Kalis Column: Islam in the Eyes of Foreigners

Kalis Column: Islam in the Eyes of Foreigners

https://news.detik.com/ko…/3751273/islam-di-mata-orang-asing

BELOW IS THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION (via Google Translate)

Jakarta – An-Naba verses’ lying in the corridors of Istiqlal Mosque when Prof. Yuki Megumi-San asked me, pointing to portraits on her phone, “Are they embracing different Islam?”

Prof. Yuki has just begged to take a photo with two teenage girls with different veil styles. A veil, a man with a veil covered his chest.

“Islam is the same, but their understanding of different Islam, and most importantly, both are equally defining themselves and courtesy through clothes.” A feeling was quite polite in some form, but one felt it was not quite polite. fair. ”

“Is a married man married a late marriage?”

“Maybe some, but not all, but most of them are married once or twice to meet with family.”

Prof Yuki asked a lot and then forced me to explain that Islam has a complete set of jurisprudence in arranging marriage responsibilities and even divorce.

This week I was accompanying friends from Japan, India, Philippines, Thailand, and Peru in the EYES For Embracing Diversity program held by the Japan Foundation. They are all non-Muslims, and come to Indonesia to get acquainted with Islam. One element that makes it easy for me to be a sort of hostin this program is the figure of Gus Dur. When we talked about the unique history of Indonesia and Islam, the figure is very complete to represent how religious contexts with traditional values, social piety, political movements, art, country, to the modern world.

However, the questions outside the discussion forum are more tricky, requiring the utmost caution to respond. Like when Subhi Dupar, an Indian friend asked about the display of the letter Al Fatihah in one of the largest mosque lanes in Asia which is the symbol of Indonesia’s independence. It turns out, explaining why Al Fatihah was placed as the opening of a religious book that I believe is not easy enough.

That day the mosque was crowded. Some of the mosques of the Prophet’s Majelis leader Habib Munzir al Musawa came for the Maulid celebration. On the other hand, I heard that action participants 212 years ago will be holding a reunion tomorrow.

Subhi is a smart researcher. Two nights before, when we were staying at Miftahul Ulum Pondok Pesantren, Gandaria, South Jakarta he asked, why did the santri wear different color. Some black, partly white, others have motifs. That night the santri was working on the shorof test . This is similar to the question of Au, a Thai friend, why there are flower-patterned hijabs, because in Thailand he only sees a Muslim friend wearing a white headscarf.

Foreigners outside of Islam apparently understood Islam for the first time from the symbol. I think the same thing happened to me when I looked at various idol gods in Ubud. Lucky, Kinky, an Indian Hindu has just explained to me the difference between Hinduism and Buddhism.

I am in a room with Katia Jirata, a Japanese Catholic. One morning when I had just finished the Dawn Salat, he asked quite a lot about obligatory worship of Muslims. I was told to explain five obligatory prayers, sunna prayer, wudu, and also the lightness for the unmarried when a woman was menstruating.

“I think the duty of a Muslim is heavy, Kalis,” concluded Katia.

“Yes, but not all Muslims obey.”

Katia laughed. He admitted that for many years he rarely went to church. In Gunma, the area where it lives is rarely a church because some of its people are Buddhists and many other beliefs.

When Nami-San, another Japanese asked since the age of how I started praying, I remembered a long religious trip. I told Nami, it seems like I started to salat from the age of three like a kid who mimicked the prayers of the people around him. Little children can not remember the prayers. Moreover, little children certainly do not understand the meaning of prayer or even the fact that we should worship, one of which is ritual.

The simple questions my new friends would not want to fly my longing to the Prophet, who was celebrated on his birthday today. History records it as a figure that turns Arabian society into civilized civilization. According to many Muslim scholars, the jahiliyyah is not an illiterate condition. The ignorance of the Prophet’s time is defined as a condition of society that has no respect for the rights of others, women, and children.

Of course many have been changed by Muhammad. If Walisongo is described as a smart person in tactics and capable of culturally diverse cultures until Islam lives on earth peacefully in the archipelago, Muhammad is certainly more and more experts in tactics and acculturators. If not, how could progressive Islam in his journey now be defined as justice, equality, and progress of thought – essential elements that can be a community support in any part of the world to actual lil alamiin rahmatan degree ?

The distance of humankind today with the Messenger is too far, about 15 centuries. But I am convinced and deserved to believe that he was a good messenger. Many references that he is a news-teller (Islamic pamphlet) who is very well-acquainted in getting involved with other people.

Muhammad is a smart person, good at communicating, immersive, having a smile-loving face, respecting older people around him, loving children, and putting women in equal position with men to gain their rights.

The life of the Arabian jahiliyah at that time was composed of many tribes who each held his identity. The rulers enslaved many women and made women like display items. But noble Muhammad introduced an egalitarian order.

Looking for the face of Islam, my mind is as simple as seeking the successor of Muhammad. Sometimes I imagine his face through the tradition of Muhammad’s descendents in Indonesia today known as sayyid . When it was not enough, I looked for a shady clerical figure and because of his power he made many people very respectful.

However, this week, in addition to simple enough questions but with high impression power for strangers, there are also quite a bit of questions. Brian Tenorio, a gay and Catholic admiral of the LGBT Chamber of the Philippines asked how Islam views the LGBT rights. Or, when Prof Yuki asked a comprehensive curriculum about religious education in Indonesia. Or, when Thatwachai asks why the books studied in pesantren hut must be the original Arabic-language book. And, when Au asked about whether the phenomenon of Indonesian female migrant workers depressed by the patriarchal tradition was related to the religion (Islam) they embraced.

I can not stop learning. Human life as a citizen of the world is united through science. The difference requires a bridge, and the bridge is not at all in the form of war.

Ya Nabi Salam Alayka ! Happy to celebrate the birth of the noble Prophet!

Kalis Mardiasih wrote an opinion and translated. Active as a researcher and creative media team of the National Network of Gusdurian in delivering messages of tolerance and campaign #IndonesiaHomeBersama. Can be addressed through @mardiasih