Islam in Malaysian Foreign Policy

The Mahathir Administration has strived to propagate an "authentic" kind of Islam in Malaysia while attempting to delineate an exemplary role for Muslim countries in the new domestic order. Shanti Nair explores the implications of this enhanced religious identity for Malaysia's relations with both Muslim and non-Muslim countries. The book draws specific connections between the direction and intent of the country's foreign policy towards other Muslim countries, concerning global and regional Islamic issues, and the politics of Islam within the domestic scene. This book makes an important contribution to understanding the intense relationship between domestic and foreign contexts, and the impact of such policy in the case of post-colonial states. It also addresses the real and imagined significance of Islam as a force in contemporary global politics. Not For Export