This book analyses and discusses the use of Islamic terms and symbols in the political party Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC). It is based on interviews with the leading members of the party and on analyses of the party's official documents. It describes the history of Muslims in Sri Lanka, presents the analytical framework used, and discusses the official documents and narratives of party members, as well as the details of the Ashraff and Hakeem terms in Parliament. The book provides knowledge about the state of religion and politics in Sri Lanka, and provides insight into how a religious political Muslim party functions as a pragmatic rather than fundamentalist movement. Representing a recent study on the complex relationship between religion and politics, this book greatly advances our understanding of the power of religion and its effect on both individual lives and society.

Autorentext

Andreas Johansson is the current Director of Swedish South Asian Studies Network (SASNET), Lund University. He holds a PhD in history of religion. In his research he examines how different organizations use religious terms and symbols. He studies a wide range of sources and has conducted fieldwork in Sri Lanka and Japan. Andreas has published his research results in peer review articles and in specialist journals and news outlets, such as openDemocracy and The Conversation. He is one of the editors of the Nordic journal of South Asian studies. He is also the author of the book Yakuza tattoo (Dokument Press, April 2017)

Inhalt
1. Introduction.- 2. History of Muslims in Sri Lanka.- 3. Analytic Framework.- 4. Official Documents.- 5. Narratives of Party Members.- 6. Ashraff in Parliament 1989-1992.- 7. Hakeem In Parliament 2006-2011.- 8. Conclusion.