Abbasid Decline and the Spread of Islamic Civilization to South and Southeast Asia

Islam and Java

•Islam spread into Java and moved on to the Celebes and Mindanao in the Philippines.

•Coastal cities were the most receptive to Islam.

•Their conversion linked them to a Muslim system connected to the principal Indian Ocean ports.

•Buddhist dynasties were present in many regions, but since Buddhist conversions were limited to the elite, the mass of the population was open to the massage of Sufis.

•The island of Bali and mainland Southeast Asia, where Buddhism had gained popular support, remained impervious to Islam.