http://www.bangaindigenous.blogspot.com/
http://www.troubledgalaxydetroyeddreams.blogspot.com/
From: Sukla Sen <sukla.sen@gmail.com>
To: IHRO <ihro@yahoogroups.com>; issueonline <issuesonline_worldwide@yahoogroups.com>; arkitectindia@yahoogroups.com; invitesplus@yahoogroups.com; indiathinkersnet <indiathinkersnet@yahoogroups.com>; mahajanapada <Mahajanapada@yahoogroups.com>; bahujan <Bahujan@yahoogroups.com>; international-peace-festival <international-peace-festival@googlegroups.com>; INSAANIYATBOMBAY <INSAANIYATBOMBAY@yahoogroups.com>; Free Binayak Sen <free-binayaksen@googlegroups.com>; national-forum-of-india@yahoogroups.co.in; greenyouth <greenyouth@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Fri, 14 May, 2010 11:58:45 AM
Subject: [issuesonline_worldwide] Deoband "Fatwa" against Women Working in Outside Home
Three points are of prime importance here.
One, what is the content of the "fatwa"?
Two, what are the implications of the "fatwa"?
Three, what are the reactions from various members of the "community" and
from others?
The content, as it transpires, is as under:
Quote
Question number 21031 ((http://darulifta-deoband.org/viewfatwa.jsp?ID=21031)
to Darul Ifta (house of fatwas) of Darul Uloom Deoband asked by someone in
India states: "Asalamu-Alikum: Can muslim women in india do Govt. or Pvt.
Jobs? Shall their salary be Halal or Haram or Prohibited?" Answer published
on April 4th, 2010 simply answers it as: "It is unlawful for Muslim women to
do job in government or private institutions where men and women work
together and women have to talk with [to] men frankly and without veil."
Unquote
So the "fatwa" or the authoritative opinion given by the Darul Uloom
Deoband, a highly prestigious and influential Islamic theological school,
characterises Muslim women doing job in government or private institutions
where men and women work together and women have to talk with [to] men
frankly and without veil as "unlawful".
Forget about the "law" bit, any prescription prohibiting women from
effectively participating in public life calling for interactions cutting
across gender lines is highly retrograde, oppressive and frankly anti-woman.
No one upholding democratic values just can't disagree.
Does this "fatwa" mean that from now onwards those Muslim women (in India,
at least) who act contrary to it would be subjected to some penal actions or
at least be considered as non-Muslims, and other "Muslims" would
socially boycott them and their family members and all those Muslims who
continue to maintain friendly relations with them.
That does not appear to be even remotely the case. Regardless of the
position/stature of the Darul Uloom Deoband.
No one has talked of that.
So the "fatwa", let alone any legal force, has not much of social or moral
force either.
Though it may, or perhaps will, discourage some Muslim women to step out of
home and/or induce the male members of the family to enforce such behaviour
code. That's of course undesirable and unfortunate, for those immediately
involved, the specific (religious) community and also the larger social
order.
What are the reactions?
No one expects, as a consequence, working Muslim women whether as lowly or
highly paid sex workers, working in the entertainment industry as heroines
or extras or in whatever position, domestic workers, top-ranking corporate
executives, and other myriad stations/positions would give up their jobs.
Perhaps not even one.
And strong voices have been raised against the "fatwa" from within the
community. The broad perception is that it is simply absurd.
The media has, unfortunately but not
uncharacteristically, disproportionately, sensationalised the case.
Evidently imperatives of gender justice is not the main driver. Not that it
does not raise the issue of campaign against Khap panchayats and their
diktats and far worse, but they appear to be essentially propelled by
commercial gains by raising readership and TRP and also ingrained
prejudices.
So, all in all, it is for the common Muslims, women and men, to stand up and
raise their voices against such obnoxious prescriptions. And, it is for
others to facilitate such a process in all possible ways, and not make
things even more difficult..
I/III.
http://www.twocircles.net/2010may13/everybody_loves_bad_fatwa.html
<http://www.twocircles.net/2010may13/everybody_loves_bad_fatwa.html>Everybody
loves a bad fatwa
Submitted by admin on 14 May 2010 - 8:19am.
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
Everybody loves a bad fatwa. And why not? It fills column space for
newpapers; It brings in viewers for Television channels; it plays into the
image of Muslims as a backward community for communalists; and it gives
activists a chance to reinforce their secular credentials. Never mind that
this fatwa will not change the lives of millions of Muslims and text of the
fatwa could be not what has been reported or maybe the said fatwa doesn't
even exist.
