One can read here for S.S. Dr. Mohd Asri's objection towards some book banning business that is going on at Malaysia. I am disappointed myself, especially the banning of Ustaz Abdul Rahman’s book Pelik Tapi Benar Dalam Solat – I’ve read that book and found it as very insightful. Sometimes the level of prejudice that we hold towards each other is just amazing – be it the salafi issue, the racial issue, the liberalism issue, etcetera. At certain mosques at Malaysia, if you pray and move your finger continuously during tasyahud, people give you stares like you’re some criminal. I am not giving this example to bring up some insignificant ‘salafi issues’, my point is: There is just too much judgmental that is going on and not enough self-reflection, which is actually what we should do.
I've listened to Dr. Umar Faruq Abdullah's series of lectures "Famous Women in Islam" before, and the book complimented Dr. Umar's lectures very well. Great figures like Nusaybah, Umm Salamah, Karimah, etcetera are explained very well in Unveiling the Ideal : A New Look at Early Muslim Women. If the new book by SIS doesn't contain anything really 'dodgy', they must feel some injustice is going on right now. Even if it is really really 'dodgy', let's listen and understand what their qualms are about. Even I am no big fan of most of the writers of the book, but I would like to understand their views. Remember Imam Abu Hanifah's advice to his disciple Abu Yusuf: "take an interest in those who do not come to you."
I still remember even some of Karen Armstrong's books and Fatimah Mernissi's books are also banned at Malaysia - I can get hold of them over here and they are actually fabulous books. Karen Asrmstrong is actually an Islamic apologist! I am afraid with this kind of attitude, we are again and again making blunders in promoting the deen. It's not just about killing intellectual development in the country, we are responsible for making people having bad perception about the religion - people would consider banning books as something normative in the religion.
Certainly we should not alienate any parties, unless it is really a necessity. We should engage people and try to understand them in order to tackle issues like this. I really like Syaikh Hamza Yusuf’s words, “We ought to keep in mind that Mosses a.s. was commanded to go to Pharaoh and speak to him a gentle word (Qur’an 20:44). Remembering that we are not more righteous than Mosses a.s. and that our brother is certainly not father astray than Pharaoh, we can approach the matter with gentle humility and a genuine desire for the well-being and guidance of all.” (Agenda to Change Our Condition - Page 19)
Been told a story,a gunman shouting in a mosque asking people to leave and in the end,the gunman tells the Imam that only the true Muslim left in the mosque,so they can start praying.
ReplyDeleteRegardless of how truth the story is,let's associate the story with the current issue.
Perhaps,in Malaysia the authority is sooo afraid of the "harmless gunman" too test the imaan of Malaysian, that they banned the "gunman". But it turns out...[read al-azel.blogspot.com and drmaza.com]
Salam ya Akhi
ReplyDeleteI have long want to comment (or rather expressed) about this insight of yours.
First and foremost, I beg to differ on the matter of books banning. Despite the fact that I agree with you on how " There is just too much judgmental that is going on and not enough self-reflection, which is actually what we should do." and the relation to create critical thinking society that know how to think in searching for truth. Yet, though I disagree on some of books banning as some of books you have pointed out as the matter of disclose the element of too afraid of liberalism of idea or safe to say self reflection. I agree on that. Still, books banning is needed when it comes to fundamental issues i.e the ijma' OR qot'iyyat fi-deen OR the theologies issues to public readings. For instance, I wouldn't agree Shi'ite books being displayed for public sales while I disagree on the same time if we banned it for research or education purpose. In short, I do agree on some of books banning is unnecessary when we banned the books to make a shield of certain ideologies to spread that killing intellectual progress yet at the same time we didn't give a proper education to educate and encourage intellectual development.
Secondly, I really do admire your passion and drive to read all these books. Have you heard about Dr Zeenath Kauthar books of Feminism? She is prominent researcher and lecturer here in IIUM in Faculty of Political Science, specializing in writing Feminism issues. I know his husband who are lecturer in Usuluddin and Comparative Religion and I have sit in his class of 'Belief System and Ideologies".
p/s: Well, dear brother I kind of embarrassed being called ustazah when I still a student who still ignorant in many things. Just called me alqasam will be just ok.:)
Thanks for this entry. It's really helpful in many way. I have once written about Feminism but not really deep enough.
Sure thing. I call you ustazah as Bangku calls you ustazah. So just alqasam huh? Not even akak? Ok ok just alqasam.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your opinion. No I haven't read Dr Zeenath Kauthar's book on Feminism, thanks for pointing out, I'll keep note in the future.
Alqasam should be ok since that is what I called in virtual world. I'm just 23 and you can called me as you please or whatever you are comfortable with.
ReplyDeleteThanks back to you again.