Islam in Malaysian Foreign Policy: Issued under the auspices of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore

Shanti Nair addresses the real and imagined significance of Islam as a force in contemporary global politics. She draws specific connections between the direction and intent of Malaysia’s foreign policy towards other Muslim countries, and the politics of Islam within the domestic scene. She examines the relationship between Islam, development and economic growth, and relations with other countries such as Libya and Iran, the significance of the modern-day pilgrimage to Mecca, the issue of Muslim minorities, and the Malaysian attitude towards such global problems as the issues of Palestine, Afghanistan, the Gulf War and Bosnia. Whilst being a case study of a multi-ethnic Muslim state, the book contributes to the wider study of the domestic functions of foreign policy, and the role of Islam internationally.