2021 MFF 穆斯林影展－Tafakkur 沈思｜解放的理念：綠起與方式 The idea of liberation: Beginning and Methods
2021 MFF 穆斯林影展－Tafakkur 沈思｜遭誤解的宗教？伊斯蘭與穆斯林當代理解的公開問答 A misunderstood religion? Open Q&A Session addressing the contemporary understanding of Islam and Muslims
2021 MFF 穆斯林影展－Tafakkur 沈思｜穆斯林與非穆斯林的跨國對話 Cross-local dialogues among Muslim and non-Muslim communities
穆斯林影展「沈思」：第三日側記
日期：2021年10月24日
地點：ZOOM 線上座談
記錄者：Irfan Muhammad
中文翻譯：黃凱薈
巴勒斯坦人對抗以色列殖民的鬥爭仍在持續。近年，全球各地支持巴勒斯坦獨立的聲量漸強，並獻議「兩國方案」作為解方。不過，這一解方也備受反對，因為以色列持續佔領併吞巴勒斯坦領土，已違反多項和平條約。
國立暨南大學歷史系助理教授包修平認為，「一國方案」或許不失為一種選擇。他在題為「解放的理念：緣起與方式」的座談中解釋，所謂「一國方案」，指的是巴勒斯坦及猶太人共組一個民族國家（nation-state）。為此，在去殖民的過程中必須消弭以色列建國意識形態——猶太復國運動（Zionism）。
包修平表示，由於兩國方案始終無法達成，催生了所謂一國方案的構想。書面上，巴勒斯坦解放組織（PLO）已於1993年，代表巴勒斯坦與以色列簽署了和平協定，即以色列必須撤出加薩（Gaza）及西岸（West Bank），轉由巴勒斯坦自治政府（PA）來治理。巴勒斯坦自治政府與以色列也就多項爭議課題談判，其中包括耶路撒冷的地位、歸還巴勒斯坦難民、拆遷猶太聚落、邊境與安全課題等。
最初，以巴雙方大部分人民都支持這份協議。然而，1995年9月簽署的《奧斯陸II協議》（Oslo II Accords），卻將西岸分為三個主權區域：A區（18%）由巴勒斯坦自治政府管理，B區（22%）以色列及巴勒斯坦共同控制，C區（60%）則由以色列掌管。
與此同時，以色列也鑑於宗教及策略考量，在東耶路撒冷（East Jerusalem）和西岸設立猶太聚落。即便這些聚落的設立已違反國際法，以色列仍執意持續增設聚落。以色列也在西岸設立圍墻及哨站，限制巴勒斯坦獨立戰士的行動。他們宣稱，設立圍墻是為了防止巴勒斯坦人滲透進猶太聚落和以色列領土。包修平解釋，以色列建造圍墻之舉也顯然藐視了國際法。
另一邊廂，加薩的情況也大同小異。包修平解釋，加薩自2007年以來就像是世界最大的監獄，被包圍在此的210萬巴勒斯坦人，除了缺乏醫療資源，也持續面對著以色列的襲擊。
耶路撒冷如今由以色列掌控，局勢備受關注。對巴勒斯坦人而言，艾格撒清真寺（Al-Aqsa Mosque）是神聖之地；對以色列人來說，那也是猶太人的神聖之地。以色列政府將耶路撒冷分為東部及西部。西部自1948年就是以色列的領土，而東部則是在1967年之後才佔領。西耶路撒冷目前有34萬9700以色列人居住，巴勒斯坦人則只有4500人。至於東耶路撒冷，以色列人口則為22萬200人，巴勒斯坦人則為34萬5000人。住在以色列領土上的巴勒斯坦人遭到種族隔離政策的待遇。
從上述這些實際情況來看，1993年的和平協議已是宣告失敗。事實上，巴勒斯坦解放組織最初是主張以武裝鬥爭獲取獨立，惟後來妥協選擇和解。而巴勒斯坦武裝伊斯蘭激進組織「哈瑪斯」（Hamas）則接續其爭取獨立的鬥爭，主張武裝鬥爭才是爭取巴勒斯坦獨立的唯一途徑。
哈瑪斯爭議
哈瑪斯採用自殺式炸彈攻擊等行徑爭取獨立很快引來非議。對哈瑪斯而言，自殺式炸彈攻擊乃是一種自我犧牲。由於被視為巴勒斯坦解放組織1950年代至1970年代武裝鬥爭的接替者，因此儘管備受爭議，哈瑪斯自1987年以加薩為主要據點展開的行動，仍收獲諸多關注。
無論如何，哈瑪斯在過去幾十年來仍無法重啟加薩。哈瑪斯所採取的保守取向令巴勒斯坦人失望，特別是年輕一代的巴勒斯坦人。另一邊廂，在阿拉伯之春以後，阿拉伯國家如阿聯酋、沙地阿拉伯及埃及等紛紛將哈瑪斯視為製造麻煩的一方。
BDS運動
巴勒斯坦爭取獨立的另一條鬥爭途徑則是「抵制、撤資與製裁」（Boycott，Divestment and Sanctions，簡稱BDS）非暴力運動。自2015年以來，BDS運動已逐漸擴展到國際社會。根據包修平的說法，北美、南美、歐洲、南非等地區，越來越多工會和學生會加入了這場運動。
由於BDS運動旨在經濟上削弱以色列，從而阻礙猶太復國主義團體佔領巴勒斯坦。該運動同時也催生「一國方案」的概念。 這場運動頗具影響力，以致以色列須積極遊說美國、英國和加拿大等多國政府拒絕此運動，並稱該運動為反猶太主義。
一國方案的可行性
