1. Spread of Islam into South and Southeast AsiaCE
Jay Langlois
Robert E. Lee High School
Baytown, TX

2. South Asia India had always been subject to waves of invasions
Nomadic peoples
Displaced peoples

3. South Asia Most became assimilated Became Hindu or Buddhist
Became part of the caste hierarchy
Adopted the dress, food, and culture of those already there

4. South Asia
As a result, the arrival of new peoples did not significantly challenge the existing order
This will all change with the arrival of Islam in the early years of the 8th century

5. South Asia
After the collapse of the Gupta Empire (end of the 5th century), India had collapsed again into its regional divisions
This will leave the area open to conquest by the Muslims

6. South Asia
Beginning in the early 8th century, waves of Muslim groups begin entering India and establishing a foothold (in the area of the Sind)
At first, this caused little change – the conquerors promised lower taxes and greater religious tolerance
Hindus and Buddhists became dhimmis
They also allowed local elites and rulers to stay in power

7. South Asia
Exchange
Indian learning was transmitted through Muslim merchants to the west
Of particular importance was Indian advances in algebra and geometry, which rivaled those of Greece
Arabs also began using Indian numerals (which we now call Arabic numerals, but they started in India)

8. South Asia
In the 10th and 11th centuries, a new wave of Muslim invasions began
More violent, more vicious, and much more interested in territorial conquest
This wave conquered much of northern India, and established a capital at Delhi

9. South Asia
Since the ruler of this new empire called himself the sultan, this period in Indian history is known as the Delhi Sultanate

11. South Asia
However, most of this period is characterized by accommodation and peaceful exchanges – since the Muslims needed Hindu elites and rulers to help them
There were many conversions to Islam, but, again, few were forcible

12. South Asia
In spite of the number of conquests, the Delhi Sultanate made little impression on the Hindu community as a whole
They took positions as administrators and soldiers in the empire, but stayed socially aloof from their conquerors

13. South Asia
Hindus probably expected that the Muslim invaders would soon become assimilated into their culture and religion, as so many had before
But the Muslims held to their own beliefs and rituals – and there are probably no two more opposing religions than Hinduism and Islam

14. South Asia
Hindus eventually realized that they were faced with an actively evangelical religion, with so many significant differences and beliefs, there was bound to be conflict between the two

15. South Asia
Over the centuries, it became obvious that, in spite of many people’s attempts, the two religions were not compatible, and could not be fused into one belief system

16. South Asia
The Muslim community continued to grow, and while Hinduism remained the majority religion (by far), the ruling elite was primarily Muslim
Unlike other areas conquered by the Muslims, the Hindus showed little interest in conversion

17. Southeast Asia
Always significant as a trading area, the islands of Southeast Asia are a meeting point – a place where merchants and traders from East Asia, India, Africa, and the Middle East all converge

19. Southeast Asia
By the 7th and 8th centuries, Muslim merchants were making their way from India into Southeast Asia
By this point, Muslims controlled most of the trade coming into and out of India

20. Southeast Asia
Conversion in this area was easier than in India, because, while there were many faiths there, no one religious system dominated the islands
Merchants introduced locals to the ideas and rituals of Islam and also brought Sufis to the area

21. Southeast Asia Malacca – the most important port in Southeast Asia
Once the Muslim religion had “conquered” this city, it spread far and wide among the islands, ports, and trading villages of Southeast Asia

22. Southeast Asia
However, there were areas with strong Hindu and/or Buddhist traditions, and many of these were resistant to Muslim incursion

23. Southeast Asia
As Islam spread into this area, it underwent some significant changes, incorporating some of the local beliefs and rituals
This will cause problems later, because orthodox Muslims will not accept it as true Islam

24. Accommodation
Now is a good time to bring up the reality that this fact is true of all major religions
As religions spread, they are forced to accommodate themselves somewhat to local traditions and beliefs in order to gain converts

25. Accommodation
For example, Christianity incorporated some major Celtic traditions and beliefs into its religion to gain converts in northern and western Europe
Many Christmas traditions evolved from this exchange of ideas