Today
Jakarta
- 22 °C
Other Publications
Ayat-Ayat Cinta, Ahmadiyah and Pancasila
Anand Krishna , Jakarta | Tue, 05/06/2008 9:40 AM | Opinion
The phenomenal success of both the movie and the book Ayat-Ayat Cinta (AAC) is a reflection of our social conditioning and aspirations. What is interesting is that AAC has been able to dilute the "differences" in such conditioning and aspirations to the extent of being unrecognizable. The movie and the book have been equally appreciated by our President, our clergy and normal people.
The question is, do we need a book or a movie like AAC to unite us? If we do, then we have some very serious problems here.
"Ayat", to my understanding, is Arabic for "proof" or "evidence". "The proofs or evidences of the Lord's presence are scattered all over." All our scriptures agree on this. "Those with eyes can see them clearly."
Does AAC bear witness to the "presence" of our Lord?
Or does it bear witness to the presence of a "God" as envisioned by one particular religious group? The book clearly promotes certain religious values, as "understood" by the author based on his social upbringing.
A Christian girl praising Islamic values and falling in love with a young Islamic hero is not only acceptable but desirable. For a change, what about a Muslim girl praising Christian values and falling in love with a young Christian hero?
I wonder what would be the reaction of our distinguished clergy who spoke so highly about the film, and even appeared on television to promote the same.
I wonder if the producer of AAC would be willing to produce a movie along the above "opposite" line. As pointed out by a dear friend of mine, writer Ayu Utami, this is a "dakwah movie". It promotes "certain" religious values. I agree with her. The author does too. So, it is quite natural that those particular values are upheld over others.
The producers of the movie may not be interested in promoting anything other than their business. After all, they are entertainers. They would rather keep away from polemic. Had they been in the West, they would be filming just the opposite of AAC -- a Muslim hero or heroine appreciating Christian values and falling in love with a Christian. Ayu Utami rightly says that the movie has the same plot as Hollywood movies of the 1950s.
What does this prove? What are these ayats pointing at? First, we are still very much conditioned by our narrow religious upbringing: I can tolerate you, but whatever is said and done, my religion is the best.
Second, my business is business. Do not confuse me with other things. I am just an entertainer. I believe in the second part of Machiavelli's doctrine of "food and circus" to keep people busy, so they do not think critically and do not pose any problems to the establishment.
The movie is pluralistic in the sense that it has a Christian character. I hope we do not believe that to be the definition of being pluralistic. Even then, the author Habbiburrahman has been criticized by hard-liners. They argue, "Why should a Muslim defend the rights of an American in Muslim Egypt?" The author's defense is actually based on civil and human rights. And this is my third point: many of us are not appreciative of other peoples' rights.
No wonder we are not sensitive to the plight of the Ahmadis. They are being persecuted, but our authorities, our clergy and an overwhelming majority of our people are not at all concerned about it. Madi of Selena village was brutally killed; the Ahmadis could be killed too. At least one of our hard-liners is caught on video shouting and screaming, "Kill, kill, kill the Ahmadis." We are silent.
Our dear and beloved President could shed tears watching AAC, but his eyes are dry at the plight of Madi, Ahmadis and others. Or, perhaps we lack paparazzi. Perhaps, he has been shedding tears in private. Perhaps the media just haven't caught him doing it.
I have nothing against AAC and its author. Let us however see AAC in the light of our indigenous cultural values as enshrined in the five points of Pancasila. What are the highest spiritual and universal values in the movie that are not found in Pancasila? Indeed, Pancasila is at least one important step ahead of AAC. A Christian does not have to convert to Islam to appreciate the universal values in Islam and in the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon Him).
Our people are mesmerized by the Middle Eastern, Egyptian setting of the movie. We value their traditions above our own, and we are both sentimental and emotional about them. The Egyptians, however, did not reciprocate our sentiments. The producer of this movie had to film some scenes in India, for a purely "material" reason.
AAC holds "males as the hero". Women are subordinates. They are all around the hero, and not vice versa. This is not Indonesian. This is very Middle Eastern. The "male" and the "masculine" in AAC are so implicitly but definitely promoted, that one begins to wonder if love is masculine.
AAC is truly a reflection of our present society. It has served well in pointing out to us the conflict going on within us. AAC's stand on polygamy is a reflection of such conflict. This is my fifth and last point. Deep inside we are torn between foreign and indigenous values. Just consider our reaction to Ustadz A.A. Gym, Wong Solo, and their polygamy. We could not accept it.