Fatwa is nothing but a religious opinion from a religious scholar to a
question asked by a Muslim on a particular situation that he or she may be
facing at the time or might face in future and doesn't know what should be
an appropriate way to act in light of Islamic teachings. A mufti then issues
a fatwa or opinion based on his understanding of the question and Islam.
Just as different medical doctors will have a difference of opinion
regarding a diagnosis and treatment plan, it is common for different muftis
to give different opinion for the same question.
*Media circus*
*Frontpage of The Times of India, Delhi Edition, May 11, 2010*
At least once every year, on a slow news day, some enterprising journalist
finds a fatwa that will fit the stereotype about Muslims being backward or
Muslim scholars being ignorant or out of touch with the real world or all of
the above reasons, and will publish a news story based on this 'prized'
fatwa. Let's take the example of the fatwa issued by Darul Uloom Deoband
that is making the round in news cycles this week.
The fatwa in question was issued more than a month ago and one can ask the
question, why is there a sudden interest by the media in this particular
fatwa? A fatwa that is only a sentence long has had numerous newspaper
column space and hours of airtime devoted to it. The media bosses have
decided that it is an important fatwa because it has all the right keywords
to keep the attention of readers & viewers, and therefore will keep a flow
of revenue coming in.
One has to question the motive of the major media regarding the publicizing
of a fatwa. There is more to this than meets the eye when the Indian media
that is obsessed with breaking news and exclusives these days picks up a
fatwa that was issued more than a month ago. Within 24 hours of this news
being flashed on NDTV on May 11th, 2010, all major media networks of India
had reported it. And every new report had added information that was not
even there. Let's look at the fatwa first.
Question number 21031 ((http://darulifta-deoband.org/viewfatwa.jsp?ID=21031)
to Darul Ifta (house of fatwas) of Darul Uloom Deoband asked by someone in
India states: "Asalamu-Alikum: Can muslim women in india do Govt. or Pvt.
Jobs? Shall their salary be Halal or Haram or Prohibited?" Answer published
on April 4th, 2010 simply answers it as: "It is unlawful for Muslim women to
do job in government or private institutions where men and women work
together and women have to talk with [to] men frankly and without veil."
*Headlines*
Now let's look at some of the headlines of news reports about this fatwa:
Fatwa against working Muslim women: *NDTV*
Fatwa to working Muslim women: Don't talk to male colleagues: *NDTV*
Women's earnings haram, says Deoband: *The Times of India* [Print edition]
Deoband fatwa: It's illegal for women to work, support family: *The Times of
India* [Online]
Don't talk to male colleagues: Darul Uloom's fatwa to all working women: *
DNA*
Muslim women can't work: Deoband: *Samay Live*
Darul Uloom says Muslim women can't work in public: *India Today*
Now, fatwa against working women: *Indian Express*
Women Working with Men Un-Islamic: Deoband: *Outlook*
Fatwa against men-women proximity at workplace: *Zee News*
In case you ever wondered why there isnt a successful supermarket tabloid in
India, here is your answer. There is no need for one because major media
houses in India do that job very well.
*Fatwa-checking*
Now let's look at the fatwa again. It doesn't talk about a woman's earnings
being *haram* or unlawful, Islamically speaking. It also not talking about
whether women can work or not, rather it is a learned scholar giving his
opinion that Islamically it will be unlawful for a Muslim women only if she
is in a job that will require her to speak to men "frankly and without
veil." I am not sure what mufti sahib meant with the "speaking frankly"
phrase, but there is no ruling saying women cannot work or that their
earning is haram. This did not stop media houses from publishing news report
after news report with sensational headlines that had nothing to do the with
the original fatwa.
A simple fact-checking, if Indian media had that system, would have
clarified the matter and this fatwa would have remained a non-news. However,
this was not to be. Why should anyone bother with minor annoyance when there
are pages and airtime to be filled without impunity.
Television channels went a step further and dug up old fatwas dating back to
2005 and 2006 to run on the screens when they were talking about this issue.
It is anyone's guess what issues those fatwas displayed on-screen would have
dealt with. We can't blame readers and viewers when they see a conspiracy in
all this.
Tabassum Khan who is an Assistant Professor of Media and Cultural Studies at
the University of California, Riverside argues that the media jumps on these
issues because "It further tatters the already tarnished image of the
Muslims." And when there is not enough facts to go around they simply add
fiction to make it sound more interesting.
