Interview with Ameena Hussein
Ameena Hussein is one of Sri Lanka’s best known English authors. She is also one half of the Perera Hussein Publishing House, that since 2003 has published some of the best new English writing in the country. The Moon in the Water, Ameena’s first novel, was long-listed for the first Man Asian Literary Award in 2009. Zillij, a collection of short stories I reviewed four years ago, won the State Literary Prize in 2003.
Our discussion touched on Ameena’s tryst with cancer and how this influenced her writing and outlook on life. We also talked about English literature in general, and the quality of contemporary English fiction in Sri Lanka. Ameena also talked about identity, gender and violence – both in and through her fiction and their manifestations in the real world. We spoke at some length on the politics of representation and the contested space for women in Islam, harking back to two articles on Groundviews published last year in a similar vein - Hijab whereforth dost thou commeth? by Nazeeya Faarooq and The Hijab unveiled – a response to Nazeeya Faarooq by Aufidius.
Ameena herself has written cogently on religion, gender and identity in Islam and We, an article in quote from in the interview. As she notes in this short article,
As a Sri Lankan Muslim supposedly descended from Arab traders who married Sinhalese and Tamil women, as a Muslim whose descendents have lived in Sri Lanka for more than ten generations, I want to talk about the limitations of being a Muslim. I want to talk about apostasy. I want to talk about the spiritual inequality of non-Muslims in Islam, I want to talk about interpretation, I want to talk about re-birth. As a Muslim woman I want to talk about gender, inheritance, marriage, female circumcision, sexuality, and polygyny. I want to talk about freedom and free will, and equality.
But I have no space.
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Refreshing interview.Can’t wait to read her writings.Particularly like her views on the hijab.
Thank you for the article and the interview. I knew who Ameena was but now I know more about her.
Ameena,
You look gorgeous. I feel like giving you a big hug for the interesting comments you made and I 100% agree with you (timeline 6:00- 6:10, 16:56, 19:00, 19:40) You are a ambassador of peace! I find you a charming lady in the dress you are wearing than in a Hijab. People should be identifiable in their dresses. I dislike extrem-relegion views and behaviours and even dresses of people; be it Muslim, buddhism, Christianity or Hindu. Hijab like dreses are barriers to be inclusive in a multi-cultural/religion/ethnic society. I am happy to hear that you as a muslim happy to be born in a non-Muslim country, Sri Lanka (than born in Aghanistan, Iran, Iraq Saudi Arab extreme Muslim Countries) because of the freedom you have. I personally think Sri Lankan people should aviod and should not push to wear hijab and gonibilla like dresses hiding under a robe. I think people must not religionize any country by dresses. The statistical facts Sanjana quoted (20:38-21:38) prove how a blind belief can lead to knowledge diffusion. Let civilization grow with time rather than let it stagnated by sticking to a book written centuries ago. May many Ameenas be born in Sri Lanka and all over the the world! Thanks for uploading an interesting interview Sanjana.
If you want to see purda as decreed by the Taliban,go to kattankudy,the most thickly populted village – almost 100% muslim – 3 miles south of batticaloa. It is worse than hijab – only the eyes are seen. The women here are treated worse than as decreed by Taliban. Sick women are not seen by doctors as most doctors are males. Childbirth is attended by untrained traditional midwives – not by government trained midwives. Women marry soon afte puberty. The batticaloa government hospital obstetrician said to me in the sixties – these muslim women menstruate only once when attaining puberty,then it is a case of continual child bearing until they reach early menopause in their forties or soon before, and die early of malnutrition, anaemia etc.soon after. Maternal and neonatal mortality atre very high if not the highest in sri lanka. In the fifties, kattankudy and chenkalady had the WORLD’s highest fertility rates. Education of females is almost nil.
It is refreshing to listen to Ms Hussain who has ‘escaped’ the hijab and graduated in sociology and has become a writer. I intend searching for her books/articles on the internet.
Refreshing indeed! Very charming lady and thank you for the Interview Sanjana.
Like the others have already mentioned, very refreshing!
The likes of Shyam Selvadurai belong to a different league in terms of literary voices belonging to the diaspora. I believe that there are many other Tamil voices around the world who are struggling for a break into the literary world and are yet to find the support they need. This is especially so for Tamils living in countries that use other European languages and not English. It would be important for people like Ameena to give these people some support!
Great interview mam. Cheers.
From GQ’s Son of Hamas (http://www.gq.com/blogs/the-q/2010/03/son-of-hamas.html):
GQ: In the beginning of the book you talk about two sides of Islam, but you simplify your characterization rather quickly, saying its goal is “to conquer and enslave the earth,” and that Allah had “no problem with murder; in fact, he insisted on it.” We often hear President Obama, like George W. Bush before him, say that Islam isn’t our enemy, that it’s a religion of peace—that it’s violent extremists we’re in conflict with. Do you reject that?
MY: Absolutely, I do. That is blasphemy. That is a lack of knowledge. U.S. presidents say such things because of diplomacy, because Islam also exists in America, and they must respect people’s beliefs, respect the constitution. What I’m saying is the problem is there, in the Koran. That even if there’s a good side of Islam, at the end of the day it serves evil.
GQ: But aren’t there two sides to Christianity as well? The side that launched the crusades, and that many believe is still active, steering the last administration’s foreign policy. Aren’t we really talking about the human failing here, not tied to a particular faith?
MY: No, no, no, no. This is what I’m trying to avoid. I point to the book, to the god. I am not pointing to the people. I judge and compare books and gods. In Christianity, it’s very clear that the god we worship is equal to love. The bible says, ‘God is love’. The god we worship was sacrificed, crucified on the cross, tortured, spit on, and was still forgiving. This is our highest example. The god of Islam tells his people, “Beat your wife. Go kill infidels. Go Kill Christians and Jews.” This is in the Koran; it has been for 1400 years. Their god tells them to kill everybody who doesn’t believe in the god of the Koran. The problem is ideological—it’s not a people problem. Now, most Muslims don’t obey the order of god to kill infidels. This is why I say Muslims have more morality than their god. To be honest with you, I’m amazed at how Muslims keep their humanity after reading the Koran.