>ShaamilMI at 19:54, 8 July 2021

2021-07-08T19:54:20Z

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{{short description|Humanist writer and critic of Islam}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{Notability|date=October 2020}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2007}}
}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2018}}

{{Infobox person
| name = E. A. Jabbar
| image = JabbarEA.jpg
| birth_place = [[Malappuram, Kerala]], India
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1956|10|01|df=yes}}
| occupation = Writer, activist
| yearsactive = 1982–present
| caption = E. A. Jabbar<br />Atheist, Islam critic, Freethinker from Kerala
}}

'''E. A. Jabbar''' (Malayalam: ഇ. എ. ജബ്ബാർ) is an Indian [[atheist]], [[humanist]], [[rationalist]], speaker and writer from [[Kerala]]. He is best known as a critic of [[Quran]] and [[Islam]]. He is an active member of several rationalist organisations. He was the Vice-president of [[Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham]] and its [[Malappuram]] district secretary for a considerable duration. He was also an editorial board member of the monthly magazine, [[Yukthirekha]], the official journal of the Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham.
He was a member of Kerala State Teachers' Association (KSTA), which is the teacher's wing of the political party [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)|CPI(M)]]. He started his career as a government school teacher, and retired from service, after which carried on with his activism for free-thought and atheism.

==Engagements==
Jabbar was born into an orthodox [[Muslim]] family in [[Malappuram]] in [[Kerala]], India but he lost his faith in [[Islam]] while studying in the tenth grade after reading the Malayalam translation of [[Quran]]. He felt it had many inconsistencies and contradictions, and he did not get satisfactory answers to his questions from his family circle. When rationalist [[Joseph Edamaruku]] published his book ''Quran: A Critical Study'' (Original title: '''Quran Oru Vimarsana Padanam''<ref>https://nastiknation.org/product/quran-oru-vimarsana-padanam/</ref>') in early 1980, it was subject to widespread discussion, and Jabbar actively took part in many of these debates. Gradually, he became part of the debating circles representing the rationalists. According to Jabbar, "Islam is against democracy, secularism, gender justice and all that makes a modern society".

He began his career as a school teacher and later turned into a popular orator in Kerala. He gathered more fame from his candid blogging and videos in social media and across the "free thinkers" communities in the Malayalam speaking world.<ref name="indiatimes">{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/tracking-indian-communities/god-doesnt-need-us-to-save-him/|website=timesofindia.indiatimes.com|title=God doesn’t need us to save him|access-date=3 July 2019}}</ref><ref name="indiatimes2">{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kozhikode/Rationalist-seeks-police-protection-over-blog-threat-in-Kozhikode/articleshow/53581885.cms|title=Rationalist seeks police protection over blog threat in Kozhikode | Kozhikode News|website=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=3 July 2019}}</ref> He is notable for his videos and podcasts that criticize Islam.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/user/eajabbar</ref> He has done some controversial debates with Islamic scholars in Kerala like M M Akbar, which have viewership by the thousands in social media.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieJH48fjqRY</ref>

==Books by E. A. Jabbar==
Jabbar, popularly called as Jabbar Mash (mash is the corrupt usage of the English word master, conveniently indicating that he was a teacher by profession) by his admirers and followers on the internet, has written a few books criticizing Islam and the Quran which have grabbed the attention of many in Kerala, especially the youth.<ref>https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13420870.E_A_Jabbar</ref>
Jnan enthukondu Muslim Alla, (In English: Why I Am Not A Muslim), is a book we wrote which attracted many readers in Kerala despite being it a booklet having just 62 pages. It was modeled after the book written by the British philosopher [[Bertrand Russel]], [[Why I Am Not A Christian]].
* 2005: ''Khurante Sasthreeyatha Chodyam Cheyyappedunnu'' (Mythri Books)<ref>{{cite web|title=Khurante Sasthreeyatha Chodyam Cheyyappedunnu|url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24772098-khurante-sasthreeyatha-chodyam-cheyyappedunnu|website=[[Goodreads]]|access-date=9 July 2019}}</ref>
* 2014: ''Njan Enthukondu Muslim Alla'', first edition in February 2007,(Mythri Books)<ref>{{cite web|title=Njan Enthukondu Muslim Alla|url=https://keralabookstore.com/book/njan-enthukondu-muslim-alla/11975/|website=KeralaBookStore.com|access-date=9 July 2019}}</ref><ref>https://nastiknation.org/product/jnan-enthukondu-muslim-alla/</ref>
* 2018: Islaminte Vargavum Lingavum<ref>https://nastiknation.org/product/islaminte-vargavum-lingavum/</ref>

He was the editor of ''Yukthiyugam Malayalam Magazine'' published by Yukthiyugam in March 2015.<ref>{{cite web|title=Yukthiyugam March 2015: Yukthiyugam Malayalam Magazine March 2015|url=https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Dr_C_Viswanathan_Yukthiyugam_March_2015?id=mohvBwAAQBAJ|website=[[Google Play]]|publisher=Yukthiyugam|access-date=9 July 2019|date=19 March 2015}}</ref><ref>https://www.magzter.com/IN/yukthiyugam/Yukthiyugam/Education/</ref>

==Debate with M. M. Akbar==
On 9 January 2020 he and a very popular Islamist scholar who was also the director at ''Niche of Truth'',<ref>https://www.nicheoftruthonline.com/</ref> [[M. M. Akbar]] debated on the topic, whether [[Quran]] is scientific or not. Jabbar had been challenging Islamist scholars in Kerala for many years to prove Quran was god's own words. He had ridiculed Quran and [[Hadith]]s, stating that they contained nonsense and mistakes. After he turned down many scholars who came forward, he accepted the Islamic scholar M. M. Akbar and agreed to debate him on the subject open-stage. A longstanding rationalist organisation―[[Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham]]―arranged the venue and stage to have this debate. The debate did take place as scheduled even after a long speculation of it being called off thanks to Akbar failing to show up{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}, as it happened with other scholars who had challenged Jabbar earlier. A leading newspaper in Kerala run by pro-Islamist management, ''Thejus Daily'', ran a story about this debate in which Akbar was quoted to have said that the debate helped unite the entire Muslim community in Kerala.<ref>https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13420870.E_A_Jabbar</ref>

In contrast, both sides claimed victory in the debate, and the video of the debate which went viral was re-used with footage from the original video to prove the success of either side.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4JN95l7X7c</ref> Not to mention that the video that appeared on M. M. Akbar's YouTube account proclaimed his victory over Jabbar in the debate.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieJH48fjqRY</ref>

The flip side of the program was that M. M. Akbar was criticized for stating that the Quran is scientific with his version of understanding the text. His opponents said that he had reduced the Quran to a mere science book.

During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]<ref>https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10225317684158045&set=a.1776795028602 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wXhFASFfnw</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.blogger.com/profile/04377545034467212301 E. A. Jabbar Blogs]
* [https://www.youtube.com/user/eajabbar/videos Speeches and podcasts of E. A. Jabbar]

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jabbar, E. A.}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian atheism activists]]
[[Category:Indian rationalists]]
[[Category:Indian materialists]]
[[Category:Indian religious sceptics]]
[[Category:Indian sceptics]]
[[Category:Contemporary Indian philosophers]]
[[Category:Indian male philosophers]]
[[Category:Indian male writers]]
[[Category:Writers from Kerala]]
[[Category:1956 births]]

E. A. Jabbar - Revision history

>ShaamilMI at 19:54, 8 July 2021