The NBR Analysis offers thought-provoking essays on the most important economic, political, and strategic issues in the Asia-Pacific region today. PDFs are free.
In this NBR Analysis, Dr. Zachary Abuza traces the development of Islamism from a “politically emasculated social phenomenon” to a counter-force to the state, which in the eyes of many Indonesians has failed to pursue economic and political reform. Dr. Abuza argues that Islamist political parties are effectively using public policy, while withdrawing overt references to Islam and sharia, to implement a social agenda that gradually erodes secular institutions. Emphasizing that radical groups expand their membership and support base primarily by deepening people’s religious devotion rather than their political ideology, he argues that understanding the Islamists’ religious worldview, which generally is not a priority of policy analysts, is nevertheless essential to the discussion of how to deal with them.
Muslims, Politics, and Violence in Indonesia: An Emerging Jihadist-Islamist Nexus? Zachary Abuza
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