Month: August 2018

Islam in SEA workshop: “The Political Legitimacy of the Sultans of the Lanao Sultanate in the 17th Century with Special Reference to the Political Views of al-Māwardī” by Sohayle M. Hadji Abdul Racman

Post author By UP Institute of Islamic Studies
Post date 4 Aug 2018
1 Comment on Islam in SEA workshop: “The Political Legitimacy of the Sultans of the Lanao Sultanate in the 17th Century with Special Reference to the Political Views of al-Māwardī” by Sohayle M. Hadji Abdul Racman

We are very happy to announce that one of the participants of the exploratory workshop on Islam in Southeast Asia is Sohayle M. Hadji Abdul Racman. The workshop will be held on September 21, 2018 (Friday) at the National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development (NISMED) of the University of the Philippines Diliman. He will present his current research entitled “The Political Legitimacy of the Sultans of the Lanao Sultanate in the 17th Century with Special Reference to the Political Views of al-Māwardī.”

Abstract:

The Pat a Pangampong sa Ranao or Lanao Sultanate in the Philippines was founded in the early 17th century after it seceded from the Magindanao Sultanate. The Lanao Sultanate had the traditional laws and Shari’ah (Islamic laws). The political structure of Lanao Sultanate consists of council of elders, house of board of advisers, house of bais (ladies), imāms (prayer leaders), kalis (judges), gurus (teachers), askars (army), pananalsilas (genealogy experts), defence units headed by a radia-laut (naval and war commander), and the 43 clans who ruled the pagawidan (supported states) and pagawid (supporting states). The supported states had 15 sultans who were the executive bodies of the 15 royal houses of the Lanao Sultanate, and supporting states which had 28 governors called m’babaya ko taritib who were also the legislative bodies of the 4 states of Lanao: Bayabao, Masiu, Unayan, and Baloi. Books specifically dealing with the legitimacy of the sultans of the Lanao Sultanate are scarce. This explains why there is a huge research gap on the political legitimacy of the sultans of the Lanao Sultanate from Sunni political perspective. To fill in this research gap, this paper will explore in-depth the practice of the Maranao Royal Court in appointing a sultan, his qualifications and functions. This practice will be cross-referred to the Qur’ān and Ḥadith injunctions on establishing a ruler as well as on the political perspective of al-Māwardī on establishing an imāmate (leadership) i.e. sultan, the process of his appointment, his qualifications and functions.

Author’s profile:

Sohayle M. Hadji Abdul Racman finished BS in International Relations from the College of King Faisal Center for Islamic Arabic and Asian Studies, Mindanao State University, Marawi City. He finished his Master’s degree in Islamic Studies from the Institute of Islamic Studies, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City. He is currently taking PhD in Islamic Civilization and Contemporary Issues at Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Centre for Islamic Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam where he recently completed writing the manuscript of his PhD thesis entitled: The Political Legitimacy of Lanao Sultanate in the 17th Century with Special Reference to the Political Perspective of al-Māwardī. Mr. Racman worked as a college instructor and taught social sciences subjects at St. Peter’s College in Iligan City from 2010 to 2014. He also taught international relations subjects in International Relations Department at the Institute of Middle East and Asian Studies at University of Southern Mindanao, Kabacan Cotabato in 2014 to 2015.

Events News & Archives

Keynote Conference: “I Could Be Wrong: Reconciling Knowledge and Faith in Democratic Education” by Prof. Jeffrey Ayala Milligan

We are very happy to announce the keynote address of Professor Jeffrey Ayala Milligan (Florida State University, USA) entitled “I Could Be Wrong: Reconciling Knowledge and Faith in Democratic Education” at the 1st UP-IIS International Conference on the role of the State, education, community outreach, responsible media, and religio-cultural dialogues in countering violent extremism. It will be held on September 22, 2018 (Saturday) at the National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development (NISMED) of the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Prof. Milligan is the UP-IIS Visiting Professor and Fulbright Specialist from October to December 2018. He will lead the International Book Seminar of his book, Islamic Identity, Postcoloniality, and Educational Policy: Schooling and Ethno-Religious Conflict in the Southern Philippines (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005), on September 24, 2018 (Monday).

