TUGASAN:PENGAJIAN MELAYU BERSUMBERKAN ISLAM

Gagasan:

MENJADI ORANG MELAYU SEJATI

Pandangan Dasar: SEORANG MANUSIA MELAYU SEJATI ADALAH ORANG YANG MEMPUNYAI LOJIK, ETIK, DAN AESTETIK SESUAI DENGAN AL-ISLAM

 Tugasan:

1.  Saudara-saudara dikehendaki untuk membaca teks dalam sebuah buku (BUKU CARI SENDIRI DAN BEBAS-boleh buku dalam Bahasa Melayu, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Inggeris, dan Bahasa Arab) sekurang-kurang 1 chapter dari dalam buku yang berkenaan dan mengandungi munasabah dengan thema-thema dalam senarai di bawah ini.
2. Setiap thema hanya boleh dibuat oleh tidak lebih dari 10 pelajar dengan sub-thema yang berbeza antara masing-masing pelajar pemilih thema yang sama. Sub-thema bebas sesuai kehendak dan ditentukan oleh masing-masing pelajar.
3. Tulis/ taip ulang serta buatlah comment yang merupakan pandangan original saudara mengenai teks tersebut jika dikaitkan dengan Alam Kebudayaan dan Peradaban (Tamadun) Melayu yang saudara tahu. Dalam pandangan saudara boleh disertai contoh.
4. Panjang teks dan comment tidak terhad, setiap orang kena mengguna teks buku yang berbeza-beza.
5. Hasil kerja untuk memenuhi tugasan ini dihantar ke solatsaja@yahoo.com sebelum 05 HB November 2009.
6. Tuliskan pada laman paling awal: thema pilihan, Nama Pelajar, dan Nombor Matrik Pelajar.

 

SELAMAT BEKERJA

Senarai thema tugasan:

1.  Jati Diri (Identiti) Orang Melayu
2. Akal Budi Manusia Melayu
3. Al-Qur’an dan Pemikiran Kebudayaan di Alam Melayu
4. Islam dan Ritual Kebudayaan di Alam Melayu
5. Bahasa Melayu sebagai Indentiti Kaum Melayu
6. Kesusasteraan Islami dan Perkembangan Kesusasteraan Melayu
7. Islam dan Kesenian di Alam Melayu 
8.  Islam dan Pengembangan Sains oleh Kaum Melayu Malaysia 
9.  Kehidupan Keluarga di Alam Melayu
10. Pendidikan Kana-kanak di Tanah Melayu
11. Peranan Keluarga dalam Pewarisan Budaya Melayu
12. Kedudukan dan Peran Sosial Perempuan di Alam Melayu
13. Perekonomian Komuniti Melayu di Malaysia
14. Kehidupan Politik Komuniti Melayu di Malaysia
15. Tamadun Melayu dan Budaya Barat Semase
16. Angkatan Muda Melayu dan Cabaran Kebudayaan Asing
17. Etos Kerja Angkatan Muda Melayu

TOKOH TELADAN MUSLIM

IBADAH QURBAN
WUJUD KEPATUHAN KEPADA ALLAH

Oleh
Dr. Solatun D. Sayuti

KHUTBAH IEDUL ADHA 1425 H
MASJID JAMI’ SUKARESIK
Jln. Kh. Ahmad Dachlan
Bandung
اَلسَّلاَمْ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحمَْةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

اَللهُ اَكْبَرُ, اَللهُ اَكْبَرُ, اَللهُ اَكْبَرُ,
اَللهُ اَكْبَرُ, اَللهُ اَكْبَرُ, اَللهُ اَكْبَرُ,
اَللهُ اَكْبَرُ, اَللهُ اَكْبَرُ, اَللهُ اَكْبَرُ,
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ هُوَاللهُ اَكْبَرُ, اَللهُ اَكْبَرُ وَِللهِ اْلحَمْدُ

• َاَْلحَمْدُ ِللهِ, َاْلحَمْدُ ِللهِ الَّذِى أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِاْلهُدَى وَدِيْنِ اْلحَق, لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الّدِيْنِ كُلِّهِ وَكَفَى بِاللهِ شَهِيْدًا
• أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاََّ اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيْكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدً عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُوْلُهُ الَّذِى لاَ نَبِيَّ بَعْدَهُ
• اَللَّهُمَّ صَلِّى وَسَلِّمْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ النَّبِىِّ اْلكَرِيْمِ, وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَاَصْحَابِهِ وَالتَّابِعِيْنَ وَالتَّابِعِ التَّابِعِيْنَ اَجْمَعِيْنَ
• أَمَّا بَعْدُ:فَيَآ اَيُّهَآ الحاضرون اْلعَائِدُوْنَ, اُوْصِيْكُمْ وَنَفْسِى بِتَقْوَى اللهِ, اِتَّقُوْا الله َحَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلاَ تَمُوْتُنَّ إِلاَّ وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُوْنَ

وَقَدْ قَالَ اللهُ تَعَالَى فِى كِتَابِهِ اْلكَرِيْمِ
أَعُوذُ باِللهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيْمِ
• : إِنَّا اَعْطَيْنَاكَ اْلكَوْثَر- فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَاْنحَر, إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ اْلأَبْتَر (الكوثر)
• Sesungguhnya Kami telah memberikan kepadamu nikmat yang sangat banyak; Maka dirikanlah shalat )semata-mata) karena Tuhanmu, dan berqurbanlah; Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang membenci kamu, dialah orang yang terputus (akan punah keturunan dan agamanya).
Hadirin Rahimakumullah:
Seraya memanjatkan puji dan syukur kepada Allah SWT., mari kita memohon kepada-Nya, semoga shalawat dan salam dilimpahkan kepada junjungan kita Nabi Besar Muhammad SAW. Kita mohonkan juga semoga shalawat dan salam dilimpahkan kepada keluarga dan shahabat beliau dan kepada kita semua yang hingga saat ini masih setia mengikuti risalah ajarannya.
Kita juga tidak lupa memohon kepada Allah, semoga saudara-saudara kita yang sedang terkena musibah ujian dari Allah di Aceh memperoleh kesabaran, ketabahan, dan kekuatan sehingga mereka akan keluar sebagai pemenang yaitu menjadi orang-orang mu’min, muhsin, dan muttaqiin.

