Al-Shajarah: Journal of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC)

BOOK REVIEW: Sri Lanka's Easter Sunday Massacre: Lessons for International Community by Rohan Gunaratna

2023-12-30T22:44:32+08:00

Rohan Gunaratna's recent publication titled Sri Lanka’s Easter Sunday Massacre: Lessons for International Community tries to explore the “Easter Attack massacre” and its root causes in Sri Lanka. The work would indeed become one of the main references for those interested in exploring the sources and roots of the Easter Attack. Although the Easter Sunday massacre was a watershed event in Sri Lankan history as well as the ‘September 11’ of Sri Lankan Muslims, there has been a lack of detailed analysis on the subject thus far. In this sense, Gunaratna's work could be seen as the first detailed study of the tragedy, elaborating on the background of the bombers, their preparations, and the execution. In the aftermath of the attack, there has been a serious public debate on the nature of tragedy and its root causes. Participating in this debate, Imthiyaz Razak argued that the Easter attacks were a by-product of both “violence against Muslims since 2012”, unleashed by the Sinhala-Buddhist extremists and cultural exclusivism of Muslims, enabled by the political bargaining between the majoritarian state and minority political elites. For his part, Rajan Hoole argued in his work Sri Lanka's Easter Tragedy that the Easter Attack was the result of the entrenched phenomenon of the deep state that tries to manipulate religious extremists for their political ends. For him, the Easter Attack was more political than ideological. However, Gunaratna stressed the point that the Easter Attack directly resulted from the religious radicalization of a segment of the Muslim community in Sri Lanka, who embraced the Salafi-Wahhabism ideology of political Islam. The book elaborates this argument through a lengthy introduction and subsequent four chapters.

SUNAN KUDUS' STRATEGIC APPROACH TO CULTURAL ADAPTATION IN THE SELF-OTHER PERSPECTIVE

2022-01-22T21:25:19+08:00

Sunan Kudus is one of the Walisongo (the nine revered saints of Islam in Indonesia) figures with a particular way of delivering his teachings. To adapt to the community when conveying the teachings of Islam, he employed art and culture as a medium, established architectural foundations, and established social harmony, so much so that the people of Kudus became relatively untouched by horizontal conflicts. This article aims to explore the cultural adaptation models carried out by Sunan Kudus, find the underlying life principles he utilized, and analyze the thoughts and value principles he maintained within the conceptual framework of self-relationship and self-other relationship. The current research is a field study supported by literary data. The research results of this study indicate that he carried out approaches to the community by emphasizing attitudes of mutual respect, humility, and capacity to benefit the surrounding environment. He demonstrated ways of gaining public sympathy through caution and gradual progress. He entered the community’s life, approached the community members, and understood the things they needed. He applied a cultural approach and technology to help the community fulfil its needs. Prioritizing fostering tolerance among them, he highly encouraged the promotion of community approach that avoided the use of violent means. This study complements the literature on Sunan Kudus about the concept of self-other. This is a new finding concerning the life concepts of Sunan Kudus in his relationship with others, with these concepts functioning as a means for him to win the hearts and minds of the people of Kudus to follow the teachings of Islam and to consider him as a role model. The study results have yet to reveal the concept of self-other in terms of the relationship between human beings (Sunan Kudus) and other creatures.

