Ahmad Farouk Musa || 23 March 2025

We refer to the statement issued by Majlis Kebangsaan Bagi Hal Ehwal Ugama Islam Malaysia (MKI) dated 20 March 2025. Two books published by the IRF namely the Malay translation of Ahmet T. Kuru’s book ‘Islam, Autoritarisnisme, dan Kemunduran Bangsa’ and Asma Afsaruddin’s book ‘Golongan Muslim Pertama: Sejarah dan Memori’, were banned along with ten other books.

The reason given was that the books contained teachings and understanding that were against the creed of ahlus sunnah wal jama’ah (al-Asha’irah and al-Maturidiyah), the shari’a and Islamic ethics, that could confuse the Muslim society.

However, we would like to categorically deny such allegations since neither books touch on the issue of creed (aqīda). It seems to us that this issue of creed – Asha’irah and Maturidiyah – has been weaponised by the religious authorities in this country to suppress any ideas that were deemed to be critical of the issues faced by the Muslims with regard to the revision of history associated with the Muslim scholars of the previous generations and any issues related to critical thinking.

Anyone who has read the book by Asma Afsaruddin would realise that the book looks back into the past history of Muslims umma and provides some contentious concept of jihad and Islamic state which are perceived as a legacy of the Prophet. It basically regenerate understanding of Muslim history by comparing the tolerant polity of Prophet Muhammad as compared to the restrictive nature attached to what Islam is now.

The question is whether is it wrong to question the idea of Islamic state as contended by MKI? Asma assesses both the Islamist and modernist views on this concept. While we are very much aware of the Islamist view in establishing an Islamic state, Asma argues otherwise that such idea is ahistorical. None of the pre-modern sources refers to the Islamist terminology of ad-Dawla al-Islamiyya (the Islamic State) or al-Hukuma al-Islamiyya (the Islamic Government).

The issue is whether MKI subscribes to the concept of Islamic state and believes that any arguments against the idea should be silenced? It seems that any idea that seeks Muslims to reassess their understanding and to implore critical thinking should be deemed as heresy and hence be banned. This is what we can deduce from the action of MKI in this case.

Similarly in Ahmet T. Kuru’s book, his main idea was to address the issue of the Muslim world’s backwardness. Kuru dwells on his idea on what actually caused stagnation and underdevelopment of the Muslim world, and came to a conclusion that the state-clergy alliance is the most significant factor. It was the ulama that resisted the printing press that led to the delay in modernization of the Muslim umma. Now that must have irked MKI just like it irked the Muslim conservatives before. But is that a justifiable reason to ban a book?

Of course Kuru touched on one of the most revered theologian whose tariqat is always quoted in the same line as Asha’irah and Maturidiyah, namely al-Ghazali. Al-Ghazali and the government of the day were part of a powerful coalition of orthodox Sunni ulama and the military state. Al-Ghazali, in his opinion, not only contributed to this alliance but also received its support. Therefore, the main contribution of al-Ghazali to the ulama-state alliance was his theoretical role in the formation of Sunni orthodoxy.

Not only that, but Kuru also criticizes al-Ghazali for his idea on occasionalism. Al-Ghazali dictates that cotton will not burn when in contact with fire without the will of God. This idea is antithetical to science that relies on the concept of ‘cause and effect’. This idea would definitely hinder scientific development and progress, and it is conceivable that some academics believe that al-Ghazali had made a major contribution to the downward spiral of Muslim civilizations.

Of course this kind of allegation must have infuriated MKI but they should have countered it with their arguments, not by banning the books. This idea of book banning is against any spirit of free speech and freedom of expression as embodied in the Federal Constitution of this country. The idea of book banning does not only reflect the attitude of anti-intellectualism of MKI, but also inherently  unconstitutional.

What we are witnessing today echoes history. Just as medieval caliphs imposed Sunnization on their subjects — suppressing groups like the rationalist Mu’tazila — we are seeing MKI engage in similar suppression. That was the reason why the IRF has voice out our strongest objection to the RUU Mufti 2024, since we have seen this coming.

The authoritarian version of Islam championed by the MKI must be resisted by every Muslim who believe in the freedom of conscience and freedom of expression. Otherwise, we risk being trapped in the same unholy alliance between clergy and state that once led to the intellectual decline of great Muslim civilizations.

Dato’ Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa is an academic and researcher at the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia. He has a PhD in Surgery from Monash University Australia and Masters of Medicine in Surgery from Universiti Sains Malaysia. He is a doctoral candidate in Islamic Studies at Universiti Muhammadiyah Malaysia and a Research Fellow at Sekolah Tinggi Filsafat Islam (STFI) Sdara, Jakarta, Indonesia.  He is also a founder and director at the Islamic Renaissance Front, Kuala Lumpur, a think tank focusing on islah (reform) and tajdid (renewal) in Islam. This statement was published in full by Malaysiakini here. It was also extracted as news by MalaysiaNow here and Free Malaysia Today here.