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The Politics of Religion in South and Southeast Asia

Edited by Ishtiaq Ahmed

Published April 28th 2011 by Routledge – 276 pages

Series: Routledge Contemporary Asia Series

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Description

The notion of a ‘politics of religion’ refers to the increasing role that religion plays in the politics of the contemporary world. This book presents comparative country case studies on the politics of religion in South and South Asia, including India, Pakistan and Indonesia. The politics of religion calls into question the relevance of modernist notions of secularism and democracy, with the emphasis instead on going back to indigenous roots in search of authentic ideologies and models of state and nation building. Within the context of the individual countries, chapters focus on the consequences that politics of religion has on inclusive nation-building, democracy and the rights of individuals, minorities and women.

The book makes a contribution to both the theoretical and conceptual literature on the politics of religion as well as shed light on the implications and ramifications of the politics of religion on contemporary South Asian and South East Asian countries. It is of interest to students and scholars of South and South East Asian Studies, as well as Comparative Politics.

Reviews

"[N]o public or university library must be without this book. It presents balanced, impartial and unbiased analyses by academics of the first order." - Reginald Massey; Confluence (www.confluence.org.uk), August 2011

Contents

Preface Tan Tai Yong 1. The Politics of Religion in South and Southeast Asia Ishtiaq Ahmed 2. Religion as a Political Ideology in South Asia Ali Riaz 3. Islamism beyond the Islamic Heartland: The Case Study of Bangladesh Taj Hashmi 4. Secular versus Hindu Nation-Building: Dalit, Adivasi, Muslim and Christian Experiences in India Ishtiaq Ahmed 5. Sikh Politics and the Indo-Pak Relationship Tridivesh Singh Maini 6. Religious Nationalism and Minorities in Pakistan: Constitutional and Legal Bases of Discrimination Ishtiaq Ahmed 7. Women under Islamic Law in Pakistan Ishtiaq Ahmed 8. Religion as a Political Ideology in Southeast Asia Bilveer Singh 9. Political Islam in Indonesia Noorhaidi Hasan 10. Religion and Politics in the Philippines Raymund Jose G. Quilop 11. Creating the Muslim Majority in Plural Malaysia: Undermining Minority and Women’s Rights Maznah Mohamad 12. Keeping Politics and Religion Separate in the Public Square: Managed Pluralism and the Regulatory State in Singapore Eugene Tan 13. Transnational Religious-Political Movements: Negotiating Hindutva in the Diaspora Rajesh Rai 14. Negotiating Rights through Transnational Puritan Networks Tahmina Rashid

Author Bio

Ishtiaq Ahmed is a Visiting Research Professor at the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), National University of Singapore and a Professor of Political Science at Stockholm University, Sweden. His previous publications include ‘The Concept of an Islamic State: An Analysis of the Ideological Controversy in Pakistan’ (1987) and ‘State Nation and Ethnicity in Contemporary South Asia’ (1996).