Fatwas, good or bad, have only limited public appeal and influence. Sadia
Khanam, a journalist with *The Eastern Post* in Kolkata, says, "I don't
encounter many situations where I need to seek the guidance of a fatwa." And
maybe it will sound strange to journalists with a very low image of Muslim
women, Khanam adds, "It depends on my personal understanding to decide which
fatwa can be held correct and followed."
And Sadia is not alone in this, Tabassum Khan has done extensive research on
the Muslim youth of New Delhi and she says that "The women paid little
attention [to fatwas], but among the young men there were a few who gave
importance to these fatwas. But they were isolated and few and far in
between in numbers."
So, why are major media houses ready to give up prime space and time for a
fatwa that the majority of Muslims pay little attention to? "Mainstream
media has no stake in the image of Muslims. They are in the business of
enforcing and perpetuating stereotypes. So, if a maulvi works to tatter the
already tarnished image, they are the first to give him importance and
project his view as the view of the entire community," explains Khan.
*Measured response*
Darul Uloom Deoband did the right thing by issuing a denial but the damage
had already been done. So how should Muslims respond in situations like
these? First of all, those who are activists, community leaders, and
commentators, and first lines of contact for these journalists who are
seeking them for opinions, need to pay more attention to the story. They
need to realize that they don't need to respond to all media queries. If
they do decide to respond, even if it is going to be along predictable
lines, they need to see the source of the story. In this case, it would have
been to see the original fatwa.
For half an hour, Shazia Ilmi, Sadia Dehlvi, and Kamal Farooqui debated on
this topic on Sagarika Ghose's program "Face The Nation" on CNN-IBN on
Wednesday. Strangely, none of them had actually even read the original
fatwa. Based on other hearsay news reports, this only served the purpose of
keeping untainted the image of Muslims as a monolith community
out-of-touch-with-the-modern-world, and women who need to be rescued. Of
course, interest of Muslim women is the least of the concerns of the Indian
media who are competing for all-important ratings.
One thing is clear that Muslims have no say or control over the media's
actions, but that doesn't mean that they have to be passive. Polite but firm
emails should be sent to reporters and their editors. Muslim community
organizations should send a letter on their official letter-heads to the
editors and seek meetings with the editorial staff. In these meetings,
examples of serious lapses by media when reporting on issues related to
Muslims should be brought to their attention.
Media is not a one-way street and they don't exist in vacuum. In this day
and age, readers and viewers have much more power than anyone would like to
acknowledge. This power should be used to demand correct and factual
coverage. At the same time Muslims need to take these kinds of episodes as
opportunity to engage with their non-Muslim colleagues and friends to
explain Islam and Muslim practices.
Muslim religious leadership is not above criticism but they need to be
engaged to develop a new kind of thinking that takes what Islam has to offer
and apply it to the modern world. Religious scholars need to offer solutions
to the problems associated with modern life without dragging the whole
community to a medieval view of the religion and the world. For this to
happen both university-educated and madrasa-educated Muslims need to
interact and engage each other.
As Prof. Tabassum Khan rightly states, "It is important for middle-class
Muslims to become more vocal and not let uninformed and biased opinions be
representative of the community."
II.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Urdu-press-tears-into-latest-fatwa/articleshow/5928678.cms
Urdu press tears into latest fatwaMohammed Wajihuddin, TNN, May 14, 2010
MUMBAI: The Urdu press has slammed the Darul Uloom of Deoband's fatwa which
decreed earning of Muslim women was haraam (prohibited) and asked them not
to work with men in public/private organisations. Though the fatwa was just
an opinion and not binding on Muslims, it could derail the community's
efforts to empower their women, observed Urdu dailies.
In its stinging editorial titled, "Kya Deoband sun raha hai? (Is Deoband
listening?)", The Sahafat (May 13) attacked the Islamic seminary's lack of
understanding about contemporary world. "Which world do these people who
issue such fatwas inhabit? If they think they spoke for today's world, they
have missed the train," commented the editorial.
Citing examples of exemplary achievements of women in Muslim countries like
Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Malaysia and Kuwait, the newspaper said the ulema
should have been more careful while issuing fatwas.
"Many Muslim women work because they are the sole breadwinners in their
families or they supplement the families' income earned by the male
members," said the paper. "Darul ifta (the fatwa wing of the Deoband
madrassa) should recall the great role women played in Muslim society during
the Prophet's lifetime."