Hadirin Rahiimakumullah:
Umat Islam di seluruh dunia sejak hari kemarin merayakan Hari Raya Iedul Adha dengan diiringi takbir, tahlil, dan tahmid mengagungkan asma Allah SWT. Sebagian umat Islam bahkan sejak Rabu kemarin telah menunaikan wukuf di arafah yang merupakan puncak dari rangkaian ibadah haji. Rangkaian ibadah ini akan dilanjutkan dengan penyembelihan qurban hingga hari Senin 13 Dzulhijjah yang akan datang.
Kesemua itu dilakukan sebagai wujud kepatuhan kepada Allah yaitu di dalam kerangka mengikuti millah Nabiyullah Ibrahiim alaihissalam, sebagaimana difirmankan oleh Allah kepada Nabi Muhammad SAW:
قُلْ إِنَّنِى هَدَانِى رَبِّى إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيْمٍ, دِيْنًا قَيِّمًا مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيْمَ حَنِيْفًا, وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِيْنَ(161) قُلْ إِنَّ صَلاَتِى وَنُشُكِى وَمحَيَْايََ وَمَمَاتِى ِللهِ رَبِّ الْعَالمَِيْنَ (162) لاَ شَرِيْكَ لَهُ وَبِذَالِكَ اُمِرْتُ وَانَاَ اَوَّلُ اْلمُسْلِمِيْنَ (الأنعام: 163)
• Katakanlah (Wahai Muhammad):”Sesungguhnya aku telah diberi petunjuk oleh (Allah) Tuhanku kepada jalan yang lurus, yaitu agama yang benar, agamanya Nabi Ibrahiim yang lurus, dan tidak sekali-kali beliau (Nabi Ibrahiim) itu termasuk orang yang musyrik.
• Katakanlah:”Sesungguhnya shalatku, ibadahku, hidupku, dan matiku, hanyalah ditujukan kepada Allah Tuhan semesta alam.
• Tidak ada sekutu bagi-Nya, dan demikian itulah yang diperintahkan kepadaku, dan aku adalah orang pertama yang berserah diri.
اَللهُ اَكْبَرُ, اَللهُ اَكْبَرُ,
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ هُوَاللهُ اَكْبَرُ, اَللهُ اَكْبَرُ وَِللهِ اْلحَمْدُ
Hadirin Rahiimakumullah:
Ada dua anugrah yang agung dari Allah SWT tersirat dari dalam ayat tersebut di atas yaitu bahwa,
1. Kita sebagai ummat Muhammad adalah umat yang dianugrahi petunjuk yang agung berupa agama yang benar dan lurus yaitu agama Islam.
2. Kita beragama Islam adalah mengikuti Agama Islam yang dirisalahkan Nabi Muhammad yang juga adalah agama para nabi sejak Nabi Ibrahiim yang tunduk, patuh, dan tidak sekali-kali terpeleset ke dalam kemusyrikan.

Hal ini ditegaskan oleh Allah di dalam al-Qur’an:
• اِذْ قَالَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ اَسْلِمْ, قَالَ اَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالمَيِْنَ
• وَوَصَّى بِهَآ إِبْرَاهِيْمُ بَنِيْهِ وَيَعْقُوبُ يَا بَنِىَّ إِنَّ اللهَ اصْطَفَى لَكُمُ الدِّينَ فَلاَ تمَوُتُنَّ إِلاَّ وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُوْنَ (البقرة:131-132)

• Ketika (Allah) Tuhannya berfirman kepadanya (Ibrahiim):”Tunduk patuhlah!” maka jawab Ibrahiim:”Aku tunduk patuh kepada (Allah) Tuhan semesta alam”
• Dan Ibrahiim pun mewasiatkan firman Allah tersebut kepada anak-anaknya dan juga kepada Ya’kub:”wahai anak-anaku, sesungguhnya Allah telah memilihkan bagi kalian agama (Islam) ini, oleh karena itu jangan kalian mati melainkan dalam keadaan ber-Islam”.

Hadirin Rahiimakumullah:
Ketaatan dan kepatuhan Nabiyullah Ibrahiim dan keluarga beliau bahkan telah terukir dan terabadikan di dalam upacara ritual atau ibadah qurban yang kita laksanakan setiap tahun.
Perintah qurban kepada Nabiyullah Ibrahiim itu kita dapatkan di dalam Al-Qur’an surah Ash-shafaat. Nabi Ibrahiim yang saat itu telah berusia seratus tahun belum dikaruniai putra memohon kepada Allah seorang putra yang shalih. Namun demikian, setelah dikarunai putra shalih yang sedang beranjak dewasa, Nabi Ibrahiim pun bermimpi mendapat perintah Allah agar beliau menyembelih Ismail putranya itu dengan tangannya sendiri:
Ketika Ibrahiim bertanya kepada putranya Ismail:

يَا بُنَىَّ إِنِّى اَرىَ فِى المَنَّامِ اَنِّى اَذْبَحُكَ فَانْظرُ ْمَاذَا تَرَى؟ (الصفات:1002)
Wahai anakku yang kucintai, ayah berkali-kali mimpi mendapat perintah Allah agar memotongmu dengan tanganku sendiri, perhatikan, bagaimana menurut pendapatmu?

Jawaban Ismail dengan tegar:
قال:يَآ اَبَاتِ إْفعَلْ مَا تُؤْمَرُ, سَتَجِدُنِى إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ مِنَ الصَّابِرِيْنَ
Wahai ayah, laksanakanlah apa yang diperintahkan Allah kepadamu,! Dan insyaa Allah (akan Engkau dapati bahwasanya) kita termasuk orang-orang yang shabar.

