Here is the articles concern
Asri slams Jais for stopping non-Muslims entering mosques
Asri has taken another shot at Jais. — File pic
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 — Controversial former Perlis mufti Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin continued his campaign against his persecutors, the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais), by calling the agency extremists for not allowing non-Muslims to enter mosques in the state.
He had previously said that Jais should do away with "authorisation" letters for preachers as it goes against the freedom of expression, even within Islam.
This time he picked on Jais director Datuk Mohamed Khusrin Munawi who told Utusan Malaysia that non-Muslims cannot enter mosques as "they are like women with menstruation" after an alleged ceramah by Selangor executive councillor Dr Xavier Jeyakumar in a Klang mosque.
Muslim women who are menstruating usually do not go to mosques to pray.
"This is a shallow and narrow view. This is the kind of statement that repels and alienates non-Muslims from Islam. It gives a wrong and false impression of the religion," Asri told The Malaysian Insider today.
He added that even during the time of Prophet Muhammad, non-Muslims were allowed to enter mosques as this would be the best way for them to experience the religion first hand.
"It will give non-Muslims the opportunity to get to know Islam better and Muslims too can engage them in the spirit of constructive dialogue. Isn't this good for Islam?" commented Asri.
The university lecturer also said that he is certain that Jais will not take his views well and in anticipation of that warned them against labelling him a "Wahabbi" or a follower of a purist sect in Islam not recognised by the country's religious elite.
"Don't call me a Wahabbi simply because I have different views. As I said, even at the time of the great Prophet Muhammad, non-Muslims were allowed to enter mosques," he said.
Asri and Jais have been engaging each other in an ongoing war of words. The progressive views of the former Perlis mufti do not gel with the views of the conservatives which make up the majority of the country's religious elite.
He claimed his views and his rise to prominence have been viewed as a threat to their authority, saying the “war” between them culminated in his arrest last Sunday while he was giving a private talk in Ampang. He was freed on bail and is awaiting charges for lecturing without a “tauliah” or permit.
Jais denied that Asri's arrest was politically motivated.
hah Alam MP says ulamas not above criticism
Khalid raising a question at this morning’s seminar. — Picture by Choo Choy May
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 — Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad praised today’s PAS seminar as a key milestone in the party’s history.
He said the seminar shows the party was willing to accept criticism and handle them positively.
Khalid stressed that if PAS wants to become a “mainstream” party then the leadership must be willing to accept criticism.
“If you want to become the Prime Minister or whatever minister you must be willing to face the criticism, you can’t say that he is an ulama so you can’t criticise. Part of the thing is that we want to educate our members,” he told reporters outside the seminar hall in Taman Melewar here.
Khalid hopes the seminar will educate party members that nobody is immune from criticism.
“As I said it is something new so you must expect there to be a mixed reaction. We are not used to having our ulama criticised but we are saying even the Prophet was criticised so it is the education that we have to undergo,” he said.
The seminar today was to discuss PAS's future direction but could well throw up the need for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to decide the fundamental issue of whether to co-operate with Umno to advance Islam and Malay unity or stay with PR and hope to capture federal power in the forthcoming general election.
The seminar is unlikely to resolve the fundamental difference over the issues and which course to take to safeguard the future of PAS — how best to capitalise on the new forces at work in the political system to stay ahead.
PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat wanted a special muktamar to rid the party of leaders whom he described as “problematic” and seen to favour working closely with Umno instead of strengthening PR.
He had named Selangor PAS commissioner Datuk Hasan Ali along with Nasharuddin and secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Alias those who had made the party look inconsistent.
However, PAS central committee members recently unanimously decided not to call for a special muktamar but to hold today's seminar instead.
Agama bukan hak eksklusif ulama — Dr Asri Zainul Abidin
NOV 8 — Temuramah Berita Harian (BH) dengan Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin
BH: Sehari sebelum ditahan Jais, Dr mengeluarkan kenyataan mengenai memorandum PGSM membantah pelantikan Dr sebagai Yang Dipertua Yadim. Dr didakwa ada agenda tersendiri kerana turut mendakwa Perdana Menteri yang mahu membuat pelantikan itu.
Dr Asri: Kalau ada agenda, ertinya saya juga mengerah berpuluh-puluh polis dan pegawai Jais menangkap saya. Dakwaan itu cuma teori kerana di luar kemampuan saya berbuat demikian. Siapa saya untuk membuat agenda membabitkan pihak keselamatan dan seumpamanya, tetapi saya melihat dari sudut lain, ada hikmah untuk saya dan untuk Malaysia; mengenai kebebasan bersuara, hak untuk bercakap.
