In the coming century of globalization, the rapidly changing Muslim world will play an important role, and the processes of its evolution, called by many researchers the "Islamic Renaissance", will largely determine not only the interaction between the West and the East, but also seriously affect the overall vector of further development of the entire international community. In this process, along with the hotbeds of traditional Islam (Saudi Arabia and a number of other Muslim countries), Indonesia, with a population of 220 million, 88 percent of which are adherents of Islam, will play an important and possibly increasing role. The fundamental monograph of the scholar-orientalist V. F. Sychev "Indonesia and the Muslim world in the XX century" is devoted to the problems of Indonesia's place in the modern Muslim world, its relations with other Muslim countries and organizations, the specifics of Indonesian Islam and its role in the socio-political life of the country (Moscow, RUSAKI, 2003, 508 p.). Scientific research of the author of the book was enriched by his repeated stay in Indonesia. The book shows in detail the process of Islamization of Indonesians, which synthesized the direct influence of both the Arabs, who formed the Muslim diaspora in the country in the Middle Ages, and the Ottoman Empire, which actively helped Indonesian Muslims in their struggle against European colonizers. Having experienced the influence of all the world's religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Christianity) throughout their history, Indonesians have preserved a syncretic perception of the world around them, absorbing its impact and processing it in their own spirit. The author examines the political role of Islam both in the state itself and in its relations with the Muslim world at different stages of the development of Indonesian society - during the colonial period, during the Japanese occupation, after independence, and at the present time. And Islam itself in Indonesia is no ... Read more