Dari milis is-lam :

Ada berbagai disinformasi yang disebarkan oleh berbagai pihak untuk membela Paus pada saat ini :

1. Paus telah dikutip secara serampangan oleh media massa, dengan tujuan untuk meningkatkan oplah koran ybs :

   Tidak benar. Saya sudah membaca langsung naskah pidato aslinya, dan memang ada berbagai kesalahan di situ.

   Detilnya bisa dibaca misalnya disini.

2. Paus telah dikutip di luar konteks, sebetulnya inti dari pidato Paus adalah mengajak dialog antar agama agar bisa tercipta kedamaian :

   Tidak benar, saya sudah membaca teks pidato lengkapnya, dan inti dari pidato Paus adalah mengajak rekonsiliasi antara sains dan agama. Dan dalam pidato tersebut, Islam dijadikan contoh mengenai agama yang tidak “reasonable” / tidak menggunakan akal pikiran; dan bahwa agama Kristen tidaklah seperti itu.

   Jadi sebetulnya isi pidato Paus yang selengkapnya malah mungkin lebih parah daripada yang dikutip oleh berbagai media massa.

3. Paus mengatakan Muslim barbar, dan lihat bagaimana respon mereka (Muslim) terhadap ini (2 gereja di bom, dll), memang barbar kan ?

   Ini sama seperti jika saya melihat beberapa orang Padang pelit, dan lalu berkomentar bahwa SEMUA orang Padang itu pelit. Hal ini disebut generalisasi - ketika ada sebagian yang bertindak namun kemudian kita menuduh bahwa semuanya sama.

   Ada banyak komunitas muslim yang merespons pidato Paus ini dengan rasional dan bijaksana.

4. Umat Islam baru ribut kalau agamanya dihina, tapi diam saja jika ada muslim yang melakukan terorisme:

   Ini hanya sok tahu, memangnya ybs bisa memonitor seluruh media massa yang ada di seluruh dunia ?

   Komunitas muslim di inggris sering memprotes berbagai kegiatan terorisme yang mengatasnamakan Islam, namun seringkali tidak dimuat oleh media.

5. Paus hanya mengutip saja, dan tidak lantas berarti bahwa Paus setuju dengan tuduhan (Nabi saw memerintahkan untuk menyebarkan Islam dengan kekerasan) tersebut.

   Tetap ada kesalahan Paus, yaitu tidak menuliskan pendapatnya sendiri atas kutipan tersebut. Karena tidak ada, maka wajar jika kemudian ada orang yang mengira bahwa Paus setuju dengan tuduhan tersebut.

Silahkan disebarluaskan agar kasus ini menjadi lebih jelas.

Salam,
Harry

Sumber: http://satrioarismunandar6.blogspot.com/2006/08/rules-of-game-liputan-media-di-timur.html

Sejumlah pernyataan di bawah ini saya kutip dari sebuah posting di Internet. Terkesan simpel, tapi bagi saya –yang kebetulan dulu sering meliput politik Timur Tengah– memang ada kebenarannya. Hegemoni wacana pemikiran, yang merugikan posisi Palestina dan Arab, memang banyak menghinggapi insan media. Kita juga bisa membandingkan dengan pemberitaan media atas agresi Israel ke Lebanon, Juli-Agustus 2006.

Tetapi penilaian tentu terserah Anda masing-masing. Ini adalah sejumlah “rules” yang sering dipraktikkan media, dalam meliput konflik di Timur Tengah:

Rule No. 1: In the Middle East, it’s always the Arabs that attack first and Israel that defends itself. That’s called retaliation.

Rule No. 2: Arabs, whether Palestinian or Lebanese, have absolutely no right to kill Israeli civilians. That’s called terrorism.

Rule No. 3: Israel has every right to kill as many Arab civilians as it wants. That’s called legitimate self-defense.

Rule No. 4: When Israel kills too many civilians, the Western powers urge for restraint. That’s called the reaction of the international community.

Rule No. 5: Palestinians and Lebanese have no right to capture Israeli soldiers, even if their numbers are limited to three.

Rule No. 6: Israelis have the right to capture as many Palestinians as they wish — over 10,000 prisoners as of today, of which 300 are children. Uttering the magic word, “terrorist,” is all that’s
needed to throw Arabs behind bars without charges.

Rule No. 7: When you say “Hizballah,” you should always add “supported by Syria and Iran.”

Rule No. 8: When you say “Israel,” you should never add “supported by the United States and Europe” lest the conflict appear imbalanced.

Rule No. 9: Never mention “occupied territories,” or “UN resolutions,” or “violations of international law,” or “the Geneva conventions.” That might perturb television viewers and lead them to ask questions.

Rule No. 10: Israelis speak English better than Arabs. That is why we always give them — and their supporters — more air time. That way, they can explain Rules 1 through 9 to us. That’s called media objectivity.

Rule No. 11: If you don’t agree with any of these rules, or if you think they favor one party over another, that’s because you’re a dangerous anti-Semite.

Israel was just defending itself from Hizbollah ? Wrong, the kidnapping of 2 Israel soldiers (previously thought as the cause of the war) were caused by Israel’s (almost daily) violation of the border :
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0801/p09s02-coop.html

The current war is premeditated and already very prepared. Hizbollah’s kidnap of 2 IDF soldiers provided Israel with the excuse to finally launched it :
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,,1839282,00.html

To Israel with love - why the Americans are so overwhelmingly pro Israel ?
http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7255198

Israel ranked better economically than even Brunei, but it’s also the top receiver of aid from US gov’t :
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,,1834555,00.html

I read a news titled “Indonesian Catholics to face firing squad on Saturday” on Catholic News this morning. Seems like many Catholic groups are asking Indonesian Gov’t to spare the life of the accused.

Actually some non-Catholic groups are asking the same thing too. Although for different reason - several Muslim organization suspected that these 3 men are just puppets. The masters are still safe behind the curtain.
If these men got executed, then the secrets will die with them. And justice will not be delivered.

By saving the life of these 3 men, then hopefully we’d be able to investigate further and find the real masters behind the massacre. The ones who really responsible for it.

The chance is really slim though.

I just posted a simple script on the sidebar of this blog to support Indonesian Blogger’s movement to condemn Israel. Instructions to join are available here.

