No apology needed from Fadhlina over 'kafir' remark

 

 The closest translation for the Arabic word, kafir, means infidel, which as the Oxford dictionary correctly states is an archaic and derogatory term for a person who has no religion or whose religion is not that of the majority.

In a plural, modern society composed of adherents to many religions, beliefs and those who don’t believe in religion, to refer to a non-believer of a particular faith as an infidel is rather insensitive even if the religious book has used the term in the past.

There is a neutral term which can easily be used and is not contentious - non-Muslim or orang bukan Islam which has been used in the past with no ill effects and no feathers being ruffled.

To impute negative connotations on a person whose faith is different from yours is wrong and will not promote religious harmony. I would object to being called an infidel by a person of any faith because the term is not neutral and has negative connotations, just as I would object to being referred to as keling; even if the term was alright a long time ago, it is derogatory now.

Language and the terms used keep on changing and over time evolve, giving different meanings to the same words. It is the context in which the terms are used now that matters and what they mean in this day and age, not what they used to mean.

For racial and religious harmony, we must consider these things. Even though Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek has apologised following a viral video where she appeared to reject the use of the word kafir (infidel) while speaking at an event, there is no need to apologise as she did no wrong.

Malaysiakini reported: “In one of the edited videos, Fadhlina was heard narrating a ‘personal nightmare’ involving one of her six children who learnt to refer to non-Muslims as kafir while at school.

“​Specifically, Fadhlina said she forbade the use of the word in her home, but it was taught in a classroom setting with a negative connotation that a Muslim who works under a non-Muslim will not live a ‘blessed’ life.”

Driving a wedge

Among those who took offence at her remarks was Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, who questioned her belief in the Quran and asked if she objected to the use of the word kafir in the Quran, immediately turning the issue into an emotive one.

Shockingly, such terms are being used at school because they drive a further wedge between Muslims and non-Muslims, promoting feelings which with the tendency for both parties to feel offended against the other.

Indeed, as education minister, Fadhlina needs to seriously address the major problem of undue Islamisation in national schools which is keeping non-Muslims from sending their children to these schools and therefore unity efforts through the school system.

She should ensure that religious education in schools is more sensitive to all religions - some 35-40 percent of the population is non-Muslim - and does not put down the religious beliefs and faiths of other students.

Also using the right, neutral terms through an education which is sensitive to all races, religions and faiths, will in the long run promote harmony and understanding among all races and religions instead of conflict.

According to wikiislam, in Islamic terminology, a kāfir is a disbeliever or someone who rejects or does not believe in Allah as the one and only God and Muhammad as the final messenger of Allah.

It says, “In the context of Islamic scriptures, kafir is the broadest, all-encompassing category of non-Muslim, which includes all other sub-categories, such as mushrikun, or polytheists, dahriyah, or those who deny the existence of any gods outright, as well as those who would today identify as agnostics, or suggest simply their ignorance of the existence of any gods. Traditionally, a non-Muslim is called a Kafir.”

While traditionally, kafir was used to refer to non-Muslims, it is not used in this context anymore. As wikiislam explains: “The root of the word kafir means ‘to conceal’, and thus the word kafir implies or derives from the meaning of ‘one who conceals’ and entails insincerity and even active deception on the part of the person being labelled a kafir.

That orthodox Islamic doctrine (following upon the Quran) which categorically describes non-Muslims as kuffar (disbelievers) can prove problematic in an interfaith context, as it suggests that all disbelievers are deliberately deceiving themselves and others by not embracing Islam which they, in fact, know to be true.

“The other meaning implied in the root of the word kafir is ‘to be ungrateful’, thus allowing the word kafir to be alternatively translated as ‘ingrate’. This is likewise problematic in interfaith contexts as it entails the suggestion that all disbelievers are somehow or the other ungrateful beings, in special distinction from Muslims, who are not so ungrateful.”

Thus, it is very plain that using kafir to refer to non-Muslims can cause many problems. We should move with the times and simply adopt a more neutral term such as non-Muslims instead of a contentious and loaded one such as kafir or infidel. - Mkini

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P GUNASEGARAM says while religious issues have to be handled with sensitivity, firmness and fairness without favour are required ingredients for a melting pot of harmony, compassion and tolerance.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.