MY SON AND THE MINISTER

When my son was 15 years old, he asked me a question while I was driving in the car. He asked whether Professor Yusuf Qaradawi met with our Religious Affairs Minister when he was over here. I said he must have since he was to receive the national Maal Hijrah award. My son asked whether Prof Qaradawi brought up the fitnah II issue with the minister. I answered he must have offered his advice and caution to the minister. My son asked what did the minister say which I replied I could only guess he would say that he was personally not involved and that it was a pending court case so let the court decide, which maybe is so more or less. My son argued that surely the minister who is religiously knowledgeable should have done the right thing. I had to say that knowledge is not everything especially if it is subdued by power and dictated by interests. Sometimes my son goes on about the muftis, why are they not doing this or that. My son has this fascination, respect and high regard for religious teachers and scholars which he should have and proudly so. But the realities are mighty challenging. We pray that our son remains steadfast to the religion and maintains his respect for knowledge and people of knowledge.

In 1999, a friend who is a senior architect somewhere in the north asked one of the members of the state fatwa committee why they did not make a stand in the first fitnah seeing that it was such a shameful and malicious episode. The scholar replied that they were not fighters but the one put in prison is the fighter. Possessing knowledge and to act upon it is a major test for everyone and there is no exception. It needs the courage of conviction – the audacity to act upon one’s principles in the face of disapproval, pressure and even danger. Edward Said says intellectuals are those who speak truth to power.

So it came to pass that a group of religious teachers and upright educators were intimidated by administrators for carrying on with tadhkirah – brief orations which were not in the regime's favour and flavour. Suddenly these well meaning and knowledgeable people were given the test of their lives by being made to be subject to reprimand, fear and pressure. Now, everyone came to realise the true meaning of tadhkirah, it is not something shallow nor empty, meant for a docile crowd. It is something which has purpose and value which must face and come to terms with hostility. These incidences shape the outlook and worldview of things, where material hardship and promotion chances are dangled as if the administrators know and have power over other humans in being beneficent. How far it is from the truth. Has corruption come to this lowest level that good people are being forced to succumb and surrender their will and suppress their noble knowledge in the pursuit of people desperately clinging to power?

We hope that our sons and daughters do not have to come to this stage where evil is upheld and truth is suppressed knowingly. A situation where there is no more honour in the people of knowledge. If it comes to this then we have condemned our own future generation.