In short, Israel is the root of the problems in Middle East.
First, it took over other people’s land, so it can create the country of Israel. Second, it has now employed policies so racist, it has became the Nazi of middle east. And so on.

There are propaganda campaigns going on all over the Internet that says the points above are wrong. But when you check with unbiased sources, you will find out that they are correct.

We have been invaded as well (Dutch & Japan), so we know that the ordeal of the Palestinians and others around Israel are worse. Back at that time, our freedom fighters too were branded as terrorists. Guess who ended up unmasked as the real terrorist ?

My heart goes to the victims of Israel’s atrocities.

To other Indonesian bloggers - you can do something. You are not helpless.

Kemarin saya mampir ke Depok Town Square, memenuhi janji dengan keponakan untuk membawa mereka ke sana. Ketika telah tiba Maghrib, kami menuju ke musholla untuk menunaikan sholat.

Antrian di tempat wudhu sudah sangat panjang. Sambil menunggu, saya jadi bisa melihat berbagai cara orang dalam melakukannya.
Tapi rata-rata sama; berwudhu dengan kran yang dibuka sekencang-kencangnya, dan setiap bagian wudhu dilakukan berkali-kali dengan sangat lambat. Tentu saja makin lama antrian menjadi makin panjang, padahal waktu Maghrib cuma sebentar dan semakin mendekati habis.

Begitu giliran saya tiba saya coba perlihatkan cara wudhu “alternatif”, yang saya dapatkan informasinya dari beberapa ustadz (salah satunya ust. Yazid Jawwas), yaitu :

• Membasuh kedua telapak tangan 1x
• Dengan satu genggam air, dihirup ke hidung dan mulut (berkumur) 1x
• Membasuh wajah 1x
• Membasuh tangan s/d siku 1x
• Membasuh rambut dan disambung ke telinga 1x
• Membasuh kedua kaki s/d mata kaki 1x

1. Hemat air : Rasulullah saw bisa mandi wajib dengan 1 gayung air. Logikanya, kalau hanya untuk berwudhu, tentu bisa menggunakan air yang lebih sedikit lagi jumlahnya.

2. Membasuh anggota badan : Ternyata 3x membasuh itu adalah jumlah maksimal. 1x membasuh saja sudah cukup. Cuma memang kadang kita diganggu oleh bisikan2 yang membuat kita was-was, “eh, sudah kena semua atau belum ya tangannya?”, dst - sehingga banyak orang yang malah jadi membasuh bahkan lebih dari 3x.

Ini sudah saya cek dan praktekkan sejak dulu, tapi saya tidak hapal lagi semua dalilnya. Mungkin ada yang bisa membantu untuk melengkapi dalil-dalilnya.

Anyway, ternyata Islam memang adalah agama yang mudah dan tidak menyulitkan sebetulnya.

OOT :
Musholla di Depok Town Square sangat kecil dan amat sangat tidak sepadan dengan kapasitas gedungnya yang luar biasa besar. Hindari mendatangi DTS di waktu sholat, supaya tidak mengalami kesulitan seperti yang saya alami (antrian sangat panjang untuk sholat).
Atau, hindari saja mendatangi DTS. Mosok kalah dengan PIM 2 (Pondok Indah Mall 2), tiap lantainya ada musholla, dan besarnya mencukupi - padahal lokasinya tidak begitu banyak muslimnya.

I’ve not yet encountered this event, but I know it will come sometime. One day, one of my children will ask about sex, and I will have to explain it to them. I’m not scared (well ok, not much ), but I think I’ll have the hardest time of keeping my face straight.

Mbak Santi have endured this twice apparently. But her second event is more special, because Baby is an active and very inquiring little girl.
My jaw dropped at first when I read this article , and then I feel pain in my stomach as I was trying hard not to burst into laughter in my office room.

But I think you handled it alright mbak. Thanks for the ideas and inspirations !

note: here’s an article with photo of this very clever girl. May you grow to be a very good girl, insyaAllah.

Kemarin ini kembali saya mengajak anak saya, Umar (4 tahun), untuk sholat Jumat di mesjid. Umar senang sekali, biasanya dia jarang melihat saya sehari-hari (karena jadwal kerja saya yang cukup padat, biasanya Senin - Sabtu, 07:00 - 23:00). Tapi untuk mengajarkan kewajibannya ini, saya akan coba selalu sempatkan.

Selesai sholat saya ngobrol2 dengan Umar sambil menyetir ke rumah. Walaupun anak laki-laki, tapi yang satu ini doyan curhat enggak seperti bapaknya, hehe. Kita membicarakan berbagai hal, sampai akhirnya menyinggung soal Surga.
Iseng, saya tanya ke Umar; “Mar, surga itu apaan sih?”

Berpikir sejenak, lalu Umar menjawab, “Bebek”.

Bengong sejenak, lalu saya berusaha menahan tawa saya, takut membuat Umar jadi malu untung saja jalanan kebetulan juga agak sepi, sehingga ketika mobil menjadi agak oleng juga tidak mengenai apapun, haha.
Kids says the funniest thing indeed !

Tentu saja saya harus menjelaskan “kekeliruan” ini. Kemudian saya melihat dua pilihan; jelaskan secara standar, atau jelaskan dengan bahasa anak-anak.
Saya pilih yang kedua.

Saya jelaskan, bahwa surga itu isinya enak-enak semua. “Di surga ada sungai lho”, saya tahu dia senang main-main di sungai ketika liburan ke villa di daerah Sukabumi, dan matanya menjadi kelihatan tertarik — “tapi, sungainya itu sungai Fanta”. Matanya tiba-tiba membelalak, dan mulutnya terbuka lebar - tercengang.
Saya kesulitan menahan tawa lagi - but, the show must go on

“Di surga juga ada banyak pohon”, tutur saya. “Tapi, pohonnya pohon permen”. Kali ini Umar seperti akan melonjak dari tempat duduknya.
Saya teruskan lagi, “Juga ada gunung es krim. (ooohh) …. Tapi tahu nggak, nanti Umar bisa ketemu sama siapa di surga? Coba tebak, hayo”.

