South Asian Islam: A Spectrum of Integration and Indigenization

This volume explores the historical trajectory of the spread of Islam in South Asia and how the engagements of the past have played a crucial role in the making of the present outfits of South Asian Islam.

Islam in South Asia has maintained a distinct role while imbibing cultural, social, ethnic, folk, and artistic networks of the subcontinent in diverse echelons. In an unequivocal analysis, this volume showcases the visible varieties of Islam from an array of regional cultural, ethnic, and vernacular groups. While many characteristics remain distinct in different provinces or regions of South Asia, similarities are palpable in etiquettes, customary laws, art, and architecture. More than regional differences, various ethnic groups from all poles of the Indian subcontinent have paved the way for the dissimilar landscapes of Islam, in tandem with differences in language, culture, and festivals. The case studies in this book exhibit forms of cultural pluralism in the communities, which have helped in building a cohesive community.

Part of the ‘Global Islamic Cultures’ series that looks at integrated and indigenized Islam, this book will be of interest to students and researchers of religion, religious history, theology, study of Islamic law and politics, cultural studies, and South Asian Studies. It will also be useful to general readers who are interested in world religions and cultures.

Nasr M Arif is a Visiting Professor at St Andrews University, UK, and a Professor of Political Science at Cairo University in Egypt. He served as Professor of Islamic Studies and founding Executive Director of the Institute for Islamic World Studies at Zayed University, UAE. His works have been published in Arabic and translated into English, Spanish, Hungarian, Kurdish, Persian, and Urdu. His research concentrates on Islamic traditions and political thought, the history of Islamic cultures, political development, and comparative political systems. He received a PhD degree in Political Science, 1995, Cairo University, Egypt, and the University of Maryland, College Park, USA.

Abbas Panakkal is a Visiting Professor at the School of History, University of St Andrews, and a member of the advisory board of the Religious Life and Belief Centre at the University of Surrey, UK. He is currently working on a research project focused on the diverse nature of the integration and indigenization of vernacular communities. Panakkal is the Director of the International Interfaith Harmony Initiative, which has been organising international interfaith conferences in collaboration with the United Nations Interfaith Initiatives, the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Department for Unity and Integration, and the International Islamic University Malaysia for a decade. He was awarded a research fellowship by Griffith University in Australia. He was also the project coordinator of the G20 Interfaith Summit in Australia (2014), Turkey (2015), and Germany (2017).