KOZHIKODE: An Islamic scholar from Egypt has called for the promotion of indigenous varieties of Islam prevailing in non-Arabic countries to resist the process of Arabisation that seeks to impose a monolithic form of the religion, destroying all its pluralities.
In an interview to the TNIE, Dr Nasr Muhammad Arif, Professor at Cairo University, Egypt, said the Arabs carried Islam to various communities more than one thousand years ago in a peaceful and non-confrontationist way. But in the last century it was replaced by Saudi Salafism, which was aggressive and disrespectful of local traditions. The scholar believes that the change occurred due to the influence of western or colonial ideology that divided human beings into superiors and inferiors.
He said the Salafi creed propagated by Saudi Arabia was completely insensitive to local culture and traditions. “Islam only prescribes that the body should be properly covered. But the Saudi Salafis insist that Muslims should wear their dress. People in South East Asia like colourful things but Salafis want black abaya,” he said.
“I am coming from a society which follows the Maliki school of Islamic jurisprudence. There, women need not cover their breasts when they are feeding babies. This is unimaginable in Saudi Arabia,” Arif said.
“The Saudi Salafis looked down on the Muslims in traditional communities and thought that they should be re-introduced to Islam again. This is equivalent to the process of Westernisation,” Arif said.
“When Muslims came to South East Asia, they adopted an architectural philosophy that was eco-friendly. They constructed the ceiling of mosques like a pyramid taking into consideration the rainy season, but later it was replaced by the Arabian style of flat roof. Thus, the local culture and tradition were completely sidelined and an Arabian culture was imposed,” Arif said.
The only way out is to de-Arabise society and return to traditional Islam. “I am told that there are several Islamic scholars in Kerala whose books are taught in Al Azhar University. I found a book where details of 6,149 Islamic scholars in Central Asia are given. There are places where there is a rich intellectual tradition but people are inclined to look at Arabs as the representatives of Islam,” he said.
“India used to teach the whole world. The Darul Uloom in Lucknow was the publishing house for Muslims all over the world. You are looking down on you with a belief that others are superior,” he said.
Arif said the practice of seeking fatwas from scholars outside the country is totally wrong because any fatwa is conditional. “Fatwa is a personalised one and cannot be generalised. Importing fatwas can be dangerous,” he said.
Arif was impressed by the interaction among various communities in Kerala. “I went to a Muslim educational institution in Malappuram and I was glad to see that seventy per cent of the teachers are non-Muslims. There is a mosque in every half-a-kilometre, which is a rarity even in the Middle East. We need to promote this kind of plural culture,” he said.