Atas kepatuhan, ketaatan, dan keshabaran Nabi Ibrahiim dan putranya itu Allah membenarkan mimpi Nabi Ibrahiim dan kemudian ketika dilaksanakan penyembelihan, Allah menebus (sebagai pengganti Nabi Ismail) dengan seekor sembelihan (gibas) yang besar.

اَللهُ اَكْبَرُ, اَللهُ اَكْبَرُ,
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ هُوَاللهُ اَكْبَرُ, اَللهُ اَكْبَرُ وَِللهِ اْلحَمْدُ
Hadirin Rahiimakumullah:
Kisah Nabi Ibrahiim tersebut di muka adalah sebuah I’tibar atau pelajaran dan pendidikan bagi kita tentang betapa pentingnya patuh, taat, dan shabar di dalam menjalankan agama Allah. Kepatuhan, ketaatan, dan keshabaran itu bahkan dicontohkan oleh Nabiyullah Ibrahiim ketika harus menyembelih putranya sendiri dengan tangannya sendiri. Itu semua dilakukan dengan ikhlash oleh Nabi Ibrahiim karena ketaqwaan beliau; dan memang itulah hakikat dari ibadah qurban yaitu ibadah yang menunjukkan ketaqwaan kita kepada Allah, sehingga Allah SWT menegaskan di dalam Al-Qur’an:
لَنْ يَنَالَ اللهَ لحُُُوُْمُهَا وَلاَ دِمَآؤُهَاوَلَكِنْ يَّنَالُهُ التَّقْوَى مِنْكُمْ (الحج:37)
Tidak akan pernah daging dan darah (sembelihan qurban) itu mencapai kedirhaan Allah, melainkan yang akan mencapai keridhaan Allah itu adalah ketaqwaan kalian (yang berqurban).
Penegasan Allah ini menggambarkan betapa ibadah qurban itu merupakan hal yang sangat penting karena merupakan wujud ketaqwaan dalam arti sesungguhnya yaitu bersedia menjalakan apapun yang diperintahkan oleh Allah, sampai-sampai contoh yang diberikan Allah kepada kita adalah Nabi Ibrahiim yang bahkan rela menyembelih putranya sendiri.
Begitu pentingya qurban yang merupakan wujud ketaqwaan kepada Alllah, maka Rasulullah menjadikan ibadah qurban sebagai ibadah sunnah muakkadah, atau sunnah yang sangat ditekankan. Untuk menekankan pentingnya ibadah qurban ini, sampai-sampai beilau bersabda:

مَنْ كَانَ لَهُ سَاعَةٌ وَلمَ ْيُضَحِّى فَلاَ يَقْرَبَنَّ مُصَلَّى نَا

Barang siapa yang sudah mampu berqurban tetapi tidak mau melakukannya, maka jangan ia mendekati tempat sembahyang kami.

اَللهُ اَكْبَرُ, اَللهُ اَكْبَرُ,
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ هُوَاللهُ اَكْبَرُ, اَللهُ اَكْبَرُ وَِللهِ اْلحَمْدُ
Hadirin Rahiimakumullah:
Kita saat ini sedang menghadapi ujian dan cobaan dari Allah SWT. Kita belum lagi keluar dari krisis nasional yang tergambar pada masih sulitnya kehidupan ekonomi, sosial, dan politik kita. Pada saat seperti ini kita harus menghadapi ujian yang sangat mengguncangkan hati kita berupa badai tsunami yang telah merenggut lebih dari 150.000 jiwa saudara-saudara kita.
Ujian demi ujian itu seakan tidak memberi kesempatan kepada kita bahkan untuk sekedar memahami apa hikmah di balik semua itu. Namun demikian bersyukurlah kita saat ini dengan adanya perayaan Hari Raya Iedul Adha. Hari raya qurban ini telah memberikan kepada kita tonggak sejarah yang dibenarkan oleh Allah bahwa kepatuhan, ketaatan, dan keshabaran akan menjadi wasilah yang menghubungkan diri kita dengan keridhaan Allah.
Hal ini sangat jelas ditegaskan oleh Allah di dalam Al-Qur’an:
• إِنَّا اَعْطَيْنَاكَ اْلكَوْثَر ,فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَاْنحَر, إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ اْلأَبْتَر (الكوثر)
Sesungguhnya Kami telah memberikan kepadamu nikmat yang sangat banyak; Maka dirikanlah shalat )semata-mata) karena Tuhanmu, dan berqurbanlah; Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang membenci kamu, dialah orang yang terputus (akan punah keturunan dan agamanya).
Ayat ini turun ketika Nabi Muhammad berduka oleh karena putra kesayangannya yaitu Qasim meningal dunia. Orang-orang kafir Quraisy bersorak sore atas kedukaan Nabi, namun Allah berfirman bahwa dengan shalat dan berqurban karena ketaqwaan kepada Allah, maka kita akan dijamin selalu di dalam keberlimpahan ni’mat yang sangat besar, sedangkan orang yang musyrik akan punah keturunan mereka dan terputus generasinya.

