counterideology 2
responses
Long Article – The Model Muslim Minority: Wasatiyah (Justly-Balanced) as a Counter-Ideology Tool in Singapore
In the post 9–11 world, Muslims have had to grapple with various challenges, which often involved justifying their faith to others within secular contexts. The matter is more acute, if not existential, for Muslim minority populations. This paper analyzes attempts by the Singaporean Muslim community to deal with a post 9–11 world, through a development of the concept of wasatiyah (justly balanced). It investigates key initiatives by two important players – the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), and the Singapore Islamic Scholars and Religious Teachers Association (Pergas) – that had significant influence in shaping the wasatiyah vision in Singapore. We make two arguments: (1) The wasatiyah discourse represents a longstanding effort by Muslims to contextualize and appropriate traditional Islamic concepts to make them relevant to the contemporary world; and (2) The two approaches adopted by the organizations in question highlight the strengths and weaknesses of initiatives being propagated by state-affiliated and non-state bodies respectively. The study is situated within the literature on religion and politics, counter-ideology and state-Muslim relations. Continue reading
Long Article – An Analysis of Bai`ah Al-Mawt (Pledge of Death) in Jihadist Groups’ Practice and Islamic Tradition (CTTA, vol. 14, no. 3, June 2022)
Click here to read or download the article. Synopsis “Dr Muhammad Haniff Hassan examines the notion and practice of Bai`ah Al-Mawt (pledge of death) among contemporary jihadist groups through the lens of Islamic Sunni intellectual tradition and security studies. His work has three important implications for the Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) initiatives. The author notes that conceptually and … Continue reading
Article – Islam on Identity, Racism and Patriotism
By Muhammad Haniff Hassan This article was published with some editing under the title, “Racism Has No Place in Islam”, in MuslimSG, on 28 July 2021, at here. Recent months have seen several racism related incidents that went viral on social media and received coverage by mainstream media outlets. Incidents such as the video of a woman … Continue reading
Book Review – Countering Islamic State Ideology: Voices of Singapore Religious Scholars, by Sheikh Mohamed Farouq, in Wasat, August 2021
Click here to read the review. Click here for more information about the book.
Book Review – Countering Islamic State Ideology: Voices of Singapore Religious Scholars, by Amjad Mohamed Saleem, in Academia Letters, July 2021
Click here to read and download the review. Click here for more information about the book.
Long Article – The Contextualisation of Islam in a Secular State: A Study of Singapore
This article is co-authored with Asst. Prof. Walid Jumblatt Abdullah and published in Islam and Civilisational Renewal Journal (vol. 12, no. 1, June 2021). Click here to download and access the article. Click here for original source. Abstract Muslim-minority communities throughout the world grapple with the contextualisation of Islam in the modern world. Islamic religious scholars, or the ulama, … Continue reading
Short Article – Preserving Social Harmony: Lessons from the Marrakesh Declaration for Minority Muslims Living in Non-Muslim Countries
This article is published in Karyawan, April 2021. Click here for the original source. Click here for PDF hardcopy version. THE MARRAKESH DECLARATIONThe Marrakesh Declaration is a culmination of an initiative led by the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies under the leadership of Sheikh Abdullah Bin Bayyah and the sponsorship of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government. Sheikh … Continue reading
Long Article – The Necessity and Importance of Theological Engagement With Non-Muslims For Singapore Muslim Community
This paper argues the importance and necessity for Singapore Muslims to be actively involved in theological engagement with non-Muslims in the form of dialogue on theological, social and historical grounds. Theologically, the paper argues that Islam not only permits but also encourages Muslims to engage in dialogue with non-Muslims on theological issues. At a societal level, being a Muslim minority in a secular country and multi-cultural society, the preservation and pursuance of their interest would partly rely on how they relate with and how they are perceived by the larger diverse non-Muslim communities. It is in their interest to actively engage and have dialogue with other communities. Historically and more importantly, Muslim involvement in inter-faith dialogue preserves the legacy left behind by Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddique who pioneered the inter-faith work in Singapore through the founding of the Singapore Inter-Religious Organisation. The paper also refutes those who oppose inter-faith dialogue theologically and those who discourage Muslim involvement for fear of falling into the government’s political agenda. The primary research methodology employed by the paper is through literature review of primary and secondary materials. It also employs interviews of local activists and professionals in inter-faith work as a secondary methodology. Continue reading
Long Article – Al-Wala’ (Loyalty) to Government in the Context of Muslim Minority in Singapore
This article is published in Muhammad Haniff Hassan, “Al-Wala’ (Loyalty) to Government in the Context of Muslim Minority in Singapore”, Countering Islamic State Ideology: Voices of Singapore Religious Scholars, edited by Muhammad Haniff Hassan and Rohan Gunaratna, Singapore: Pergas, 2021. Abstract Many studies have shown the centrality of the Al-Wala’ Wa Al-Bara’ (WB), a concept which means “Loyalty and … Continue reading
My Book (Co-Edited Volume) – Countering Islamic State Ideology: Voices of Singapore Religious Scholars
To order, click here. Click here, for overview (Content, Preface, Foreword and Introduction)
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