CIP Press Releases 2008Contents:CIP Bulletin: Urgent Call for Protest Against Iranian State Suppression of Gonabadi-Nimatullahi Sufis, March 15, 2008 Malaysian Government's "Explanation" of Ban on Schwartz's TWO FACES OF ISLAM, February 28, 2008 The Center for Islamic Pluralism (CIP) is proud to announce the inauguration of a new website based in Germany, developed in the German language with a perspective for inclusion of texts in Turkish and Kurdish. The website, www.islamicpluralism.de, is based on a close cooperation between CIP and the Alevi youth movement in Germany. The site editor is a German Alevi author, Ali Sirin, February 1, 2008
CIP Bulletin: Urgent Call for Protest Against Iranian State Suppression of Gonabadi-Nimatullahi Sufis, March 15, 2008The Center for Islamic Pluralism calls on all its members and supporters to protest against Iranian state harassment of the Gonabadi-Nimatullahi Sufis. CIP has received the following information on the situation: For many years the Government of Iran has used every possible strategy to create crises by dividing the Iranian people on the pretext of beliefs, religion and regional culture. These actions are carried out in defiance of basic international human rights with respect to freedom of conscience and religion, and also violate Islamic law. Almost every day Iran's government denies its citizens' human rights. Such crimes have included attacks on mosques and Quranic schools affiliated with Sunni Muslims in Tehran, assaults and arrests in Sanandaj and other major cities, and demolition and arson attacks against Husseiniyat (Shia prayer houses) used by Sufis in Qom and Boroujerd.
Iranian security forces are once again preparing an attack and demolition of a Husseiniya, this time in the town of Karaj. The Husseiniya is the home of the Gonabadi-Nimatullahi Sufi teacher Yusuf Mardani. The repression of the Gonabadi-Nimatullahi Sufis is part of a growing anti-Sufi campaign in Iran. CIP suggests sending the following e-mail statement to: Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ottawa, Canada, at iranemb@salamiran.org. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, at matbuat@mfa.gov.ir We strenuously condemn ongoing state repression against Iranian Sufis and, at this time, call on the Iranian authorities to immediately cease any and all action against the Gonabadi Sufis in Karaj, their Husseiniya, and their teacher Yusuf Mardan.
Malaysian Government's "Explanation" of Ban on Schwartz's TWO FACES OF ISLAM, February 28, 2008In a statement dated February 28, 2008, Malaysian authorities have responded to protests against the banning of Stephen Schwartz's The Two Faces of Islam: Saudi Fundamentalism and Its Role in Terrorism, in print since 2002, (see) with the following declaration: THE MINISTRY OF INTERNAL SECURITY HAD BANNED 11 (ELEVEN) TITLES OF THE SAID PUBLICATION [SIC] UNDER [SIC] PRINTING PRESSES & PUBLICATION (PPPA) ACT 1984, ON THE GROUND OF CONTAINING ELEMENTS THAT ARE INCONSISTENT TO ISLAMIC PURITY [SIC] OR FOR DEVIATION OF [SIC] TRUE ISLAMIC TEACHING WHICH IS DEEM [SIC] AS DETRIMENTAL TO PUBLIC ORDER. THE BAN WAS EXECUTED UNDER SUBSECTION (1), OF SECTION 7, PPPA 1984, WHICH WAS ALSO IN LINE WITH THE VETTED GUIDE LINES ON ISLAMIC PUBLICATION ISSUED BY ISLAMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF MALAYSIA (JAKIM). LASTLY, THE ACTION TAKEN IS RECONCILE [SIC] WITH THE MINISTRY’S APPROACH TO ENSURE THAT NO PUBLICATIONS WHICH ARE PREJUDICIAL TO PUBLIC ORDER, MORALITY, PUBLIC ORDER [SIC] AND SECURITY OF THE COUNTRY WHICH CONSEQUENTLY MAY CAUSE PUBLIC ALARM OR AGAINST ANY LAW OF THE COUNTRY BE ALLOWED TO BE IMPORTED INTO MALAYSIA. This ignorant and absurd comment was signed by: NORZAWIYAH BULKA
PRO
Ministry of Internal Security (MOIS)
Block D1, Complex D
62546 Putrajaya
o/b Secretary General
