Letters to the Editor

Although a senior citizen, I have long been an ardent reader of YMD, which very capably serves the needs of the contemporary, English speaking Muslim citizenry of the country. The editorials and articles, and even the sometimes ‘spicy’ answers to the ‘Letters to the Editor’ column, have helped me transform many of my earlier beliefs and attitudes towards my own faith, and brought much needed clarity in many areas.

In the course of discharging my professional duties I have travelled across many of the States of India and have now returned to my homeland, Assam, after forty long years. I find that the general awareness of the Muslim community about the beliefs and practices of the faith, events and developments taking place in the rest of the country and also the rest of the world, is very much wanting. This is partly due to the absence of good books and magazines in the North-East on Islam and Muslims.

While I have taken up the cause of promoting the circulation of YMD in Assam, I would also like to build up a library / book-centre of selected books on Islam, the Ahadith, Islamic jurisprudence and also books and magazines for children. I would welcome your valued suggestions in this regard.

Mohammed Saiful Islam,
On Email

YMD

In view of the plummeting reading habits of the Muslims, we would like to caution you about setting up a library. It is not the non-availability of books that has led to ignorance of the Muslims of today, it is the refusal to read which has led to the non-availability of libraries.

We suggest that you furnish your ‘personal library’ with a few popular titles and invite friends and acquaintances to borrow and read. If the response is encouraging, you could add some more titles until a situation when you feel that a library would survive on its own.

But do not lend out your own books of choice. Some would borrow, not read, and either pass it on to another, or just lose it somewhere. After a few weeks they might not even remember that they had borrowed from you. We have seen one of our own book which was lent out, in the hands of a stranger at a bus stand; and the first borrower had completely forgotten about it. So much is the love and care of books in an Ummah which was raised by the Book.

The Internet-browsing, newly educated young men, especially those who attribute their activities to the generations of old, are the most non-reading section of the community. They are barred by their leaders to read anything but that which is approved by them, just like until the modern age the Christians could only read Church-sanctioned books. This holds good for Jama`ah’s also. So, who is going to read from your library?

As regards what titles to choose for stocking in your personal library, we suggest that you choose the simplest in the language of your region. Avoid large volumes. In fact, you could start with booklets and magazines rather than books and see the response.

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