ABSTRACT
Asia is home to 60% of the world’s Muslim population, yet the aura of authority carried by all things Arab is an established reality. This chapter explores some of the reasons why this is the case, with a focus on academic knowledge production, and the construction of Asia as a “periphery” of the Muslim world. The chapter paints a picture of “Islam” as deeply and thoroughly connected to, and influenced, by Asia, and vice versa, offering an alternative perspective to the center/periphery dichotomy. The chapter follows the historical reach of Islam and Muslims across Asia, and examines the ways in which these sustained exchanges transformed Asia into a space of Islamized interaction through literary, aesthetic, ritual, and legal practices.