Dengan penuh semangat, si Umay (panggilannya untuk dirinya sendiri) menyebutkan semua anggota keluarganya satu per satu baik banget nih anak. Saya jadi lama mengiyakan dia sambil mengatakan, “terus siapa lagi hayo?”. Berhubung keluarga kami keluarga besar…. lumayan lama juga jadinya, huhu.
Akhirnya terpaksa saya putus, “…iya, dan nanti di surga, Umar bisa ketemu sama Sonic lho”.

Si Umay berteriak gembira. Kebetulan salah satu game favoritnya di komputer adalah Sonic. “Iya, nanti Umar digendong Sonic, terus diajak jalan-jalan keliling Surga. Atau Umar mau main sama Miles saja? Nanti Umar dia gendong, dan diajak terbang keliling”, “ah, ah, Umay mau, Knuckles juga, wooooo…. ” menirukan gaya Knuckles ketika sedang gliding.

Kami telah hampir tiba di rumah. Dan dalam waktu yang singkat tersebut, kini si Umay sudah tahu seperti apa surga itu
Mudah-mudahan dia akan semakin terus menemukan bahwa agamanya tidak hanya fun, namun juga baik dalam segala hal.

I noticed that a member of my family was browsing this website. I mentioned to him that he’ll need to take everything with the biggest grain of salt, but had to finish my tasks and he was gone before I could elaborate or listen to his inquiries.

Anyway, there’s so much disinformation in this website, it’s going to need a dedicated team to clarify them. I’m just a layman with almost no spare time, so I decided to pick up only 2 pages from that website and clarify them.

[ 1 ] Hamzah’s “Testimony”

The author began by saying :

This testimony of Hamzah is very special. He was a learned Muslim scholar. He was educated and shaped under Islamic and Quranic teachings since his childhood. After getting his Islamic education for more than 16 years he successfully obtained his Islamic School Certification. It is clearly evident that his knowledge of the Quran and Islam has already been sufficiently deep and well developed. Nevertheless after three years of struggling with his theological and spiritual questions - searching honestly within both Islam and Christianity, Hamzah finally surrendered his life into the gracious hands of Isa Al-Masih (Jesus Christ) - his most loving and compassionate Saviour!

Somehow I doubt that. (the emphasized text)

An example, he said that :

I was surprised to learn who shall come to release the World from the evil Dajjal’s hand - he is no other than ISA Al-Masih (Jesus Christ) as the Imam Mahdi himself!

He got this messed up. Imam Mahdi is not the same person as Al-Masih.

Imam Mahdi is an Arab, whose lineage can be traced back to Muhammad. While Al-Masih is Prophet Isa (Jesus), who’s sent back down by God to destroy Dajjal.
When reading the whole text in relation to this story, it’s mentioned that after defeating Dajjal, Isa Al-Masih then pledged allegiance to Imam Mahdi and recognize him as his leader (King).
Imam Mahdi then ruled the Muslims (including Al-Masih) and bring back peace and prosperity to them.

This is a fairly well-known story, and Hamzah (the scholar) missed it ?
Is he really a scholar ?

The next example :

But he (the christian) said very coolly: “Oh for me that is not a problem, whether there is a new religion or not … because for me, by FAITH I will surely enter heaven!”

Hearing this, I was very shocked …! Because in my 10-plus years of study at the Islamic pesantren centres and four years study at the advanced Islamic Institute, never had I heard that entering heaven is something sure or definite for normal Moslems!

That’s is really weird - because all muslims will enter heaven. But this “scholar” doesn’t know.

However, there’s a difference. While some Christians boasted that they’ll go straight to heaven, Muslims with sins will be cleansed first in Hell. Once they’ve paid for their sins, then they’ll enter Heaven. Personally, I think this is justice.
Imagine if by faith only you’re guaranteed heaven - then you can wreak havoc, rape/steal/lie/kill people, and still got heaven ? This world will soon fall into chaos, with people trying to avoid becoming the victim / loser.

And so on. AnsweringIslam.org tried to convince their case by presenting this “scholar”, but it only exposes their true identity.

[ 2 ] Top ten reasons why Islam is NOT the religion of peace

Some zealots are going to label me as “muslim apologetics” because of this without even trying to read it thoroughly, but I have a duty to rebuke these lies/misinformation within my capability, so here it goes :

10. Muhammad nicknames his weapons : This is a pretty silly argument, but anyway - These (weapons) are instruments which is crucial to one’s continued life, so I guess it’s ok if one gets a bit sentimental about it. This is common practice among soldiers - even to this day. Yes, today’s modern, God-less, soldiers.

9. Muhammad commands in his Quran that adulterers and adulteresses should receive a hundred lashes : Well, most westerners indeed may have problems with this because of vast culture differences. If you’re one of them, remember; just a few centuries ago, you were doing it as well, and you find it ok.
But while western moral standards changes continuously (causing some to become confused as to what is right and what is wrong, now), Islam’s moral standards remains consistent, even after centuries of the Prophet’s death.

Another poison is this, in relation to the execution of a woman due to adultery :

It is true that Muhammad told Khalid to be gentler, but how gentle does one have to be when one throws a rock at a woman buried up to her breasts? Is the rock required to go only 30 miles per hour or 40? Perhaps Muhammad was ordering Khalid not to curse her. In any case, the prophet prayed over her dead body and then buried her. Truthfully, how effective was the prayer when Muhammad and his community murdered her in cold blood? They should have forgiven her and let her go to raise her child.

Seems that the author doesn’t understand Islam. Yet, somehow managed to create this long article.

Even the Prophet, much less the others at that time, does not have the right to forgive such sin - a sin which is committed against God. Which only God alone have right to forgive.
The lady understood this, therefore she knows that if she does not receive her punishment in her lifetime (because of Muhammad’s hesitation to execute it), then she’ll receive it in Hell; and it’ll be far worse.

Therefore, she forced Muhammad (by her persistence) to deliver the punishment. After many tries in many months, finally Muhammad agreed, and did it.

After the execution, Muhammad then praised her bravery :
“Thereupon he said: She has made such a repentance that if it were to be divided among seventy men of Medina, it would be enough. Have you found any repentance better than this that she sacrificed her life for Allah, the Majestic?“.