BH: Dr ditahan kerana disyaki mengajar agama tanpa tauliah. Perlukah Jais mengeluarkan tauliah, terutama kepada pengajar berkelayakan mengajar agama?
Dr Asri: Tidak perlu kerana pertama, ia sedikit sebanyak menjejaskan hak bersuara, itu asasnya. Kedua, dari segi Islam, Nabi Muhammad mengajar “sampaikan daripada aku walaupun satu ayat.” Ertinya rakyat Selangor tidak boleh mempraktikkan hadis ini kecuali ada tauliah. Kalau dengar kuliah agama, hendak cerita kepada kawan di rumah apa yang diajar ustaz tak boleh kerana kena dapatkan tauliah dulu.
BH: Apakah maksud pengajaran agama?
Dr Asri: Perkataan agama amat umum. Sekarang pengajaran agama ialah kalau kita lihat pensyarah universiti mengajar agama di Selangor dan negeri lain. Cikgu nasihatkan anak murid dalam kelas supaya jaga solat, itu pun pengajaran agama... kena tauliah? Jemaah tabligh yang pergi dari masjid ke masjid, ada minta tauliah? Kadangkala orang jual ubat di tepi jalan pesan baca Bismillah sebelum makan ubat, ada unsur ajaran agama. Apa dimaksudkan dengan pengajaran agama? Itu yang Jais kena takrifkan.
BH: Mengapa pula (perlu tauliah) seseorang yang ada ijazah pertama, sarjana bahkan PhD (doktor falsafah) dalam pengajian Islam sepatutnya sudah layak. Sebahagian besar yang ada PhD ialah pensyarah universiti, mengajar orang yang akan keluar dapat sijil (ijazah), bahkan untuk PhD dan sarjana, tiba-tiba kena dapatkan tauliah, bukan saja untuk mengajar di masjid dan surau tetapi di seluruh Selangor.
BH: Tanpa merujuk kepada Dr, ada pihak membidas sikap ahli agama yang menganggap kebal dan tidak perlu tauliah. Mereka menyifatkan itu takbur?
Dr Asri: Saya tidak kata kerana orang sudah kenal saya, saya tidak perlu tauliah. Saya kata saya dikenali, boleh tengok laman web. Itu maksudnya orang sudah tahu saya, jadi tak payahlah takut ada ajaran lain. Saya bukan manusia yang baru muncul untuk kita selidik, itu maksud saya. Saya kata tak perlu (tauliah untuk orang berkelayakan) kerana saya tak bersetuju dengan dasar ini daripada asasnya lagi. Kalau seseorang tiada latar
belakang agama, mungkin patut (tauliah). Saya katakan ini untuk semua. Pensyarah universiti ada PhD tak payah disuruh ambil tauliah, cukuplah pengiktirafan universiti yang lebih besar. Yang langsung tiada latar belakang agama, boleh disuruh ambil tauliah.
BH: Dr mendakwa ada tangan ghaib di sebalik kes ditahan Jais. Apa maksudnya dan adakah ia juga berkaitan dengan Yadim. Dr juga dapat publisiti percuma?
Dr Asri: Ini (kes tangkapan) bukan perkara kecil kerana cara mereka jalankan operasi membabitkan berpuluh-puluh polis dan pegawai Jais, mungkin mereka nak gari saya kalau tidak dengan perundingan. Saya tidak tahu (puncanya). Sudahlah ditangkap begitu, pergi ke balai polis, siasatan tak buat, esoknya seluruh negara tunggu, tiba-tiba kata belum ada siasatan dan tuduhan. Bayangkan kalau belum ada siasatan dan tuduhan, takkan ada operasi sebesar itu.
Mengenai publisiti percuma, saya tak promosi diri, tak berani cakap lebih, tetapi al-Quran ingatkan kita, kadang-kadang orang rancang tak elok tetapi Allah rancang lain dan Allah sebaik-baik perancang. Kadang-kadang ada orang rancang nak aniaya orang, tetapi berlaku sebaliknya. Saya harap Allah tolong saya.
BH: Adakah Dr rasa ini usaha untuk menyekat fahaman Wahabi yang dikaitkan dengan Dr?
Dr Asri: Saya rasa mungkin mereka cuba kaitkan saya dengan Wahabi. Cuma saya nak
tanya apa itu Wahabi? Saya kata berulang kali dalam pelbagai media, saya bukan manusia ghaib. Penulisan saya dalam akhbar secara mingguan, ada blog, ceramah dalam televisyen dan ada siaran tetap, saya ada laman web YouTube dalam internet. Boleh ambil dan senaraikan (penulisan dan ceramah) yang dianggap menyanggah prinsip ajaran Islam, jangan buat tuduhan.
