Shalat Idul Adha in KBRI New Delhi

I’ve just done Eidul Adha prayer in KBRI (Indonesia Embassy) New Delhi along with other Indonesian students and KBRI staffs. Some Muslim diplomats from neighboring countries like Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore are also praying with us. And as usual, our ambassador host the breakfast for all people who join the prayer and for non-Muslim who come after the Eid prayer is done.

The interesting feature in such occasion is the Indonesian food. We who used to have our daily meals with Indian flavour can now enjoy the purely Indonesian foods. And for that the students just eat and eat, enjoying the moment of “luxury”. Sayur lodeh, ketupat, tempe, tahu, ikan asin, asinan, sambal terasi, sate madura, etc are the kinds of foods we take them for granted in Indonesia. But, here in India, all are as precious as gold!
Read more

Why Religious Hatred?

The most embarassing things in life are inter-religious hatred among religious followers. And it’s even more embarassing to see that this phenomenon prevail among the so-called ‘the three most-sacred and most-influential’ religion: Islam, Christian and Jews. I dont know, and it’s not important as well, who hate whom first. The damaged has been done, is still developing and deteriorating by the day.

It’s not the right place for me to analyse it from politico-historical point of view here in this page, although if you are curious enough to know you can click through the links –at the end of this posting– to my previous op-ed pieces (in Bahasa Indonesia) scattered in several Indonesian newspapers regarding this i ssue.

Everyone, every religious followers should go back towards the basic purpose on why he/she sticks to and choose certain religion during his/her lifetime: as life guidance. To guide your mental stability whenever you are in desperate situation; to look for solace in time of agony; to strengthen your mind at the time when your heart cannot be strengthen by a glass of beer, etc. In other words, the sole aim of religion and the purpose of being religious are to have inner peace.

Denmark Cartoon Controversy

Inter-religious relation is just like inter-personal friendship. You gotta maintain a take-and-give balancing act in order to make sustainable friendship. In personal friendship, either side should try to maintain give-more-and-take-less principle, not the other way round. The more you implement this principle, the more friends you’ll have.

Take-and-give principle certainly not only limited to material things. The significance thing in this concept is it symbolizes the spirit of making your friend happy first, and he/she’ll make you happy too sooner or later. In other words, never try or make him/her unhappy intentionally or unintentionally. Once it happens, the breaking up is underway, especially if you offend him/her in a big way, on a sensitive matter to him/her.
Read more

The Clash of Fundamentalism

Whether you are geographically or ideologically in the East or in the West, you’ll be tempted or at least hard to resist the temptation to conclude and believe that the current brouhaha between the East (Islam) and the West (Christianity) as a result of Denmark cartoon controversy as a strong sign of Samuel Huntington’s Clash of Civilization thesis. If you think and believe so, you are wrong.

The truth is it’s the clash of fundamentalism: the the no less dogma-bound secular fundamentalism in the West and the religious fundamentalism in the East.

First, religious fundamentalism and the often violent censorship it seeks to impose, is certainly not limited to Islam. In Britain, Sikh agitators disrupted the staging of a play (written by a Sikh) which depicted a rape scene in a Gurdwara.
Read more

God Spot in the Brain?

Once upon a time Abraham strongly believed that there must be the higher Being, the Almighty, God that governs the universe. The kind of thought that led him to search and seek what “it” should be. Is it the almighty moon, the sun? In primitive era, the flinstone world, the genius of the time had been involved with spiritual curiosity. Hence, spiritualism exists, and will always remain, along with the existence of humankind.

Question: is there a specific God spot kind of thing in human brain? If not, why then human is so obsessed with spirituality?
Read more

Muslim Blood Less Precious?

As reported by IHT, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) complains in the front of foreign media gathering on the resort island of Bali that brought together some 80 foreign journalists that Muslim life is less precious than non-Muslims’. He gives an example: Muslim deaths in Iraq and Palestine often sparked less outrage than the killings of non-Muslims.

Well, first of all, it’s inaccurate on the part of Presiden SBY to divide the world into Muslims and non-Muslims. And it will not help the cause of bridging the already race-based divided universe.
Read more

Religion and Nationalism

If a journalist asks your first preference between two important identity which one carries all his/her life, i.e. religion and nationalism, which one comes first? Shakhrukh Khan (SRK), India’s Bollywood mega-star, told BBC a few years back that he prefers nationalism as his first choice. The same question with the same answer also comes from Amir Khan, the most respected India’s actor and comes second to SRK only in terms of making box office.

Actually, to some that’s a tricky question. In Indonesia that’s not a question worth answering, at least to the majority of Muslim Indonesia. Two largest Muslim organisation, NU (Nahdlatul Ulama) and Muhammadiyah, had accepted the Pancasila (pron. panchaseela), the philosophical foundation of the country, as their basic organisation manifesto.

Which means nationalism comes first on the ground that within the Pancasila itself there consist of one point in which freedom to practice one own religion is guaranteed by the Constitution. So, the two point, religion and nationality, in the eye of many Indonesian should not necessarily be considered as two contradicting entities.

In other part of the world, like Pakistan, however, the above question might be understandable.

Islam, Muslim and Indonesia

Responding to the attrocities of Bali bombing, my good friend Nadirsyah Hosen says this in his blog:

“I strongly condemned a recent terrorist attack in Bali. All moderate Muslims must speak out loudly to confront evil ideology behinds this violent movement.”

Now, who is the so-called moderate Muslim?

First, If you, reader of this 50-cent-piece, are a westerner or non-muslim, let me tell you something: the so-called “moderate muslim” is not what, entirely or partially, you think like moderate Christian or secular christian or leftist, or whatever.