The Inquilab, Mumbai's leading Urdu daily, wondered how the Muslim women who
were part of the workforce globally could be advised not to work. The paper
argued that Islam never stopped women from working, provided they were
dressed properly. Referring to the Prophet's first wife, Khadeeja, who was a
successful businesswoman, the paper stressed the need to propel Muslim women
into mainstream, not to pull them back.
Urdu columnists and opinion makers are outraged and shocked beyond belief at
the Deoband fatwa.
III.
http://madrasareforms.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
A Flurry of Fatwas from Misogynist
Mullahs<http://madrasareforms.blogspot.com/2010/05/flurry-of-fatwas-from-misogynist.html>
For over a decade now, I have been writing on the hotly-debated subject of
madrasas or Islamic seminaries that train Islamic religious specialists.
What ignited my interest in the subject was what I considered to be the
wholly unfair charges against the madrasas of being 'factories of terror'.
Over the years, I have read much material by and about the madrasas, and
have visited several dozens of them across India and even abroad. Although
charges about Indian madrasas being involved in training terrorists are
unfounded and unfair, the allegation that, generally speaking, they teach,
preach, and foment obscurantist and ultra-reactionary beliefs on a wide
range of issues in the garb of Islam certainly cannot be dismissed easily.
Nor can the assertion that, under certain circumstances, such beliefs can
indeed lead to extremism and even violence, as the case of Pakistan so
tragically illustrates, be ignored. Likewise, the argument that such
beliefs, projected by the mullahs as normative and binding, constitute a
major hurdle to Muslim progress and that they play a vital role in keeping
Muslims shackled under the sway of a class of self-serving, patriarchal
narrow-minded clerics, largely ignorant of the demands of the contemporary
world, has to be recognized as legitimate.
Based on my reading of madrasa-related literature and personal observations,
I must unhesitatingly state that certain views widely-shared among the ulema
regarding such matters as women's rights and relations with non-Muslims are
simply unacceptable in any civilized society, and constitute a major
challenge to Muslim advancement and to efforts to promote decent relations
between Muslims and people of other faiths. Reformist Muslims might argue
that these views represent a complete distortion of 'true' Islam, that they
are based largely on fake stories wrongly attributed to the Prophet or
patriarchal inventions of the fuqaha, specialists of fiqh or Islamic
jurisprudence, but the ulema have a ready answer to shut them up: In
accordance with a hadith which they attribute to the Prophet, it is they, so
they insist, who are the 'heirs of the prophets' (waris-e anbiya), and,
hence, entitled to speak on and about Islam. The madrasas that they run are,
as they put it (note the militant metaphor) 'the fortresses of the faith'
(deen ke qile). Hence, they pompously insist, they have the sole right to
arbitrate on Islamic affairs. This they do through their pronouncements and
a steady stream of fatwas, which, although technically only opinions, are
taken as gospel Islamic truth by the hordes of their unthinking followers.
*
Probably the largest traditional madrasa not just in India but, indeed, in
the entire world, the Dar ul-Uloom at Deoband styles itself as the Umm
ul-Madaris or 'The Mother of the Madrasas', having birthed several thousand
madrasas associated with the Deobandi school of thought across India,
Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, and in various countries home to
sizeable South Asian Muslim diasporic communities. The Deobandis are the
most organized of all ulema groups, running a vast number of maktabs,
madrasas, and publishing houses. They also control tens of thousands of
mosques and other community institutions. In Pakistan and Bangladesh they
are organized as political parties, while in Afghanistan they are
represented by the Taliban. They present themselves (in the same manner as
all the other, rival Islamic sectarian communities) as the sole upholders of
what they regard as 'true Islam', considering other Muslim sects as deviant
or, quite simply, outside the Islamic pale. Political parties vie with each
other to appease the mullahs of Deoband, recognizing the immense political
clout that they command among the largely illiterate Muslim electorate. In
India, the Congress Party has for years enjoyed a cozy relationship with the
Deobandis, and some Deobandi mullahs have even become Members of Parliament
on Congress tickets. The All-India Muslim Personal Board, which styles
itself as the authoritative body of all the 200 million or more Muslims of
India, is almost completely under Deobandi hegemony.
*
Surfing the Internet last night, I chanced upon the website of the Dar
ul-Ifta, the 'House of Fatwas' of the Deoband madrasa (
http://darulifta-deoband.org). This fatwa-dispensing site hosts almost 4000
fatwas in English issued by the official Muftis of Deoband. The fatwas cover
a wide range of topics. A special section of the website is devoted to
fatwas about 'Women's Issues'. That there is no similar section for 'Men's
Issues' is hardly surprising. After all, men are not seen to need to be
minutely monitored and carefully controlled.