Wahabi bukan saja dituduh kepada saya, tetapi juga tokoh pembaharuan sebelum ini. Za’aba pernah dituduh, Prof Hamka juga dituduh dan dalam buku Ayahku, Hamka menceritakan hal ini. Dalam Teguran Suci dan Jujur Terhadap Mufti Johor, Hamka ceritakan tuduhan seperti ini dan menjawab kes suka menuduh orang Wahabi kerana berbeza beberapa amalan.
BH: Berbicara mengenai Wahabi, Dr didakwa menggalakkan jangan baca qunut serta talkin?
Dr Asri: Jika tak mahu baca qunut ketika solat Subuh, adakah dia sesat? Bagaimana orang yang bersembahyang di Masjidil Haram, Masjid Nabi. Bagaimana kawan India Muslim kita yang sembahyang di Masjid India, juga tak baca qunut. Melainkan jika (imam) baca qunut, ada orang lain yang mengikut suruh berhenti, menyebut Subhanallah di belakang, tetapi itu tidak ada, itu (baca qunut) satu hak. Jika nak dijadikan perkara besar, lebih baik besarkan isu mereka yang langsung tak sembahyang Subuh.
Jika saya tengok imam baca qunut, saya akan qunut bersama imam. Jika saya bersolat dalam majoriti makmumnya berqunut, saya berqunut. Saya akui ketika di Perlis tidak ada qunut dalam solat Subuh. Apa yang saya buat menunjukkan keluasan sikap. Adakah Jais nak halang rakyat Selangor sembahyang di Masjidil Haram dan Masjid Nabi?
Talkin pun satu hal. Apa masalah talkin? Macam mana orang yang mati di Madinah dan Makkah yang tak ditalkin. Adakah pernah (di negara kita) orang bertalkin, orang lain pergi ketuk kepala dia, pergi tarik dia, tak ada. Ini satu penyakit kronik sesetengah golongan agama yang pantang ada orang berikan pendapat berbeza, kerakusan membolot bidang kuasa. “Saya ustaz, saya tidak boleh dicabar, jangan tanya masalah dalil saya, penghujahan saya, cukuplah tahu saya ustaz, siapa yang banyak bertanya lemahlah imannya”. Begitulah sikapnya, itu tidak betul.
BH: Apakah yang dikatakan itu jadi ikutan kerana ‘fatwa’ dikeluarkan seorang mufti?
Dr Asri: Jika saya tak cakap pun, generasi moden sekarang dengan beberapa klik saja mereka boleh masuk internet, boleh baca beribu fatwa, siapa nak halang? Adakah Jais, jabatan agama atau mufti mahu kerajaan buat tapisan internet supaya jangan dibaca melainkan kandungan yang mendapat restu mereka. Dalam dunia teknologi maklumat ini orang boleh menilai, boleh baca, biarlah. Ada orang tidak pandai dalam bidang guaman tetapi kerana banyak membaca di internet, dia pandai. Macam mana kita tiba-tiba nak kata, “awak bukan mufti, bukan ustaz... awak tidak akan faham agama, kami saja faham”. Agama tidak eksklusif seperti itu.
Di manakah tempat saya larang orang baca qunut di Selangor? Pada pandangan saya, pendapat lebih kuat ialah Subuh tidak (perlu) qunut, tetapi jika anda ikut imam yang baca qunut, hendaklah qunut. Jika imam tidak qunut, jangan qunut kerana hormati imam. Sebab itu orang kita pergi Makkah kena hormat imam (tidak baca qunut). Ini yang saya kata penyakit kronik, membolot “apa saja yang kami buat tak boleh langsung dipertikaikan”.
Apabila mereka (penguat kuasa agama) tahan orang kerana dituduh khalwat padahal suami isteri dan dibawa ke balai polis, bahkan dikurung dalam lokap kerana tak bawa surat nikah, esoknya dibawa surat nikah dan ditunjukkan, mereka dibebaskan begitu saja. Tidak pula minta maaf, sebabnya “saya ustaz, saya tak boleh minta maaf, awak kena hormat saya.”
BH: Mengenai PGSM mendakwa Dr memperbesarkan cerita memorandum itu kerana apa yang berlaku cuma kesilapan teknikal?
Dr Asri: Apakah kesilapan teknikal jika letak dalam laman web tuduh saya cerca Imam Nawawi, cerca sembahyang hajat menyebabkan kegelisahan seluruh negara. Saya tak tahu sejauh mana saya sebabkan kegelisahan itu kerana apabila ke seluruh negara, Alhamdulillah! Kalau tidak ribuan, ratusan rakyat sambut saya. Jadi, saya tidak tahu kegelisahan apa? Ini semua tuduhan besar dan bukan petisyen yang disimpan di bawah bantal, ia dihantar kepada Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Kemudian (PGSM) kata ini benda kecil, inikah mentality peguam syarie? Saya tahu bukan semua peguam syarie begitu, ramai juga telefon saya menyatakan bantahan terhadap tindakan kurang bertamadun itu.