The writer is a spiritual activist. His websites are www.aumkar.org, www.californiabali.org, www.anandkrishna.org
Today's Paper
Weekender
Popular News
Classifieds
What's On
- The 16th Indonesia International Motor Show
07/11/2008 - 07/20/2008, Jakarta Convention Centre - INDOBUILDTECH
07/23/2008 - 07/27/2008, Jakarta Convention Centre - 5th Jakarta Wedding Festival
07/24/2008 - 07/27/2008, Jakarta Convention Centre
Appalled Indonesian Woman (not verified) — Tue, 05/20/2008 - 11:31am
I just finished watching AAC. I am appalled that a movie with such a stupid storyline which projects women as either a liar (Noora), a compromising housewife (Aisha), a weak-hearted fool who would rather die than live when her love chooses to marry for money (Maria), and a wishful student who would rather stare at a picture than bloom as a woman (Nurul) can be so popular in Indonesia. Aisha actually has more heroic qualities than Fahri, yet she consented to share the love of that mediocre man with someone else. Maria is actually more intelligent than Fahri, yet she wanted to die when such a mediocre man decides to marry for money. And I don't want to bother with Nurul and Noora as the two "N's" represent women in a state of poor spiritual development and not very interesting. I wouldn't marry them myself if I were a man. And what is so special about this Fahri? He marries for money, tells another woman that he loves her after his loving wife rescued him from prison, needs help from a woman to fix his computer, uses his wife's money for his apartment and brought another woman to live there with them, started crying when Al-Azhar decided to throw him out (as if his worth depends on a stupid university degree as opposed to the depth of his own heart). In fact being in that prison was a blessing for him because he actually met a fellow prisoner who knew more about Islam's teaching of faith, patience, and egolessness than the sought-after, weak-hearted Fahri. INDONESIAN WOMEN - WAKE UP!!! Don't you know you are being brainwashed?
Aisyah (not verified) — Wed, 05/14/2008 - 12:59pm
I think what Anand mean with indigenous values that we have had before Islam came. Of course many Islamic values same as we had, but arabic culture also came along with Islam. And can differentiate between Islam & Arab. As I know Anand is very appreciate with Islam, you can read many book about Islam he wrote that published by Gramedia. Also he often speak at Universitas Islam in Jakarta, Semarang etc.
Aziz Achmad (not verified) — Sat, 05/10/2008 - 9:29pm
I have the same question or rather confusion as Anand's; why the Indonesian government's officials and most audiences could easily be touched and moved by the movies, but hardly pay attention to the sufferings of Ahmadi in real life ???
Pancasila, considered by founding fathers of Indonesia, as an essence of cultural and indigenous values of Indonesian, contains humanity value, but many prefers imported cultural values which coming to Indonesia along with imported "broadcasting" religions, such as Islam and Christian.
I bet, either Islam or Christian must contain humanity value too, but the foreign cultural value which accompanied these religions, unfortunately, sometimes, doesn't. And, that's contributing many problems to Indonesians. This kind of issues should be awared before it is getting worse.
To achieve peace and prosperity, Indonesian has to aware his own culture as a strengh. Don't just see the local indigenous rituals of religions as a heresy without investigate the philosophy and the history of the rituals, or from point of view of imported religons' doctrines.
We have to be proud of our own indigenous value the same as we are proud of ourselves.
Guh Praset (not verified) — Sat, 05/10/2008 - 1:24am
@Anand
It is a dakwah movie. But nothing wrong with it. It is pure business, many Indonesian people "loves religion", they will buy anything if you put religion cream on top of it. Its all about money.
Second, i dont think that the film makers intended to prevent critical thinking with their movie. Money is all they wanted. No more.
Third. It is the teaching of many religion, everyone out side the religion is kafir and God will put all kafir into the burning hell. If you criticize that kind of teaching, then you criticize the religion. Many will feel offended, especially the teachers, because in their eye, you are criticize their God. You better be prepared :) I hope Indonesian people get smarter soon and throw away those dangerous teachings.
About Pancasila, yes it is a very good representation of indigenous cultural values, But we have to realize that many Indonesian people was brainwashed to praise the Middle East values since they were born. So it is make sense if the author decided to sell it that way, it goes straight to box office rite? So again, it is about money.
Then about polygamy in AAC. I think the pro-polygamy are celebrating it, now they can yell proudly to the anti-polygamy : "see? You all are hypocrites, you love the movie! your mouth rejecting polygamy while your heart beating hard, dreaming it will happens in your marriage".
@Syaifullah, i think you should come to Indonesia and read some of his books, especially about Islam. And dont forget to learn about Pancasila. Doing a character assassination with limited knowledge will make you look like an internet troll. I wonder why TJP published your comments. I hope they will release my comment too.
@TheJakartaPost, i salute you all for your bravery. We need more media like you, who have no fear in publishing the truth. Btw, i love the new RSS system!
Syaifullah yudha (not verified) — Wed, 05/07/2008 - 3:54pm
If you do not let other people practice their belief even though their belief 'robs your religion in terms of identity, or sources, it is likely that you don't appreciate their rights. If you think that your religion is the only true one, and you show just that like it is reflected in AAC, you are somewhat less appreciative to pluralism. If you put male as hero and female as subordinate probably people would wonder 'is love masculine?' (I wonder too, what if AAC put female as the hero?). The point is, and this is predictable, we need no foreign values whatsoever. We have our own indigenous values. Excuse me to ask, what is it? I mean the indigenous values? Back home, we have indigenous people who worship spirits. They subsist from planting crops, none others. We, the Muslims, do not embrace neither oppress these indigenous values because we have values of of our own recorded in the holy Qur'an saying "no compulsion in religion". They do not 'attack' our belief, however. They have never cited Qur'an to convey their teachings, like Ahmadiyyah or some other perpetrator of chaos covered in the blanket of peace and tranquility. The argument that Islam we practice is of foreign values is the very reminiscent of Vividhya Naipaul, an anti-Islam rewarded by Nobel Prize in literature --for his harsh remarks on Islam--. To Naipaul, a Muslim is a convert. Islam, to him, is a foreign religion whose values strange to the the indigenous people. Anand Krishna whose religious background is so identical with the former, seems very eager to become Naipaul's twin.