"Singapore Malays subscribe to mostly traditional rather than modern interpretations of Islam. Singapore state officials, however, wish to curb the challenges such interpretations bring to the country's political, social, educational and economic domains. Thus, these officials launched a p...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Bibliographische Detailangaben

1. Verfasser:	Rizwana Abdul Azeez (VerfasserIn)
Format:	Buch
Sprache:	English
Veröffentlicht:	Brighton ; Chicago, IL ; Toronto Sussex Academic Press 2016
Ausgabe:	First published
Schriftenreihe:	Asian and Asian American studies
Schlagworte:	Islam Malaien Muslim Singapur Muslims / Singapore Islam and state / Singapore Malays (Asian people) / Singapore / Social conditions
Zusammenfassung:	"Singapore Malays subscribe to mostly traditional rather than modern interpretations of Islam. Singapore state officials, however, wish to curb the challenges such interpretations bring to the country's political, social, educational and economic domains. Thus, these officials launched a programme to socially engineer modern Muslim identities amongst Singapore Malays in 2003, which is ongoing. Negotiating Malay Identities in Singapore documents a variety of ethnographic encounters that point to the power struggles surrounding two basic and very different ways of living. While the Singapore state has gained some successes for its project, it has also faced significant and multiple setbacks. Amongst them, state officials have had to contend with traditional Islamic authority that Malay elders carry and who cannot be ignored because these elders are time-entrenched figures of repute in their community. One of the book's significant contributions is that it documents how Singapore, an avowedly secular state, has now turned to Islam as a tool for governance. Just as significant are the insights the study provides on another aspect of Singapore state governance, one usually described as 'authoritarian'. The book demonstrates that even authoritarian states can face serious obstacles in the face of religion's influence over its followers. Moreover, the academic literature on Singapore Malays is sparse and this work not only fills gaps in the existing literature but provides new and original research data"-- "Singapore Malays subscribe to mostly traditional rather than modern interpretations of Islam. Singapore state officials, however, wish to curb the challenges such interpretations bring to the country's political, social, educational and economic domains. Thus, these officials launched a programme to socially engineer modern Muslim identities amongst Singapore Malays in 2003, which is ongoing. Negotiating Malay Identities in Singapore documents a variety of ethnographic encounters that point to the power struggles surrounding two basic and very different ways of living. While the Singapore state has gained some successes for its project, it has also faced significant and multiple setbacks. Amongst them, state officials have had to contend with traditional Islamic authority that Malay elders carry and who cannot be ignored because these elders are time-entrenched figures of repute in their community. One of the book's significant contributions is that it documents how Singapore, an avowedly secular state, has now turned to Islam as a tool for governance. Just as significant are the insights the study provides on another aspect of Singapore state governance, one usually described as 'authoritarian'. The book demonstrates that even authoritarian states can face serious obstacles in the face of religion's influence over its followers. Moreover, the academic literature on Singapore Malays is sparse and this work not only fills gaps in the existing literature but provides new and original research data"--
Beschreibung:	Includes bibliographical references and index 1607
Beschreibung:	xii, 237 Seiten Illustrationen
ISBN:	9781845196967