Same event, but now it no longer seems that Muhammad is a cold blooded bastard as portrayed in the original article.
This event also act as a caution to Muslims - when someone is accused of adultery, do not believe it (and definitely don’t punish) straight away ! Because even when it’s already proven, Muhammad still give the choice - now, or later.

8. Muhammad in his Quran permits husbands to beat their wives. - what they failed to mention is that it’s strongly encouraged to solve the problem amicably, and the punishment only as last resort.

Unfortunately, our own fault too, many Muslim tend to execute the last resort first, and in abundance.
It has become the local culture in many places. In some cases, women got killed because of this.

It’s said that “Among the Muslims, the most perfect as regards his faith is the one whose character is most excellent, and the best among you are those who treat their wives well.”

And so on…. sorry I’m running out of time, so I’ll skip right to the number one :

1. Muhammad launches his own Crusades. - as if Islam taught us to “convert, or kill, everyone”, like how the Christians were instructed on the Crusades. Not.

Muhammad actually give other nations choice. Agreed to be lead by Muslims, and pay tax like everyone else. The concept of dhimmitude saves and protects people, not humiliate them. Or you can refuse (a King was asked; he refused politely, and treated the messenger well. Nothing happened)
But if you acted dishonourably, then we promised you an honourable war.

If you look into that time, there’s simply no other nation doing this. If you can’t defend yourselves, then be prepared to either die or become slaves.

For example, the past Christians’ crusades - very cruel and sadistic :

Radulph of Caen said : “In Maarra our troops boiled pagan adults in cooking pots; they impaled children on spits and devoured them grilled.“

Islam defined a very strict code of conduct on war. Even the trees are not to be harmed (hello suicide bombers). Only combatants (those that endanger your life) may be killed.

Summary: methods of brainwashing used by AnsweringIslam.org = one sided facts, partial information, failure to discuss the data in the proper context, and so on.

Again, a team of (truly) knowledgeable scholar (unlike our friend Hamzah) will have no problem rebutting this website. Gotta go now, hope it helps to clarify things.

Found this website by accident - MuslimHeritage.com. Shows what Muslims were in the past - rahmatan lil ‘alamin, a blessing for all.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case now. Not yet, I hope.

Note: If you’re a Muslim (or not) blogger, please help spread the word. Link to this article (or the website), so others may find it as well.
We may not have the money and facilities of the big media, but together, we can bring back the balance. Thank you.

A few interesting articles :

[ 1 ] The tolerant & humane muslims

The conquest of Mecca :

as Scott says: `with a magnanimity unequalled in the annals of war, a general amnesty was proclaimed and but four persons, whose offences were considered unpardonable, suffered the penalty of death.’

Unequalled indeed, as the norms was as below :

…in 1098, during the first crusade (begun in 1096), when the Crusaders took Ma’arrat an’Numan, the slaughter never stopped for three days so that the Franks killed more than 100,000 people.

“‘Our men’ said the pious and charitable chronicler (Lebon’s words) `walked through the roads, places, on the roofs, and feasted on the slaughter just like a lioness who had her cubs taken from her. They cut into pieces, and put to death children, the young, and the old crumbling under the weight of the years. They did that in groups… Our men grabbed everybody who fell into their hands. They cut bellies open, and took out gold coins. Oh detestable cupidity of gold! Streams of blood ran on the roads of the city; and everywhere lay corpses. Oh blinded nations and destined to death; none of that multitude accepted the Christian faith. At last Bohemond brought out all those he had first invited to lock themselves in the tower of the place. He ordered that all old women be put to death, and also old men, whose age had rendered useless; then all the rest he ordered to be taken to Antioch to be sold as slaves. This massacre of the Turks took place on 12 December; on Sunday; but on this day not all work could be accomplished; so the following day our men killed all the rest.” — Robert the Monk

Radulph of Caen said : “In Maarra our troops boiled pagan adults in cooking pots; they impaled children on spits and devoured them grilled.“

And yet, even when Muslims were slaughtered en masse, still they found reserves of unequalled humanity. Finucane tells how in 1221, the defeated Christians were visited by their (Muslim) enemies, who brought them food to save them from starvation.

“Be valiant; die rather than yield; be merciful; slay neither old men, nor women, nor children. Destroy no fruit trees, grain, or cattle. Keep your word even to your enemies.” — Caliph Abu Bakr

That’s how jihad is really done.
Bus bombings, bali bombings, civilian killings - it’s now clear that those are not jihad. Very contrary to what the media / propaganda machines tells us nowadays, isn’t it.

About tolerance :
“the Muslims of the seventh century had abstained from persecution and had permitted Jews and Christians to practise their own laws and to elect their own judges. Yet nearly a thousand years later, people in Europe were still being tortured and burned alive for their faith. And in general, the Ottomans continued the policy of religious toleration which they had inherited from the Arabs.” —- Glubb

Muslims, Christians, Jews living together — an absurd and crazy idea ?
Definitely not. And it has been done, when Muslims were in charge and practiced the true Islam :

Araya Goubet, too, notes how `religious tolerance, Islamic inspiration, permitted the harmonious coexistence of Christians, Moors, and Jews until the end of the fifteenth century. The dominance of the Christian clergy led to the gradual exclusion, subjugation, and expulsion of the other religious groups, starting in 1492 but culminating in 1567 when Philip II published a decree forbidding Moriscos [Christianised (ex) Muslims] from using Muslim names and the Arabic language. The Moriscos were finally expelled in 1609. Ultimately the history of the Iberian people can be summed up as `living togetherness’ until ‘its breaking apart beginning in the fifteenth century.

In this article I’d like also to call my brothers & sisters in Islam to start washing away their kafir-phobia.
There are bad kuffars (kafir/kuffar = non-muslim) indeed, but there are much more of the good ones (although most of them are silent). It’s injustice to sentence them all as bad, and Islam abhors injustice.

We can live together in peace. Deal with the bad ones, and live peacefully with the rest of them.

In Cordoba, there were eight hundred public schools frequented alike by Moslems, Christians and Jews, where instruction was imparted by lectures. The doors of the college were open to students of every nationality, and the Andalusian Moor, Scott adds, received the rudiments of knowledge at the same time and under the same conditions as the literary pilgrims from Asia Minor and Egypt, from Germany and France and Britain.