Abstract:

The place of religion in the education of children in religiously diverse, multicultural societies is complex. For much of history, and much of the world today, the inculcation of mainstream religious beliefs in school is often seen as unproblematic. But it in fact raises profound concerns about the rights of religious minorities and those without religious beliefs to an education free of unwanted religious imposition. Moreover, in many quarters religious truth claims are seen as impediments to the inculcation of scientific habits of thought so central to modern technological societies. Such concerns lead many modern, democratic societies to more or less exclude religious learning from government-sponsored education, but this too raises concerns about the rights of individuals and their families to pass on their religious beliefs and receive a modern education without the undue burden of supporting their children in two separate educational systems. How might we reconcile these tensions in the education of children for modern, democratic citizenship in religiously diverse, multicultural societies?

This presentation will offer for consideration a conceptual framework intended to reconcile these tensions. It will examine the relevance of Cornel West’s (1998) notion of prophetic pragmatism as a candidate for such a framework, paying particular attention to the tensions between pragmatist epistemology and the knowledge claims commonly asserted in Islam before exploring the concept of epistemic humility as an ethic potentially acceptable to religious believers and consistent with pragmatist epistemology. It will conclude with a tentative exploration of the meaning of an ethic of epistemic humility for both religious and secular education.

Keynote Speaker’s profile:

Dr. Jeffrey Ayala Milligan is Director of the Learning Systems Institute and a Professor of philosophy of education and international and comparative education in the department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. During his tenure at LSI he has been involved in the implementation of international educational development projects in Southeast Asia and Africa. His research explores the challenges posed by religious tensions in the educational systems of multicultural, religiously diverse communities in the United States and Southeast Asia. He is the author of two books – Islamic Identity, Postcoloniality and Educational Policy: Schooling and Ethno-Religious Conflict in the Southern Philippines (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005) and Teaching at the Crossroads of Faith and School: The Teacher as Prophetic Pragmatist (Lanham: University Press of America, 2002). He is the co-editor of Citizenship, Identity and Education in Muslim Communities: Essays on Attachment and Obligation (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010), and author of more than thirty refereed articles in Philosophy of Education, Comparative Education Review, Journal of Thought, Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, Asia-Pacific Education Review, Educational Policy, and other academic journals. He has been the recipient of two Fulbright Senior Fellowships (Philippines, 1999 and Malaysia, 2006) and a National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Dr. Milligan is a fellow and past Executive Director of the Philosophy of Education Society and a member of the International Network of Philosophers of Education and the Comparative and International Education Society.

Publications

Refereed Journal Articles

Milligan, J. A., Stanfill, E., Widyanto, A., & Zhang, H. (2011). Philosophers Without Borders? Toward a Comparative Philosophy of Education. Educational Studies, 47, 50-70.

Milligan, J. A. (2010). The Prophet and the Engineer Meet Under the Mango Tree: Leadership, Education and Conflict in the Southern Philippines. Educational Policy, 24(1), 28-51.

Milligan, J. A., & Zhang, H. (2010). Self-Enlightenment in the Context of Radical Social Change: A Neo-Confucian Critique of John Dewey’s Conception of Intelligence. Journal of Thought, 45(1-2), 29-41. Retrieved from http://www.journalofthought.com/index.php?page=currentIssue&year=2010&volume=45&issue=12

Milligan, J. A. (2009). Prophetic Pragmatism? Post-Conflict Educational Development in Aceh and Mindanao. Diaspora, Indigenous and Minority Education: An International Journal, 3(4), 245-259.

Merry, M., & Milligan, J. A. (2009). Complexities of Belonging in Democratic/Democratizing Societies: Islamic Identity, Ethnicity and Citizenship in the Netherlands and Aceh. Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, 29(3), 311-323.

Milligan, J. A. (2008). Islam and Educational Policy Reform in the Southern Philippines. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 28(4), 369-381.

Milligan, J. A. (2007). Pedagogical Fundamentalisms: Religion, Markets and the Discourse of Accountability in U.S. Educational Reform. Educational Awakenings, 4(1), 1-25.

Milligan, J. A. (2006). Gender and the Limits of Inclusion: Should Multiculturalism ‘Include’ Fundamentalisms? Manifest, 1(2), 89-96.

Milligan, J. A. (2006). Reclaiming an Ideal: The Islamization of Education in the Southern Philippines. Comparative Education Review, 50(3), 410-430.

Milligan, J. A. (2005). Faith in School: Educational Policy Responses to Ethno-Religious Conflict in the Southern Philippines, 1935-1985. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 36(1), 67-86.

Milligan, J. A. (2005). Postcolonial Pragmatism? Ethno-Religious Conflict and Education in Postcolonial Spaces. Philosophy of Education, 287-295.

