Aceh , a province of Indonesia located in the northwestern corner of the island of Sumatra, prides itself on being the cradle of Southeast Asian Islam. Earlier known to the Arabs and Italians as Assi, to the Portuguese as Dachem, and to the English as Achin or Acheen, the region is today part of Indonesia, though promised a high degree of self-government in the 2005 Helsinki peace agreement, and proud of its history as an independent sultanate (until 1874) and bastion of Islam. 1. Origins The earliest Muslim traders en