BH: Dalam hal membabitkan Dr, adakah kerana pertembungan ulama tradisional dan muda?
Dr Asri: Saya menyatakan supaya golongan muda menghormati ulama, tetapi pada masa sama jangan gugurkan hak anda untuk bertanya, minta penjelasan, ulasan dan penghujahan. Ulama juga perlu ada perasaan kasih sayang kepada orang awam, jangan jadikan agama hak mutlak sehingga mereka tidak boleh dipersoal dan ditanya alasan atas apa yang mereka kata dan buat. Agama berdasarkan al-Quran dan sunnah, bukan berdasarkan apa orang kata.
Kalau ulama Pas kata lain, ulama Umno kata lain, ulama PKR kata lain, kita nak pakai yang mana, ulama Perlis kata lain, Perak kata lain.
Walaupun kadang-kadang mereka kata semua sama tetapi banyak benda juga mereka berbeza pandangan. Bukan semua tradisionalis setuju dengan fatwa Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim (Timbalan Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri) mengenai kes wanita melacur umpamanya.
BH: Apakah pertembungan ulama muda yang lebih terbuka pemikirannya dengan ulama tradisional boleh memecah-belahkan umat Islam?
Dr Asri: Kena takrifkan apa maksud memecah-belah? Pernahkah orang muda pergi tumbuk ulama, adakah ulama muda kacau orang baca kitab? Tidak ada. Pertembungan dalam politik lebih serius dan ramai ulama tradisional ada dalam politik. Saya tidak nampak ada pertembungan. Ia istilah yang selalu dikeluarkan apabila ada orang berbeza pandangan dengan mereka kerana menganggap mereka di pihak atas. Begitu juga dengan tindakan sebahagian pemimpin kerajaan apabila rakyat berbeza pendapat, dikatakan rakyat menderhaka, sedangkan pandangan mereka sebenarnya minoriti, pandangan rakyat adalah majoriti.
Dalam kes saya, saya rasa mereka tidak boleh berkata pandangan pembaharuan ini mewakili minoriti kerana ia kelihatan kalau tidak majoriti pun, suaranya agak sama kuat. Majoriti senyap belum tentu menyokong ulama tradisional, mereka juga mahu perubahan dan mungkin mereka tak bercakap sebelum ini. Saya rasa ramai wanita sokong apabila saya kata tak boleh tangguhkan kes cerai di mahkamah sehingga bertahun-tahun, ia menzalimi mereka. Kakitangan pejabat agama kena hormat apabila pergi sana (mahkamah), tak boleh berkasar walaupun (wanita dalam kes cerai) tak pakai tudung, hormati dia, hormati hak dia menuntut keadilan, jangan lihat pemakaiannya. — Berita Harian
Sunday November 8, 2009
Whither moderation?
SHARING THE NATION
By ZAINAH ANWAR
The arrest of a progressive ulama has plunged many Malaysians into further despair that this country is hurtling towards an implosion but it may prove a blessing in disguise.
What else needs to happen before our political leaders on both sides of the divide find the will and courage to walk the talk of seeing a plural, diverse Malaysia as a source of strength and not a threat?
That a former mufti who holds progressive views and challenges the conservative religious authorities could be arrested and treated as if he was Noordin Mat Top just shows how far those pushing for an Islamic state and syariah supremacy are willing to go to ensure that their rigid and intolerant understanding of Islam prevails.
That this arrest and attacks on Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin led by the Malaysian Association of Syariah Lawyers (PGSM) and its Islamist allies, including Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (Abim) and Jemaah Islah Malaysia (JIM), should take place now is clearly a concerted effort to test the strength of the new Prime Minister on matters of religion.
Similarly, these Islamists have also relaunched another round of attacks against Sisters in Islam by reportedly lodging over 50 police reports against the group and holding public forums, this time led by the extremist Hizbur Tahrir, a global Islamist group intent on reviving the Islamic Caliphate.
Little known in Malaysia, but banned or investigated in other countries, the Malaysian branch of Hizbur Tahrir has become more public in its activities, with banners in various neighbourhoods and announcements of events in mosques after Friday prayers.
For years now, the Islamic state ideologues have been pushing the boundaries of the forbidden in Malaysia. They have been relentless in their attacks on those working on women’s rights and fundamental liberties as guaranteed by the Federal Constitution and in pushing for the expansion of syariah jurisdiction in Malaysia.