Milligan, J. A. (2005). Teaching in Moloch: Toward a Prophetic Pragmatic Critique of Pedagogical Fundamentalism. Journal of Thought, 42(2), 97-111.

Milligan, J. A. (2004). Islamization or Secularization? Educational Reform and the Search for Peace in the Southern Philippines. Current Issues in Comparative Education, 7(1), 1-8. Retrieved from http://www.tc.columbia.edu/cice/articles/jm171.htm:1-8.

Milligan, J. A. (2004). Democratization or Neocolonialism? The Education of Muslims Under U.S. Military Occupation, 1903-1920. History of Education, 33(4), 451-467.

Milligan, J. A. (2003). Teaching Between the Cross and the Crescent Moon: Islamic Identity, Postcoloniality and Public Education in the Southern Philippines. Comparative Education Review, 47(4), 468-492.

Milligan, J. A. (2003). Teaching in the Presence of Burning Children: Attending to Tragedy and Faith in Philosophy And/Of Education. Educational Foundations, 17(1), 1-18.

Milligan, J. A. (2003). Religious Diversity and the Concept of Separation: Do Good Fences Make Good Neighbors? Philosophy of Education 2003, 411-419.

Milligan, J. A. (2002). Religion, Diversity and Public Education: Challenges for Teacher Education in the U.S. and Philippines. Silliman Journal, 42(2), 12-37.

Milligan, J. A. (2002). Religion, Diversity and Public Education: Challenges for Teacher Education in the U.S. and the Philippines. Silliman Journal, 42(2), 12-37.

Milligan, J. A. (2001). Religious Identity, Autonomy, and National Integrity: Implications for Educational Policy from Muslim-Christian Conflict in the Philippines. Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, 12(4), 435-448.

Milligan, J. A. (2000). Mapping the Road Toward Bethlehem: Parameters for Discourse on the Relationship between Religion and Public Education. Educational Policy, 14(5), 685-702.

Milligan, J. A. (2000). Rethinking the Ideal of the Educated Person: An Alternative from the Maranao-Filipino Oral Epic “Darangen”. Journal of Thought, 35(3), 67-79.

Milligan, J. A. (2000). Neocolonialism and Peace Corps Teaching in the Philippines. Philippine Studies, 18, 109-120.

Milligan, J. A. (1999). Gender and the Limits of Inclusion: Should Multiculturalism Include Fundamentalism? Religious Education, 94(1), 75-83.

Milligan, J. A. (1999). Multiculturalism or ‘Second-Persons?’ An Alternative Approach to Teaching. Encounter: Education for Meaning and Social Justice, 12(3), 23-32.

Milligan, J. A. (1999). The Idolatry of Multicultural Education: A Prophetic Pragmatic Alternative? Multicultural Education, 6(3), 2-5.

Milligan, J. A. (1999). Love, Jazz and a Sense of the Holy: Conceptualizing the Teacher in Toni Morrison’s “Beloved”. Philosophy of Education, 368-376.

Milligan, J. A. (1998). Critical Pedagogy: Responsible Teaching for the Rural Community College. Removing Vestiges: Research Based Strategies to Promote Inclusion, 1(1), 21-26.

Milligan, J. A. (1997). Multiculturalism and Christian Fundamentalism: Strange Postmodern Bedfellows? Religion and Education, 24(2), 28-34.

Milligan, J. A. (1997). Teaching at the Crossroads of Faith and School: The Teacher as Prophetic Pragmatist. Philosophy of Education, 47-56.

Milligan, J. A. (1996). Religion, Public Education and Dewey’s Call for an ‘Intelligent’ Theory of Education. Educational Foundations, 10(3), 69-83.

Milligan, J. A. (1996). Multiculturalism and the Religious Right: Is Dialogue Possible? Journal of Thought, 31(1), 45-54.

Refereed Books

Milligan, J. A. (2005). Islamic Identity, Postcoloniality and Educational Policy: Schooling and Ethno-Religious Conflict in the Southern Philippines. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Milligan, J. A. (2002). Teaching at the Crossroads of Faith and School: The Teacher as Prophetic Pragmatist. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.

Edited Books

Merry, M. S., & Milligan, J. A. (Eds.). (2010). Citizenship, Identity and Education in Muslim Communities: Essays on Attachment and Obligation. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Invited Book Chapters

Milligan, J. A. (in press). Preserving the Faith: Muslim Education in the Philippines. In H. Daun, & R. Arjmand (Eds.), Handbook of Islamic Education (25 pages). Springer.