MOIS CIP calls on protestors against the ban to continue their efforts to inform the Malaysian authorities of the inappropriate nature of this action and, in particular, the usurpation of authority expressed by Malaysian Internal Security functionaries in claiming to determine the character of "true" Islam. True Islam is to be determined by Allah subhanawa't'ala, not by petty officials in a country the reputation of which is being tarnished by arbitrary censorship. Protests should be addressed to: pro@mois.gov.my Center for Islamic Pluralism
Washington, DC USA
London, UK
Koln, Germany
The Center for Islamic Pluralism (CIP) is proud to announce the inauguration of a new website based in Germany, developed in the German language with a perspective for inclusion of texts in Turkish and Kurdish. The website, www.islamicpluralism.de, is based on a close cooperation between CIP and the Alevi youth movement in Germany. The site editor is a German Alevi author, Ali Sirin, February 1, 2008.The Center for Islamic Pluralism (CIP) is proud to announce the inauguration of a new website based in Germany, developed in the German language with a perspective for inclusion of texts in Turkish and Kurdish. The website, www.islamicpluralism.de, is based on a close cooperation between CIP and the Alevi youth movement in Germany. The site editor is a German Alevi author, Ali Sirin. The site will include discussion of Muslim assimilation in Germany, the Alevi movement, political developments in Germany, Turkey and Kurdistan, and social problems within the German, Turkish, and Kurdish Muslim communities, as well as international Islamic affairs. Establishment of www.islamicpluralism.de was made possible by a private donation.
Ashura Greetings! CIP Meets with State Department-Sponsored Azerbaijan Visitors, January 31, 2008During the month of Muharrem, in the aftermath of the commemoration of Ashura and the martyrdom of Imam Husayn, Center for Islamic Pluralism Executive Director Stephen Suleyman Schwartz and a CIP researcher on Islamic women’s issues met in Washington, DC, with a delegation of four Muslims from Azerbaijan, three of them Shia and one Sunni. The visit was sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with the goal of educating foreign Muslims on the situation of Islam in America. The Azeri visitors were: Mr. Vidadi Kamil Oglu TAGHIYEV
Head of Religious Community Mr. Etibar Baxtiyar Oglu GULIYEV
Researcher, Institute of Oriental Studies, National Academy of Sciences Ms. Durdana Sukur Qizi JAFARLI
Professor, Baku Islamic University, Sumgayit Branch Mr. Elshad Pasha Oglu MIRIYEV
University Professor and Journalist The meeting included a detailed discussion of Wahhabism, which the Azeri visitors identified as the biggest threat to the future of the Muslim umma. Azerbaijan is 60 percent or more Shia, but moderate Shia and Sunni leaders are working to ameliorate the division between the traditions. Wahhabi infiltration has increased in the past decade. This is mainly caused by the invasion of nearby Chechnya and Daghestan by Saudi-financed Wahhabis. Baku, the Azeri capital, now includes Wahhabi mosques that exclude Shia worshippers, although in the past Shias and Sunnis typically prayed together. The Azeri delegation offered continued cooperation between moderate Shia and Sunni clerics as the main option for combating Wahhabi influence. From the CIP side, the confrontation between Shias and Sunnis in the U.S. was described, specifying that notable exceptions exist, including among Albanians. The Azeris were encouraged to raise their profile and credibility in the U.S. by pressing for full democratization of their country and by aligning firmly against the revival of neo-tsarist Russian imperialism as represented by Vladimir Putin. On this occasion CIP offered and repeats its salutations to Ahl-ul-Beyt and support for expressions of grief at the remembrance of the terrorist crime of Kerbala. Ya Husayn!