包修平認為，一國方案聽起來或許不太可能落實，不過由於兩國方案已陷入死局，因此這可說是唯一的出路。西方國家的不少巴勒斯坦及以色列青年都認為這個方案可行。以色列內部，有的人極力反對猶太復國運動的思想；而在巴勒斯坦，據包修平所知，人們希望以色列應停止佔領，不論是兩國還是一國方案。
時至今日，巴勒斯坦的形象已不再是90年代媒體所呈現的那副恐怖主義樣貌。巴勒斯坦如今是個強調尊嚴、正義及自由的地方。
對於東亞國家如台灣而言，以色列是個以生產高科技產品著稱的地方。在台灣，政治人物及商人甚至將以色列視為楷模，因為以色列有能力在阿拉伯國家環伺之中建國。
然而，包修平不認為這是歷史事實。反之，巴勒斯坦才應該是台灣的楷模，因為它已對抗以色列佔領長達70年。無論如何，當台灣躋身國際社會時，將會有許多改變，包括對巴勒斯坦議題的立場。許多台灣年輕學生造訪了以色列及其佔領地區，並獲得了親身的經驗，因此在未來幾年，他們對巴勒斯坦的理解也將會有所轉變。
電影放映
穆斯林影展的第三天，放映了兩部巴勒斯坦的鬥爭相關主題的影片。
第一部影片是挪威反戰導演Vibeke Løkkeberg所執導的紀錄片《加薩眼淚》（Tears of Gaza）。這部紀錄片發行於2010年11月10日，是加薩當地人在戰爭期間拍攝的影片之合輯。片中顯示，加薩遭到以色列轟炸時，受害的不只有男人，還包括女性及孩童。紀錄片的部分素材是數名在場的外國記者所拍攝。影片中也記錄了這場衝突是如何展開。
紀錄片透過由戰亂中人們所攝的即粗糙又珍貴的畫面素材，揭示以色列對巴勒斯坦的殘酷暴力，也刻畫了巴勒斯坦婦幼戰後的艱苦生活。在戰後滿目瘡痍的城鎮裡，人們生活在缺乏良好住宅、金錢、食水及電源的情況中，有的甚至得面對喪親之痛，或是看顧身受重傷的孩子。這部紀錄片讓觀眾切身感受到巴勒斯坦人的處境。
第二部影片則是巴勒斯坦導演Raed Andoni於2017年完成的影片《獵鬼》（Ghost Hunting）。這部影片拍攝的是以色列主要的刑求場所Al-Moskobiya。導演自己曾在18歲那年被關押於此。此後25年來，一名男孩頭部被套上布袋，銬坐在囚室中的畫面，一直在他的腦海中揮之不去。他分不清這些記憶碎片，究竟是真實發生，抑或只是幻想。他在影片中重現了他當年受到監禁的囚室，並直面他心中那隻糾纏他多年的亡靈。
為了更真實地重現當時情境，他找來多名曾經被囚禁的人當演員。最終，劇組成員包含了建築工人、鐵匠、建築師、藝術家，他們共同協作憑著各自記憶，重現了當時的監獄。導演Andoni試圖藉由情景重現和角色扮演，深入挖掘各自的深層記憶。為此，他著重於50歲的Mohamad的故事，他在獄中挺過各種拷問並成功存活下來，最終成為巴勒斯坦人的英雄。
劇組一同啟程，試圖重新構築審訊室的面貌、遭到完全監控的劫後餘生，並重新演繹曾發生在這審訊室內的故事。
穆斯林影展不僅放映電影及討論伊斯蘭相關重要議題，本屆影展也设置了问答环节，讓身在台灣的穆斯林與非穆斯林能透過問答方式的溝通。
影展第三日的公開問答環節，由國立清華大學博士候選人Barmaver Syed Nooruhuza、國立交通大學前穆斯林學生社主席Mohamed Faizal主講。
Barmaver首先向聽眾介紹伊斯蘭。他說，伊斯蘭是個面向全世界，邀請眾人信仰唯一真主的宗教。伊斯蘭是由最後一名先知穆罕默德所弘揚。在他之前的先知，有亞伯拉罕（Abraham）、穆薩（Moses）及爾撒（Isa，耶穌）。《古蘭經》是穆斯林奉為真主神啟的聖典。雖然此前也有其他聖典，但穆斯林深信，《古蘭經》是唯一且最終的神啟，且至今仍意義重大。
穆斯林以《古蘭經》作為兩大法源之一，他們又是如何詮釋《古蘭經》？為何穆斯林對《古蘭經》有那麼多種詮釋？
Barmaver引用《古蘭經》中的啟示說，真主要求先知穆罕默德向人們解釋古蘭經的內容。穆罕默德的解釋，隨後嚴謹地記錄在《聖行》（Sunnah）或《聖行》（Hadith）中，被視為最權威的《古蘭經》詮釋，並成為《古蘭經》之外，穆斯林的另一法源。
所以，當有人以自己的詮釋來講述《古蘭經》，卻不是引述《聖訓》時，我們應當拒絕其錯誤詮釋。舉例而言，恐怖份子殺人從來不符合先知在《聖訓》中的說法。因此，此行為並不是源自《古蘭經》的正確詮釋，僅僅是利用《古蘭經》來正當化其罪行。
Faizal 則提到，許多人們誤解穆斯林和伊斯蘭，認為這個群體或宗教壓迫女性、限制女性自由。他認為，這些誤解乃是殖民者在暗地裡中傷穆斯林所致。事實上，許久以前，穆斯林女性也如同非穆斯林那樣享有其權益。
Faizal舉例，伊斯蘭文明的歷史中，出現了許多重要的女性角色，先知穆罕默德的妻子愛莎（Aisha）是知識之源，也是其中一位先知的敘述者。這說明了伊斯蘭並不將女性視作財產，真正的伊斯蘭教義是尊重女性的。
他認為，穆斯林社會是在受到西方殖民後，才對女性有所限制。他舉例，大英帝國殖民埃及之前，當地有許多女性醫生；而在殖民者將維多利亞文化帶入埃及以後，女人被限制在家務及廚房，埃及的女性醫生也開始減少。
如今，許多穆斯林為主的國家，皆不以伊斯蘭法源作為國家法源。他們實際上施行的意識形態，如世俗主義，並不符合伊斯蘭教義。