Second, please remember that this term strictly for Indonesian Muslims. Muslims are not monolitic entitities–Islam is–, hence, different countries could lead to different meaning and interpretation on what fundamentalist, conservative, secularist, moderate and liberal Muslim are all about.

What’s not

1. Moderate Muslim is not the one who’s intentionally not observing the principle-5-pillars of Islam such as 5-times prayer every day, paying alms, doing haj once in life-time, fasting one-month long during ramadan, etc

2. Moderate Muslim is not the one who’s intentionally doing things which is in Islam considered as major sins such as adultery (fornication), drinking alcoholic beverage, gambling, killing, theft/robbery, etc.

So the different between moderate and fundamentalist (militant, extremist) Muslim are only this: while the former considers Islam as a spiritual/moral guidance; the latter regards it as as both (a) spiritual/moral guidance and (b) political movements. The point (b) is getting more emphasis. That’s why, the extremist Muslim is sometimes not necessarily religious in nature.

Hence, violence is justified if necessary just like any other political movement (left, right, center) of any culture and religious preference.

Moderate Muslim consist of:

(1)Traditional Muslim in the literal and terminology sense of the term. For example, those muslims in rural area of indonesia who mostly belong to NU (nahdlatul ulama) socio-religious movement can be put into this category. They are ‘traditional’ in terms of education, way of life, and their attachment to the traditional-cum-religious values and customs.

They dont know and dont care about politics, global affairs, relation between Islam and the west, etc. But they will be furious if, for example, somebody/country destroy Mecca in Saudi Arabia or degrade Prophet Muhammad personality because it’s strongly to do with their daily religious life and activities.

These kind of Muslims represent the majority of Muslim Indonesian.

(2) Conversative Muslims. They are just like traditional Muslim. Only in terms of education they are more advanced and they belong to urban population and mostly prefer to be under Muhammadiyah socio-religious movement. The second largest religious organisation after NU.

This conservative Muslims have a full awareness of global relation between Islam and the West; about occupation in iraq; occupation of Israel upon palestinian land; etc. Yet, this group dont want to indulge or involve in violence whatsoever. History of post-independence Indonesia never witness any violence carried out by those two groups in the name of religion or others against non-Muslims or their fellow Muslims.

NU and Muhammadiyah represent two group within the moderate Muslims community you can see and meet in the crowd in your day-to-day life whenever you visit Indonesia. We call them SANTRI

Apart from these two, there are one group called “Abangan” which means a non-practicing muslim. A muslim whose Islamic identity only in his/her ID card or may be in his/her conviction and belief in God and Prophet Muhammad but no more than that. You can find them in the bar, discotheque, singing naked in a hotel or become a nude model in some half- or full-porn magazines or a nude-porn-film-star and anything like that.

Having said that, none of the moderate Muslims (traditional or conservative) ever despise this group (Abangan) and disregard it as non-muslim. The Abangan still a Muslim. They are part of Muslim Indonesia which are unique and homogeneous.

It’s a bit difficult to identify them as they are ever changing. An abangan now, could be a SANTRI tomorrow. It’s important to note though that abangan is not an official name like NU or Muhammadiyah. Now, many of this group identify themselves proudly as Liberal Muslim or Islam Liberal in Bahasa Indonesia.

In the lowest of the low lay the tiniest yet most dangerous group: the militant, radical, extremist Muslim. Those who tend to use violence for whatever reasons. They have no future in Indonesia as far as the government understand how to alienate and marginalise them from the masses. Government should see very clearly and act accordingly who belong to the militant and who dosn’t to prevent further proliferation of extremism.

Beauty and the Beast

I watched the film series “Beauty and the Beast” in my childhood days, the days when Indonesian government under Suharto regime started allowing private TV channel to operate. More than only operational, it allowed the three private TVs to broadcast their own programmes without any need to relay official news by government run station called TVRI.

A privelege that private radio stations didn’t enjoy. No wonder. All the three TVs– RCTI, SCTV, TPI– were and are still owned by the sons and daughter of (former) President Suharto, the “King” of Indonesia. His “naughty” kids behave just like prince and princess to the crown no minister even dare to look at the eye (that’s what a Suharto’s former minister told me in a meeting the other day in New Delhi).

Speaking of the Beauty and the Beast, I like the film because it introduces inner love; not the physical ones. A pretty girl falls in love with an ugly but wise guy. Human tends to fall trap to physical beauty, instead of inner attractiveness. The so-called sex-appeal connote more to physical appearance. A friend writes here about how important to appreciate inner beauty not only on personal level, but also in business. He highlight a good example in India.

But Indonesian entrepreneur is not known for its independency in attitude and making business decision. They’re just copy-catting what they see in other parts of the world. Agreed, there’s nothing wrong to imitate the footsteps of successful story. But, climatizing with the local value and tradition on certain aspects wich is non-substantial to the fall and rise of a business is not a mistake either.

So here goes a story: A presenter from METRO TV names Sandrina Malakiano, wife of Eep Saifullah Fatah, was banned by the station management to appear as presenter simply because she now wearing jilbab (Islamic veil).

If the station channel permits its presenters to wear mini skirt, why it should prevent someone who wears jilbab, one might wonder. Besides, Indonesia is a country with the largest Muslim population in the world, which means allowing Sandrina to wear what she now wants to wear is feasible enough and not at all a liability even from business perspective.

The bottom line is the management of Metro TV just dont know what they’re doing. Surya Paloh, the owner and a Muslim from Aceh, a state known for its strong attachment and devoutness to Islam, should interfere in case he’s aint have a clue.

The right to wear “less” clothes should not prevent anyone from the right to wear “more.”

← Previous Page — Next Page →