Merry, M. S., & Milligan, J. A. (2010). Citizenship, Identity and Education in Muslim Communities. In M. S. Merry, & J. A. Milligan (Eds.), Citizenship, Identity and Education in Muslim Communities: Essays on Attachment and Obligation (pp. 20). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Milligan, J. A. (2006). Between the Cross and the Crescent Moon: The Education of Muslim Filipinos. In R. Griffin (Ed.), Education in the Muslim World (pp. 271-288). Oxford, UK: Symposium Books.

Milligan, J. A. (2000). The Idolatry of Multicultural Education: A Prophetic Pragmatic Alternative? In F. Schultz (Ed.), Annual Editions: Multicultural Education (pp. 57-60). Guilford, CT: Dushkin/McGraw-Hill.

Refereed Book Chapters

Milligan, J. A. (2007). Reclaiming an Ideal: The Islamization of Education in the Southern Philippines. In K. Wadad, & V. Billeh (Eds.), Islam and Education: Myths and Truths (pp. 104-124). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Milligan, J. A. (2001). Multiculturalism and the Idolatry of Inclusion. In S. R. Steinberg (Ed.), Multi/Intercultural Conversations: A Reader (pp. 31-47). New York: Peter Lang.

Invited Encyclopedia Entries

Milligan, J. A. (2012). Philippines, Islamic education in the. In J.L. Esposito (Ed.), Oxford Islamic Studies Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t343/e0012

Nonrefereed Journal Articles

Milligan, J. A., Fontaine, H., & Dwyer, M. (2009). The Future of the Profession: The Development of Graduate Students as Teachers in American Universities. Interim Report, Graduate School of Education, Hiroshima University, 36-42.

Milligan, J. A. (2005). Americans in the Philippines: Here We Go Again? Lincoln Journal Star, 5.

Milligan, J. A. (2005). Truth, Faith and Tolerance. Philosophy of Education 2004, 242-244.

Milligan, J. A. (1999). The Idolatry of Multicultural Education: A Prophetic Pragmatic Alternative? Interdisciplinary Studies/Society of Educators and Scholars: Proceedings of the 22nd Annual Conference, 97-103.

Milligan, J. A., Gaddy, B. B., Hall W. T., & Marzano R. J. (1997). Review of School Wars: Resolving Our Conflicts Over Religion and Values. Educational Studies, 28(1), 24-28.

Milligan, J. A. (1996). Teaching Second-Sight: Crossing the Color-Line in Freshman Composition? Multicultural Education, 48-50.

Events News & Archives

Islam in SEA workshop: “The Islamic Intellectual History and the Contestation of Muslim Identity in Nusantara” by Kamaruzzaman Bustamam-Ahmad

We are very happy to announce that one of the participants of the exploratory workshop on Islam in Southeast Asia is Dr Kamaruzzaman Bustamam-Ahmad. The workshop will be held on September 21, 2018 (Friday) at the National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development (NISMED) of the University of the Philippines Diliman. He will present his current research entitled “The Islamic Intellectual History and the Contestation of Muslim Identity in Nusantara.”

Abstract:

This essay aims to examine the Islamic intellectual history and contestation of Muslim identity in Nusantara. It will trace the issue of transformation of Islamic intellectual from Middle East to the region by looking at the network of Muslim scholars, the development of institution, and the distribution of religious ideas in kitabs. It will also discuss the construction of Muslim identity in Nusantara by looking at aspect inter-play of cosmological life. I used this tool when I examined the issue of Islam Nusantara by emphasizing on metaphysical problems. I will utilize socio-historical approach as means to understanding the early development of Islamic thought.

Author’s profile:

Dr Kamaruzzaman Bustamam-Ahmad is a lecturer at the Ar-Raniry State Islamic University (UIN), Banda Aceh, Indonesia. He completed his PhD in anthropology at La Trobe University, Australia. His research focuses on the anthropology of Islamic culture and the sociology of religion in Southeast Asia, and he is engaged in an ongoing project on Acehnese identity, nationalism and Islamic Radicalism in Southeast Asia. His latest publications include Acehnologi (6 volumes) (2018), Masa Depan Dunia [The Future of the World] (2018), Wahdatul Wujud (2014), From Islamic Revivalism to Islam Radicalism in Southeast Asia (2015), Islamic Studies and Islamic Education in Contemporary Southeast Asia (co-edited with Patrick Jory, 2011), and Islamic Thought in Southeast Asia: New Intepretations and Movements (co-edited with Patrick Jory, 2013).