A random search of the almost 90 fatwas listed in this section reveals some
blood-curdling 'gems' of Deobandi 'wisdom' (the nauseatingly pathetic
English of both the questioners and the Deoband Muftis may please be
excused):
Question 1: Asalamu-Alikum: Can Muslim women in India do Govt. or Pvt. Jobs?
Shall their salary be Halal or Haram or Prohibited?
Answer: It is unlawful for Muslim women to do job in government or private
institutions where men and women work together and women have to talk with
men frankly and without veil.
Question 2: Mufti Saab, please guide me on the issue that why woman have to
cover the face? Kindly provide with proofs. May Allah reward you in
abundon.
Answer: If a young lady comes in front of ghair mahram with open face there
is fear of fitnah, hence it is necessary for her to cover her face.
Question 3: Can a man along with his mahram travel with a ghair mehram? If
yes, upto what distance? Can a women travel with a male servant (driver) who
is a ghair mehram in the city for educational reasons etc..? If yes, upto
what distance?
Answer: She can travel within 78 kilometres observing hijab. She is not
allowed to travel alone with non-mahram driver, even if it is within 78 km,
then also it is unlawful; since she will be in privacy with a non-mahram.
Question 4: (a) Is it permissible for a woman to leave her house while
unaccompanied by a mahram? (b) Is it permissible for a woman to drive a
car?
Answer: (a) She can go in nearby places without a mahram observing hijab
provided there is no fear of fitnah (evil/mischief). But for a journey, she
should be accompanied by any mahram.
(b) It is not allowed.
Question 5: Is covering the face compulsory for women while wearing burqa?.
In Malaysia it is a hot issue. Please give a detailed reply.
Answer: If she fears fitnah she should cover her face. In this age, there is
no doubt that it causes fitnah, therefore it is regarded necessary.
Question 6: Is it compulsory to observe purdah when with another Muslim
woman? Is it compulsory to observe purdah when with a non-Muslim woman?
Answer: It is necessary to observe purdah with the women whether Muslims and
non-Muslims.
Question 7: Assalamualaykum. Please can you tell me is it fardh (compulsory)
to cover the face of females when they go out? Or, if relatives come home,
do they have to cover the face as well? I am confused on that. Wassalam.
Answer: When outside, it is absolutely obligatory; since the face is centre
of attraction, the verses of the Holy Quran (Surah Ahzab 33:59, Surah Noor
24:31) indicate to the same. What do you mean by relatives? The non-Mahram
relatives have the same ruling as mentioned in No 1.
Question 8: Assalamualeikum, I am a working woman and my job is compulsory
for my family. I used to wear salwar-kameez with full sleeves, scarf fully
covered my hair and neck,dupatta till stmouch. according shariah can i go
out like this?
Answer: It is allowable for you to do job observing full hijab (with
covering face) and provided you do not talk and mingle with non-mahram men
unnecessarily.
Question 9: Assalamu alaykum w.w mufti shab My quistion is here in south
africa they is radio station called radio islam and it is very beneficial
for evry one.but my qustion is on that radio station evry hour women read
out the news is that permissible?it is permissible for ger mahram man to
listen to here voise ?because thru out the world 1000 of litsener and many
of them ger mahram?so plz replay me with answerd as soon as possible is it
permisseble for women to broadcast on radio whey she is not invoved with man
or camera?please please replay me soon i'm waiting for your replay. Salam.
Answer: Women have bee prohibited to speak loudly, read out something in
melody and talk softly. The scholars of Fiqh say that voice of a woman is
also satr [something that needs to be 'covered-up' or 'veiled'—YS]. That is
why women have been stopped to call Azan and recite talbia loudly in Hajj.
Yes, in cases of necessity, they can talk as they can have some words with a
doctor etc. However, without any need, it is not right for women to
broadcast news at radio stations as well it is not permissible for
non-Mahram men to hear their voice without a need.
Question 10: I would like to know the views of the different school of
thoughts regarding ladies covering their face in front of non-mahrams. If a
school of thought different from the one i am following does not think it is
necessery is that reason enough for me to say that its not really necessery
for me either?
Answer: The Quran and Hadith have commanded women to cover their faces due
to fear of mischief. This is what Hanafis believe. If you are a Hanafi then
it is unlawful for you to follow other Fiqhi schools.