Hadirin Rahiimakumullah:
Di tengah kemelut menghadapi cobaan dan ujian Allah ini, kita dirundung oleh ujian yang baru yaitu digiringnya 300 anak-anak kita ke gereja. Mereka adalah anak-anak Muslim dari Aceh yang sedang duka kehilangan ibu dan ayah mereka. Seakan seperti pepatah sedang baru jatuh tertimpa tangga. Adalah sangat tepat sekiranya kita tafakkur dan mengambil pelajaran dari ujian-demi ujian itu.
Jangan-jangan semua ujian itu ditimpakan kepada kita karena shalat kita, ibadah kita, dan semua qurban kita selama ini masih belum semata-mata kita tujukan sebagai wujud ketaqwaan kita kepada Allah.
Jangan-jangan kita ummat Isam di Indonesia yang mayoritas mutlak tetapi selalu terpinggirkan, selalu termarjinalkan, terkalahkan bahkan oleh yang minoritas, karena kita memang belum benar-benar menjadi muslim yang menegakkan shalat dan berqurban semata-mata karena Allah.
Pada saat yang penuh ni’mat dari Allah ini mari kita renungkan kembali, kita camkan kembali, dan kita amalkan pesan al-Qur’an:
قُلْ إِنَّنِى هَدَانِى رَبِّى إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيْمٍ, دِيْنًا قَيِّمًا مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيْمَ حَنِيْفًا, وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِيْنَ(161) قُلْ إِنَّ صَلاَتِى وَنُشُكِى وَمحَيَْايََ وَمَمَاتِى ِللهِ رَبِّ الْعَالمَِيْنَ (162) لاَ شَرِيْكَ لَهُ وَبِذَالِكَ اُمِرْتُ وَانَاَ اَوَّلُ اْلمُسْلِمِيْنَ (الأنعام: 163)
Semoga kita masih berkesempatan untuk memanfaatkan sisa usia kita, sisa harta kita, sisa jabatan kita, sisa tenaga kita, dan sisa pengetahuan kita untuk kembali mengikuti Ajaran Islam yang merupakan Risalah Muhammad SAW dan agama Nabiyullah Ibrahiim AS.
Semoga kita dengan ibadah qurban ini menjadi pengikut Rasulullah Muhammad SAW yang juga pengikut Nabiyullah Ibrahiim yang taat, patuh dan bershabar menjalankan segala perintah Allah. Semoga kita sebagai Ummat Muhammad SAW menjadi ummat yang senantiasa menegakkan shalat dan berqurban semata-mata karena ketaqwaan kita kepada Allah SWT.
اَللهُ اَكْبَرُ, اَللهُ اَكْبَرُ,
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ هُوَاللهُ اَكْبَرُ, اَللهُ اَكْبَرُ وَِللهِ اْلحَمْدُ

Hadirin-Aaidiin Rahiimakumullah:
Mari kita tundukkan segenap jiwa raga kitadi hadapan Allah seraya memohon dalam do’a kepada-Nya:

• إِنَّ الله َوَمَلآئِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّوْنَ عَلَى النَّبِى يَاأَيُّهَآالَّذِيْنَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُ تَسْلِيْمًا
• اَللَّهُمَّ صَلِّى وَسَلِّمْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَأَصْحَابِهِ اَجْمَعِيْنَ, آمين
• اَللَّهُمَّ اْغفِرْلَنَا وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ وَاْلمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَاْلمُسْلِمِيْنَ وَاْلمُسْلِمَاتِ َاْلأَحْيَاءِ مِنْهُمْ وَاْلأَمْوَاتِ إِنَّكَ سَمِيْعٌ قَرِيْبٌ مُجِيْبٌ الدَّعْوَاتِ فَيَا قَاضِىَ اْلحَاجَتِ
• َاللَّهُمَّ أَعِنَّا عَلَى ذِكْرِكَ وَشُكْرِكَ وَطَاعَتِكَ وَحُسْنِ عِبَادَتِكَ
• اَللَّهُمَّ إِنَّ نَسْتَعِيْنُكَ-وَنَسْتَهْدِيْكَ-وَنَسْتَغْفِرُكَ-وَنُؤْمِنُ بِكَ,وَنَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَيْكَ, وَنَشْكُرُكَ وَلاَنَكْفُرُكَ- وَنُثْنِى عَلَيْكَ اْلَخَيْرَ-وَنَخْلَعُ وَنَتْرُكُ مَا يَفْجُرُكَ- اَللَّهُمَّ إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَلَكَ نُصَلِّى وَنَسْجُدُ- وَإِلَيْكَ نَسْعَى وَنَحْفِدُ-نَرْجُ رَحْمَتَكَ وَنَخْشَى عَذَابَكَ- إِنَّ عَذَابَكَ اْلجِدَّ لِلْكُفَّارِ مُلْحَقَّ
• اَللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ آتَيْتَ اْلأَمْرِكِيْنَ اْلكَافِرِيْنَ اْلمُشْرِكِيْنَ اْلفَاسِقِيْنَ الظَّالِمِيْنَ وَمَلأَهَ ُزِيْنَةً وَأَمْوَالاً وَقُوَّةً فِى اْلحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا رَبَّنَا لِيُضِلُّ عَنْ سَبِيْلِكَ , رَبَّنَا اْطمِسْ عَلَى أَمْوَالِهِمْ وَاْشدُدْ عَلَى قُلُوْبِهِمْ
• اَللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا فَرِّقْ جَمْعَهُمْ وَشَتِّتْ شَمْلَهُمْ وَجُنُوْدَهُمْ فَلاَ يُؤْمِنُوا حَتَّى يَرَوُ اْلعَذَابَ اْلأَلِيمَ
• اَللَّهُمَّ أَعِزَّ اْلإِسْلاَمُ وَاْلمُسْلِمِيْنَ, وَاجْعَلْنَا بِرَحْمَتِكَ وَبَرَكَاتِكَ وَقُوَّتِكَ وَنُوْرِ هِدَايَتِكَ مِنَ اْلقَوْمِ الصَّابِرِيْنَ اْلصَّالِحِيْنَ اْلمُتَّقِيْنَ اْلمُتَوَكِّلِيْنَ اْلمُقَرَّبِيْنَ آمِيْن
• اَللَّهُمَّ انْصُرْنَا عَلَى اْلقَوْمِ اْلكَافِرِيْنَ وَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى اْلقَوْمِ اْلمُشْرِكِيْنَ وَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى اْلقَوْمِ اْلفَاسِقِيْنَ وَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى اْلقَوْمِ اْلمُفْسِدِيْنَ,
• اَللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا لاَتُؤَاحِذْنَا إِنْ نَاسِيْنَا اَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا, رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَا إِسْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِيْنَ مِنْ قَبْلِنَا ,رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تُحَمِّلْنَا مَالاَ طَاقَتَ لَنَا بِهِ, وَاعْفُ عَنَّا وَاغْفِرْ لَناَ وَارْحَمْنَا أَنْتَ مَوْلَنَا فَآنْصُرْنَا عَلَى اْلقَوْمِ اْلكَافِرِيْنَ
• رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِى الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِى اْلآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
• عِبَادَ اللهِ إِنَّ الله َيَأْمُرُ بِاْلعَدْلِ وَاْلإِحْسَانِ وَإِيْتَاءِ ذِى اْلقُرْبَى وَيَنْهَى عَنِ اْلفَحْشَاءِ وَاْلمُنْكَرِ وَاْلبَغْىِ يَعِيْظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُوْنَ وَلَذِكْرُ اللهِ اَكْبَرُ وَاَسْتَغْفِرُ الله َلِى وَلَكُمْ

