The Muslim Private Sector in Southeast Asia: Islam and the Economic Development of Southeast Asia

The Islamic economic system places a high premium on human initiative in a manner consonant with the tenets of Islam. The Islamic perspective of the private sector is an interesting one; while the acquisition of wealth through legitimate means is permitted, there is the need to drive a middle course between profit maximization, and social and religious responsibility. In Islamic states, the private sector generally operates in ways consonant with Islam. In the non-Islamic states of Southeast Asia where there are, nevertheless, large Muslim communities, the Islamic private sector functions in a larger economic context which is not based on Islamic economic principles. In this volume, case studies from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand provide valuable insights not only into ways in which Southeast Asian Muslims attempt to resolve conflicts between Islamic economic theory and practice, but also into the socio-economic structures of Muslim copmmunities in the region.