Why did southeast Asian elites begin to adopt Islam in the postclassical period?
a. It gave them the ability to move against regional rivals of other religious creeds.
b. It allowed them to reorganize and attain greater control over their subjects through social engineering along Islamic lines.
c. It provided links with a powerful historical and political tradition that further legitimized their leadership when confronted with challenges from below.
d. It gave them access to foreign knowledge and goods via Muslim traders, and reinforced their local authority.