NST : Presenting Islam in its modern face
Uncle Yap
From NST
16 Dec 2006
Presenting Islam in its modern face
Johan Jaaffar
-----------------------------------------------------
IT is heartening to know how some of the young mufti think.
Two of them interviewed by the New Sunday Times last week gave
encouraging signals that all is well on the religious front. Dr Mohd
Asri Zainul Abidin and Dr Juanda Jaya were open-minded, tolerant and
moderate. They are perhaps the new voice of the ulama in today’s
world, the kind to whom you and me can relate. These are not the
trigger-happy fatwa-dispensers one normally encounters among the
religious leadership.
On the same day, Berita Minggu came out with a page-one story and a
full interview with Dr Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas on religious tolerance
among Muslims. Syed Ali is currently the director-general of the
Institute of Islamic Understanding (Ikim). It was an audacious
interview. It is, in fact, Ikim’s role to promote better understanding
of the faith in a world where Islam is perceived as backward and
associated with terrorism and violence.
I must commend both papers for featuring such interviews. There should
be more of such statements from religious leaders and scholars,
especially in the Malay Press. We have to deal with intolerance before
it is too late. The prime minister has made it a personal crusade to
give the world a more modern and compassionate Islam. Islam Hadhari
encompasses the principle that Muslims must be tolerant and respect
others. His speech at the last Umno general assembly was an
eye-opener, something the country wanted to hear from the man in
charge himself. He asked what went wrong when the level of tolerance
towards others is now wafer-thin or none at all.
Asri was forthright. When asked why the relationship between Muslims
and non-Muslims today was difficult, the answer was: "The problem lies
with Muslims, their appearance, their attitude and their focus on
petty issues." Now, that is interesting. When was the last time you
heard the voice of religious authority blaming the ummah?
He has this to say about the role of mufti in this country: "He must
be responsible for bringing the knowledge of Islam in this modern
era."
His own role? "My duty is to present Islam in its modern face and get
it out of the clutches of conservatives, who have made the religion
look obsolete."
He pointed to some of the petty issues raised by some religious
leaders in the country. Take the example of aqiqah (sacrificed) meat.
There are some ulama who believe that if non-Muslims eat it, God would
not accept the sacrifice.
According to him, there is no nas (textual evidence) on such a ruling.
Yet, he pointed out, if the same people go for Ali Baba ventures, it
is alright. He acknowledged the fact that "actually many Muslims are
not happy with their religious leaders". But they could not voice
their unhappiness because they did not have the credentials. He said
with his academic and religious background, he was willing to take
them on.
He has something else to say that might interest you. "Religious
people don’t think much about explaining Islam to non-Muslims but
rather to focus on how to contradict them." He said non-Muslims have a
scary view of Islam because the ulama fail to explain the true face of
Islam.
Juanda, on the other hand, was more cautious. There was even an
appendix to the interview: What was expressed did not reflect state
policy. It is a pity because we want young ulama like him to stand up
and to be counted.
Sarawak has always been a shining example of religious and cultural
tolerance. Juanda should not be apologetic in arguing for moderation.
No one should. In fact, it is people like Juanda and Asri who can make
a difference in portraying the colour of contemporary Islam.
Perhaps one should be reminded of an interesting book by Muhammad
Qasim Zaman, The Ulama in Contemporary Islam: Custodians of Change. It
is interesting to note how others view the role of the ulama in
today’s world.
Many were surprised at what they saw as the "modern re-emergence of an
anti-modern phenomenon" when the mullahs of Iran or the Taliban of
Afghanistan took power. Perhaps it is true that there is a massive
transformation of the centuries-old ulama tradition in today’s world
and the need "to appropriate" their new activism either in politics or
the social lives of Muslims.
Qasim shows how religious and political discourses of the ummah have
changed and redefined the role of ulama in modern societies. To some
extent, the ulama play a more dominant role while others remain
spiritual leaders.
What is more important is the authority they assert in contemporary
Islam and how they play a crucial role in giving decrees and providing
guidance to the ummah.
More important is their role in re-addressing syariah and traditions
in an ever changing world. Perhaps it is true that the world is
changing and with it, Muslims. But sadly there is a substantial number
of ulama who believe that modernism is a hindrance to righteousness
and the path to syurga (heaven). These ulama have failed to adjust and
respond to challenges. They are marginalised simply because they have
lost their relevance. To attract attention back to them, they blame
modernity: It is a product of the West and thus un-Islamic.
I have a problem with the concept of "modernising Islam" as posited by
some Western scholars. We don’t hear of "modernising Christianity" or
"modernising Buddhism". It is a notion that reflects the entire
misconception about Islam, giving the impression that Islam must be
modernised to keep up with the times.
Islam has shown its "adaptability" in more domains than one. It has
proven to be the harbinger of great traditions, culture and
scholarship. It is the threat from within that is giving Islam a bad
name. As pointed out by Asri, it is always those religious leaders who
have a limited understanding about the ways of the world that confuse
the ummah.
Perhaps we need more of him and his colleague to show the way of Islam
Hadhari as propagated by the prime minister.
http://www.nst.com.my
*************From Uncle Yap**************
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Mandelbrot
> I have a problem with the concept of "modernising Islam" as posited by
> some Western scholars. We don’t hear of "modernising Christianity" or
> "modernising Buddhism". It is a notion that reflects the entire
> misconception about Islam, giving the impression that Islam must be
> modernised to keep up with the times.
>
>
"modernising Christianity" -- He is not a student of history. He has not heard of the Reformation, the counter-Reformation, Vatical 1 and Vatican II and the various Synods.