The Coming and Spread of Islam in Southeast Asia
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The evidence available on the spread of Islam in Southeast Asia is reliant on tombstones and scattered evidence.
Significant examples include a Muslim tombstone found in Champa dating from early 11th century, an Islamic tombstone of Gresik (Java) dated late 11th century, the Trengganu stone dated 1303, records of Muslim settlers in Majapahit and a Muslim trading colony in Northern Malaya and of rulers in Pasai converting to Islam in 1282.
By the end of the 15th century, Islam was firmly established in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and northern coasts of Java, Brunei and North Borneo. It was also penetrating the Spice Islands e.g. the Moluccas and the Sulu archipelago.
[edit] The Spread of Islam before the rise of Malacca
Islam was mainly confined to Sumatran ports before the rise of Malacca. Evidence of the presence of Islam in these ports included a report in 1292 by Marco Polo that the states of Pasai and Perlak had Muslim rulers, a tombstone of a Pasai ruler who died in 1297 had the Islamic name of Malek-al-Salleh.
These ports were among the earliest in Southeast Asia to be converted. The reasons for this early conversion include the distance of these areas from the influence of Hindu Majapahit, the long trading links these areas had with Indian traders who had converted to Islam (these converted Indians included those from the Coromandel coast and those from Gujerat).
There are at least two theories on the arrival of Islam. On is that Islam first came to Southeast Asia through Indians, thus it would be the last wave of Indian cultural influence/Indianization. The theory that Islam came from Indians suggests that it made it easier for Southeast Asians to accept Islam as they were familiar with the Indians who brought it. The other was that the arrival of Islam was through Chinese - and there are records on the north coast of Java that have shown that some of the Wali Songo were of chinese ethnic origin.
[edit] See also
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