In this very field of scholarship, doors were open to all scholars whether they were Chinese, Indians, Africans, Europeans, Jews, and all thrived. Some of Islam’s earliest and most prominent scientists at the Abbasid court, Ishaq Ibn Hunayn and Hunayn Ibn Ishaq were Nestorian Christians. Thabit ibn Qurrah, the astronomer, was a Sabean. The Bakhishtu family who held most prominent positions in the court in the ninth century were Christians, too. And so were the historian-physicist Abu’l Faraj; ‘Ali ibn Ridwan, the Egyptian, who was the al-Hakem’s Doctor; Ibn Djazla of Baghdad, and Isa ibn ‘Ali, another famed physicist; and so on. The Jews had the most glorious pages of their civilisation under Islam, too. If one just sifts through the hundreds of pages of Sarton’s Introduction to the History of Science, one is amazed at the many names of Jewish scholars who worked in the midst of Islamic civilisation on all subjects. Some were not only scholars, but even occupied some of the most trusted positions in the Islamic jurisdictions. Maimonides (philosopher-physicist) was Salah Eddin Al-Ayyubi’s doctor, and Hasdai ibn Shaprut, followed by his sons, held some of the most prominent positions in Muslim Spain. Nearly all Muslim envoys to Christian powers were Jews; and most Muslim trade was in the hands of the Jews.

Even when Islamic land was threatened by both Crusaders and later the Mongols (mid-thirteenth century) so that much of the population was wiped out (800,000 deaths in Baghdad alone in 1258), minorities, whether Jewish or Christian (even if allies of the Crusaders) still survived under Islamic rule to our present day with all their powers, privileges and wealth intact. This fact is surely a far cry from the stereotyped image of Islam as the religion of intolerance. Which highlights the true character of Islamic civilisation, a character that has remained completely alien to their successors. The Muslims did not attack the faith and practice of others. Difference of faith is a state with which Muslims could, and can live.

In regard to race / skin colors :

In Islam, simply, and for fourteen centuries, no person was stigmatised for their colour. The offspring of a non-white mother and white father was entitled and admitted to full equality, and was not excluded from high office. From 946 to 968, Egypt was governed by Kafur, a Negro born in slavery. Whether in tenth century, or today, says Levi Provencal, there is no lack of coloured people in the ranks of aristocracy or the merchant classes: this has always been an essential feature of Muslim worldview.

I love the idea of Muslims as a group of colour-blind people :

“….the colour-blindness of the Muslim world’s religious society and the colour blindness of the Muslim human society: these two influences had each been making a greater impact, and an increasing persuasion against my former way of thinking.” — Malcolm X

In Mecca there were `no segregationists-no liberals’; indifference to colour was spontaneous, and for Malcolm X this was evidently a shattering experience:
`I shared true, brotherly love with many white complexioned Muslims who never gave a thought to the race, or to the complexion, of another Muslim.‘

Do you think only westerner millionaires give inheritance to WWF or other animal-welfare causes ? Think again :

Thevenot noted persons who leave enormous wealth to feed cats and dogs.

Thevenot also observes that the charity of the Turks extends to animals and birds. On market days many people buy birds which they soon set free.

Benevolence was a form of charity which was commended by the Prophet as the first of all virtues; a benevolence which, indeed, is extended to all animals.

[ 2 ] The world-class University of Sankore, Timbuktu

The very mention of Timbuktu will give an image of a place so desolate, so remote, no one will go there except Donald Duck (even then just when he owe big to his Uncle Scrooge / when he need to disappear after messed something up real bad)
But do you know that way back to 989, Timbuktu used own a world-class university, with students coming from all over the world to study there ? Bet you didn’t know that (me neither).

Quoted:

The Sankore Mosque was founded in 989 by the erudite chief judge of Timbuktu, Al-Qadi Aqib ibn Mahmud ibn Umar. He had built the inner court of the mosque in exact dimension of the Ka’abah in holy Makkah. A wealthy Mandika lady then financed Sankore University making it the leading centre of education. The Sankore University prospered and became a very significant seat of learning in the Muslim world, especially under the reign of Mansa Musa (1307-1332) and Askia Dynasty (1493-1591).

The inventor of intellectual freedom in modern universities ?

The University of Sankore had no central administration; rather, it was composed of several entirely independent schools or colleges, each run by a single master (scholar or professor). The courses took place in the open courtyards of mosque complexes or private residences. The primary subjects were the Qur’an, Islamic studies, law and literature. Other subjects included medicine and surgery, astronomy, mathematics, physics, chemistry, philosophy, language and linguistics, geography, history and art. The students also spent time in learning a trade and business code and ethics. The university trade shops offered classes in business, carpentry, farming, fishing, construction, shoe making, tailoring, navigation etc. It prospered and became a very significant seat of learning in the Muslim world.

It was claimed that the intellectual freedom enjoyed in Western Universities was inspired from universities like Sankore and Qurtuba (Muslim Spain) universities.

International students ? They’ve had it centuries ago :

Like all other Islamic universities, its students came from all over the world. Around the 12th century, it had an attendance of 25,000 students, in a city of 100,000 people. The university was known for its high standards and admission requirements. It produced world-class scholars recognised by their publications and graduates.
Quoting the French author Felix Dubois in his book, Timbuctoo the Mysterious:

“The scholars of Timbuctoo (Timbuktu) yielded in nothing, to the saints in the sojourns in the foreign universities of Fez, Tunis, and Cairo. They astounded the most learned men of Islam by their erudition. That these Negroes were on a level with the Arabian savants is proved by the fact that they were installed as professors in Morocco and Egypt. In contrast to this, we find that Arabs were not always equal to the requirements of Sankore.” — Felix Dubois

Unfortunately, 10 centuries later, the Sankore University fell into darkness. Most, again including me, never heard about it. It’s waiting the Muslims to regain their glory again.

And there are tons of other excellent articles there. You can spend a whole day there and still not finished with it. Go now and take a look.
Enjoy.

At first I was happy to find another website that blogs in English and informs the outside world about Indonesia. However, when I started to read more of its article, it reminded me of muslim-haters such as faithfreedom.com and such.