Question 11: As salamu alaikum, I would like to know if it is permissible
for a muslimah to work as a translator for the tribunal. JazakAllah,
Answer: It is not a good thing for women to do jobs in offices. They will
have to face strange men (non-mahram) though in veil. She will have to talk
and deal with each other which are the things of fitna (evils). A father is
committed to provide maintenance to his daughter and a husband is asked to
provide maintenance to his wife. So, there is no need for women to do jobs
which always pose harms and mischief.
Question 12: As-salmualykum I wanted to find out does a muslim women have to
cover(cover arms etc) infront of a non muslim women?how much is she alowed
to show? please answer my question in the light of qur'an & sunnah, and is
there any strong prrof and evidence? jazzakallah may Allah reward you!
Answer: A woman should cover her entire body except her face, palms and
feet, the matter of treatment is exceptional.
Question 13: How far is it permissible for a woman to go without a mehram?
Can she go?
Answer: The Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) said: "Any it is now allowed for a
woman who has belief in Allah and His messenger that she travels to a
destination of more than 78 kms alone. Yes, she can travel this distance or
more with a mehram (immediate relatives like father, son, husband, nephew).
Some traditions refer to a distance of only three miles while some
absolutely prohibit from traveling. All these traditions differ as per the
worsening conditions of different ages and times. As much the fitna
(mischief, evil) will prevail as much the cautiousness will be required.
Question 14: I am married for 4 years and we are having a family planning as
my wife is not doing well , she has got an injury in the head and the injury
is 10 years old, she gets severe pain very frequently. Please advice.
Family planning is haram and unlawful in Islam. You should apprise your wife
of the commandment of Shariah and get her head injury treated. If she faces
unbearable pain due to conception or she fears her life or the life of the
baby in case of pregnancy then in such conditions she can adopt any
contraceptive measure temporarily.
*
Faced with mounting protests from women (including Muslim women, too)
against the torrent of anti-women fatwas they have been churning out over
the years, the mullahs of Deoband have the temerity to insist in their
defence that [their peculiar version of] Islam not just guarantees women's
rights but, more than that, stands for the best and most perfect form of
gender justice. If imprisoning women in their homes, grudgingly permitting
them to step out only under very severe conditions, compelling them to spend
their entire lives simply manufacturing children, forcing them to veil from
head and face to toe, 'veiling' even their voices and thereby totally
silencing them, insisting that they observe purdah even in front of other
women—in short, reducing them to invisiblised, servile, repressed and
hyper-sexualised beings—is Deobandi-style 'Islamic justice', is it any
wonder if hardly any educated Muslim women take the Deobandi mullahs
seriously? That non-Muslims, in general, are forced to think that Islam
stands for raw, untamed patriarchy and male chauvinism? That increasing
numbers of Muslims now consider the mullahs are a heavy burden on Muslim
society and the major cause for Muslim backwardness the world over? That a
whole new class of Muslim women (and some men) believe that they need to
study and interpret Islam from a distinctive feminist perspective, cleansing
it from the deep-rooted patriarchal, indeed misogynist, tradition of mullah
scholarship?
*
Being now a hardened skeptic in all matters of religion (for which I must
thank the mullahs, in particular) I am not in a position to opine on whose
version of Islam as it relates to women—that of the mullahs or that of the
progressive Islamic feminists—represents the sole 'true' or 'authentic'
version or vision of the faith. As far as I am concerned, that question
simply cannot be answered at all. For me it is meaningless, although, still,
academically interesting. The same holds true with regard to the larger
question of the Deobandi mullahs' claims (as reflected in the numerous
fatwas in the section on the Dar ul-Ifta's website titled 'Deviant Groups
and Sects' that brand other Muslim sectarian groups, both Sunni as well as
Shia, as deviants or even as out of the Islamic fold) that they alone
represent 'true' Islam. The Deobandis and their Muslim sectarian rivals
will, one expects, continue to hurl fatwas of infidelity against each other
and bandy about their respective claims of being the sole true Muslims till
the Day of Judgment comes upon us. Given the nature of their absolutist
claims, no consensus as to what precisely 'true' Islam is, and what exactly
this 'true' Islam has to say about Islam, is ever possible.
Be that as it may, I would still argue that it is vital for Muslims
concerned about their faith and its image and also about their
co-religionists and their ability to function in the modern world to take
the mullahs by their horns and immerse themselves in the discursive battle
to promote more meaningful, humane and just understandings of Islam. There
is simply no other way.
It is authored by *Yoginder Sikand.*
--
Peace Is Doable
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