Events News & Archives

Islam in SEA workshop: “Three Faces of the Rohingya Crisis: Religious Nationalism, Asian Islamophobia and Delegitimizing Citizenship” by Dr Imtiyaz Yusuf

We are very happy to announce that one of the participants of the exploratory workshop on Islam in Southeast Asia is Dr Imtiyaz Yusuf. The workshop will be held on September 21, 2018 (Friday) at the National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development (NISMED) of the University of the Philippines Diliman. He will present his current research entitled “Three Faces of the Rohingya Crisis: Religious Nationalism, Asian Islamophobia and Delegitimizing Citizenship.”

Abstract:

Myanmar is a non-secular Buddhist majority country born out of the ashes of the murder of its integrationist freedom fighter leader General Aung San who was assassinated on July 19, 1947, a few months before the independence of Burma on January 4, 1948. His failed legacy of integrating Myanmar into a multicultural nation of majority Burmans and non-Burman minorities continues to elude Myanmar. The Rohingya crisis is not a religious clash between Islam and Buddhism as both the religions have a long-shared history of peaceful coexistence. Nor is it merely a case of Buddhist persecution of Muslims as purported by the Rohingyan nationalists. It is a clash between two nationalisms over the claim to Myanmar citizenship. The conflict invokes Buddhist and Muslim nationalisms for the purpose of protecting and preserving nationalist ethnicities as religious identities in turn causing the rise of the new phenomena of Asian Islamophobia.

Author’s profile:

Assistant Professor Dr. Imtiyaz Yusuf is currently a Lecturer and Director of the Center for Buddhist-Muslim Understanding in the College of Religious Studies at Mahidol University in Thailand. Previously, he has also taught at the Graduate School of Philosophy and Religion, Assumption University of Thailand for 12 years and before that at the College of Islamic Studies, Prince of Songkla University, Pattani Campus for 5 years.

Dr. Yusuf speaks 6 languages: English, Swahili, Arabic, Thai, Hindi and Urdu.

Dr. Yusuf obtained BA (Politics) from Poona University, India; MA (Islamic Studies) Aligarh Muslim University, India and Ph. D. (Religion) Temple University, USA. Dr. Yusuf specializes in Religion with a focus on Islam in Thailand and Southeast Asia and also Muslim-Buddhist and interreligious dialogue.

During 2009-2010, he was visiting Associate Professor and Malaysia Chair of Islam in Southeast Asia at ACMCU, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA. He is also concurrently a Senior Fellow at the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, (ACMCU) Georgetown University, Washington D.C., USA.

https://acmcu.georgetown.edu/imtiyaz-yusuf

Dr. Yusuf has contributed to the Oxford Encyclopedia of Islamic World (2009); Oxford Dictionary of Islam (2003); Encyclopedia of Qur’an (2002); and Oxford Encyclopedia of Modern Islamic World (1995). He was also the special Editor, The Muslim World – A Special Issue on Islam and Buddhism Vol. 100, Nos 2-3 April/July 2010.

Dr. Yusuf‘s most recent publications are:

“Nationalist Ethnicities as Religious Identities: Islam, Buddhism and Citizenship in Myanmar” American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 34:4 (2017) pp. 100-119;

“Celebrating Muhammad’s Birthday In Buddha’s Land: Managing Religious Relations through Religious Festival in Religion, Public Policy and Social Transformation in Southeast Asia ― Religion, Identity and Gender, Dicky Sofjan (Editor), Vol. 2 (Geneva: Globethics.net International Secretariat, 2017) pp. 129-160;

“Islamic Attitudes towards Theravada Buddhism: The Contemporary State of Relations” in Buddhist and Christian Attitudes to Religious Diversity Hans-Peter Grosshans, Samuel Ngun Ling and Perry Schimdt-Leukel (eds.) Yangon: Ling’s Family Publication, 2017) pp. 209-232;

Imtiyaz Yusuf (ed.), A Planetary And Global Ethics For Climate Change And Sustainable Energy, (Bangkok: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Bangkok and College of Religious Studies, Mahidol University, 2016);

“Muslim-Buddhist Relations Caught between Nalanda and Pattani” in Ethnicity and Conflict in Buddhist Societies in South and Southeast Asia, K.M. de Silva (ed.) (Colombo: Vijitha Yapa, 2015);

“Ismail al-Faruqi’s Contribution to the Academic Study of Religion” in Islamic Studies, 53:1-2 (2014) pp. 99–115;

“Islam and Buddhism: From Coexistence to Dialogue” in Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Interreligious Dialogue Catherine Cornille ed. (Hoboken, NJ, USA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2013), 360-375.