A few examples:
[ The Crusades and Liberal Islam ] (see comments by Patung, its owner)
[ Tennis Team won't play is Israel ] - (quoted: “The Indonesian refusal to recognise the existence of Israel rears its ludicrous head again”)

It’s absolutely Patung’s rights to express his/her opinions. But with “Indonesia” in its website title, while the articles doesn’t reflect what many Indonesian think; well I was just hoping that he’d be able to be more neutral.
Or at least makes it clear that the website contains his personal opinions; which may not necessarily represent most Indonesian.

I’ve dealt with many muslim-haters before; some are just mislead / misinformed, some have flawed logic, but some intentionally use any way to destroy Islam. I’ll engage in a discussion here in my spare time, and we’ll be able find out who’s who.

Ternyata tidak perlu menunggu lama untuk mulai melihat hasil dari teori Jendela pecah sehubungan dengan Playboy Indonesia - di edisinya yang ke tiga saja, majalah ini sudah semakin syur dibandingkan dengan edisi-edisi sebelumnya.

Dan seperti biasa, kembali dijual di jalanan dengan bebasnya. Sesuatu yang tidak akan bisa terjadi bahkan di negara asalnya sekalipun. Memang Indonesia ini luar biasa.

Jadi, kapan nih kita bisa mulai menikmati wanita yang telanjang bulat 100% di Playboy Indonesia ? Edisi kelima ? keenam ? Wah sudah tidak sabar nih

Kebetulan saya penderita penyakit asma / alergi pernafasan, sehingga puisi berikut ini cukup menyentuh dan dibenarkan oleh pengalaman saya pribadi.

WARNING: Very strong words. Do not read if you’re easily offended.

Tuhan Sembilan Senti
Oleh Taufiq Ismail

Read the rest of this entry »

My friend once told me about muslims in a corner of Russia looking for free quran, because they’re so poor and can’t afford it - yet they really would like to study it. I knew there are institutions giving Quran for free, but I wasn’t able to find it at that time.
I only found it out after a few months. It was too late.

So to avoid that, I’ll try to gather all information about free Quran in this post.
Hope it’ll help anyone who needs it.

If you know any other resources which is not yet here, please comment, so I can include it.
Thanks.

Free Quran (book)

1. Information from Converts To Islam.com
2. CAIR : Explore the Quran (USA residents only)
3. Free Quran.org
   (non-USA residents may need to pay the shipping cost)
4. Free Quran.ca (Canada residents only)

Free Quran (software)

1. Quran in 27 languages

Free Quran (mp3 / audio file)

1. Juz-Amma (the 30th chapter) - recited by Syaikh As-Sudais
2. From quran.mangga.com (the whole book)

Free Quran (for mobile phone)

1. Juz-Amma (the 30th chapter) in AMR format

Para ilmuwan kini telah berhasil membuat daging buatan yang bisa dimakan

Komentar pertama saya : uhhhhh…. *muntah*

Tapi tidak diragukan lagi, dengan berjalannya waktu, maka bisa jadi daging buatan ini menjadi lebih bagus, bergizi, sehat, enak, dan murah daripada daging betulan. Tapi, saya akan tetap berusaha untuk tidak memakannya
Biarlah para astronot pada misi ke Pluto saja yang memakannya, he he.

btw; bagaimana kalau di dalam Islam ya mengenai daging seperti ini, apakah halal, atau haram ?
Thoughts ?

Salah satu kebahagiaan saya dulu adalah ketika bisa menikmati isi dari berbagai buku. Buku, bagi saya, adalah gerbang ke berbagai dunia lainnya yang, tanpa buku, tidak akan pernah bisa saya ketahui. Walaupun masih SMP, saya mau bersepeda dari Pondok Indah sampai ke daerah Mayestik, agar bisa mendatangi Perpustakaan Jakarta Selatan. Gedung yang sepi itu adalah salah satu tempat dimana saya menemukan kedamaian, dan pencerahan.

Kini saya melihat buku dengan lebih berhati-hati. Terlalu banyak materi yang tidak berkualitas yang entah kenapa berhasil berubah wujud menjadi bentuk buku. Kini, tidak setiap buku mampu memberikan pencerahan kepada Anda.
Salah satunya adalah ini, dicetak dalam edisi lux pula :

Dikutip dari hal 103:

…lalu sejak saat itulah teori ini dianut oleh hampir seluruh manusia - sampaipun kaum muslimin - tanpa berusaha meneliti ulang apakah teori itu benar ataukah tidak.

Entah bagaimana dengan penulis buku ini sendiri, sudahkah ybs sendiri telah berusaha meneliti ulang : apakah penafsiran qur’an nya memang telah tepat & sesuai dengan kenyataan ? Apakah ybs memang sudah berhasil membuktikan secara ilmiah dan konklusif, bahwa memang matahari lah yang mengelilingi bumi ?

Dari yang saya baca, kelihatannya tidak. So, just another case of “do as I say, not as I do” ?

“..sebuah kepastian al-Qur’an..” ? Mbok ya kalau menafsirkan, jangan diakui sebagai kepastian.
Apalagi penafsiran ngawur dari banyak ayat Qur’an, seperti di dalam buku ini. Nanti yang punya kitab sucinya bisa jadi marah kepada sampeyan lho.

Keterangan lengkap:
Judul buku: “Matahari mengelilingi bumi, sebuah kepastian al-Qur’an dan as-Sunnah serta Bantahan terhadap teori bumi mengelilingi matahari”
Pengarang: ahmad sabiq bin abdul lathif abu yusuf
Penerbit: pustaka al-furqon

Alhamdulillah kemarin saya dapat hadir di acara pengajian Majelis Kajian Khatulistiwa, yang menghadirkan Ust. Muhammad Joban sebagai pengisi acaranya.
Saya datang dengan harapan mendapat wawasan baru, dan saya mendapatkannya banyak sekali alhamdulillah.

Saya datang terlambat sekitar 30 menit di acara tersebut karena jauhnya lokasi dari kediaman saya (Pondok Indah ke daerah Kampung Melayu) dan kesalahan memilih jalan (kemacetan Casablanca di dekat Karet minta ampun betul). Pada saat saya tiba Ust. Joban telah mulai berbicara. Hadirin berlimpah ruah padat sekali, syukurnya saya masih mendapatkan tempat di dalam. Saya segera duduk dan mendengarkan beliau berbagi pengalamannya berdakwah di Amerika.