They include areas such as freedom of religion, the right of the non-converting wife and children when a husband converts to Islam, moral policing, book banning, seizure of Bibles written in Bahasa Malaysia, fatwa on kongsi raya, yoga, pluralism, liberalism, to the sprouting of Islamist NGOs under all manner of names signing all kinds of petitions against fundamental liberties.
From matters such as making police reports against progressive groups and individuals, to holding rallies and seminars with inflammatory titles such as “Islam Di Hina”, “Umat Islam diCabar”, “Bahaya Murtad”, “Bahaya Islam Liberal”, the Government and the opposition have largely failed to support the moderate social forces of Malaysian society.
While moderate politicians cower in silence in fear of being labelled as anti-God, anti-Islam and anti-syariah, or opportunistic ones shamelessly and dangerously fly the flag of Islam to advance their short-term political agenda, it is Malaysian civil society that has shown courageous civic leadership where political leadership has failed us.
Now that a religious leader from within the establishment has become the target of these intolerant Islamist forces inside and outside government, will the political leadership finally show the courage needed to act?
What kind of Islam does the Prime Minister envisage in his 1Malaysia? Certainly not the Islam of the Selangor State Religious Department (JAIS) and the PGSM who accused Dr Asri of all manner of dastardly insults to Islam as they perceive it.
While the arrest of Dr Asri plunged many Malaysians into further despair that this country is hurtling towards an implosion, I think it is actually a blessing in disguise.
It is obvious that both the JAIS and the PGSM and their Islamist allies have made a tactical error, underestimating the popular support that Dr Asri and his ideas enjoy in this country.
It is time for the silent majority of moderate Muslims in Malaysia to speak out. Certainly Dr Asri’s supporters at the Mahkamah Syariah Gombak on Monday stood up to be counted.
While Dr Asri talked of “hidden hands” behind his arrest, neither the federal government nor the Selangor state government claims responsibility for this display of state power against a former mufti.
What could be the motive when a state religious authority combined with federal law and order forces display heavy-handed powers to arrest an Islamic scholar for his progressive ideas that challenge the authoritarianism of Islam in Malaysia? Who called the shots? Who really is in control?
For me, this debacle is once again evidence of the unenforceability of the invasive powers of the Syariah Criminal Offence laws of this country. In this instance, the provision that makes it an offence for anyone to teach Islam without certification (tauliah) from the state religious authorities.
When is someone teaching Islam and when is he not? Who has the authority to decide on that? What are the criteria that constitute teaching of Islam? On what basis are some certified to teach Islam, some are not, some are prosecuted while many more others can freely preach hatred, racial ill-will, and misogyny in the name of Islam?
Just listen to the ceramahs amplified over loudspeakers for all in the neighbourhood to hear, even when you don’t want to.
Then there is the larger issue of whether this specific provision restricting freedom of speech is against Islamic principles that uphold diversity and differences in Islam and against constitutional guarantees of fundamental liberties.
Yet again, the enforcement of this ill-advised, badly drafted syariah law with its wide range of “sins” turned into crimes against the state and restrictions over the exercise of fundamental freedoms has led to public outrage.
There is an obvious disconnect between public opinion and societal values on what constitutes fair and just in Islam, and the intolerant, punitive, misogynistic Islam of those who conveniently use God’s authority to justify despotism in the name of Islam.
As more foreign scholars and journalists come to Malaysia to study this supposedly model “moderate” Muslim country, they go away surprised at the range of laws, mechanisms and structures in the name of Islam that control and restrict Muslim rights and freedoms.
They are shocked that a modern country like Malaysia could have unprecedented laws that make it a crime if one disobeys a fatwa, that turn moral obligations before God into legal obligations before the state, that turn sins into crimes, that confuse what is haram (forbidden), wajib (obligatory), sunat (recommended), harus (permissible) and makruh (discouraged) in its laws.
That Dr Asri could be accused of being a Wahhabi, at the same time a liberal, a progressive, a radical, is just one measure of that confusion and ignorance in Malaysia.
It is not possible to be liberal or progressive and Wahhabi at the same time. If at all, those who signed the memorandum written by the PGSM are the Wahhabi followers.
The puritanical Wahhabi movement which spread throughout the Muslim world over the past few decades, fuelled by Saudi petro-dollars, negates the diversity and complexity of the Muslim juristic heritage.
Dr Asri’s position on issues such as freedom of religion, differences of opinion in Islam, the imperative for reform, his criticisms of the delays and bias against women in the syariah courts, of khalwat laws and invasion of privacy, book banning and fatwa against yoga and kongsi raya have put him on the wrong side of the conservatives who dominate the religious bureaucracy and the Islamic state ideologues and their supremacist thinking.