這場公開問答環節反應熱烈，參與者拋出諸多問題，例如穆斯林對LGBTQ議題的看法、一夫多妻制的習俗及食用清真肉等課題。
Barmaver說，《古蘭經》不允許LGBTQ的實踐。不僅是伊斯蘭，其他宗教如猶太教和基督信仰也同樣禁止LGBTQ的實踐。許多穆斯林學者都同意，伊斯蘭明確禁止同性婚姻和肛交。而基督信仰，無論是舊約聖經或新約聖經，皆闡明禁止同性婚姻和肛交。
Barmaver表示，LGBTQ的實踐已被認定會引發傳染疾病，如艾滋病。
無論如何，他總結，伊斯蘭禁止肛交和同性婚姻，並懲罰肛交者，但從不會因為一個人的情感而懲罰他。
新加坡國立大學社會學與馬來研究系教授Syed Farid Alatas為此公開問答環節總結時提醒，許多事情並非非黑即白。他表示，無可否認，許多穆斯林為主的國家，仍壓抑著女性的自由，而世俗政府則重新賦予這份自由。他承認，相較於以伊斯蘭之名遵從傳統思維的國家，採取世俗體制的穆斯林為主的國家，如土耳其、突尼西亞及印尼，賦予女性更多的權益保障。
一夫多妻的議題也一樣。《古蘭經》確實允許一夫多妻，但在《古蘭經》面世的時代，這項規定實際上是限制男性娶妻的數量，因為當時的男性可以無節制地娶妻。因此回到今日的脈絡，我們應當看見其「限制」的意涵。
因此，Farid強調，凡事都必須從多個角度來理解，尤其是當權者總是按照自己的方式來詮釋伊斯蘭，並將之形塑成伊斯蘭的樣貌。例如，瓦哈比派（Wahhabism）在沙地阿拉伯掌權並邁向全球，就成了伊斯蘭的樣貌； 伊朗的伊斯蘭革命，則塑造了另一種伊斯蘭的樣貌。 因此，若要不帶偏見地理解事情全貌，就必須理解其歷史、政治和文化脈絡。
圓桌論壇
2021年穆斯林影展「沈思」的最終環節，是國立陽明交通大學文化研究國際中心主任劉紀蕙、新加坡國立大學（National University of Singapore）社會學與馬來研究系教授Syed Farid Alatas共同主持的圓桌論壇。多名與談人在論壇上激起了多項議題的討論。
台灣伊斯蘭團結協會的Samer Talat解釋了台灣人對伊斯蘭的普遍誤解。他說，台灣人會以為穆斯林都來自阿拉伯，但事實上全球只有18%的穆斯林住在阿拉伯世界。此外，人們誤解了真主的概念；更有人以為只要身在台灣，穆斯林就可以喝酒。然而，實情並非如此，對穆斯林而言，真主無所不在，無論我們在哪裡，真主都能看見。
馬來西亞獨立學者兼作家Adib Faiz則解釋了穆斯林電影人，是如何透過影像來描繪跨族群的互動關係。Barmaver Syed Noorzuha則描述了媒體及影像如何將穆斯林刻畫為「恐怖分子」。
電影中的伊斯蘭再現是圓桌論壇的熱門主題。喀什米爾大學（University of Kashmir）亞洲研究院的學者Bilal Ahmad Malik講述了寶萊塢電影中對穆斯林的刻板印象與錯誤再現；英國斯旺西大學（Swansea University）的歐盟聯合學程研究員 Asif bin Ali分享的主題則是「從Jodhaa Akbar (2008)到 Padmaavat (2018)：探索印度電影中的伊斯蘭描繪 」（Islam images in Indian Movies: Jodhaa Akbar (2008) and Padmavat (2018)）。巴基斯坦阿拉瑪伊克巴爾開放大學（Allama Iqbal Open University）的跨宗教研究助理教授Hafiz Muhammad Farooq亦同樣提及電影再現問題，題目是「想像伊斯蘭：好萊塢電影中的身份與意識形態之爭」（Imagining Islam: The Battle of Identity and Ideology in the Hollywood Movie）。
女性議題及女性主義思想方面，新加坡國立大學社會學學生Siti Nurhumaira Bte Azman向聽眾解釋了伊斯蘭與女性主義之間的張力。她認為，伊斯蘭遭錯誤地被描繪為厭女、壓抑女性參與政治、經濟及社會公共討論的宗教，然而，伊斯蘭文本中其實存在支持女性權益的證據。隨後，交通大學亞際文化研究學程的學生Noora Jukaku解釋，為何穆斯林女性要配戴頭巾，為何配戴頭巾不會對她們構成壓力。最後，伊朗國家電台(IRIB)資深製作人Mostafa Pourmuhammadi發表了題為「女聲集結：中產階級女性對伊斯蘭強制戴頭巾的批判觀點」（The Union of Women: How Middle-class Girls Criticize “Mandatory Hijab” from an Islamic POV）的短講。
劉紀蕙為論壇活動總結時表示，此次影展旨在促進穆斯林之間、穆斯林與非穆斯林之間的溝通。台灣有著許多背景各異的移民、境外學生及移工，而此影展讓台灣觀眾更加理解台灣的穆斯林社群，以及其他地區的穆斯林。
