The Islamic economy may be broadly divided into three main sectors: the government, the commercial, and the voluntary. In Islamic states, these sectors play complementary roles in accordance with the tenets of Islam. In the non-Islamic states of Southeast Asia where there are, nevertheless, large Muslim communities, the Islamic voluntary sector has to assume greater responsibilities if the economic welfare and development of Muslim communities in the region are to be consonant with Islam. In this volume, several scholars examine the role of the Islamic voluntary sector (broadly defined) in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore. and Thailand, and explicate issues such as the mobilization, administration, and management of zakat and its various forms, waqf, and saddaqah.

The Islamic economic system places a high premium on human initiative in a manner consonant with the tenets of Islam. The Islamic perspective of the private sector is an interesting one; while the acquisition of wealth through legitimate means is permitted, there is the need to drive a middle course between profit maximization, and social and religious responsibility. In Islamic states, the private sector generally operates in ways consonant with Islam. In the non-Islamic states of Southeast Asia where there are, nevertheless, large Muslim communities, the Islamic private sector functions in a larger economic context which is not based on Islamic economic principles. In this volume, case studies from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand provide valuable insights not only into ways in which Southeast Asian Muslims attempt to resolve conflicts between Islamic economic theory and practice, but also into the socio-economic structures of Muslim communities in the region.

This volume investigates the appropriate position of Islam and opposing perceptions of Muslims in Southeast Asia. The contributors examine how Southeast Asian Muslims respond to globalization in their particular regional, national and local settings, and suggest global solutions for key local issues.

In an era when Islam ostensibly lies at the heart of a volatile nexus of a global campaign of war on terrorism, simplistic notions and dangerous misunderstandings about the cultures and nature of Southeast Asian Islam, in all its variants, are used to inform and justify policies.

"Islam in the Malay world of Southeast Asia or Islam Nusantara, as it has come to be known, had for a long time been seen as representing the more spiritual and Sufi dimension of Islam, thereby striking a balance between the exoteric and the esoteric. This image of 'the smiling face of Islam' has been disturbed during the last decades with increasing calls for the implementation of Shari’ah, conceived of in a narrow manner, intolerant discourse against non-Muslim communities, and hate speech against minority Muslims such as the Shi’ites. There has also been what some have referred to as the Salafization of Sunni Muslims in the region. The chapters of this volume are written by scholars and activists from the region who are very perceptive of such trends in Malay world Islam and promise to improve our understanding of developments that are sometimes difficult to grapple with." — Professor Syed Farid Alatas, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore