Summary

Muslim politics everywhere takes varied forms, but it is especially diverse across the geographic expanse that constitutes East, South, and Southeast Asia. Although in a few areas of South Asia Muslim polities were established during the first wave of Islamic expansion in the 7th century, Islam across most of this region arrived centuries later and through channels other than military conquest. From the late 19th century onward, the spread of capitalist modes of production, the rise of nationalist movements, and the development of new social media and new traditions of learning compounded the diversity of Muslim politics. Although some varieties of Islamic reform have sought to contain or eliminate this diversity, Muslim politics across the Asian region remains highly varied. The diversity has been compounded by Muslims’ engagements with the nation-state, capitalist development, and new practices of religious learning, association, and communications.