[Reader-list] Second Posting: Muslim Publishing Houses in Delhi--Markazi Maktaba Islami

[Yogi Sikand]

*Muslim Publishing Houses in  Delhi*

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*Atiqur Rab is the Manager of the New Delhi-based Markazi Maktaba Islami
(MMI). One of the largest Muslim publishing houses in India, the MMI is
associated with the Jamaat-e Islami Hind. Below are excerpts of the
conversation that he had with Naseem ur-Rahman and Yoginder Sikand recently.
*



The MMI works under the Human Welfare Trust, whose members are largely
people associated with the Jamaat-e Islami Hind. This Trust, which was
established by the Jamaat-e Islami Hind in 1994, works at an all-India
level. Its aims include social work, providing scholarships and publishing
Islamic literature. The Trust has around 10 members. Its present chairman,
Abdul Haq Ansari Saheb, was, till recently, the *Amir* or President of the
Jamaat-e Islami Hind.



Prior to the setting up of the Human Welfare Trust, the MMI was run under
the Ishaat-e Islam Trust. The MMI was established in 1973. Prior to that,
the Jamaat used to publish its literature through the Maktaba Jamaat-e
Islami Hind, which was established in Rampur in 1948, soon after the
Partition. It remained in Rampur till it was shifted to Delhi in 1960.
Before the Partition, Jamaat literature was published from Pathankot, where
Maulana Maududi, the founder of the Jamaat, then resided.



The MMI publishes Islamic literature in English, Hindi and Urdu. One of our
principal objectives is to provide people with a proper understanding of
Islam in the light of the Holy Quran and the Hadith and to counter
misunderstandings about and propaganda against Islam. Through our
literature, we seek to present Islam as a complete code of conduct, which
provides guidance, principles and rules for all aspects of personal and
social life. Hence, our literature covers all aspects of society, from
prayer and dress to economics, women's rights, inter-community relations and
international relations. The books we produce aim to provide Islamic
perspectives on all these issues. We seek to address issues that are debated
and discussed so much today in the media. For instance, we have produced
many books on the rights and status of women in Islam that aim at countering
the wrong arguments that some detractors put forward regarding Islam and
women. Likewise, since there is today much talk that seeks to wrongly link
Islam with terrorism, we have produced many books that aim to counter this
propaganda and to present the true teachings of Islam. Thus, our literature
is directed both at Muslims as well as non-Muslims, addressing issues and
questions that they might have about Islam.



Some Muslim publishing houses produce books that are geared to promoting
inter-sectarian rivalries. This is really unfortunate. The MMI consciously
stays away from this sort of thing. We don't publish anything that might
create conflict, be it on the basis of sect, caste or religion. Our mission
is only to promote Islam through literature based on the Quran and the
Hadith.





It is true that, like most other such publishing houses, we have published
only a few books that are based on social, scientific, empirical research on
Muslims in India. We prefer to focus on the *usul* or principles of Islam
and to provide, through our literature, Islamic solutions to a wide range of
problems and issues. We believe that if Muslims, and others as well, were to
put these principles into action, our problems would be solved. However, I
admit there is a pressing need for more empirical studies on Indian Muslims.
This is important for the development and empowerment of the community and
also to disabuse people of serious misunderstandings that they might have
about Muslims. Unfortunately, few Muslim publishing houses bring out
literature of this sort. The MMI prefers to focus on the normative Islamic
position on a wide range of issues. Others can, and, indeed must, focus on
publishing texts based on the empirical conditions of the country's Muslims.
Another issue is that we don't have the resources to conduct or commission
large empirical studies. Further, such studies require a different sort of
social science research methodology. Hopefully, the younger generation of
Muslim scholars will take this issue up with the urgency that it deserves.



Many non-Muslims have misunderstandings and doubts about Islam. To address
these issues, we also aim at reaching out to a non-Muslim readership. Hence,
the Jamaat has translated the Holy Quran into numerous Indian languages.
Publishing houses run by Jamaat activists or sympathisers in various states
of India produce considerable Islamic literature in various regional
languages, including books as well as magazines. These provide Islamic
perspectives on a range of issues as well as seek to correct
misunderstandings that some people might have about Islam.





