Tag: Islamic civilization
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Understanding Islam Beyond Stereotypes: Compassion, Community, and a Buddhist Scholar’s Experience
Islam is often understood through political conflict or theological debate. This essay offers a different perspective. Based on decades of friendship with Muslim families in Thailand, Dr. Uthai Dulyakasem reflects on Islam through compassion, hospitality, community, and peaceful coexistence. Rather than discussing doctrine, this essay explores how ordinary human relationships provide a deeper understanding of…
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Pustaka Al-Azhar: Preserving Patani’s Islamic Intellectual Heritage Through Jawi Manuscripts and Traditional Knowledge
During a journey from Songkhla to Kota Bharu on June 15, 2026, Prof. Kamaruzzaman Bustamam Ahmad visited Pustaka Al-Azhar, a small Islamic bookstore in Southern Thailand. What appeared to be an ordinary bookstore revealed a deeper story about the survival of Patani’s intellectual tradition. This essay explores how Arabic and Jawi books continue to preserve…
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Acehnology as an Intellectual Journey: Aceh, Islam, Southeast Asia, and the Malay World
Acehnology is more than the study of Aceh as a historical region. It is a civilizational project that gathers scattered knowledge about Aceh into a disciplined, interdisciplinary, and globally relevant field of inquiry. This essay traces an intellectual journey from Yogyakarta to Malaysia and back to Aceh, showing how Acehnese scholarship must move beyond local…
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Sultan Iskandar Muda and the Architecture of Power: A Strategic Analysis of Aceh through Denys Lombard
This article offers a deep analytical exploration of Sultan Iskandar Muda’s rule over the Aceh Darussalam Kingdom through the lens of Denys Lombard’s historical framework. Drawing from both local manuscripts and foreign accounts, the study reveals how Aceh emerged as a dominant maritime, economic, and intellectual power in Southeast Asia. The analysis focuses on governance…