Malaysia step by step anti-Shia activities: Faizal Tehrani and His ... - Blog Novel Malaysia

<b>Malaysia</b> step by step anti-Shia activities: Faizal Tehrani and His <b>...</b> - Blog Novel Malaysia

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<b>Malaysia</b> step by step anti-Shia activities: Faizal Tehrani and His <b>...</b> Posted: 08 May 2014 08:44 AM PDT Malaysia–Award-winning novelist Faizal Tehrani got a welcome honor in 2012, when his book the Beloved Lady was launched by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. It was one of 30 other titles published by the government-linked  Malaysian Institute of Translation and Books and launched by Mr. Najib,who said then that a country's progress was not based just on economic growth but also the creativity and innovation of its people — as reflected partly through its writings. Now the book, better known by its Malay name Perempuan  Nan Bercinta, has been banned by Malaysia's ministry of home affairs for content it says may be "prejudicial to public order." In a statement in Malay released May 2 and translated by the WSJ,  the home ministry said it initiated the ban "to stop an attempt to inject Shiite propaganda through creative work, which might be targeted towards academics and youths." Malaysia's constitution names Islam as the state religion, but it does not differentiate between Sunni and Shiite. It also has clauses that honor religious freedom. Over the past year, however, the Shiite and other religious minorities have faced a growing number of restrictions on their right to worship. Faizal Tehrani, whose given name is Mohd Faizal Musa, has done extensive research on Shiism in Southeast Asia and is a special rapporteur charged with monitoring respect for human rights in Malaysia for Shia Rights Watch, an independent rights organization. He is currently a  research  fellow at the National University of Malaysia. Faisal Tehrani talked to the Wall Street Journal about the content of his novel, how his fans have reacted to the ban, and how he's likely to be remembered as a banned author. WSJ: What is Perempuan Nan Bercinta about? Mr. Faisal: Feminism. Perempuan Nan Bercinta refers to Fatima Zahra, Prophet Muhammad's daughter. She is actually The Beloved Lady. A human rights activist, gender activist – Tengku Idora – meets  Ali Taqi,  a  professor whose ideas of Islam are different from  mainstream Islam. He terms his ideas as alternative Islam. In the book, Ali Taqi asks if  other schools of thought can help solve the problems facing Muslims because the version of Islam practiced, the Sunni school of thought, is not helping. It is just a discourse,  an academic discourse.  The professor asks, "Is it possible to mix the Sunni school of thought and the Shiite school of thought to settle disputes, conflicts and crises?" It is a very complex novel.  There are so many thoughts inside. In Perempuan Nan Bercinta, I show readers a little bit of the Shiite way of life, as a minority in Malaysia; their beliefs, how they interact with other communities, with their own families, and how they hide their faith. WSJ: What do you think about the ban? Mr. Faisal: Before independence in 1957, the British who were ruling the country banned a satirical novel, Putera Gunung Tahan, by Pak Sako.  The book was about resisting the British, but he is not a Malaysian. Banning fiction, such as Perempuan Nan Cinta, raises a lot of questions. Is it because it is written in the local Malay language? What if I chose to write it in Mandarin or Cantonese or even Tamil? "When a book is banned, it is not because it is written in Malay.  We banned the book based on the content of the book. Even if it is in Mandarin or Tamil or English, if the content is not in accordance to the rules and regulations stipulated in the [Printing Presses and Publications] Act, it will be banned too," said Hashimah Nik Jaafar, head of the  Publications and Quranic Text Division in the Ministry of Home Affairs. WSJ: How long have you been writing books? Mr. Faisal: I wrote my first novel when I was 20 years old. Now I am 40.  So I have been writing for 20 years now. I have written 23 novels, eight stage plays, more than 100 short stories and poems.  I love writing about marginalized people. I want to give voice to the voiceless. I have written about non-mainstream themes from the start of my writing career. WSJ: How have people reacted to the ban? Mr. Faisal:  Many of them have encouraged me to keep on writing.  Many people asked me for a copy of the book.  I had none to give except the one that was signed by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak when he launched the book. I should have taken a selfie with him. When I was at the recent international book festival in Kuala Lumpur  – at the book signing session, signing my latest book on the indigenous people, the Penans – five people brought along copies of Perempuan Nan Bercinta. They asked me to autograph it. In Good Reads.com, there are about 30 reviews of this book.  Most of the reviews are positive.   They enjoy the novel but they notice that it is different.  Everybody knows that I am not a mainstream writer. WSJ: How has the ban affected you and do you see something good coming from the ban? Mr. Faisal: I can't say I am excited by the ban. But I am not discouraged. It boosts my energy. The moment I heard my book was banned, I decided I had to finish my ongoing manuscript.  And that is what I am going to do. Soon after the banning, an Indonesian publisher contacted me to ask possibilities for the novel to be translated into the Indonesian language, which is not very different from the Malaysian language, and be published in Indonesia. A few people I met told me, "You create an exciting climate for our book industry with this banning." Usually people will remember the book when it is banned, even though they have not read it.  I would be remembered as a banned author.

REPORT: <b>Malaysia</b> Bans <b>Book</b> Launched By Prime Minister Over <b>...</b> Posted: 29 Apr 2014 09:01 PM PDT Shi'a Muslims in Malir, Pakistan performing zanjeer–ritual flagellation Malaysia's Home Ministry has banned a book launched by Prime Minister Najib Razak in 2012 for purportedly promoting Shia teachings, The Malaysian Insider reported. Citing Home Minister Zahid Hamidi, the news portal said that "Perempuan Nan Bercinta", written by local author Faisal Tehrani, was deemed "likely to be prejudicial to public order". There are two main schools of thought in Islam: Sunni and Shi'ite. The former is seen as orthodox and traditionalist, and is the only branch of Islam recognised in Malaysia. The latter with its strong theme of martyrdom was banned in Malaysia in 1996 by the National Fatwa Council which ruled that its teachings were deviant. According to The Malaysian Insider, Najib, when launching Malay-language book in 2012, had said that the country's novelists have the freedom to write. It's unknown why the Home Ministry decided to ban the novel now. Read the original article here.

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