Lecture Abstract:

This seminar seeks to survey the role of Islamic institutions in building inter-faith relations within the Southeast Asian region especially in societies where there are sizable Muslim and Buddhist populace. Examining the efforts by Muslim and Buddhist community leaders in promoting inter-faith relations between the different religious communities, the seminar will analyse the role of these institutions and address the future challenges in this relationship.

About the Speaker:

Omar Farouk graduated from the University of Malaya in 1975 with a First Class Honours in History  and obtained his Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Politics and Government from the University of Kent at Canterbury, England in 1981. He was a Ford Foundation Fellow and taught for many years at the University of Malaya before moving to Japan.  He has done extensive field research on Muslims in all of mainland Southeast Asia.  An Emeritus Professor, he is currently attached to the Centre for Policy Research and International Studies, Science University of Malaysia. He co-authored with Ken Miichi, the volume on Southeast Asian Muslims in the Era of Globalization, published by Palgrave-MacMillan, New York, U.S.A., in 2015. His latest research is on the Cham Muslim community in Cambodia.