Dr Asri is no Wahhabi. And it is obvious who the Wahhabis in the Malaysian political scene are.
The Egyptian legal scholar, Khaled Abou El-Fadl, wrote that while submission to God is at the core of the Islamic creed, this does not mean blind submission to those who claim to represent God’s law.
For too long in this country, those who claim to speak in God’s name have cowed too many into silent submission and perpetual ignorance. For too long, our political leaders have not shown the courage or the will to fully deal with the threat posed by these religious zealots within government and their own parties.
What is desperately needed now is leadership, courage, and vision to stand up for what is right for Malaysia – that there is no place in a country like ours for an Islam that is punitive, cruel, misogynistic, and intolerant.
More than any other country in the world, Malaysia with its historical embrace of all races and religions, its celebration of diversity and pluralism, its gentler and kinder Islam, plus its economic success story and its political stability should be better placed to lead the Muslim world into a modern and prosperous age in the midst of extremism, calamities and despair that beset the ummah.
It is a tragedy that this government has poured hundreds of millions into numerous religious institutions supposedly to enable Malaysia to take the lead as a model moderate Muslim country – only to find its Islamic agenda hijacked by the very ideology that has contributed to the decay of other Muslim countries, where Muslims killing other Muslims for their belief and political affiliation have become the norm.
God forbid that is the future of Malaysia.
As all the political leaders seem to agree that the country is at a turning point, that their party members must change and face difficult realities of a changing and diverse electorate, of a globalised competitive world that waits for no man, of the rise of China and India, can they also please embrace the reality that an Islam of kindness and compassion, of diversity and differences, of equality and justice constitute what it means to be Muslim in the 21st century?
Keep religion from bitter politicking
THE STAR SAYS...
NO sooner had the Malaysian Syariah Lawyers’ Association apologised to former Perlis mufti Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin for complaining about him to the King than the apology was retracted.
The apology had been made with due consideration, particularly since the basis of the complaint is unclear, if not dubious.
The complaint had contributed to the former mufti being arrested, harassed and humiliated, yet the case against him still appears neither proven nor credible.
We understand the association’s subsequent regard for Dr Asri has caused it to withdraw its apology.
Everyone is entitled to retract an apology, but nothing suggests whatever caused the association to act in such an anomalous manner negates the grounds of its duly considered apology.
Dr Asri is now accused of revealing the contents of the association’s memorandum to the King, but if its stand contends the memorandum is defensible, so too is its revelation.
If the contents of the memo are neither incorrect nor improper, there is also nothing there to hide or be ashamed of.
A truce had been negotiated only days ago, reportedly brokered by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Jamil Khir Baharom.
All contending parties should respect that occasion by ending all their contentions.
The little that is publicly known of the allegation against Dr Asri so far dwells on questionable speculation that he is of a Wahhabi persuasion.
The case against this sect in most places, including Malaysia, is its narrow dogmatism and evidently, it is not Dr Asri who is so afflicted.
The cloistered chauvinism that we should all guard against comes not with the former mufti’s calls for Muslims to be more open-minded towards non-Muslims in modern multicultural Malaysia.
For many people, it has more to do with elitist attitudes and high-handed approaches which many, including Dr Asri, has suffered from.
The disquiet among his opponents has curiously come at a time when he is about to be appointed head of the Islamic Da’wah Foundation of Malaysia.
We trust that the truth will out, the sooner the better, disentangling legitimate issues of religion from any hidden motives in bitter politicking.
All eyes on the ulama under siege
INSIGHT
By JOCELINE TAN
The boyish-looking Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin shot to fame during his tenure as mufti of Perlis but he is now under siege from Islamic groups who are questioning his standing as an ulama.
WHEN Dr Mohd Asri Zainal Abidin arrived at the house of his friend, known as Pak Ya, at Taman Ukay, Ulu Klang, to give his monthly religious class, he had little inkling that it would be one of the most traumatic nights of his life.
Among those seated around the red-carpeted floor of the living room was Ampang MP Zuraidah Kamaruddin. She had been attending his lectures since 2004, before Dr Asri was appointed mufti of Perlis.
At about 10pm last Sunday, there was a commotion at the gate. A large group of men from the Selangor Religious Affairs department, or Jais, and several policemen said they were there to arrest Dr Asri for preaching in the state without a permit.
A long argument ensued, followed by the Jais officials entering the house and banging on the door of the bedroom where the owner had asked Dr Asri to go.
“His two young children who had come with him were sleeping inside, but these people didn’t care. They were shouting at him to come out, saying things like, ‘You think you are the only graduate? I am from Al-Azhar (University), I am also a graduate.’ It was very shocking and arrogant behaviour,” said Zuraidah.