Decisions to publish new books are taken by the Tasnifi Academy, which
consists of leading members of the Jamaat, who are experts in different
fields. The Academy has half a dozen or so members. Sometimes, people pen a
manuscript and send it to the MMI authorities, asking them if they would be
interested in publishing it as a book. But more commonly, the Tasnifi
Academy requests experts in different fields to write books on the subjects
in which they have an expertise. The Academy meets every three months to
decide on new books. Often, this decision is taken based on the importance
of a particular topic at a particular time. For instance, because of the
wrong propaganda in recent years about Islam being linked to terrorism, the
Academy decided that the MMI must publish books that clearly set out the
true Islamic position on the matter.



Most of our authors are members of the Jamaat. But this does not mean that
we only publish books written by Jamaat members. In fact, we have published
some books by authors who are not members of the Jamaat, but who sympathise
with its objectives and understanding of Islam and who support the Islamic
movement. We haven't as yet commissioned research projects which can then be
published as books, although perhaps this is a good idea.



We offer ten per cent royalty to our authors, but most of our authors who
are members of the Jamaat themselves choose not to take any money for their
books. We also offer five per cent royalty to translators of books which we
publish. We provide forty per cent discount to distributors on most of our
books. Our books are quite affordable and modestly priced. In fact, this is
true for most Urdu publishing houses in India. Urdu books are much cheaper
than English books because our pricing policy is shaped by our consumers'
behaviour and purchasing power. On the whole, the average Urdu reader has
limited purchasing power, so Urdu books are priced much more modestly. But
we still make some profit in order to keep us functioning. On the whole, our
profit margin is between fifteen to twenty per cent, but making profit is
not our aim.



We have a good distribution network across India and we also export books,
to the Gulf, Europe, America, etc.—mainly to places where there is a South
Asian Muslim immigrant community. We have two marketing executives as well
as a number of like-minded people in different places in India who sell our
books. Relatively, few non-Muslim-owned bookshops stock our books, but
several others get in touch with us or our local distributors when they
receive orders for books published by us. In 2002, we launched our own
website [www.mmipublishers.net], through which we are now able to reach out
to a far larger potential readership. We get regular orders, from Muslims as
well as others, for our books through our website.



It is important for Islamic publishing houses to reach out to non-Muslims,
too. They must not remain a Muslim preserve. Islam is for everyone, so our
publishing houses must reach out with the message of Islam to others as
well, and also in order to address the misunderstandings they might have
about our faith. The MMI has tried to do this in different ways. For
instance, we have advertised some of our books a couple of times in the
Hindi *Rashtriya Sahara*, which has a very good circulation. On the occasion
of the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, we advertised in a Hindi newspaper about the
Hindi translation of the Holy Quran which we had published. I wish we could
advertise our books in English newspapers, too, but that is very costly. We
have sent some of our books to *The Hindu* for review, but, unfortunately,
they were not reviewed. Reviews are a good means of publicizing new books,
but, lamentably, few Urdu newspapers, especially in north India, have a book
review section. We also send our new books free of cost to some major public
libraries in different parts of India. This is a very effective way of
reaching out to people.



In our effort to reach out to a wider readership, both Muslims as well as
others, we regularly participate in book fairs held in different parts of
India, where we set up our stalls. We participate every year in the National
and International book fairs in New Delhi. In these fairs, many of our
customers are non-Muslims. Recently, we participated in a book fair in Dehra
Dun. Most of our customers there were Hindus. Many of them appreciated our
literature. A large number of them had  no access to Islamic literature
before.



Today, MMI is one of the largest Islamic publishing houses in India. Some
six hundred titles that we have published in Urdu, Hindi and English are
still being printed and distributed, and every year we add around thirty new
books to that list. We reprint around 300 titles every year. We have come a
long way, but, yes, I would agree that there is still so much for us to do.

Atiqur Rab can be reached at mmipub at nda.vsnl.net.in
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