Berikut ini adalah beberapa yang sempat saya rangkum :

[ 1 ] Hikmah di balik musibah

( a ) Menurut Amazon.com, buku terlaris nomor #1 pasca bencana 9/11 adalah Al-Quran !
( b ) Pasca 9/11, Ust. Joban kebanjiran permintaan sebagai pembicara (baca: berdakwah) di berbagai sekolah, kampus, dan lain-lain. Saking banyaknya, sampai tidak bisa dipenuhi semuanya.
( c ) Pengalaman dihina di depan umum: Beliau pernah diminta untuk membacakan doa di Senat Amerika. Ketika beliau mulai, 2 orang senator walk-out dari lokasi, sebagai protes dan tanda “patriotisme” menolak kehadiran “teroris” di ruang Senat tersebut.
Berita ini menjadi headline, dan Ust. Joban justru jadi mendapat kesempatan berdakwah gratis di media2 massa terbesar di Amerika - CNN, MSNBC, dll menginterview beliau dari pagi sampai malam.
Akibatnya, para senator tersebut kemudian mendapat banjiran kritik dari para pemilihnya. Mereka kemudian bertemu dengan Ust. Joban di sebuah mesjid dan meminta maaf kepada beliau disitu.

Lebih lanjut ….

Read the rest of this entry »

Pagi ini mendapat email undangan dari milis internal Isnet :

From: Geis Chalifah
Subject: [Mus-lim] Undangan Diskusi dengan Ustadz Muhammad Joban.

Majelis Kajian Khatulistiwa Mengundang anda pada hari Rabu 14 Juni 2006 jam 19.30 s/d selesai. Jalan Pedati Raya No 8 Jakarta Timur.. Penceramah Ustadz Muhammad Joban. Thema: Perkembangan Islam di Amerika.

Berikut ini adalah sebuah artikel mengenai Ustadz Muhammad Joban :

Read the rest of this entry »

Mitos, Sains dan Iman di tengah Bencana

Dr.-Ing. Fahmi Amhar
Peneliti Utama Bakosurtanal

Meletusnya Merapi sering dikaitkan dengan suatu mitos. Kiai Dandang Wesi ­ danyange gunung Merapi ­ ini nama menurut almarhum SH Mintardja ­ barangkali sedang hajatan. Dan menurut Mbah Maridjan, orang hajatan tidak akan buang sampah di pekarangan rumah. Makanya dia tenang-tenang saja tinggal di dusunnya. Dia bahkan tidak tertarik untuk diajak Walikota Berlin ke Jerman ikut “ngeruwat” Piala Dunia.

Demikian juga, gempa besar yang meluluhlantakkan Yogya dan Klaten tempo hari, konon karena Nyi Loro Kidul ­ ratu laut selatan ­ marah karena RUU Anti Pornografi dan Pornoaksi mau disahkan. Karena nanti kembenannya yang seksi bisa jadi delik. Ini minimal menurut Permadi, anggota DPR dari PDIP yang tetap berprofesi atau berhobby sebagai paranormal. Versi lainnya mengatakan bahwa Nyi Loro Kidul yang sekarang sudah teremansipasi, jadi tidak mau lagi dimadu oleh Kanjeng Sultan Yogya. Wah-wah, yang namanya mitos bisa liar begini.

Tapi yang lebih liar lagi, beberapa hari yang lalu ada sms dan email yang beredar di seluruh jagad. Bahwa lempeng Indo-Australia sedang bergerak menuju lempeng Eurasia, dan dalam 11 hari setelah 27/5/2006, atau tanggal 6/6 kemarin, akan menumbuknya dan melecut gempa yang lebih besar lagi. Akibatnya beberapa kalangan ragu-ragu untuk beres-beres rumah. Sampai-sampai ada anggota tim yang ditugaskan mendata rumah yang akan dibantu lalu menunda pendataan, sekalian saja kalau gempa besar itu sudah terjadi, pikirnya.

Apa yang terjadi ini semua adalah mitos. Kadang-kadang mitos dibumbui dengan sains. Tentu saja dari orang yang tidak begitu mengerti sains. Karena yang namanya gerak lempeng itu tidak mudah diukur dalam ukuran hari. Kalau lempeng bergerak 10 cm per tahun, artinya per hari kurang dari 0,3 milimeter. Ini suatu dimensi yang bisa diukur untuk benda mikroskopis, tetapi tidak bisa diukur dengan ketelitian yang dibutuhkan untuk ukuran lempeng benua. Lagipula, gempa besar itu bukanlah saat “tumbukan” itu sendiri, tetapi ketika material yang ada di perut bumi sudah tidak sanggup menahan energi desakan lempeng.

Kembali ke masalah mitos. Mbah Maridjan mungkin sedang melakukan doa dan ritual tertentu sesuai keyakinannya. Waktu dulu Yogya terancam badai, ada sesaji dengan 12 atau 17 macam jenang. Ritual semacam ini tentu saja tidak ilmiah, tetapi faktanya sudah dilakukan orang berabad-abad. Pada situasi di mana sains juga tidak banyak menolong, orang biasa lari ke mitos dan klenik. Tidak cuma di Yogya. Di Jepang dan Amerika yang sudah majupun, mitos tetap ada. Hal ini terkait dengan kebutuhan spiritual yang merupakan bagian dari fitrah manusia.

Tetapi ada cerita menarik yang terjadi hampir 14 abad yang lalu. Kalau Yogya terancam gunung Merapi, maka negeri Mesir terancam banjir Sungai Nil atau di musim yang lain kekeringan. Maka Mbah Maridjan-nya negeri Mesir biasa melakukan ruwatan. Dan tak tanggung-tanggung, sesajennya ­ menurut mitos mereka ­ harus seorang perawan rupawan, yang setelah dihias akan dilarung hidup-hidup ke sungai Nil.