她續稱，此次影展不僅放映了穆斯林相關的故事，也建立起權力關係的認知，包括男女之間、多數與少數之間的權力關係——無論穆斯林是社會多數抑或少數，來自主導的教派抑或邊緣教派。印度穆斯林甚至會遭受興都教恐怖主義的威脅。我們能做到的是，透過自我批判應對伊斯蘭的污名；扶植支持性別平等、各教派平等的溫和伊斯蘭；與不同信仰的人分享生活。
劉紀蕙問道，「我們能夠面對這些系統性的不平等嗎？」
再頑強的制度也有動搖的一天，當溫和派伊斯蘭逐漸成為伊斯蘭主流面貌，女性將能毫不受限地發揮潛能，少數群體也將能無所畏懼地發聲。
Activity Report: The Tafakkur ICCS-NYCU Muslim Film Festival Day 3
Date: 2021/10/24
Venue: Zoom webinar
Text: Irfan Muhammad (M.A. Student at IACS-UST at NYCU)
The struggle of the Palestinian people against Israeli colonialism is still going on. Recently, solidarity for Palestine’s independence has become increasingly echoed throughout the world. The solution offered to bridge between Palestine and Israel by far is a two-state solution. However, this solution is also widely opposed because Israel has straddled many peace agreements by continuing to annex Palestinian territories.
Regarding this, Prof. Bao Hsiu-Ping said the one-state solution could be an alternative. In his presentation entitled “The Idea of Liberation: Beginning and Methods”, Prof. Bao from the Department of History, National Chi Nan University said the idea of a one-state solution refers to having Palestinians and Jews building one nation-state together. To fulfil this, the process of decolonization is needed to erase Zionism, the root of the ideology of the state of Israel.
In Prof. Bao’s opinion, the idea of a one-state solution was born from the never reaching the idea of a two-state solution. On paper, the Peace Process between Palestine represented by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel in 1993 decided that Israel should withdraw from Gaza and the West Bank and let the area be managed by the Palestinian Authority (PA). The PA and Israel have also negotiated on controversial issues such as the status of Jerusalem, the return of Palestinian refugees, the abolition of the Jewish population, and security and borders.
In the beginning, the majority of Palestinians and Israelis supported this idea. However, in reality, based on Oslo II September 1995, the West Bank was instead divided into three areas. Area A (18%) is under the control of the PA, Area C (60%) is managed by Israel and Area B (22%) is jointly controlled by the PA and Israel.
