The early years of the twenty-first century have been characterized by a sense of widespread anxiety and fear because of the violent activities of groups of terrorists who claim they act in the name of Islam. Their acts of terrorism, viewed by a majority in the Muslim world as crimes which must be subject to the law, are in tragic contrast to the ......
The rise of China is one of the most critical developments in the world today. To provide a comprehensive understanding of China's rapid rise and explore the impact and implications for ASEAN, ISEAS organized the first ASEAN-China Forum from 23 to 24 June 2004 in Singapore. The Forum brought together more than thirty reputable experts and scholars ......
Cosmology, Conversion and Community in Central Javanese Islam
"For two decades now, Stephen C. Headley has been one of the most original and systematic ethnographers of Javanese religion and cultural history. No one in contemporary Javanese ethnography has combed through the annals of nineteenth and twentieth century scholarship with as careful an eye for the variety of Javanese traditions. None combines ......
Maritime-related Terrorism in an Age of Weapons of Mass Destruction
What is being done to counter threats of maritime terrorism and how effective are the safeguards? The author presents evidence that Al-Qaeda aims to disrupt the seaborne trading system, the backbone of the modern global economy, and would use a crude nuclear explosive device or a radiological bomb to do so if it could get its hands on either, and ......
In Indonesia's plural society, ethnicity and religion are often considered as two important independent variables to explain electoral behaviour. Many writers have used qualitative methods to relate the performance of political parties in these terms. This book questions these assumptions by looking at the 1999 election and the 2000 census.
From the late 1950s in the north, to the 1970s until the mid- 1980s in the south, there was little room or opportunity to form non-state voluntary organizations and associations in Vietnam. With few exceptions, only those established by the Communist Party and other state agencies were permitted. The picture has changed considerably since doi moi. ......
After the fall of President Soeharto, there have been heightened attempts by certain groups of Muslims to have sharia (Islamic law) implemented by the state. Even though this burning issue is not new, it has further divided Indonesian Muslims. The introduction of Islamic law would also affect the future of multi-cultural and multi-religious ......
