement and intellectual exercise of Javanese Muslims have played key roles. Even Islamization in the last few decades is not an exception. The surge of scripturalism and fundamentalism does not simply bring about a move to Arabization. Interacting with local intellectual and socio-cultural milieu, this has produced a sort of intellectual hybridity, which is unique to Muslim society of Java.

• Acta Via Serica
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.135-150
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• 2018

Ali Bey $H{\ddot{u}}seyinzade$ (1864-1940) was one of the most significant Azerbaijani Turkish intellectuals in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, formulating Azerbaijani national identity around its Turkish, Islamic and territorial dimensions. His solution to the ambiguities of the identity crisis among the Turkic-Muslim people of Azerbaijan was Turkification, Islamization and Europeanization for the Turkic and Muslim peoples of the Caucasus and Ottoman Turkey. Ali Bey $H{\ddot{u}}seyinzade$ was an influential Azerbaijani Turkish intellectual who had a direct impact on Turkish nationalists in the late Ottoman Empire and early Republican Turkey. $H{\ddot{u}}seyinzade^{\prime}s$ formulation of the triple processes of Turkification, Islamization and Europeanization spread among the Azerbaijani and Ottoman Turkish intellectuals in their respective countries. This article aims to discuss the ideas of Ali Bey $H{\ddot{u}}seyinzade$, especially regarding nationality, religion and Westernism and their impact on intellectuals and policy makers in the Caucasus and Turkey. His physical odyssey from Tsarist Russia into the Ottoman Empire is indicative of his ideological proclivities and his subsequent influence on the Turkish-speaking peoples in the two major empires in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

• The Southeast Asian review
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.181-215
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• 2013

The purpose of this paper is to examine the process of Islamic change in Indonesia since the 1970s, which is commonly called 'Islamic resurgence' or 'Islamization.' A brief analysis of the reasons for Islamic resurgence is followed by discussions on its long-term effects on the life of Indonesian Muslims. Shift in the ways Islamic matters have been treated in public, gradual realization of what Islamic groups have demanded in non-religious areas, stipulation of local regulation based on shariah and spread of radicalism are to be investigated one by one. With these examinations, it will be argued that the most significant change throughout the last four decades has been the surge of Islam as a reference point to interpret everyday life of Muslims. The dichotomy of 'Islamic' and 'non-Islamic' is instated as a key in Islamic discourse and the Quran and Hadith, as a criterion to judge whether certain views and behavior are Islamic or not. These have strengthened the position of scripturalism in Indonesian Islam. Islamic resurgence has also resulted in the acceleration of the diversification of Indonesian Muslims. Muslims with radical, fundamental, reformist, traditional and liberal views coexist, competing for stronger social and religious influences. As radical and fundamental groups have been more active in dealing with socio-political affairs recently, whether their active involvement will result in wider influences over the ordinary Muslims is the key to understand the future dynamics of Indonesian Islam.

• International Area Studies Review
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.513-530
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• 2009

The history of Chechnya is characterized by the resistance against the invasions of different foreign countries. Among them, the conflict against the Soviet Union, or Russia has been lasted approximately 200 years and it still remains unsettled. The relation between both country was deteriorated when the Chechnya declared their independence from Russia, and this resulted in the long-lasted war between Russia and Chechnya. One of the driving force of the war for Chechnya was its religion, Islam. The Islam and the brotherhood of Sufi Islam are integrated with Chechen nationalism and they were the key factors during the war against Russia. In this present paper, we will deal with the Chechen national culture and its identification, the conflict history of Chechnya-Russia, Islamization of Chechen, and the power of Sufi Islam in Chechnya in order to give a careful consideration to the conflict between both countries.

• The Southeast Asian review
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.53-82
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• 2018

The $14^{th}$ general election which should be held by August 2018 has been a dominant factor for Malaysian politics, economy, social changes and foreign policy in 2017. UMNO, the dominant party within the ruling governmental coalition, has focused on securing Malay support, voters which made them to sought political cooperation with PAS, Malaysia's Islamist opposition party. A consequent event followed by the strategic ties between the two parties is the rise of political Islam in Malaysia though PAS' 'Islamization' or 'desecularization' has never been adopted by UMNO. The rise of political Islam and Malay support have become the most important factor for the next election, which increasingly enhanced the role of 3R of Malaysia politics; Race, Religion, and Royalty. The Pakatan Harapan (PH), the newly formed opposition coalition without PAS, has elected Mahathir Mohamad, the former Prime Minister, as its candidate for prime minister. Malaysian economy and foreign policy seem to be subordinated to politics. Stabilizing ringgit and restoring economic growth enabled the Najib's government to reveal 'election budget' for 2018. Najib has spoken out Islam-related international issues including the Rohingya crisis and Jerusalem issue. It is to some extent the extension of domestic politics. The rise of political Islam will be a highly influential not only in the coming election but in the political and social development in the aftermath of the election.