Meanwhile, in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, Israel also built Jewish settlements for religious and strategic considerations. These Jewish settlements violate international law, but Israel continues to expand its number of Jewish settlements. Israel also created a barrier wall and made checkpoints across the West Bank to restrict the movement of Palestinian independence fighters. They claim that this separation barrier was built to prevent the infiltration of Palestinians into Jewish settlements and Israeli territories. However, the construction of this wall said Prof. Bao, also flouted international law.
Meanwhile in Gaza, the situation is not much different. According to Prof. Bao, since 2007 Gaza has been like the largest prison in the world. As many as 2.1 million Palestinians are cornered here with insufficient medical resources while Israel launches several attacks in this region.
The situation in Jerusalem which has become a hotspot is also currently under Israeli control. For Palestinians, Al-Aqsa Mosque is a sacred place. As for Israelis, an area is a holy place for Jews. Israeli authorities divided Jerusalem into East and West. The western part has been Israeli territory since 1948, and the eastern part was occupied in 1967. West Jerusalem is now inhabited by 349,700 Israelis with only 4500 Palestinians. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers are numbered at 220,200 with 345,000 Palestinians. Meanwhile, for Palestinians living in Israeli territory, apartheid applies.
Given these many facts, the peace process that began in 1993 has failed. The PLO, the nationalist faction of the Palestinian struggle which initially fought with weapons, had compromised its idea of independence by choosing the path of reconciliation instead of competition. Meanwhile, in the Gaza Strip, the Hamas struggle faction that is guided by the ideology of Islamism takes on the role of fighting for independence from the PLO and claims that an armed struggle is the only way to achieve Palestinian independence.
