Religious fervour in fantasy villains, I've noticed that too.

It is interesting, despite my complaints. The protagonist is resourceful, and is a girl, and the Sultan of Malacca trusted her to lead an army. I was more impressed by the sultan, actually, since he actually chose her based on merit. (Wasn't too impressed by the modern-day protagonist -- I thought he was a bit of a jerk.) I think I would've enjoyed it more if it had focussed more on her resourcefulness instead of the magic-y religious bits the author had used to ensure her victory.