اَللهُ اَكْبَرُ, اَللهُ اَكْبَرُ,
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ هُوَاللهُ اَكْبَرُ, اَللهُ اَكْبَرُ وَِللهِ اْلحَمْدُ

بَرَكَالله ُلِى وَلَكُمْ وَاْلعَفْوُ مِنْكُمْ
وَالسَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

MENCARI AGAMA YANG LOGIS YUK

MENCARI AGAMA YANG LOGIS
Oleh SOLATUN

Judul Buku : Santri-Santri Bule ( Cetakan Pertama, Maret 2004)
Pengarang : Prof. Dr. Deddy Mulyana, M.A.
Tebal : 350 halaman (11 CM X 18 CM) HVS 53 Gram/M2
Penerbit : Remaja Rosdakarya Bandung,

Memakkahkan dan me-Madinahkan London, Paris, Washington, New York, dan Melbourne. Itulah obsesi para santri bule yang tidak kesemuanya bule.
Paradoks, memang. Umat Islam Indonesia begitu resah dengan gerakan pemurtadan teroragnisir. Irene Handono, mantan biarawati yang kini menjadi mubaligh kondang membeberkan bagaimana gereja Katholik dan Protestan dengan gigih menjajapaksakan agama mereka kepada kaum Muslim yang lemah ekonomi. Bujuk rayu, tipu daya, dan aneka cara pun mereka lakukan demi kembalinya domba-domba liar, sebutan untuk orang non-Kristen. Targetnya pun sangat vulgar, menjadikan 50 persen penduduk Indonesia masuk Kristen, dan memastikan Presiden Republik Indonesia tahun 2004 seorang Kristen.
Orang-orang di Eropa, Amerika, dan Australia bergejala sebaliknya. Mereka berbondong-bondong kembali ke dalam Islam. Mengapa disebut kembali ke dalam Islam? Deddy Mulyana memilih sebutan yang tepat; karena setiap manusia lahir ke dunia dalam keadaan fitrah. Fitrah manusia itu adalah tunduk kepada ketentuan Tuhan. Tunduk kepada ketentuan Tuhan itu adalah inti dari segala ajaran Islam. Kembali ke dalam fitrah berarti kembali ke dalam Islam.
Pertanyaan kita, mengapa begitu paradoks?. Agama Kristen, katakanlah demikian sebutan paling popular untuk Kristen maupun Katholik, ditinggalkan secara berramai-ramai oleh pemeluknya di Eropa, Amerika, dan Australia. Orang Kristen di Indonesia sebaliknya menjejal-jejalkan agama yang sudah tidak laku di negeri asalnya itu kepada bangsa Indonesia yang sudah beragama. Fridaus Kadir yang Presiden Indonesian Moslem Association of America (IMAAM) pun mengkonfirmasikan kebenaran informasi dan gejala hengkang ramai-ramai dari agama Kristen itu. IMAAM misalnya, membeli sebuah gereja di Meryland yang sudah puluhan tahun ditinggalkan jemaatnya. Awalnya gereja itu ditutup dan disewakan kepada klub bulu tangkis. Bangunan megah di atas lahan 300 meter lebih itu pun kini sudah menjadi masjid dan madrasah.
Ada apa dengan agama Kristen dan pemeluknya? Santri-santri bule pada umumnya menyatakan bahwa mereka kembali ke dalam Islam oleh karena mereka di dalam Kristen mengalami kekecewaan beragama dan kelaparan spiritual. Itulah alasan paling menonjol yang mendorong orang-orang Eropa, Amerika dan Australia berbondong-bondong kembali ke dalam Islam. Kristen sebagai agama dominan selama belasan abad telah gagal memberikan tuntuna kepada pemeluknya.
Deddy Mulyana dengan seksama merangkum berbagai pengakuan panjang lebar, lugas, dan spontan dari mereka. Para santri bule itu menyatakan bahwa, ajaran Kristen tidak rasional, tidak logis, dan banyak mengandung pertentangan. Di antara yang tidak masuk akal itu kata mereka, tentang Trinitas, tentang dosa warisan, dan tentang kematian dan kebangkitan kembali Isa Al-Masih. 57 persen pendeta Lutheran Amerika bahkan terang-terangan menyatakan bahwa Bibel bukan firman Tuhan.
Kegalauan spiritual dan kekecewaan itu telah menjadikan banyak sekali orang-orang Barat linglung. Mereka akhirnya mengikuti sekte-sekte yang aneh-aneh seperti sekter Kenisah Rakyat pimpinan Jim Jones yang berakhir dengan bunuh diri massal dengan cara minum racun berjamaah. Kisah tragis yang serupa terjadi pada sekte Ranting Daud pimpinan Devid Koresh yang berakhir dengan bunuh diri missal dengan cara membakar diri berjamaah di Waco, Texas.
Sebagian dari mereka ada yang memilih masuk agama Buda dan Hindu. Sebagian terbesar dari mereka masuk Islam yang oleh Deddy Mulyana dalam buku ini disebut dengan kembali ke dalam Islam dan dijuluki santri-santri bule. Sebutan santri bule ini tidak dimaksudkan bahwa mereka yang hijrah berramai-ramai itu hanya orang berkulit putih. Deddy Mulyana tampaknya lebih memaksudkan penyebutannya itu untuk menggambarkan bahwa Agama Kristen yang didominasi orang bule itu kini ditinggalkan umatnya.
Mengapa memilih kembali ke dalam Islam? Islam itu merupakan agama yang logis, ideologinya jelas, luwes, tidak berbelit-belit, sederhana, praktis, dan tidak diskriminatif. Islam itu universal dan lebih humanis dibanding agama apapun yang lainnya. Alasan ini juga yang telah menjadikan Irene Handono yang biarawati di Indonesia kembali ke dalam Islam. Menurut Irene, adalah tidak logis kalau Tuhan dan manusia ciptaannya itu kemudian menjadi sama kedudukan dan statusnya, seperti meja hasil buatan tukang kayu adalah tidak masuk akal jika kemudian menjadi tukang kayu atau sama dengan tukang kayu. Demikian juga adalah sangat tidak logis jika Yesus yang ciptaan Tuhan kemudian menjadi Tuhan atau sama dengan Tuhan.

