Islam and Cultural Change in Papua New Guinea
Scholars of religion and policy makers may be surprised at the changes occurring on the second largest island of the world, which straddles one of the most Christianised and least Christianised areas of the world. This book provides an accurate and deeper understanding of the nature of Islam in Papua New Guinea, and determines the causes and processes of recent growth in the countrys Muslim population.
Combining ethnographic, sociological and historical approaches to understanding Islams growth in Papua New Guinea, the book uses extensive fieldwork, interviews and archival records to look at the establishment, institutionalisation and growth of Islam in a country that is predominantly Christian. It analyses the causes and processes of conversion, and presents a new analytical approach that could be used as a basis for analysing Islamic conversions in other parts of the world.
Presenting an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Islamic conversion through the examination of the causes and process of Islamic conversion in Papua New Guinea, the book is of interest to students and scholars of Asian Religion, Islamic Studies and Cultural Studies.
Scott Flower holds a PhD from the Crawford School of Economics and Government, Australian National University and is an Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne, Australia.
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19 Islam and Cultural Change in Papua New Guinea
Scott Flower
First published 2017
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2017 Scott Flower
The right of Scott Flower to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Names: Flower, Scott, author.
Title: Islam and cultural change in Papua New Guinea / Scott Flower.
Description: New York, NY : Routledge, 2016. | Series: Routledge studies
in asian religion and philosophy ; v. 19 | Includes bibliographical
references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016012533| ISBN 9781138776357 (hardback) |
ISBN 9781315773247 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: IslamPapua New GuineaHistory. | Social
changePapua New Guinea.
Classification: LCC BP63.P36 F46 2016 | DDC 297.09953dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016012533
ISBN: 978-1-138-77635-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-77324-7 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear
Since 9/11 there has been a proliferation of books on Islam, Muslims and, unfortunately, the relationships between Islam, Muslims and violent conflict. This books emphasis is on the historical aspects of Islam in Papua New Guinea (PNG), the process of conversion to Islam in PNG, and the effect that Islam is having on the lives of Papua New Guineans who chose to become Muslim. However, given this book represents the first ever empirical study of Islam and Muslims in PNG it is my sense that there is likely to be an implicit expectation from some readers that I at least tangentially address the potential security implications relating to the growth of Islam in the country.
I do address security issues in the introduction simply to contextualise the general milieu within which the recent growth of Islamic conversions in PNG has occurred. I do not address security concerns directly and it is my sincere hope that so-called terrorism experts do not misinterpret or misrepresent the data presented. On the contrary, I hope the book reduces the likelihood that such experts will incorrectly deduce threats where they do not in fact exist.
From the time I commenced research for this book, I never ceased to be amazed by the dearth of literature on the topic, especially given Islam had been in PNG for decades and there was a global war on terror being waged. During the period of my research I observed growing claims from some governments and security agencies that threats from Islamic extremists existed in Melanesia. I developed a healthy scepticism and concern over such claims given the obvious lack of data on Muslims in the region.
I hope the book provides an empirical and realistic basis for understanding Islam and Muslims in PNG and the wider Pacific region. Facts play an important role in clarifying tenuous conceptual associations between terrorism, extremism, Muslims and Islam that are currently present in the literature. Muslims in PNG are potentially a minority at risk and I hope the book helps reduce fear and misunderstanding among non-Muslims in PNG and diminishes the likelihood that violence might evolve as a result of misunderstandings of Islam and Muslims.
