Arab immigrants to Southeast Asia and their descendants have not received much attention in comparison with immigrants from other parts of the world such as the Chinese, Indians and Europeans. Numerically the Arabs as they are called up till now, have always paled into insignificance besides other foreign minorities, in particular in the colonial period. Even today their presence is hardly noticed. Yet, they have exercised a great influence on economic, political, social and religious developments in the region for centuries.
This book contains ten articles form the perspective of various disciplines: history, sociology, anthropology and Islamology. These essays discuss the interrelationships within the various Arab communities, as well as between these communities and society at large, in the fields of politics, trade and Islam.