Islam, sebaliknya tidak mengenal kependetaan dan kepastoran yang hierarkis. Umat Islam tidak memerlukan perantara di dalam berhubungan dengan Tuhan. Islam juga sangat menghargai wanita, tidak seperti sangkaan banyak orang Barat. Itulah sebabnya kebanyakan bule yang masuk Islam justeru perempuan. Umat Islam juga tidak perlu menanggung dosa orang lain yang bukan hasil perbuatan sendiri. Demikian juga umat Islam tidak perlu dimintakan atau mewakilkan kepada siapapun permohonan ampunan atas dosa mereka masing-masing.
Kelogisan ajaran Islam juga telah menjadikan kebanyakan orang-orang cerdik pandai di Eropa dan Amerika kembali ke dalam Islam. Orang-orang seperti Roger Garaudi merupakan bagian dari puluhan ribu cendekiawan bule yang kembali ke dalam Islam. Muhammad Webb, muslim asal Amerika misalnya menyatakan bahwa ia masuk Islam bukan karena sentiment sesat atau emosi, melainkan berdasarkan kajian dan penelitian yang jujur, tekun, dan tanpa prasangka. Mertze Dahlin menyatakan bahwa dengan menjadi Muslim tidak perlu lagi perantara untuk menjadi dekat dengan Tuhan. Tidak perlu lagi melalui Yesus dan semacamnya. Sedang Muhammad Ali yang bernama asli Casius Clay memilih Islam karena melihat di dalam Kristen begitu kental dengan perbudakan dan diskriminasi rasial.
Menarik sekali. Pergumulan Deddy Mulyana dengan kisah-kisah nyata itu. Sebagian di antara kisahnya adalah bagian dari pengalaman langsung dirinya di Australia dan Amerika. Deddy Mulyana menemukan bukti kebenaran pernyataan Sekretaris Kedubes Inggeris untuk Indonesia di kantor Persatuan Islam tahun 1985 lalu. Kata Sekretaris itu, sekiranya umat Islam di Inggeris terus bertambah, maka pemerintah Inggeris akan mengurangi jumlah anggota kepolisiannya. Alasannya jelas dan sederhana, belum pernah sekalipun polisi Inggeris menemukan seorang muslim Inggeris yang menyetir sambil mabuk, atau memerkosa, berjudi, dan membunuh.
Gelombang kembali ke dalam Islam di Eropa, Amerika dan Australia memang fenomenal. Tahun 1994 misalnya, tercatat rata-rata 11. 000 orang Amerika setiap tahun orang kembali ke dalam Islam. Firdaus Kadir menyebut kenaikan angka pertumbuhan rata–rata 10 persen setiap tahunnya. Saat ini sudah lebih dari 10 juta orang Amerika menjadi Muslim kembali. Sementara itu, Muslim Inggeris memiliki wakil tersendiri di dalam parlemen, dan di Jerman pun terjadi arus kembali ke dalam Islam yang jauh lebih deras.
Sebuah potret yang sangat indah, mengejutkan, tetapi paradoks jika kita sandingkan dengan potret keadaan keberagamaan di Indonesia. Deddy Mulyana mengupas tuntas pengalaman-pengalaman spiritual ratusan santri bule tersebut dengan gaya lugas dalam buku ini. Bahasa yang cair dan mengalir membuat buku ini begitu nyaman dibaca dan cocok untuk siapa saja.Itu semua terutama karena Deddy Mulyana memang lebih biasa mempergunakan gaya tutur di dalam banyak tulisannya.
Isi keseluruhannya dibagi ke dalam tiga bagian utama. Pendahuluan yang ditulis Deddy Mulyana mengayun kita ke dalam kenyamanan membaca. Bagian pertama memaparkan ungkapan kesaksian lugas dan spontan dari 23 orang santri bule asal Amerika. Sebagian dikutip dari sumber-sumber yang sangat otoritatif atau dapat dipercaya. Sebagian lainnya merupakan pernyataan kesaksian di mana Deddy Mulyana secara pribadi mendengar dan menyaksikannya. Bagian kedua memaparkan berbagai kesaksian 20 orang santri bule asal Eropa. Bagian terakhir memaparkan kesaksian 20 orang santri bule asal Australia. Bagian terakhir ini merupakan bagian di mana Deddy Mulyana menyaksikan secara langsung dan mendengarkan kesaksian mereka. Di antaranya bahkan kembali ke dalam Islam dengan bimbingan Deddy Mulyana. Semua kesaksian mereka mencengangkan, mengharukan, dan menggugah spiritualitas kita.