Executive Director Schwartz's TWO FACES OF ISLAM Banned in Malaysia! January 30, 2008PROTEST AGAINST MALAYSIAN BOOK BAN The Center for Islamic Pluralism (CIP), an international network of Muslim moderates with operating groups and correspondents in the U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, France, Croatia, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia, Albania, Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and other countries PROTESTS a decision by Federation of Malaysia authorities to ban The Two Faces of Islam: Saudi Fundamentalism and Its Role in Terrorism, authored by CIP Executive Director Stephen Schwartz. The Two Faces of Islam was published by Doubleday, New York, 2002, and has been translated and published in Bosnian, Croatian, Albanian, and Bahasa Indonesia – the latter readable by Malaysians, under the title Dua Wajah Islam. Translations into other major languages read by Muslims are in preparation. Executive Director Schwartz commented on the news, “It’s contemptible and, frankly, reveals the backward-looking attitudes of authorities in Malaysia, a country which prides itself on its alleged modernization as an economic tiger. In reality, books cannot be banned today. They are smuggled, pirated – especially in Southeast Asia – downloaded, and, in the case of my book, can easily be imported from Indonesia and read by Malaysians who do not know English. I consider this ban a badge of pride. I do, however, call on moderate Muslims and those who sympathize with moderate Islam, as well as all supporters of freedom of expression, to protest to the Malaysian authorities against this absurd decision.” Schwartz suggested that Saudi-Wahhabi agents in Malaysia had become alarmed by the publication of the book in Bahasa Indonesia. In addition, fundamentalist advocates trained in Malaysia have recently stirred up trouble in the Balkans, using their past solidarity with embattled Bosnia-Hercegovina as a pretext for extremist agitation. “The Two Faces of Islam will continue to be published in Muslim countries and read by ordinary Muslims,” Schwartz said. “The counter-jihad has hardly begun, and the arbitrary abuses committed by Malaysian and other radicals will do nothing more than call attention to our work. I do not believe this ridiculous decision reflects on the people of Malaysia or their Islam; rather, it reveals that a serious confrontation is underway in that country between moderates and extremists. The notable fact that my book, which is supported by numerous Muslim scholars, was banned in a ‘grab-bag’ list including Islamic and non-Islamic works, demonstrates the immoral use of the ‘technique of the amalgam,’ which was made famous by Communist regimes in suppressing their critics. It is unworthy of any Muslim to support such desperate intrigues as undertaken in Malaysia. No books on any religion should be banned in Malaysia. The involvement of the Ministry of Internal Security in this disreputable action is ludicrous; my book is in no way a threat to the internal security of Malaysia.” Schwartz concluded his comments on the incident with the Quranic citation, “ ‘Say: “I seek refuge in the Lord of men, the King of men, the God of men, from the mischief of the slinking prompter who whispers in the hearts of men.”’” (Surah 114). * * * The Center for Islamic Pluralism requests that protestors against this ban address communications to: U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
800 N. Capitol Street, N.W., Suite 790
Washington, D.C. 20002 USA Email: communications@uscirf.gov U.S. Embassy to Malaysia
Amb. James Keith
376 Jalan Tun Razak
50400 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia E-mail: klconsular@state.gov Federation of Malaysia
Ministry of Internal Security
Blok D1 & D2, Parcel D,
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan
62546 Putrajaya
Malaysia
E-mail: pro@mois.gov.my
Embassy of Malaysia
3516 International Court NW
Washington, DC 20008-3002 USA E-mail: malwashdc@kln.gov.my Permanent Mission of Malaysia to the United Nations