Dr Asri’s long and terrible night only ended at about 1.30am after he was arrested, released on a police bond and told to be at the Syariah Court by 8.30am.
Friends and supporters waited at the Gombak Timur Lower Syariah Court with him that morning but it was a no-show by Jais. Until today, Dr Asri has not been charged or informed of his fate.
But his life has since been turned upside down.
The long night has turned into a long week and Dr Asri has been battling one accusation after another and struggling to defend his credentials and standing as an ulama.
In fact, he is fighting several fronts.
There is Jais on one front, coming down on him for preaching in Selangor without a tauliah or permit.
On another front, there is Jakim, the Islamic Development Department, which has joined the fray by casting aspersions on his academic credentials from Jordan University.
Another powerful front are the Muslim groups headed by the Syariah Lawyers Association who had opposed his appointment as president of Yadim, the Islamic outreach arm of the Government.
They had written to the King and the Prime Minister last month arguing that he is not fit to head Yadim. It is understood that the appointment is now on hold.
At the heart of all these attacks is the very damaging implication that Dr Asri’s teachings are not in line with that of the traditional scholars and mainstream Muslims in this country.
Progressive Muslim
His detractors claimed his teachings have elements of Wahabbi, which is not quite an accepted school of thought in these parts. He has vigorously denied this charge.
“I am a progressive Muslim; I am not a Wahabbi; I don’t know what a Wahabbi is. Besides, you cannot arrest someone just because he is a Wahabbi. My writing is read by many people of all ages, including politicians from Umno, PAS, PKR. Even Tun Dr Mahathir (Mohamad) reads my work,” he said.
What is it about this baby-faced religious figure that has attracted such intense media interest?
Dr Asri burst into the limelight after being appointed Perlis Mufti when he was only 35. He rattled the old guards from the word go with his unconventional take on Islamic issues.
For instance, he condemned khalwat raids on the grounds that Islam does not condone invading people’s privacy. He has criticised ISA arrests and has claimed that the Islamic state concept only came about after the Iranian revolution.
He has a slot on Astro Oasis called Bahtera Perubahan (Ark of Change), which apparently enjoys quite high ratings.
His chief appeal, it is said, is that he is inclusive and not judgemental. He has said that he is not a liberal but a modernist who wants to bring Muslims to the middle or centre.
In short, he is different; and in a religion that emphasises conformity, that is not always a good thing.
Unsurprisingly, his views do not sit well with traditional scholars. To them, he is a clear and present danger to, as they put it, the unity of the ummah.
In short, Dr Asri is accepted and at the same time rejected by fellow Muslims.
“His views are progressive; they don’t go down well with conservative ulama. He is not a fire and brimstone type of speaker but he is very persuasive. The appeal of his lectures lies in the flow of his logic. Every point he makes is supported by the Holy Quran and Hadith,” said Umno politician and lawyer Datuk Wan Farid Wan Salleh.
Dr Asri’s appeal also cuts across partisan lines. As such, top leaders from both sides of the political divide have questioned his arrest.
It was quite unparalleled having Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim all on the same side but that was what happened over Dr Asri’s predicament.
Both the federal government and the Selangor administration also disassociated themselves from Jais’ action.
Friends as well as foes
Dr Asri has as many detractors as he has admirers.
For instance, Anwar has come out strongly for Dr Asri but Badrul Amin, another popular ulama and a very close associate of Anwar, has openly called the ex-Mufti “bapa setan” or “father of Satan.” A video clip of this has been on YouTube for two years now.
According to Kelantan-based Muslim intellectual Zaidi Hassan, the outpouring of sympathy for Dr Asri does not mean that his teachings are accepted by the larger body of Muslims.
“We don’t agree with the way he was arrested but we have long disagreed with the content and method of his preaching. We would have preferred to take him on intellectually because his ideas are so fragile,” said Zaidi.
On Tuesday, former Perlis Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, who was instrumental in putting him in the mufti’s chair five years ago, returned from London and rushed directly from KLIA to Kangar to lodge police reports against those whom he said had slandered Dr Asri.
The attacks against Dr Asri have become highly personal, with righteous overtones of who is the better defender of the faith.
The controversy surrounding Dr Asri has yet to die down but there are moves behind the scenes to calm things down. As some have pointed out, all this mud-slinging is not good for the dignity of the ulama.
On Thursday, he stirred things up further when he told Malaysiakini that the tauliah, or state-imposed permit to preach, is against Islam because the right to speak is God-given. He also slammed Jais for barring non-Muslims from entering mosques.
Dr Asri may look mild and submissive but it is evident that he intends to fight this all the way. After all, his honour is on the line.