STRATEGI PEROLEH HAJI MABRUR

STRATEGI MEMPEROLEH PAHALA HAJI MABRUR
Oleh: SOLATUN

Pahala ibadah haji mabrur sangat menggiurkan, sorga. Pahala inilah barangkali yang mendorong duaratus ribu lebih orang Indonesia rela menyisihkan puluhan juta rupiahnya untuk menunaikan ibadah haji. Tidak sedikit dari mereka yang menjual sawah, pekarangan, atau tambak dan ladang mereka untuk membayar ongkos naik haji (ONH). Sebagian orang lainnya mungkin ada yang menabung dari gaji atau pendapatannya selama bertahun-tahun.
Latar belakang tingkat pemahaman keislaman jama’ah haji sangat berragam. Sebagian dari mereka sangat mengerti fiqih, berbagai persoalan, dan hakiikat ibadah haji. Sebagian lainnya ada yang awam atau bahkan sama sekali tidak mengerti tentang ibadah haji. Kesemuanya, namun demikian, tahu satu hal bahwa jika ibadah mereka mabrur, maka Allah menjamin mereka akan masuk surga.
Penulis pada tahun 1990 memperoleh pengalaman menarik tentang seorang anggota jama’ah haji asal Jawa Timur. Ia mengatakan bahwa dirinya baru belajar shalat dan ibadah haji secara dadakan tiga bulan menjelang keberangkatannya ke tanah suci. Pejabat Bank milik pemerintah itu juga dengan lugu menyatakan bahwa dirinya sebelumnya tidak pernah menjalankan shalat fardhu, puasa, dan zakat. Shalat yang pernah dilakukan sebelumnya hanyalah shalat sunnat idul fithri dan idul adha masing-masing sekali dalam setahun. Keunikan lain dari anggota jama’ah haji yang satu ini adalah, sangat rajin mengerjakan tawaf, shalat-shalat sunnah, dan sangat patuh kepada pembimbing. Bacaan tawaf satu-satunya yang ia hafal dan amalkan adalah robbana atina fiddunya hasanah wafil akhirati hasanah waqina ‘adzabannar. Bacaan shalatnya pun sangat khas. Menurut pengakuan lugunya, untuk setiap shalat hanya membaca surah fatihah, qulhuwanllah, dan qul a’udzubirabbinnas.
Pertanyaan kita boleh jadi adalah, siapa di antara duaratus ribu lebih jama’ah haji asal Indonesia yang berragam latar pemahaman keislamannya tersebut yang bakal memperoleh pahala haji mabrur? Apakah Bapak pejabat bank asal Jawa Timur akan memperoleh haji mabrur, atau hanya mereka yang sangat faqih dan hafal segala do’a serta bacaan wajib dan sunnah baik di dalam shalat maupun amalan haji?
Pernyataan kebanyakan ustadz pembimbing haji biasanya berkisar pada bahwa, Allahlah yang akan menentukan apakah seseorang layak atau tidak layak memperoleh pahala haji mabrur. Pernyataan ini boleh jadi terkesan tidak adil dan konyol, sebab seolah tidak ada perbedaan imbalan antara yang sangat faqih dengan yang awam sama sekali. Padahal Allah menyebut bahwa bagi orang yang dikaruniai ilmu oleh Allah akan beroleh kedudukan yang lebih tinggi beberapa derajat.
Pernyataan kebanyakan ustadz tersebut, namun demikian tampak lebih banyak benarnya. Pernyataan tersebut bahkan menjadi sangat signifikan untuk kita renungkan dalam kaitan dengan haits Nabi SAW di mdalam kitab Hidayatunnasik bahwa ada lima kategori jama’ah haji. Dari kelima kategori tersebut tidak satupun disebutkan ciri-ciri faqih, alim atau awam. Kelima kategori tersebut adalah kategori jama’ah haji dengan motivasi (1) berrekreasi atau lissiyaahah, (2) berbisnis atau littijaarah, (3) memperoleh kebanggaan (kesombongan dan mengharap penghormatan sosial) atau lilfakhri, (4) mengemis atau lilmas’alah, (5) dan mencari keridhaan Allah atau liibtighaa mardhatillah. Rasulullah dengan jelas dan tegas menganjurkan agar kita beribadah haji hanya semata-mata mengharap keridhaan Allah. Ibadah haji dengan motivasi terakhir inilah yang menjamin akan diperolehnya pahala haji mabrur dengan imbalan masuk surga.
Permasalahan selanjutnya adalah bagaimana caranya agar kita memperoleh pahala haji mabrur, serta bagaimana indikator pencapaiannya? Allah dan Rasulnya dengan jelas telah memberikan panduan strategis untuk mencapai derajat ibadah haji yang mabrur ini. Formula strategis untuk pencapaian haji mabrur misalnya tergambar di dalam surah Ali Imran 95. Dalam ayat tersebut dirumuskan bahwa, ibadah haji hendaknya merupakan ritus untuk menjadikan kita sebagai muslim yang berkarakteristik sebagai berikut, pertama: berani mengatakan secara terbuka tanpa ragu tentang identitas dan jatidiri kita sebagai seorang muslim (orang yang berserah diri dan hanya tunduk kepada ketentuan Allah). Rumusan ini menunjukkan kepada kita bahwa seusai menunaikan ibadah haji kita harus tampil percaya diri sambil tetap selalu mawas diri dengan perasaan, sikap, ucapan, dan tidak-tanduk baik di dalam keluarga maupun di dalam masyarakat dan negara sebagai seorang yang berkepribadian muslim.