The Hamas Controversy
Hamas’s idea of independence has drawn controversy because it justifies acts such as suicide bombings. For Hamas, suicide bombing is a sacrifice. Despite the controversy, the movement which started in 1987 and concentrated in Gaza has attracted attention because it seemed to replace the armed struggle originally carried out by the PLO in the 1950s to 1970s.
However, in the past decade, Hamas has also failed to lift the closure of Gaza. Hamas leadership which uses a conservative approach is also considered disappointing, especially by the younger generation of Palestinians. On the other hand, some Arab countries such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt consider Hamas a trouble-maker after the Arab Spring.
BDS Movement
Another idea for the Palestinian independence struggle is the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Unlike the previous movement, this movement uses a non-violent approach. Since 2015, this movement has reached out to many international communities. As mentioned by Prof. Bao, there has been an increased number of trade unions and student unions in North America, South America, Europe, and South Africa joining this movement.
As BDS aims to weaken Israel economically to stop the zionist group from occupying Palestine, it also generated the idea of a one-state solution. This movement is quite influential because it turns out that Israel responded by lobbying many governments such as the US, UK, and Canada to not support this movement and humiliate the BDS movement as anti-Semitism.
One-State Solution Possibilities
According to Prof. Bao, a one-state solution may sound impossible. However, amid deadlocked ideas about a two-state solution, a one-state solution seems to be the only way out. In western countries, many young Palestinians and Israelis see the possibility of this as a solution. In Israel, some of them genuinely oppose the Jewish idea of Zionism. While in Palestine, as understood by Prof. Bao, the people only wanted the Israeli occupation to stop, regardless of a two-state or one-state solution.
The image of Palestine today is no longer the terrorist portrayed by the media in the 90s, for Palestine’s freedom now is dignity, justice and freedom.
For East Asian countries such as Taiwan, Israel is still famous for producing high technology. In Taiwan, some politicians and businessmen even see Israel as a role model that is capable of building a state surrounded by many Arab countries.
However, Prof. Bao rejects this as a real historical fact. On the other hand, Palestine should be the role model for Taiwan as a country that has been struggling against Israeli occupation for 70 years. In addition, as Taiwan enter the global society, many changes will also include the Palestinian issue. Many young Taiwanese students who travel to Israel and the occupied territories have been able to receive first-hand experiences, hence in the years ahead, their understanding of Palestine will change.
Film Screening
Going along with the theme of the Palestinian struggle and the ideas of liberation, the third day of ICCS-NYCU Muslim Film Festival screened two films that portray this issue.
The first film, “Tears of Gaza”, is a documentary film directed by the Norwegian anti-war director, Vibeke Løkkeberg. Løkkeberg’s work, which was released on November 10, 2010, compiled the videos taken by people themselves in Gaza throughout the war. In the film, the bombing of Gaza by Israel has made not only the men as victims but women and children as well. Additional materials from a few foreign journalists who were present while the conflict unfolded were also featured in the film.
Through these rough styles and unique footage taken by the people amid the war, this documentary exposed the brutality of Israel to Palestinians and also depicted the struggle of Palestinian women and children who had to press on in life after a dramatic war experience. In a war-torn city, many live with limited access to the proper housing, money, food, water, and electricity while facing the loss of their families and taking care of seriously injured children. Løkkeberg’s work asks the audience to feel what the Palestinians feel.
The second film that was screened at the film festival is “Ghost Hunting”. Released in 2017, this film directed by Palestinian director Raed Andoni depicts Israel’s main interrogation centre, Al-Moskobiya. Andoni had once been jailed at the age of 18. For more than 25 years, he was haunted by the image of a handcuffed boy sitting inside a prison yard whose head was covered by a bag. As a survivor, he has fragmented memories that he can’t distinguish as real or imaginary. By recreating the interrogation centre where he was jailed, he confronts the ghosts that haunt him.
To recreate this, Andoni calls out to former prisoners for a casting. This results in an eclectic group of construction workers, a blacksmith, an architect, and an artist who all helped build a copy of the jail through their memories. As a director, Andoni digs deep into their memories through reenactments and roleplaying. For this purpose, he focuses on the story of the 50-year-old Mohammad who had resisted and survived through the investigation methods which made him a hero among Palestinians.
