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Letter: On 'FPI too busy talking about God'
Mon, 06/16/2008 10:03 AM | Reader's Forum
This letter is to respond to a 'By The Way' column titled "FPI too busy talking about God" by T. Sima Gunawan published on page one of The Sunday Jakarta Post on June 8.
She starts her article with a joke: "Christians are so close to God that they call him "father" in prayer, while Muslims are so far away from Allah that they need loudspeakers to talk to him".
It was stated that she couldn't tell it earlier because she was afraid. Moreover, if Rizieq Shihab had found out, she said he might have beaten her black and blue or, worse, burned down her house. Knowing he is now in a custody, it seemed like she felt free to tell the joke.
She wrote her apology at the end of her article, saying that she didn't mean to upset anyone by it. If she didn't mean it, what she mean by joking like that? Is it a wise joke to tell, contrasting religious practices in public -- where the reader could be a Muslim, a Christian, or something else? It doesn't help things become better.
In another part of her article, she wrote about the FPI attack of Playboy in 2006, commenting: "But perhaps the real reason was that they were disappointed to find the Indonesian version didn't have the same "hot" pictures as its American parent".
Again, is it a wise thing to say? I, as a Muslim -- even though I am not a member of FPI -- feel insulted by these words.
There were also many things she explained were irrelevant to the main problem, such as Muslims call to prayer, Friday prayer, FPI's activities at Ramadhan, and the joke about SBY at "Ayat-Ayat Cinta" (Verses of Love).
She said FPI was too busy talking to God. I am not going to defend FPI, but I will try to put this problem in its context.
I agree that talking to God is important but it isn't enough. We must balance our interaction, both with God and human beings.
Judging others without knowing the real situation doesn't make the situation better. What we need now is an understanding of each other as Indonesians with all our diversity.
ROCKY ADIGUNA
Yogyakarta
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Ciko Syarif (not verified) — Sun, 08/10/2008 - 4:11am
Well, the article is lack of focus sustained by a very poor grammar. She wanted to express her freedom by cracking an insulting joke from her illiterate peasant knowledge about islam. From this article, she 'd just been considered her self identic to those people she wanted to slam. Very pitty !
Rocky Adiguna (not verified) — Sun, 08/03/2008 - 10:32am
To Yan:
"Critics by words, no matter how painful or insulting it is, is better that throwing rocks and breaking glasses and torching venues and beating people who doesn't fight back."--Yan
I agree with you..
To Murtado:
What I mean with balancing our interaction with God and human being is we can't be one-sided. In Islam it is called "ibadah" and "mu'amallah" which we can't neglect one thing after another. And yes, all muslims must strive to implement sharia law according their capabilities..
Jaka (not verified) — Tue, 06/17/2008 - 2:14pm
I've heard the jokes before. We just laugh. It contains truth but, as usual jokes, it exaggerates things. It is not the truth. So, calm down guys. Religion exists not to make people angry easily.
Yan — Mon, 06/16/2008 - 3:22pm
To ROCKY ADIGUNA:
Calm down.
I've heard much much worse sneers, jeers, and taunts from local mosque across my boarding room. Usually Jews, West, Christian, and Kafirs being the subject. If you live in Indonesia, you know this is true, even though there will be no media coverage on the hateful speeches.
I am not Jews, nor bule, but once christian and kafir. Most of what I've heard was just exaggeration's of un-educated and hateful imams, but once in a while (twice, in all my life actually), it rings a bit truth among the hateful words.
If I could take a critics that way, why couldn't you ?
Critics by words, no matter how painful or insulting it is, is better that throwing rocks and breaking glasses and torching venues and beating people who doesn't fight back.
Do you agree with me ?
A. Farouq (not verified) — Mon, 06/16/2008 - 2:12pm
Sima Gunawan's article was intended for us Indonesian Muslims to have more introspection in our daily lives. As an Indonesian Muslim, I am grateful the writer has the courage and has given us this chance for introspection. We should know that there is something wrong in Muslim society everywhere that we are getting criticism for it - and we should have the courage to accept these outside criticisms. Through these criticisms we can identify certain problems and hopefully address these issues. Otherwise we will be stagnant culture - as we have been since medieval times because we can not adapt to change. We need to stop being so damned sensitive about what some people say - it makes us look like we have an inferiority complex.
Or perhaps a little satire is a little out of reach for some of us... Maybe the article writer should revert back to slapstick humor, so we can all understand better.
Murtado (not verified) — Mon, 06/16/2008 - 1:16pm
'I agree that talking to God is important but it isn't enough. We must balance our interaction, both with God and human beings."
What do you mean by it is not enough? Are you saying muslims should also go jihad and implement sharia where ever and whenever possible?
I don't understand by: "we must balance our interaction with god and human beings" . How do you interact with Allah anyway? By doing everything that are instructed in the quran and sunnah?
The real situation is every good muslims should strive to implement sharia law, because that is every muslims utmost religious duty as instructed in the sunna and quran. And that is what islam is all about.