Even under all this pressure, he has continued to fulfil his speaking arrangements. In Penang several nights ago, he impressed reporters with his composure, patiently answering questions on the accusations made against him even though some of the questions had been asked countless times in the past week.
It is well known that both Umno and PAS have been courting him. He was invited to give religious talks at the exclusive Umno retreat in Janda Baik in August. Politicians have seen his broad appeal and they want to tap into him politically.
Last week, he hinted that he might be tempted to go into politics after what had happened.
Dr Asri is an independent-minded ulama and a good orator but even his supporters say he does not really have the X-factor or charisma.
But this controversy, if he survives it, may elevate him into the charismatic class. Persecution and controversy have a way of making a man more extraordinary than he really is.
Meanwhile, this ulama is the man to watch.
Controversy follows ex-mufti
Analysis by JOCELINE TAN
Who are the ‘black hands’ behind the arrest of the charismatic but controversial former Mufti of Perlis?
THERE is little doubt that the controversial religious figure Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin has a following as evidenced by the big group that turned up to support him at the Gombak Syariah Court.
His biggest supporter is Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, the former Perlis Mentri Besar, who is in London. Otherwise he would have been there as well.
Dr Asri, the former Mufti of Perlis, was released on police bond after being detained the night before by the Selangor branch of the religious enforcement unit JAIS.
Testing times: A number of Islamic NGOs is against Dr Asri’s potential appointment as head of Yadim. He was giving a religious lecture in a private home in Gombak at the time.
He is likely to be charged for preaching without a permit but those in the know said that events behind the scenes had been building up to this moment.
Some are even talking about “black hands” trying to fix up the charismatic preacher who had made waves with his unorthodox views on religious issues and matters the past few years.
They blamed the PAS-controlled religious arm in Selangor for the crackdown on Dr Asri.
Others said the “black hands” belong to those who are out to block Dr Asri’s appointment as head of Yadim or Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia, the prestigious Islamic outreach arm of the Government.
Apparently, Dr Asri was to have been appointed as Yadim head on Nov 1, replacing Datuk Nakhaie Ahmad who has held the post since the 1990s.
It is believed the appointment has not proceeded because of opposition from Islamic groups.
There is no evidence connecting the Yadim appointment to Dr Asri’s Sunday night arrest but 17 Islamic NGOs had sent a letter to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Prime Minister protesting the would-be appointment.
News of the protest leaked out when one of the signatories, the Syariah Lawyers Association, posted the letter on its blog; the posting has since been removed.
“There are no black hands or whatever you may call it. The point is that there are Islamic bodies who are very uncomfortable that Dr Asri may be appointed to Yadim,” said former Abim president Yusri Mohamad who was a signatory to the letter.
Shahidan, who remains one of Asri’s closest associates, has slammed the opposition to Dr Asri as the work of selfish people.
“We carry out dakwah (outreach) work without harming people. We are trying to explain Islam to non-Muslims. What is wrong with that?” he said.
Shahidan also asked Dr Asri to reject any offer from Yadim and in a tit-for-tat move, has asked for a thorough audit of the accounts of Yadim.
The soft-spoken and baby-faced Dr Asri is quite glamorous for an ulama. He is acquainted with a number of entertainment celebrities and has been courted by both Umno and PAS.
Earlier this year, there was talk that he was about to join PAS but, according to Shahidan, Dr Asri consulted Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who advised him to stay politically neutral if he wished to be accepted by the general populace.
He also writes a weekly column called Minda Maza or Thoughts of Maza (Maza being the acronym for Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin) in the influential Mingguan Malaysia.
But Islamic intellectuals complain that his views on religion do not reflect that of “mainstream Muslims or the traditional scholars.”
They pointed out that during the recent fasting month, his column had analysed an obscure text by a medieval scholar on the question of performing a major ablution (mandi wajib) after sexual intercourse in an abnormal situation.
“There are so many pressing issues in Islam and he uses his column to talk about that,” said Yusri.
Critics such as Yusri have accused Dr Asri of promoting a body of thought that is harmful to the unity of Muslims in the country.
“He should be aware that by continuing to promote his particular view on Islam outside of Perlis, he is inviting action on himself,” said Yusri.
But Dr Asri’s ideas resonate among a segment of moderate Muslims and non-Muslims. They see him as a modern and progressive ulama.
His supporters find his views refreshing and in tune with modern Malay society and issues.
Among his champions are groups like Sisters in Islam who are drawn to his unconventional views on social issues and women in Islamic society.
But the storm blowing around Dr Asri has yet to subside for as Yusri promised: “We will continue to oppose his appointment to Yadim.”
posted by wan zaharizan b wan zan at 7:42 PM
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