Bilveer Singh: The Talibanization of Southeast Asia: Losing the War on Terror to Islamist Extremists

The terrorist attack on the New York twin towers on 11 September 2001 has resulted in a number of works on terrorism committed by Muslims in the name of Islam. Bilveer Singh’s book is one of those which try to explain the radicalisation of Muslim societies in Southeast Asia – termed as ‘talibanisation’. Since the Bali attacks on 12 October 2002, a number of articles and books have been published examining the nature and extent of the militant Islamic threat in the region, and Bilveer Singh’s Talibanization of Southeast Asia falls into this category. The book is, of course, not the first of its kind in trying to understand the question of the emergence of militant Islam in the region. It is extremely informative, especially on Jemaah Islamiah (JI), as the author has collected and put together various information and earlier writings on the issue, as evident in the bibliography, chronology and appendixes provided.