Islam, Autoritarianisme dan Kemunduran Bangsa: Suatu perbandingan Global dan Pensejarahan (Book review)

Abstract

This Malay edition of the book Islam, Autoritarianisme dan Kemunduran Bangsa: Suatu Perbandingan Global dan Pensejarahan translated and published by the Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF) in 2024, was from the English version Islam, Authoritarianism and Underdevelopment: A Global and Historical Comparison, written by political scientist Ahmet T. Kuru from San Diego State University and published by Cambridge University Press in 2019. During his first visit to Kuala Lumpur for the book launch of the Malay translation that generated a lot of controversies, Kuru’s impression of the host country as clean and organised a day after his arrival was probably soured by the incidents that subsequently unfurled. The first salvo originated from conservative Muslim academia who excoriated the author and his book as liberal and disrespectful of the ulama. The International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS), a centre known for promoting progressive ideas and a think tank of the MADANI government, rescinded the offer to host him for the book launch, most likely in response to complaints from both the conservatives and the Turkish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. This was alluded to in press statements given by several social movements such as GERAK (Pergerakan Tenaga Akademik Malaysia, an association of Malaysian academics committed to educational reform) (FMT Reporters 2024) and Aliran (a reform movement in Malaysia promoting justice, freedom, and solidarity) (Aliran 2024) on the stifling of intellectual discourse in Malaysia.