Ketika Islam masuk ke Mesir, dan ingin melarang orang Mesir meneruskan tradisi itu, mereka menghadapi penolakan. “Kalau tidak diruwat, kalau terjadi bencana gimana …”. Maka Khalifah Umar bin Khaththab lalu menulis sebuah surat.
Bunyi surat itu kira-kira begini, “Wahai Sungai Nil, kalau engkau mengalir karena dirimu sendiri, maka janganlah mengalir. Namun jika yang mengalirkan airmu adalah Allah, maka mintalah kepada-Nya untuk mengalirkanmu kembali”. Umar menyuruh orang Mesir untuk melarung surat itu, sebagai ganti dari perawan rupawan.
Allah Maha Mendengar. Tahun itu sungai Nil tidak membuat bencana. Dan mitos Mesir kuno pelan-pelan tergantikan dengan iman. Dan di zaman keemasan Islam, sains kemudian tumbuh pesat di sana dengan landasan iman.

Oleh sebab itu, mungkin rakyat Yogya ­ terutama yang muslim ­ perlu menggantikan segala jenis ruwatan ke Merapi, cukup dengan surat seperti surat Umar bin Khaththab tadi. “Wahai gunung Merapi, kalau engkau meletus karena kehendak Allah, taatlah kepada-Nya …. “.

Karena, bencana yang ditimbulkan Merapi atau Laut Selatan, yang tidak bisa kita cegah, boleh jadi memang kehendak Allah untuk menguji kita. Namanya anak sekolah, kalau mau naik kelas ya harus lulus ujian dulu. Begitu kan?

Apakah manusia itu mengira bahwa mereka dibiarkan (saja) mengatakan: “Kami telah beriman”, sedang mereka tidak diuji lagi? (Qs. 29-al-Ankabut : 2)

Trims kepada Arif Widi, saya jadi menemukan artikel yang menarik ini.

Kutipan:

“Kita ingin membangun media yang bisa mencerdaskan bangsa, bukan media yang sekadar menyajikan hiburan yang merusak ahlak sambil dapat untung. Kita tidak. Kita betul-betul ingin menyampaikan nilai-nilai yang baik. Paling tidak, media itu sebagai media pencerdasan, pencerahan, maupun sebagai penyampai informasi,” ujar Zainal.

Saya masih ingat kesan saya ketika dahulu pertama kali membaca Sabili. Ketika itu saya masih kuliah. Amat menarik membaca majalah Sabili ketika itu, karena isinya beda ! Ketika semua media massa membahas berita sama - yang sedang hangat, Sabili justru membahas berita yang perlu & penting. Pembahasannya pun cukup kritis, kita bisa mendapatkan banyak wawasan baru dari situ.

Sabili juga berani - bedakan dengan media massa sekarang, karena zaman dahulu (zaman Bpk. HM Soeharto), media massa yang kritis dan berani maka akan beresiko kena bredel, dan penanggung jawabnya bisa diciduk dan disiksa secara fisik dan mental.
Media massa pada saat ini tidak dibayangi oleh resiko ini.

Karena itu saya merasa sangat kehilangan ketika Sabili kemudian menghilang begitu saja pada akhir 1993. Mungkin karena keberaniannya membahas tragedi Tanjung Priok. Ternyata Sabili akhirnya kena juga, dibredel oleh Benny Moerdani (may you not rest in peace, penjagal umat Islam yang sangat kejam).

Kebijakan Orde Baru ini banyak dipengaruhi oleh CSIS :

Kebijakan Orde Baru ini dianggap banyak dipengaruhi oleh Center for Strategic and International Studies, sebuah think tank di Jakarta, yang didirikan pada awal Orde Baru.

Saya pribadi pernah bertemu & berdialog dengan dua orang anggota CSIS, dan memang agenda serta cara pandang mereka terhadap Islam sangat destruktif. Entah bagaimana sekarang, tapi mungkin untuk amannya kita anggap saja masih sama seperti demikian.

Sabili sebelum dibredel cukup spektakuler oplahnya, bahkan jika dibandingkan dengan media massa umum :

Pada waktu itu dunia Islam sedang tersudut, mulai dari Palestina, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Chehnya, hingga persoalan-persoalan umat Islam di tanah air, seperti kasus Lampung dan Tanjung Priok. Sabili terbit pada saat yang tepat.

“Gaya pembelaan Sabili sangat memungkinkan umat Islam yang selama ini tidak punya media, kemudian merasa terwakili. Jadi klop. Antara umat Islam yang tertindas selama Orde Baru, dengan munculnya media yang menyuarakan mereka,” kata Mabrur.

Setelah dibredel, dan kemudian terbit kembali di sekitar tahun 1998, oplah Sabili semakin melejit saja :

APA benar oplah Sabili 100 ribu? Pertanyaan ini muncul karena selama ini suratkabar Islam tidak pernah mengungguli media umum sejenis. Apalagi hasil survei AC Nielsen itu muncul saat Indonesia mengalami krisis ekonomi. Jangankan media Islam yang lekat dengan mitos “hidup enggan mati tak mau,” suratkabar umum pun pada bertumbangan. Belum lagi kemungkinan AC Nielsen melakukan kesalahan? Pertanyaan-pertanyaan itu mendorong saya melihat sendiri seberapa besar daya serap pasar terhadap Sabili? Bagaimana distribusi dikerjakan?

Hasilnya sungguh di luar dugaan. Dari 40-an agen yang saya temui selama hampir dua bulan, di mana 25 ada di Jakarta serta sisanya di sekitar Yogyakarta dan Surabaya, semuanya mengatakan Sabili hampir selalu habis terjual. Sesekali memang tersisa, tetapi ini jarang apalagi kebijakan pengembaliannya sangat ketat. Beberapa kios tegas mengatakan tak pernah ada sisa majalah Sabili.

Bagaimana dengan Sabili sekarang ? Sebagaimana dengan semua media massa lainnya, tentu akan selalu ada hal-hal yang bisa ditingkatkan lagi. Saya pribadi sekarang tidak membaca Sabili lagi, karena terakhir kali membacanya, isinya terlalu sensasionalis / bombastis bagi saya. Tentu saja YMMV. Kritik untuk Sabili juga ada beberapa di artikel asli tentang Sabili tersebut.

Mudah-mudahan Sabili akan terus menjadi makin baik, adil dalam membahas suatu topik, mencerahkan, mencerdaskan. Amin.

Sumber : [ Jihad Lewat Tulisan : Kisah sukses majalah Sabili dengan beragam ironi ]
(perlu registrasi dulu, tapi prosesnya gratis & cepat)