ISLAM IN MODERN MALAY LITERATURE: EXAMINING THE ROLE AND POSITION OF “STORY” ACCORDING TO PERSURATAN BARU

2023-08-15T17:05:53+08:00

This article discusses the synchronisation of Persuratan Baru’s idea on the role and position of stories in literature to Islam. Persuratan Baru (PB) is a literary notion proposed by Mohd. Affandi Hassan as an alternative to resolve the confusion of knowledge in modern Malay literature. To this end, PB upholds Islam particularly its core doctrine Tawhid as its conceptual framework which recognises the Qur’an and Prophetic Sunnah as legitimate sources of knowledge. Among the major ideas of PB is “Ilmu-Cerita” (Knowledge-Story) which prioritises “Ilmu” (Knowledge) and subordinates “Cerita” (Story) to “Ilmu.” More important is Affandi Hassan’s statement that his idea of “Ilmu-Cerita” is indeed Islamic as it is inspired by the Qur’an. No critical research has examined the synchronisation of PB idea and “Ilmu-Cerita” to Islam. This article is structured to achieve two objectives. Firstly, to discuss PB’s idea on “Ilmu-Cerita” as expounded by Affandi Hassan in his writings. Secondly, to examine the synchronisation of the idea to Islam by referring to authoritative (mu’tabar) Arabic commentaries of the Qur’an. This study applies a textual analysis approach that outlines two levels of reading procedure, i.e., descriptive reading and analytical reading. The study reveals that in PB’s perspective the aim of literary writing is to convey ilmu (knowledge), and therefore cerita (story) functions as a tool in conveying knowledge. Close reading on the mu’tabar Arabic commentaries of the Qur’an reveals that stories in the Qur’an seek to convey knowledge, i.e., good lessons that benefit mankind in everyday life. In this context that stories in the Islamic perspective serve as a tool to convey knowledge. With this understanding, PB’s idea of “Knowledge-Story” is found in synchronisation with the teaching of Islam.

AFGHAN AND PAKISTANI TALIBAN: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THEIR POLITICAL IDEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS AFFILIATIONS

2023-12-30T21:06:05+08:00

The main aim of this article is to discuss several facets of the socio-political phenomena known under the general name of Taliban that swept Afghanistan and embroiled Pakistan in a regional conflict since the last decade of twentieth century. The focus of the discussion is on the emergence of Afghan and Pakistani Taliban as two separate and distinct movements, their organizational developments, and their similarities and differences in terms of political ideology, religious affiliations, and relationships with Pakistan. The organizational and political-religious transformation of the Taliban is examined in this article in three historical phases. First, the political-religious background in Afghanistan that led to the formation of the Taliban in 1994 and its rise to power in 1996 only two years after its existence as an Islamic movement. Second, the seven-year period 1994-2001 during which the Taliban ruled Afghanistan until they were ousted from power following the invasion of the country by the US-led coalition forces a month after the September 11 (2001) tragic event in New York. This article examines the transformation of the Taliban as a movement and as a government ruling in the name of Islam during this period. And third, the twenty-year period when the Taliban as opposition forces waged an insurgency against the US-installed puppet regime that successfully ended with them regaining power in August 2021. The article concludes with some remarks on the possible directions in which the Taliban could be heading in the post-2021 era.

THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF TURKIYE IN MALAYSIA: OTTOMAN HISTORY IN MALAYSIAN SECONDARY HISTORY TEXTBOOKS (1989-2022)

2023-12-30T21:17:48+08:00

This article explores the teaching of Ottoman history and the image of the Ottomans through a close and critical reading of Malaysian secondary history textbooks used between 1989 and 2022. It argues that Malaysian secondary history textbooks focus mainly on the political and military aspects of sixteenth-century Ottoman history. They do not, consciously or subconsciously, make detailed reference to political and socio-economic turning points in nineteenth-century Ottoman history. Sejarah Tingkatan 2 (History: Form 2), one of the history textbooks examined in the article, exceptionally discusses the impact of Ottoman pan-Islamism and Turkish nationalism on the political and religious thought of the Malays. Nonetheless, history textbooks published after the 2000s have not touched on these important issues. In history textbooks, the Ottoman Empire is regarded as one of the significant states of the Islamic world; therefore, Ottoman history is analyzed within the framework of Islamic history and Islamic civilization. The portrayal of Ottomans is positive and favourable. There are no distortions, biases, or stereotypes concerning Ottoman history in Malaysian secondary history textbooks.

TEMPORAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL FORCES IN SHAPING IBN KHALDUN'S THEORY: RELEVANCE AND APPLICATION IN MODERN SOCIETAL DYNAMICS

2023-09-02T13:20:42+08:00

The article examines and discusses temporal and geographical forces shaping Ibn Khaldun's theory's relevance and application in modern societal dynamics. The report provides the critical biographies of Ibn Khaldun to understand better the thinker’s philosophical perspectives on history and civilization. The study explains how historical context shapes Ibn Khaldun’s thought. Moreover, the study argues that Ibn Khaldun had a theory on the development and collapse of states and civilizations relevant to modern societal dynamics. Besides, it evaluates Ibn Khaldun’s concepts and relates them to the present day. This study claims that Ibn Khaldun's perspectives on history, society, and civilization are less subjective and more rational. Further, this study examines the impact of leadership qualities and the influence of ‘asabiyyah and cycle patterns and Ibn Khaldun’s reflections on the socio-economic complexity of the modern world. Ibn Khaldun’s interpretations and definitions of history and civilization resulted in significant innovation in human science. The study adopts qualitative research techniques to achieve its objectives. Ibn Khaldun had a multi-dimensional outlook on civilization and history and the way history develops. This study argues that his multidimensional approach to history deserves a new analytical study.

ABUL KALAM AZAD’S IDEA OF RELIGIOUS PLURALISM FOR AN INCLUSIVE INDIAN NATIONALISM: A CIVILIZATIONAL REVISIT

2023-12-30T21:52:16+08:00

Abul Kalam Azad (1888-1958), the first Minister of Education in independent India, was a towering figure in the modern subcontinent. A freedom fighter against British colonial rule following the steps of Syed Ahmad Khan (1817-1898), an Islamic thinker, and a champion of Hindu-Muslim unity, Azad was an intellectual-activist advocating an inclusive Indian nationalism. This article focuses on Azad’s idea of religious pluralism based on the doctrine of unity of religions (wahdat al-adyan) and how he related it to his vision of an inclusive Indian nationalism. It discusses the main ideas embodied in this vision, especially the interrelated ideas of national unity and integrity, communal solidarity and harmony, cultural cohesion, and the need for a comprehensive education system that would serve national unity and the well-being of all Indians. Azad’s idea of unity of religions is articulated in his well-known exegetical work The Tarjuman al-Qur’an, especially in his commentary on the “Opening Chapter” (Surah al-Fatihah) of the Qur’an. This article also shows that Azad emphasized on common religious and cultural values as a means of embracing others for partnership in a national unity movement.

NECESSITY IN XENOTRANSPLANTATION: ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVES REVISITED

2023-09-04T11:36:44+08:00

Organ failures cause significant problems and sufferings which affect the livelihood, quality of life and decrease in life expectancy to the person. The caregivers, family and community also carry the disease burden and costs of the organ failures. Allotransplantation (AT) offers probable cures to organ failure but is limited by the supply of human organs. Organ shortages have resulted in numerous biomedical ethical problems and illegal activities. Xenotransplantation (XT) and specifically Porcine Xenotransplantation (PXT) has high expectations from researchers and clinicians to be the alternative to AT. From the Islamic perspectives, multiple deliberations and fatwas are issued that vary from total prohibition to conditional permissibility and full permissibility. Often, ḍarūrah or dire necessity is invoked to make XT or PXT permissible. The relevant biomedical issues and whether pre-conditions for ḍarūrah have been satisfied are discussed.

SOME REFLECTIONS ON THE ISLAMIZATION OF KNOWLEDGE

2023-12-30T22:27:53+08:00

Since the 1970s, Muslim intellectuals have offered alternatives to Euro-American dominance in the realm of knowledge. A new movement known as the “Islamization of Knowledge” was founded arguing for an epistemological revolution that hinged on the ideals of Tawhid (unity) and the sacralization of “secularized” disciplines and subjects. This article offers some critical reflections on this intriguing undertaking. In our view, the Islamization of Knowledge project was structured primarily around the idea of civilizational difference and a partial reading of the history of knowledge formation. The notion that knowledge can be “Islamized” or has been “secularized” is equally problematic because human knowledge incorporates both secular and sacred dimensions. Duality exists only in the minds and practices of knowledge producers and policymakers.