[Reporters]

1. Masaki Nakazawa (Kyushu Industrial University)
   "The Research Trends of Malaysian Islamic Studies"
2. Omar Farouk (Hiroshima City University)
   "The Muslim in Contemporary Thailand: An Introductory Overview"

1. Toru Aoyama (Kagoshima University)
2. Yashushi Kosugi (Kyoto University)

Prof. Nakazawa pointed out the main trends of this research is based on how Islamic factors are expressed in a Malay ethnicity. So the studies are divided into two methods, one on the overall Malaysian society (macro view) and one on the Malay society and culture (micro view). The former method focuses on the issue of ethnic problems and Islam within a complex society, dealing with national integration, modernization, and economic development, while in the latter, individual cases dealing with traditional worship and Islam are raised. Prof. Nakazawa also suggested that in the prospective studies, issues such as the changes in the meaning of Islam in the transition of ethnicity problems, co-existence of non-Muslims under the polices of the Bumiputra administration, and the issue of the Dakwah movement headed for further Islamization for Islamic nation building, will need to be raised as important focuses.

Next in Prof. Omar Farouk's report, it was emphasized that contradictory to the conventional view, in Thailand Muslims reside throughout the whole country with much ethnic multitude. Therefore, the report contended the necessity to expand the area of research to regions other than the one targeted in the study (the South) to gather basic data, and that the current political environment of Thailand is working in favor for initiating such research. In addition, the report mentioned the fact that with the increased participation of Muslim politicians in central politics in a rather religiously tolerant Thai society, more Muslims support ethnic integration into the Thai Nationality despite the separatist or some integral movements by the Muslim people of the Malay peninsula, further increasing their influence in the world of politics. The issues of Islamic philosophy, movement, and education are raised as individual research topics for further studies.

After the two reports, Prof. Aoyama re-emphasized the necessity of considering ethnicity as an important factor Southeast Asian Islamic Studies framework. In other words, he pointed out the necessity of considering the nexus of particular ethnic groups in order to think over the "territoriality" and "indigenousness" of the ethnic group. Several case studies were presented to point out that such "territorialities" and "indigenousness" were built over historical precedents but only began to be implicated during the 19th Century without ever becoming elicit to this date.

Against those remarks, Prof. Kosugi pointed out the weakness of the study: the researchers on Southeast Asia have persisted in one-nation studies, which has resulted in devaluing the study of Islam. Therefore, he suggested that the transactions between the Middle East and Southeast Asia should come into perspective. He also advised to compare the regionality of Islam and how Islam was accepted by infusing the regional factors that it would be beneficial of the society of each particular region.

Both of the above reports were organized according to a nation-states framework. And, this indicated the fixation we all have towards the postwar framework of nation-states. Furthermore, because studies of a particular ethnic area took precedent over a more multi-faceted and wider perspective study, the overall picture of the Islamic world did not come into our scope. It also became clear that we failed to include Southeast Asia in its entities in our scope of study.

In general, what could be derived from these reports and debates is that Islamic Studies in the Southeast Asian region has reached its turning point in terms of its qualitative approach. To clarify the dynamism of Islam, it is necessary to look at Islam as-is and view it in the context of Southeast Asian perspective to determine whether it will continue to develop over a much longer time span. However in Japan there are still very few researchers who are interested in this area of study. While other Southeast Asian studies are bustling with activity, Islamic Studies seems to have been left out in the cold. Though there are indeed some pioneering studies in this field, they have not culminated to a point where they hold an influential part in affecting the historical interpretation and understanding of the society. Evoking an interest in Islam is still left as one of our big tasks, and inclusion of historical, political, economic, and social studies is anticipated.