“True teachings of Islam”: Academic unfreedom, Muslim conformity, and gender inequality?

(This is a three-part series on academic freedom, interpretations of Islam and Muslim conformity and the Malaysian women's movement.)

Education Minister/Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin recently announced that the Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) Malaysia would be receiving RM100 million a year in research funds. The purpose of this generous funding is to support UIA in becoming a research university and to stem the "spread of western liberalism, under the pretext of human rights activism and gender rights movement" and to re-educate society about "true teachings of Islam". 

This project of linking research to the survival of a particular interpretation of Islam is deeply unsettling on multiple fronts. First and foremost, it is a threat to academic freedom and the process of knowledge production. It damages the status of UIA and its standing in the international community.  It forecloses spaces for constructive dialogues about the diverse interpretations of Islam and the lived realities of contemporary Muslims. 

It erases the organic and rich history of women's movements in Malaysia and the blood and sweat of women activists who have devoted their lives to raising societal awareness of about women and gender issues and struggling for women's rights. And to state the obvious, it glaringly contradicts the 1Malaysia concept that aims to foster national unity, racial and religious tolerance, inclusiveness, and equitable allocation of resources.

Academic freedom is the freedom afforded to members of the academic community to pursue, develop and share knowledge through research, teaching and writing. It is necessary for universities to have the autonomy to decide on their governance, finances, and administration, and to outline their policies on education, research and publication. Universities must remain a space of free thought, independent of state intrusion, and faculty members must have complete autonomy to determine the type of research they wish to undertake and communicate without being subject to state surveillance.

Freedom of inquiry is the foundation of academic life; taking it away is akin to dismantling the vibrant culture of discovery, debate, and dissent that informs the process of knowledge production, and contributes to the betterment of humankind.

Academic freedom is under attack everywhere, of course. For instance, threats to academic freedom in the United States have increased exponentially after September 11, 2001. Malaysia is not an exceptional case but it is a notable one in relation to the degree of state intervention in the freedom of faculty members to cultivate, disseminate and debate ideas.

As a member of CSAF - California Scholars for Academic Freedom - I know first hand the consequence of violating academic freedom, albeit with a different scope. At CSAF, we write letters to protect fellow scholars, particularly those who teach about the Middle East, Arab and Muslim communities and/or are of Arab, Muslim or Middle Eastern descent.

Malaysians are no strangers to state interference into academic spaces and university boundaries or laws that restrict student movements.  We are aware of the longstanding University and University College Act (UUCA 1975) that prohibits students from participating in political parties and speaking out in support of political parties. 

Gracing the local headlines are cases where a student was suspended from a university after demanding academic freedom, a speaker was dropped from a panel at the state's urging, and a constitutional law professor was investigated and suspended for his intellectual acumen. We also know that many more courageous intellectuals have been, and continue to be intimidated for speaking truth to power.

To ensure Malaysian universities remain competitive, and produce students and future scholars who are rigorous in their teaching, research and scholarship, state politics has no place in the halls of academia. The Minister's project to direct a university's research agenda in support of state policies privileging one racial and religious group is to cultivate the university as an arm of the state - doing its bidding to ensure that power and authority remains with the select few.

What happens to faculty members who refuse to follow this directive? Are they to be targeted for harassment, fired or arrested under SOSMA?  Should the state be in the business of threatening and intimidating faculty members to betray their conscience? And how will UIA address this generous gift? Will the governing body and faculty senate vote on whether to accept this gift? Or, it is a foregone conclusion?

The Education Minister would be best reminded that universities and research centers across North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa are actively engaged in cutting edge research, teaching and publication on Islamic traditions and lived realities of Muslims, including topics such as LBGTI, human rights and feminist and women's movements.

To partake in the thriving discourses and practices on Islam, and Muslim cultures and societies requires much more than the Minister's particular brand of "progressive Islam" and his vision to "enlighten the society about the true teachings of Islam."

If Malaysia wants to be integrated into the global educational community, this is a counterproductive move by the Ministry of Education. Why not provide the RM 100 million unconditionally so UIA can use the research funding to: offer a competitive salary for outstanding scholars and bring home Malaysian scholars abroad; establish adequate research funds and research driven scholarships; create sustainable scholarships, visiting professorships, and fellowships; establish a PhD programme and research center in Women, Gender and Islam; produce transnational campus events and programming, and so on.

Along with the guaranteed protection of academic freedom, such projects will take UIA a step closer towards becoming a globally recognized research university and educational hub, rather than merely a pawn to legitimize insular political visions. - September 25, 2013.

(Next week's analysis will focus on interpretations of Islam and Muslim conformity)

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.