“Islamic Theology of Religious Pluralism: Quran’s Attitude Towards Other Religions” Prajna Vihara, Vol. 11, No. 1 January-June 2010 : 123-140;

“The Role of the Chularajmontri (Shaykh al-Islam) in Resolving Ethno-religious Conflict in Southern Thailand” American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, Vol. 27 No. 1 (2010) 31-53;

“Dialogue Between Islam and Buddhism through the Concepts Ummatan Wasatan (The Middle Nation) and Majjhima-Patipada (The Middle Way)” Islamic Studies, 48:3 (2009) pp. 367–394;

“The Thai Muslims and the Participation in the Democratic Process: The Case of 2007 Elections” Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, Vol. 29, No. 3, (2009) : 325-336;

“The Southern Thailand Conflict and the Muslim World” in Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, Vol. 27, No. 2 (2007) 319-339 and

“Dialogue between Islam and Buddhism Through The Concepts of Tathagata and Nur Muhammadi” International Journal of Buddhist Thought and Culture, Vol. 5 (2005) : 103-114.

Dr. Yusuf is also:

Southeast Asia editor for Oxford Islamic Studies Online (2012 – )

http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/Public/ed_advisors.html

Member, International Advisory Board, Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, (UK) http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cjmm20;

Consultant Editor, International Journal of Buddhist Thought and Culture, Dongkuk University, Seoul Korea, since 2002 – ;

Dr. Yusuf often writes on Islam-Buddhism, religion in Southeast Asia and Middle East for The Nation (Bangkok) newspaper. His latest article was: “Secularism has failed: new religious wars require fresh solution.” http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/opinion/30317302

Events News & Archives

Islam in SEA workshop: “Revisiting Brunei’s Early Islamic History: China and the Formation of an Early Fourteenth-Century Bruneian Sultanate” by Dr Alexander Wain

We are very happy to announce that one of the participants of the exploratory workshop on Islam in Southeast Asia is Dr Alexander Wain. The workshop will be held on September 21, 2018 (Friday) at the National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development (NISMED) of the University of the Philippines Diliman. He will present his current research entitled “Revisiting Brunei’s Early Islamic History: China and the Formation of an Early Fourteenth-Century Bruneian Sultanate.”

Abstract:

This paper seeks to re-assess the date of and circumstances surrounding the early Islamization of Brunei. While earlier studies have dated Brunei’s conversion to either 1363 or ca.1515 and emphasized the role of Malay and Arab Muslim missionaries in the subsequent Islamization process, this paper draws upon recent archaeological evidence and previously neglected textual sources to establish that: 1) Brunei’s conversion occurred earlier than previously thought, in the early fourteenth century; and 2) Muslims from Quanzhou forged a close bond with early Islamic Brunei, influencing various aspects of its Islamicate culture. Thus, while early indigenous and European texts, notably the Silsilah Raja-Raja Brunei and Boxer Codex, unanimously agree that Islam first reached Brunei from further west in Southeast Asia, perhaps from the region of Johor, Brunei’s archaeological record demonstrates that the subsequent process of Islamization was far more complex, with Chinese cultural influences playing a leading role. Focusing on the recent discovery of 15 fourteenth- to fifteenth-century Bruneian Muslim gravestones, in addition to archaeological evidence pertaining to trade, coupled with a reconsideration of the importance of the seventeenth-century Boxer Codex, this paper conclusively demonstrates the existence of Muslim rule in Brunei before the 1320s, where it existed in an environment suffuse with Chinese cultural and commercial influence—influence that subsequently came to bear on the formation of Brunei’s early Islamicate culture. The paper concludes by briefly tracing the continuance of this influence into the sixteenth century.

Author’s profile:

Alexander Wain obtained his DPhil from the University of Oxford in 2015. A specialist in the history of Islam in Southeast Asia, his DPhil research focused on the possible role of Chinese Muslims in the conversion of the Nusantara (Maritime Southeast Asia) between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries. Currently, he is an Associate Research Fellow at The International Institute for Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) Malaysia. His recent publications include ‘The Two Kronik Tionghua of Semarang and Cirebon: A Note on Provenance and Reliability,’ published in the Journal of Southeast Asian Studies.

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