Contemporary Islam in Southeast Asia
Islam in Southeast Asia is multi-faceted and multi layered.Different interpretations of the faith resulted in a varieties of groups. In Indonesia, there is the Nahdlatul Ulama which preaches closely to the Shafi`I school of legal accretion and the Muhammadiyah whose outlook is more modernist blending with Islamic thoughts. Along with this two major groups, other Islamic groups also played a big role in Indonesian society, politics and economy, with their followers forming Islamic civil groups and political parties.
Since the late 1970s, an Islamic resurgence took place in the region. Dakwah movements mushroomed throughout Southeast Asia. These movements in general, aim to create a strong Islamic identity among the Muslims. As a result, Islam began to assume a larger role in public life, underlined by the increased donning of headscarves among Muslim women. Economic growth resulted in modest affluence which translated in more religious investments like the Haj and Islamic literature. The Malaysian government too promotes Islam through its Islamization policies covering society, economics and education and most recently, Islam Hadhari.
Indonesia is the most populous Muslim country today. Its higher employment rate of women is also an important difference between Indonesian and Middle East cultures.
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