1. Southeast asia studies Nov. 2011 - Jan. 2012
FOR LODI HIGH SCHOOL
ISLAM OF SOUTHEAST ASIA
REVIEW: MAINLAND SEA
SEA R E V I E W
R E V I E W : I N S U L A R SEA
I S L A M ’ S A R R I VA L OF SEA

2. Southeast asia studies Nov. 2011 - Jan. 2012
FOR LODI HIGH SCHOOL
ISLAM OF SOUTHEAST ASIA
WHERE W E R E T H E M U S L I M S F RO M ?
WHY WAS ISLAM ADOPTED?
SPREAD OF ISLAM IN SEA
ADOPTION OF ISLAM

3. Southeast asia studies Nov. 2011 - Jan. 2012
FOR LODI HIGH SCHOOL
ISLAM OF SOUTHEAST ASIA
30˚N
11. Southeast Asia: Dominant Religions,
CHINA circa 2000
Theravada Buddhism Islam
TAIWAN Mahayana Buddhism Christianity
MYANMAR Traditional Religions Hinduism
(BURMA)
LAOS After Ninian Smart, Atlas of World Religions, 1999; and Charles Fisher,
South-East Asia: A Social, Economic and Political Geography, 1964.
THAILAND
15˚N
VIETNAM
CAMBODIA PHILIPPINES
THAILAND
MALAYSIA BRUNEI
MALAYSIA
SINGAPORE
0˚ (Equator)
INDONESIA INDONESIA
Sumatra Molucca
INDONESIA
Kalimantan INDONESIA INDONESIA
Sulawesi Papua
INDONESIA
Java
INDONESIA TIMOR-LESTE
Bali
Questions
1. According to the presentation, from what areas of the world did Islam arrive in Southeast Asia?
2. Why did rulers of chiefs in Southeast Asia frequently adopt Islam?
3. What role did language play in the spread of Islam?
4. In what parts of Southeast Asia did Islam take to hold most successfully? Why?

4. Southeast asia studies Nov. 2011 - Jan. 2012
FOR LODI HIGH SCHOOL
ISLAM OF SOUTHEAST ASIA
T I M E L I N E S H OW I N G C O N V E R S AT I O N T O I S L A M
Using the appropriate maps, write the following locations on the timeline, indicating the time
period of their conversion to Islam. Saudi Arabia is done for you.
1. Eurasia: Expansion of Islam
n Syria, Oman, Iran, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, India
2. Southeast Asia: Conversion to Islam
n Singapore, Java, Sumatra, Interior Malay Peninsula, Exterior Malay Peninsula, Papua
(Indonesia)
600 800 1000 1200 1500 1800
Use the map below to answer the following questions
1. Describe the kind of trade being carried on in Southeast Asia around 1500 in terms of distance and
activity.
2. According to this map, what city seemed to be the trading center of Southeast Asia? What are the
factors that may have contributed to this?
3. What types of products seem to have been traded throughout Southeast Asia?
4. How might trade be connected to the conversion to Islam?

5. Southeast asia studies Nov. 2011 - Jan. 2012
FOR LODI HIGH SCHOOL
ISLAM OF SOUTHEAST ASIA
Use this map to answer the following questions
1. Why do you think, given the information found on this map, that coastal travel and inter-island
travel might have been so extensive?
2. According to the map, why might trade have been limited to the coastal areas?
3. How might the geographic features shown on this map have encourage or discouraged the spread
of Islam?
Answer the questions
1. What are the most common language and language family spoken among the islands of Southeast
Asia?
2. How did the Austronesian malay language help in the spread of Islam?
3. The Trade Links of Melaka, circa 1500 map can also be used to track the areas in which Malay
would also have been spoken. Compare the maps. It should be noted that people in the interior
would be less likely to know malay and less link to trade routes than people living on the coasts.
How might this explain why Islam was stronger along the coasts, and why many interior groups in
Indonesia remained animist (despite Christian missionaries moving into those areas and beginning
to make Christian converts during the colonial period)?
105˚E
30˚N 120˚E
135˚E
CHINA 11. Southeast Asia:
Dominant Religion
circa 2000 s,
Theravada Buddhism
Islam
TAIWAN
MYANMAR Mahayana Buddhism
(BURMA) Christianity
LAOS Traditional Religions
Hinduism
Answer the questions
After Ninian Smart,
Atlas of World Religions,
South-East Asia: 1999; and Charles
A Social, Economic
and Political Geography, Fisher,
1964.
THAILAND
15˚N
CAMBODIA VIETNAM
PHILIPPINES
THAILAND
1. Where in Southeast Asia is Islam the predominant religion today? 0˚ (Equator)
MALAYSIA
INDONESIA
SINGAPORE
BRUNEI
MALAYSIA
Sumatra
INDONESIA INDONESIA
Kalimantan Molucca
INDONESIA
Sulawesi
INDONESIA
Papua
INDONESIA
Java
INDONESIA
Bali TIMOR-LESTE
0 500 1000 km
15˚S
0
500
1000 mi
2. Why do you think some areas lack significant Muslim populations while Muslim populations AUSTRALIA
dominate other areas?