Islam and society in South-East Asia after 11 September

• Main Author: Desker, Barry
• Other Authors: S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: Social sciences::Sociology::Terrorism; Social sciences::Political science::Public administration; Al-Qaeda; ASEAN
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/155480
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, the ensuing war in Afghanistan and the recent revelations of the existence of al-Qaeda networks in South-East Asia have drawn attention to the challenge posed by radical Islamic ideologies to global and regional security. It appears to validate Samuel Huntington's 'clash of civilizations' thesis that there is an inevitable conflict between Islam and the West. This is a mistaken view. The uncritical acceptance of such a perspective risks the adoption of self-fulfilling US policies which undermine US relationships with states having Muslim majorities, increases the likelihood of a crescent of instability from the Middle East to South-East Asia and fosters hostility towards the United States and the West by Muslims around the globe.