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THE MALAYSIAN ISLAMIC PARTY PAS 1951–2013: Islamism in a Mottled Nation. Religion and Society in Asia. By Farish A. Noor. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2014. 260 pp. US$99.00, cloth. ISBN 978-908964-576-0.
What is the role of Islam in Malaysian politics and society? To what extent can Malaysia continue to play the role of a moderate, pluralist, Western-friendly, Muslim nation in Southeast Asia? More ominously, is Malaysia still immune to the hard Islamist currents that have been entrenched in global politics post-9/11? These and other fascinating questions are covered in Farish A. Noor's very timely The Malaysian Islamic Party PAS 1951-2013: Islamism in a Mottled Nation. Noor focuses on Malaysia's Islamist opposition political party, Partai Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), as a case study through which to demonstrate how Islamist politics are dynamic and flexible, adapting to the character of the local political and cultural context. According to Noor, Islamist politics under the banner of PAS have been integral...