By Johan Jaaffar
16 December, 2006
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.