Islam in Modern Asia

Islam is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions, and the world’s second-largest religion.  Followers of Islam are known as Muslims.  Muslims believe that God revealed his divine word directly to mankind through many prophets and that Muhammad was the final prophet of Islam.  Muslims hold that Islam is essentially the same belief as that of all the messengers sent by God to mankind since Adam, with the Qur’an (the text used by all sects of the Muslim faith) codifying the final revelation of God.  Islamic texts depict Judaism and Christianity as derivations of the teachings of the prophet Abraham and thus acknowledge common Abrahamic roots.  The Qur’an calls Jews and Christians (and sometimes people of other faiths) "People of the Book." Historically, the second Caliph Umar ibn Khattab created what came to be known as "the Pact of Umar" in establishing that any people of the book who submitted to Muslim authority as dhimmis during the wars of Muslim expansion retained their freedom of religion and their existing churches.  The actions and political rhetoric of the day seem to affirm the commitment of many Muslims to a more Islamic political, social, and economic order.  This wide-ranging volume brings together previously unpublished writings by leading authorities on Islamic affairs to provide the fullest picture of the diverse roles played by Islam in Asian public life today.  Central topics include how Islam is presented in the public life-government, national ideology, law, and political parties of Muslim countries today.