Igniting Thought, Unleashing Youth is a co-publication by Select Publishing and Young AMP, the youth wing of the Association of Muslim Professionals. It is a collection of essays by young Malay/Muslims on the state of various aspects of the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore.

The book will be officially launched on 15 August 2009. The book launch will be held at the Pod in the National Library, commencing at 10am.

From the backcover:

Despite enormous socio-economic progress in the Malay/Muslim community, there are deep uncertainties confronting Malay/Muslim youths: a growing sense of Islamic identity, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in the region and the widening racial income gap among others. What do Malay/Muslim youths think about
the issues confronting them and their roles in the community? This collection of essays by young Malay/Muslims provides a refreshing, if somewhat provocative, alternative to views that currently permeate the local Malay/Muslim community.

The sometimes self-critical, yet always constructive, reflections sample the psyche and thought processes of young members of a minority group in a heterogeneous society. They straddle ideas on the effects of Islamic extremism and radicalism; the implications and utility of the Internet; the impact of the environment on Islamic thought and practices; the current state of Muslim women activism; the critical need for inter-racial interaction; the urgency to emphasise education and scientific understanding; and the future role of Malay/Muslim youth activism in Singapore. Crucially, the essays ask how young Malay/Muslims should develop a religious and cultural identity alongside a Singaporean urban identity.

For community leaders and institutions, it offers insights into the aspirations of young Malay/Muslims and their efforts to contribute to society. For non-Muslim or non-Malay readers, it offers implications and applications beyond the Malay/Muslim group.

Igniting Thought, Unleashing Youth is a co-publication by Select Publishing and Young AMP, the youth wing of the Association of Muslim Professionals. It is a collection of essays by young Malay/Muslims on the state of various aspects of the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore.

The book will be officially launched on 15 August 2009. The book launch will be held at the Pod in the National Library, commencing at 10am.

From the backcover:

Despite enormous socio-economic progress in the Malay/Muslim community, there are deep uncertainties confronting Malay/Muslim youths: a growing sense of Islamic identity, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in the region and the widening racial income gap among others. What do Malay/Muslim youths think about
the issues confronting them and their roles in the community? This collection of essays by young Malay/Muslims provides a refreshing, if somewhat provocative, alternative to views that currently permeate the local Malay/Muslim community.

The sometimes self-critical, yet always constructive, reflections sample the psyche and thought processes of young members of a minority group in a heterogeneous society. They straddle ideas on the effects of Islamic extremism and radicalism; the implications and utility of the Internet; the impact of the environment on Islamic thought and practices; the current state of Muslim women activism; the critical need for inter-racial interaction; the urgency to emphasise education and scientific understanding; and the future role of Malay/Muslim youth activism in Singapore. Crucially, the essays ask how young Malay/Muslims should develop a religious and cultural identity alongside a Singaporean urban identity.

For community leaders and institutions, it offers insights into the aspirations of young Malay/Muslims and their efforts to contribute to society. For non-Muslim or non-Malay readers, it offers implications and applications beyond the Malay/Muslim group.

We're in the midst of putting the finishing touches to an exciting new book on Indonesia - just in time for the Indonesian presidential elections (we hope!). The book will be titled Indonesia Rising: Islam, Democracy and the Rise of Indonesia as a Major Power. It will examine Indonesia’s journey towards democracy and describes the roles its leaders, elites and Constitution have played in building and rebuilding the nation through different perceptions and interpretations of democracy.

The author is Dr Nasir Tamara, an expert on Indonesian politics and development. He was educated in University of Paris, France where he received his MA in Political Sciences and, later, his PhD in Southeast Asian History and Anthropology. He was appointed a Fellow at Harvard University’s Centre for International Affairs under the late Professor Samuel Huntington and also at Oxford University’s Queen Elizabeth House. Dr Tamara has extensive experience in the media as founder and Deputy Chief Editor of Republika Daily, Chief Editor of Warta Ekonomi and Capital, foreign correspondent for Tempo Magazine and Sinar Harapan Daily and founder and CEO of Global TV in Jakarta.

The book will be edited by Tan Danfeng, one of our directors.

In the book, Dr Tamara will examine the incredible transformation in Indonesia's political system over the last decade. Who could have imagined circa 1997 that less than 13 years later, there would be a US-style TV debate by the presidential candidates, and the openness and vibrancy seen throughout this presidential election campaigning. As Hillary Clinton remarked recently on her visit to Indonesia as US Secretary of State, Indonesia has shown that "Islam, democracy and modernity" can thrive together.

We're in the midst of putting the finishing touches to an exciting new book on Indonesia - just in time for the Indonesian presidential elections (we hope!). The book will be titled Indonesia Rising: Islam, Democracy and the Rise of Indonesia as a Major Power. It will examine Indonesia’s journey towards democracy and describes the roles its leaders, elites and Constitution have played in building and rebuilding the nation through different perceptions and interpretations of democracy.

The author is Dr Nasir Tamara, an expert on Indonesian politics and development. He was educated in University of Paris, France where he received his MA in Political Sciences and, later, his PhD in Southeast Asian History and Anthropology. He was appointed a Fellow at Harvard University’s Centre for International Affairs under the late Professor Samuel Huntington and also at Oxford University’s Queen Elizabeth House. Dr Tamara has extensive experience in the media as founder and Deputy Chief Editor of Republika Daily, Chief Editor of Warta Ekonomi and Capital, foreign correspondent for Tempo Magazine and Sinar Harapan Daily and founder and CEO of Global TV in Jakarta.

The book will be edited by Tan Danfeng, one of our directors.

In the book, Dr Tamara will examine the incredible transformation in Indonesia's political system over the last decade. Who could have imagined circa 1997 that less than 13 years later, there would be a US-style TV debate by the presidential candidates, and the openness and vibrancy seen throughout this presidential election campaigning. As Hillary Clinton remarked recently on her visit to Indonesia as US Secretary of State, Indonesia has shown that "Islam, democracy and modernity" can thrive together.