313 East 43rd Street
New York, NY 10017 USA E-mail: malnyun@kln.gov.my Malaysian High Commission in Canada
60 Boteler Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1N 8Y7 Canada E-mail: malottawa@kln.gov.my Malaysian High Commission in UK
45-46 Belgrave Square
London
SW1X 8QT UK E-mail: mwlon@btconnect.com Embassy of Malaysia in Germany
Klingelhoeferstr. 6
10785 Berlin
Federal Republic of Germany E-mail: mwberlin@malemb.de Embassy of Malaysia in France
2bis rue Bénouville
75116 Paris
France E-mail: malparis@kln.gov.my
Embassy of Malaysia in Croatia
Slavujevac 4A
10000 Zagreb
Croatia E-mail: mw.zagreb@zg.htnet.hr Embassy of Malaysia in Bosnia-Herzegovina
Radnicka 4A
71000 Sarajevo
Bosnia-Herzegovina
E-mail: malsrjevo@kln.gov.my, mwsrjevo@bih.net.ba
Liaison Office of Malaysia in Kosovo
No. 12, Partizani Street
Prishtina, Kosovo E-mail: mwprishtina@mwprishtina.org Embassy of Malaysia for Macedonia
c/o Embassy of Malaysia in Hungary
Pasaréti út. 29
1026 Budapest
Hungary E-mail: mwbdpest@axelero.hu Embassy of Malaysia for Albania
c/o Embassy of Malaysia in Italy
Via Nomentana 297
00162 Roma
Italy E-mail: mw.rome@flashnet.it Embassy of Malaysia in Turkey
No. 58, Mahatma Gandhi Caddesi
06700 Gaziosmanpasa
Ankara
Turkey E-mail: mwankara@isnet.net.tr Embassy of Malaysia in Saudi Arabia
Diplomatic Quarters
P.O. Box 94335
11693 Riyadh
Saudi Arabia E-mail: mwriyadh@awalnet.net.sa Embassy of Malaysia in Kazakhstan
480099
Almaty
Kazakhstan E-mail: mwalmaty@nursat.kz Malaysian High Commission in Pakistan
No. 78 Margalla Road, F-6/2
P.O. 1034
Islamabad
Pakistan E-mail: mwislamb@isb.comsats.net.pk Embassy of Malaysia in India
50-M, Satya Marg
110021 Chanakyapuri
New Delhi
India
E-mail: mwndelhi@del2.vsnl.net.in
Malaysian High Commission in Singapore
301, Jervois Road
249 077
Singapura
Singapore E-mail: mwspore@singnet.com.sg Malaysian Embassy to Indonesia
Jalan H.R. Rasuna Said Kav, X/6, No. 1-3 Kuningan
12950
Jakarta Selatan
Jakarta
Indonesia E-mail: mwikarta@indosat.net.id Note: To avoid spam filters, please write in the subject line of e-mails: PROTEST AGAINST MALAYSIAN BAN ON “TWO FACES OF ISLAM” Copies of protest e-mails should be blind-copied to: schwartz@islamicpluralism.org The ban was publicized as follows: http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=311031 Ministry Bans 11 Books About Islam KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 (Bernama) – The Internal Security Ministry has banned 11 books – eight in English and three in Bahasa Malaysia – about Islam whose contents have been found to be deviating from the teaching of the religion.
According to the ministry’s Quran Publication Control and Text Division Secretary Che Din Yusoh, the ban order was gazetted on Jan 17 under Section 7(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.
The books banned are:
* Secrets Of The Koran: Revealing Insights Into Islam's Holy Book by Don Richardson (Regal Books From Gospel Light, Ventura, Calfornia, USA);
* Qur'an and Women Rereading the Secrets Text From Woman's Perspective by Amina Wadud (Oxford University Press, New York);
* The Two Faces Of Islam: Saudi Fundamentalism and It's [sic] Role in Terrorism by Stephen Schwartz (Anchor Books, New York);
* Woman In Islam by Margaret Speaker Yuan (Greenhaven Press Farmington Hills);
* Islam Unveiled: Disturbing Questions About The World's Fastest-Growing Faith by Robert Spencer (Encounter Books Califonia);
* What Makes Me A Muslim by Catherine M. Petrini (KidHaven Press Farmington Hills);
* The Importance Of Muhammad by Marilyn Tower Oliver (Lucent Books, Farmington Hills);
* Faiths Islam Worship, Festival and Ceremonies From Around The World by Trevor Barnes (Kingfisher, Massachusets);
* Amalan Kemurahan Rezeki by Lifa Karimah (Jasmin Enterprise);
* Rahsia Jalan Yang Lurus (Al-Mustaqim, Johor Bahru); and
* Islam & Pluralisme by Al-Mustaqeem Mahmood Radhi (Middle Eastern Gruaduate Centre, Damansara Kuala Lumpur).
-- BERNAMA
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