Islam and Contemporary Malay/Muslim

Society of Singapore

Introduction
Objectives of the Module

 Examines Singapore Malays’ religious belief

and experiences
 Analyze socio-historical factors shaping
the religious life and orientation of the
Malays
 Identify issues and challenges confronting
the community in the context of nation
building and national integration
Cont….
 Evaluate the extent and significance of Islam
in facilitating the adaptation of the
community to the demands of modernization
and social change
 Debunk stereotypes pertaining to Islam and
the Malays
Background
•Islam as world religion
- numerical significance
-universal message
-influence on culture and civilization

•Unity of Muslims based on common creed

• Distinction between Islam and Muslim

culture
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 Diversity of Muslim societies and culture,
varieties of historical experiences, political,
economic thought and systems, schools of
legal interpretation, religious orientations
etc,

 Intra community diversity and differences

 “Islams verses Islam”

Spread of Islam to Europe, Africa and
Asia
Islamization and its process
 Process of Islamization, (coming of
individual Muslims, establishment of
Muslim colonies in a historically noticeable
in coastal states of Sumatra and Java and
continuous process of conversion linking
those colonies with it, conversion of ruling
powers or states from 13- 16 th centuries
in Southeast Asia)
Nature of the spread of Islam in
Southeast Asia
 Speedy
 Peaceful -carriers of the religion -traders

and missionaries (Sufi)

 Intermarriage with locals
 Not backed by political agenda of

“motherland”
 Syncretic- accommodation and assimilation

of local culture (syncretism)

 Penetrated both the masses and ruling class
Theories on the spread of Islam in the
Malay world in the 14th century
 multi causal
-trade
-imperialism
-missionary (Sufism)
-political
-Islam’s ideological worth
Singapore Muslim community

 Numerical profile and significance

 Not isolated from historical and contemporary

influences of religion from within Southeast

Asia and other parts of the Muslim world
 Non-homogenous -diverse ethnic groups,

class, ideology, SES, worldview, religious

schools of law/orientations
 Religious affairs managed by distinct

religious and political institutions

Approach
 Not a study of theology/doctrine
avoidance of entanglement with
theological, doctrinal and sectarian
debates
 Avoidance of “culturalist” approach-
pervasive overriding tendency to
emphasize the influence of Islam on ideas,
and conduct of Muslims
“Culturalist” approach
 Dominant amongst both non-Muslims and
Muslims
 Essentialist (Islam and culture)-perception of

Islam as fixed and coherent

 Perception of Muslim society as homogenous

and static
 “Clash of civilizations” perspective
Conditioning factors
 Confusion between religion and culture
 Need for instant solutions
 Pervasiveness
 Ideology
 Multiculturalism
Limitations of the culturalist
approach
 Reductive and deterministic

 Overlooks diversity within the community

 Negates commonalities between cultures

 Lack of attention to ideological conflicts

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 Negates significance of vested interests of
social groups within a community

 cannot explain the rise and persistence of

certain ideas

 Overgeneralizations and misleading

deductions of Islam and the Muslims
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Socio-historical method
-encapsulates the understanding that every
belief, idea or phenomenon is conditioned by
time, place, culture and environment in
which it originates.
-opens doors to the understanding of
history
-clarifies apparent contradictions
-provides insights into the social
conditionings of ideas
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-better understanding of why certain issues
persist
-distinction between values and how they are
understood and experienced
-better understanding of the rise and
dominance of certain ideas
-more accurate diagnosis of problems
Major themes of the module
 Characteristics of Malay religious orientations
 Socio-historical conditioning factors
 Impact of Islam on Malay culture and society
 Basic teachings and values of Islam
 Muslim religious elite
 Islam and the modernization of the Malays
 Islamic resurgence and its response to the modern

world
 Islam, the Malays and national integration
 The major religious Institutions of Singapore

Malays
Assessment and other Requirements
 Lectures
 Tutorials-10%
 Criteria of assessment
 Essay-30%
 Criteria of Assessment
 Examinations (Open Book)
 Readings