Together, they started a journey that attempts to rediscover the shape of the interrogation centre, face the aftermath of having been under absolute control, and reenact a story that once took place inside these centre walls.
The Tafakkur ICCS-NYCU Muslim Film Festival 2021 not only screened various films and discussed major issues related to Islam, but also held a question and answer session for Muslim and non-Muslim communities in Taiwan.
Held on the second session of the final day, this open Q&A session was hosted by two speakers: Syed Nooruhuza Barmaver, a doctoral candidate at National Tsing Hua University and Mohamed Faizal, former president of the NCTU Muslim Student Club who is also a PhD candidate at NYCU.
Barmaver started the session by introducing Islam as a religion that was revealed to all nations which invite people to worship one God. Islam, said Barmaver, was spread by the Prophet Muhammad PBUH who was the closing of the previous line of prophets such as Abraham, Moses, and Isa (Jesus). The Quran, a sacred text upheld by Muslims as a collection of God’s revelations, also believes in the previous books. However, for Muslims, the Quran is the only closing scripture that is relevant today.
What about the interpretation of the Quran as one of the two sources of law used by Muslims? Why are there so many different interpretations among Muslims?
Barmaver cited God’s revelations in the Quran, where God told Prophet Muhammad to explain the contents of the Quran to the people. Muhammad’s explanation was then recorded through several strict narrations referred to as-Sunnah or Hadith. Sunnah or Hadith is the second source of law for Muslims besides the Quran and is also the most trusted interpretation of the Quran.
When someone talks about the Quran using their interpretations without sourcing from Hadith, it has to be rejected for it is wrong. For example, the terrorists who kill people is never in accordance with the statement of the Prophet in the Hadith. Thus, this act does not stem from a proper interpretation of the Quran but merely uses the Quran to legitimize the crimes.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Faizal talked about the misconceptions toward Muslims and Islam where the community or the religion is often seen as one that represses women and restricts women’s freedom. He believed that this misunderstanding arose due to colonialism that continues to undermine Muslims. Long ago, Muslim women had their rights in Islam just like their non-Muslim counterparts.
Faizal gave an example of many Muslim women who played an important role in the history of Islamic civilization. Aisha, the wife of the Prophet Muhammad, for example, was a source of knowledge and one of the main narrators of the Prophet’s statements. This goes to show that instead of treating women as property, the true teachings of Islam treat women with respect.
On the other hand, it was western colonialism that imposed restrictions on women. According to Faizal, before the British colonists came to Egypt, there were many local female doctors. When British colonialism came with its Victorian culture, women’s roles were limited to domestic affairs such as the kitchen. That was when Egypt started to lose a lot of female doctors.
Today, many Muslim-majority countries do not use Islamic legal sources as their source of law. They implement party ideologies that are incompatible with Islam such as secularism.
Many questions arose during this session, such as Muslim views on LGBTQ issues, the practice of polygamy, or the consumption of halal meat.
Regarding LGBTQ, said Barmaver, the Quran states that the practice of LGBTQ is forbidden. However, it is not only Islam that forbids this practice but other religions as well such as Judaism and Christianity. Meanwhile, Islam specifically prohibits same-sex marriage and the practice of anal intercourse, which has been agreed upon by many Muslim scholars. In Christianity, this is also stated in the Old Testament and the New Testament.
This practice, said Barmaver, is also recognized to cause some infectious diseases such as HIV AIDS.
However, in conclusion, Islam forbids the practise of anal intercourse and same-sex marriage but never punishes a person for his feelings. Islam only punishes those who carry out anal intercourse.
Closing this session, Prof. Syed Farid Alatas as the festival’s advisors concluded one thing: it must be realized that not everything can be judged as wet and dry or black and white. In the issue of equality, for example, it is undeniable that many countries with a Muslim majority suppress women’s freedom. Instead, the secular government restored that freedom. It must be admitted that Muslim-majority countries such as Turkey, Tunisia, and Indonesia adopted a secular system that gave women more guaranteed rights than countries that follows the traditional thinking in the name of Islam.
