Curtailing religious scholars at odds with intellectual freedom Islam promotes

 

From Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa

We read the story of the arrest of Ustaz Abdullah Yasin by the Selangor Islamic religious department (Jais) three days ago with much consternation.

It brings back to memory the arrest of Perlis mufti Asri Zainul Abidin on Nov 1, 2009, by none other than the same notorious entity – Jais.

Abdullah’s arrest was attributed to the lack of official “tauliah” (credentials) and the talk given on the topic of Asha’irah and Maturidiyah – the hot topic which is at the centre of the current debate.

This supposed lack of “tauliah” has been a convenient excuse by the religious authorities to curtail any religious “kuliah” (talks) deemed contrary to their understanding of Islam.

What more when the topic touches on the very essence of their creed that is soon going to be endorsed officially by the state.

Curtailing Muslim scholars like Abdullah simply for expressing their views showcases the authoritarian nature of the state religious apparatus. The high-handed tactics exhibit their inability to counter the arguments intellectually.

Religious authorities like Jais must understand that their action runs counter to the spirit of intellectual freedom in the history of Islam.

This is made worse when the person being apprehended is a Muslim scholar who has all the necessary academic qualifications to teach Islam.

In fact, despite numerous attempts to apply for “tauliah”, the ustaz was denied the same by the religious authority simply because he is considered a salafi. This ugly move by Jais also contravenes the spirit of the constitution which awarded freedom of speech and expression to its citizens, as guaranteed by Article 10 of the Federal Constitution.

Jais’s despotic behaviour resonates with the recent recorded speech of the federal territories mufti to the effect that the real intention behind the RUU Mufti (Federal Territory) 2024 is to curb and castigate any ideas contrary to Asha’irah and Maturidiyah as deviant.

Hence, it is clear that the motive behind RUU Mufti was to curtail freedom of conscience among Muslims in Malaysia: Thou shalt adhere only to the doctrine of Asha’irah and Maturidiyah. Else, thou shalt be branded as deviants and, ipso facto, be liable to prosecution.

Undoubtedly, this is contrary to the spirit of the Quran.

Indeed, every person has the right, guaranteed by the Quran, to freely follow and express his convictions, irrespective of whether he is right or wrong. By emphasising people’s right to follow their conviction, the Quran reiterates a long-standing position, which it traces back to one of the earliest known Prophets, Noah: Said (Noah): “O my people! What do you think? If (it be true that) I am taking my stand on a clear evidence from my Sustainer, who has vouched safe unto me grace from himself – (a revelation) to which you have remained blind – (if this be true) can we force it on you even though it be hateful to you? (Sura Hūd; 11:28)”

We hereby urge Jais and the state religious bodies to respect the rights of Muslims in Malaysia to practise Islam based on their conscience, without being bound by the state’s interpretation of Islamic credence.

It is important to respect the rights of Muslims to dissent. Freedom of conscience is given its theoretical and legal framework in the Federal Constitution. Hence, Jais should not act as though it is the defender of the faith. Otherwise, it will be just another item on a long list of official institutions that need to be thoroughly revamped for Islam to reclaim its rightful status as a religion of knowledge, reason, and progress for humanity. - FMT

Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa is a director at the Islamic Renaissance Front. He is also a doctoral candidate in Islamic Studies at Universiti Muhammadiyah Malaysia.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.