Oh! Woe to the book lover
One becomes more empathic to social issues and will contribute to the worthiness of a cause when one has a learned viewpoint of the world, as opposed to having shallow knowledge.
A reading and intellectual society begets learned critics; when one has a learned viewpoint of the world, as opposed to having shallow knowledge, one becomes more empathic to social issues and will contribute to the worthiness of the cause.
By Dina Zaman, The Star
THE recent literary kerfuffle over the weekend was news of Jakim finding Lee Kuan Yew’s book (and other books) haram for not meeting its guidelines. To date, Putrajaya and Jakim’s director-general are “… still studying the book.”
However, Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going is not banned yet and is still on Malaysian bookshelves.
A blogger, The Malaysian Reader (http://themalaysianreader.com/2011/12/08/jakims-list-of-banned-islamic-themed-books-2011/), had posted a list of books banned by Jakim; and a literary figure, Feisal Tehrani, is also one of the authors scrutinised, and whose book Batu di Kuala Berang is banned.
First, what is the difference between a ban and the term “haram”?
A ban means a prohibition, censure, condemnation by public opinion. Haram means forbidden, especially those actions and deeds deemed so by Allah.
According to lawyer Art Harun, “… assuming Jakim has the power to declare books (actually to declare anything) as haram, its declaration that the book is haram only operates as a declaration per se and nothing more.
“It brings about no legal repercussions to any Muslim who defies that declaration by proceeding to be in possession of the book, touching it passionately or even using it as an object of pleasure.
“As for banning a book, that is the purview of the Home Ministry. Banning a book has legal connotations. People in possession of or selling the book can be charged in court; and if found guilty, punished.”
Now what is the role of Jakim in multicultural Malaysia?
“In 1968, the Malaysian Council of Rulers decided that there was a need for a body that could mobilise the development and progress of Muslims in Malaysia in line with the country’s status as an Islamic country which was growing in strength as well as fast gaining worldwide recognition,” its website states.
“In realising the fact, a secretariat for the National Council of Islamic Affairs of Malaysia was formed to protect the purity of faith and the teachings of Islam.”
The question every discerning Malaysian reader wants to know is: What are Jakim’s guidelines towards books?
Are these men of the cloth also literature graduates?
Do learned and pious men make good literary critics?
I do not know the content of Hard Truths. I am a fan of history, not of biography, though Keith Richards’ Life is a rocking read. (Now will that book be banned for its celebration of a life of decadence?)
I am also a believer that when you have your religious/humanist basics right, you will be able to perform an intelligent comparative analysis when you come across a text which may offend or cause discomfort.
It will not be based on emotions, but facts.
I can say this confidently: Muslims, in general, are an intelligent lot. At least my friends are.
Even the most pious of my friends enjoy a good read and are able to discern what is right and wrong.
I have a friend, Mr Greenbottle, who is a proud supporter of PAS and crazy about books.
He once gave me a book about the lives of pigs. Yes, you read and saw that right: PIGS.
“Hey, the religion never said anything about not being allowed to READ about pigs, right? We just can’t consume it,” he clucked as I stared incredulously at the book.
The book was a really interesting read about the animal and I stopped halfway when I came to the chapter which discussed the dismemberment of pigs.
For that matter, I stopped reading Mary Roach’s Stiff halfway: learning about corpse farms in America turned my stomach.
What is this fear that Malaysians and Muslim-Malaysians may be influenced negatively by the books they read?
Are we so incapable of independent thought, and our faiths so shallow that we cannot navigate the terrain?
Countless articles have been written, expounding the benefits of reading to society.
A reading and intellectual society begets learned critics; when one has a learned viewpoint of the world, as opposed to having shallow knowledge, one becomes more empathic to social issues and will contribute to the worthiness of the cause.
A reading and educated society takes itself out of poverty and empowers its children.
Every industry’s work is documented on paper and in a digital format – you cannot escape literature! On a personal note, reading helps stave off dementia and makes me a more interesting person!
Reading also brings different worlds together.
I am now researching for my new book and I am reading about Catholic women saints and Japan’s hidden Christians.
At the same time, I am comparing the saints to Sufi women saints and reading about the persecution of Muslims during Prophet Muhammad’s time.
I am struck by the passion and grit of these people, who had only one thing in common: to serve God.
However, by reading books that are not Islamic in content, am I committing a crime?
I read these books for research and also out of sheer curiosity. Will the latter be censured?
Dr Asri Zainal Abidin in his book, Islam in Malaysia: Perceptions & Facts also commented on the lack of intellectual and critical thinking in the country.
“The practice of blind taklid was never taught by any imam (of the Sunni community as a whole).
“On the contrary, imams have demanded that each person must strive to build his or her own intellectual ability,” he wrote in Facts and Evidence in Islam.
If “… the academic world has acknowledged the competence of non-Shafi’i (but Muslim) scholars… (why) should we reject them on the basis of their school…?” (The Need for an Open Mind).
Obviously, in this context, Asri is talking about mazhabs, but it is also clear that Islam does not hinder critical thinking. It encourages it.
I fear having an authority decide which books can be read and which are disallowed.
I have said that wearing the hijab is not an issue to me, but veiling my thinking and the books I choose to read will be a threat to my freedom and happiness.
Dina Zaman is a writer based in KL. She is interested in Malaysian religious histories and its people.