The same goes for polygamy. The Quran does allow polygamy. However, when the revelation was revealed, the rules of polygamy served to limit the practice of marriage which at that time knew no limits. Hence looking at it in the present context, we need to see it as the limiting spirit.
Therefore, said Prof. Farid, everything had to be seen from many aspects. Moreover, there is often a regime or group in power that interprets Islam according to their way so that it becomes the face of Islam. For example, Wahhabism has power in Saudi Arabia, can become global, which then became the face of Islam. The Islamic revolution in Iran is another example that also shaped another face of Islam. This is where the historical, political, and cultural context becomes very important to understand this entire situation without bias.
Forum Roundtable
The Tafakkur ICCS-NYCU Muslim Film Festival 2021 closed with a roundtable forum moderated by the director of the NYCU International’s Center for Cultural Studies, Prof. Joyce C.H. Liu and Prof. Syed Farid Alatas from the Department of Sociology and Malay Studies, National University of Singapore.
In this forum, the Muslim Film Festival received many speakers that sparked various discussions.
Dr Samer Talat from the Islamic Circle of Taiwan, for example, explained the common misconceptions of Taiwanese people about Islam. According to him, one of the Taiwanese misconceptions about Islam is that all Muslims are Arab, whereas only 18 per cent of Muslims live in the Arab world. Another misconception is about the concept of God. There is an assumption because Muslims are in Taiwan, there will be no problem drinking alcohol. According to Dr Samer, that is not the case. For Muslims, God can see us anywhere, so wherever we are, God will always be watching us.
The link between introducing Islam through films was also reviewed by one of the authors and independent scholars from Malaysia, Adib Faiz. He explained the depiction of inter-communal interaction by Muslim filmmakers. Meanwhile, Barmaver Syed Noorzuha joined again by describing the depiction of Muslims as terrorists in the media and films.
Another discussion about Islam on film was presented by a research scholar from the Center of Central Asian Studies University of Kashmir, Bilal Ahmad Malik. Bilal presented on a topic about stereotyping and misrepresentation of Muslims in Bollywood Movies. Asif bin Ali, the Erasmus Mundus Fellow from Swansea University, UK, also contributed on the topic of Islam images in Indian Movies: Jodhaa Akbar (2008) and Padmavat (2018). Also a topic about film brought by Dr Hafiz Muhammad Farooq, Assistant Professor from Department of Interfaith Studies, Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad, Pakistan is “Imagining Islam: The Battle of Identity and Ideology in the Hollywood Movie.
On the issues of women and ideas of feminism, a sociology student from National University Singapore, Siti Nurhumaira Bte Azman explained the perceived tension between Islam and Feminism. She mentioned that Islam is misrepresented as a religion that is anti-women and restrains them in all aspects of life be it political, economic, or social spheres. However, there is evidence from Islamic texts that are supportive of women’s rights. Following that is Noora Jukaku, a student of Inter-Asia Cultural Studies from NYCU who explained the reasons why Muslim women wear hijab and how wearing it does not constitute pressure for them. Last but not least, from Iran, a senior producer of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, Mostafa Pourmuhammadi also discussed this topic through his presentation entitled “The Union of Women: How Middle-class Girls Criticize “Mandatory Hijab” from an Islamic POV”.
Closing this roundtable forum, Prof. Joyce said the festival was held as an effort to build communication between fellow Muslims and also between Muslims and non-Muslims. The festival invites the Taiwanese audience to understand the Muslim community in Taiwan and those who come to Taiwan from other countries, which is needed given that Taiwan is diverse with many immigrants, both students and migrant workers.
According to Prof. Joyce, what is more, important is not just about featuring Muslim stories, but building an understanding toward the power relations between men and women, the majority and the minority, whether they are Muslim majority or as a minority, from a majority sect in Islam or a minority sect. Even when there is also Hindu terrorism happening to Muslims in India, what more should be done is to build self-criticism to face the bad stigma surrounding Islam and bring up the face of a moderate Islam that upholds equality between genders, between various sects in Islam, and shares life with people of different faiths.
“Can we face this systemic inequality?” asked Prof. Joyce.
Even though the rigid system could be rotten up, as this face of Islam is gradually replaced by the moderate face of Islam, women will then be able to build their potential without restrictions, and minority groups can voice their opinions without fear of persecutions.