Kedua, menjadikan ibadah haji sebagai ritus untuk menjadikan diri kita hanya mengakui dan menegakkan kebenaran dari Allah serta hanya akan menjustifikasi segala persoalan hidup kita berdasarkan ukuran-ukuran kebenaran dari Allah. Rumusan ini menunjukkan kepada kita bahwa seusai menunaikan ibadah haji kita tidak perlu lagi menjadi manusia yang munafik. Hal ni dikarenakan kebenaran dari Allah memang sudah jelas dan tidak perlu diragukan. Rasulullah memberi pedoman agar kita dapat dengan mudah menjustifikasi benar atau salahnya suatu perkara dengan bertanya meminta fatwa kepada hati kita. Setiap perasaan, sikap, ucapan, dan tindakan kita yang bathil akan menjadikan kita was-was, cemas, dan takut kalau-kalau orang lain mengetahuinya. Setiap perasaan, sikap, ucapan, dan tindakan yang baik dan benar, sebaliknya akan menjadika kita yang dan orang lain merasa senang, tidak perlu was-was apalagi cemas dan takut karenanya.
Ketiga, menjadikan ibadah haji sebagai satu pernyataan sikap dan awal tindakan mengikuti agama Nabi Ibrahim. Nabi Ibrahim adalah seorang muslim yang hanif, bukan Yahudi dan bukan Nashrani (QS. Ali Imran 67). Mengikuti dan manjalankan agama Nabi Ibrahim berarti menjadikan keluarga, anak dan istri-istri kita sebagai masyarakat inti yang harus muslim secara kaffah (totaliter) sebelum kita mengajak orang berislam. Keluarga Nabi Ibrahim adalah keluarga teladan bagi masyarakat slueuh pelosok bumi untuk segala zaman yang menggambarkan keislaman totaliter.
Pengamalan agama Nabi Ibrahim tercermin di dalam kehidupan keluarga beliau yang solid ibarat kesatuan bangunan atau tubuh yang tunggal, saling mendukung, saling memberi dan saling menerima. Dukungan istri Nabi Ibrahim terhadap suaminya misalnya dinyatakan dengan menyuruh Nabi Ibrahim menikahi Hajar, pembantunya, ketika belum juga dikaruniai putra padahal usia sudah lanjut. Dukungan ikhlas ini telah menjadikan terlahir Nabi Ismail yang merupakan kakek moyang dari Nabi Muhammad SAW.
Dukungan putranya Ismail terhadap ayahanda Nabi Ibrahim dinyatakan dengan kesediaan dirinya diqurbankan sehingga Nabi Ibrahim dapat menunaikan perintah Allah. Sedang dukungan Hajar kepada Nabi Ibrahim, suaminya, berupa kesediaan ditinggalkan di padang pasir dengan hanya dititipkan kepada Allah sehingga Nabi Ibrahim dapat memenuhi perintah Allah dan mengkabulkan permintaan isteri pertamanya yaitu Sarah.
Keempat, ibadah haji merupakan ritus untuk mengubah budaya kita dan keluarga kita menjadi pribadi dan keluarga yang hanif. Hanif berarti cinta kebenaran dan benci kebathilan, cinta keimanan benci kekafiran, cinta keikhlashan benci kemusyrikan, cinta damai benci permusuhan, cinta amal shalih dan benci kema’shiyatan, dan seterusnya. Rumusan ini menunjukkan kepada kita bahwa seusai ibadah haji kita harus lebih mencintai kebenaran, lebih mantap keimanannya, lebih tinggi keikhlashannya, lebih banyak amal shalihnya, lebih santun dan cinta damai jika dibanding dengan masa-masa yang lapau. Rumusan ini juga menunjukkan bahwa seusai menunaikan ibadah haji kita hendeaknya siap menghentikan kebiasaan segala dusta yang merupakan pangkal segala dosa, segala kecurangan yang merugikan orang lain, segala kesombongan yang membuat kita dibenci orang lain . Kita juga hendaknya berhenti secara total atau berangsur-angsur dari kebiasaan kikir, kebiasaan ma’shiyat, kebiasaan musyrik, dan kebiasaan fasiq lainnya.
Rumusan-sumusan tersebut dimuka tentu saja bukan sekedar untuk dihafal dan difahami, namun diimplementasikan dengan terlebih dahulu mengalamkan tiga doktrin utama ibadah haji yaitu : pertama, tidak sekali-kali berpikiran, berperasaan, bersikap, dan bertindak cabul dan sejenis kecabulan atau porno (rafats) baik sengaja atau karena kecerobohan selama maupun seusai menunaikan ibadah haji. Kedua, tidak sekali-kali berperasaan, berpikiran, bersikap, berucap, dan berbuat fasiq baik selama maupun seusai menunaikan ibadah haji. Fasiq dalam hal ini yaitu menjalankan larangan Allah padahal kita mengetahuinya atau sebaliknya tidak menjalankan perintah-Nya padahal kita mengtetahui harus menjalankannya. Ketiga, tidak sekali-kali secara sengaja atau lalai sehingga terlibat ke dalam pertengkaran dengan siapapun yang ada di sekitar kita, seagama maupun berbeda agama. Pelaksanaan doktrin ini dimaksudkan agar kita menjadi anggota masyarakat yang mampu menciptakan persahabatan dan persaudaraan antar manusia yang menjamin rasa tenteram kawan maupun lawan.
Rumusan strategis di atas berikut implementasinya, akan menjadikan kita seusai menunaikan ibadah haji memperoleh pahala haji mabrur. Mabrur berasal dari kata dalam bahasa Arab yang serumpun dengan al-Birru (kebajikan). Tanda-tanda apakah seseorang memperoleh pahala ibadah haji yang mabrur dapat dilihat dari jawaban atas pertanyaan-pertanyaan berikut ini, (1) Adakah peningkatan terus menerus rasa percaya diri kita di dalam menegakkan dan mengamalkan kebenaran. Sudahkah kita berbudaya baru, budaya tanpa cabul, tanpa fasiq, dan tanpa pertikaian? (2) Sudahkah kita seusai menunaikan ibadah haji menjadi pribadi yang menjadikan keluarga kita solid dan saling mendukung di dalam upaya menjalankan setiap detil ajaran Islam. Sudahkah kita menjadi pribadi dan keluarga-keluarga yang saling mendukung dapat setiap usaha menjauhi setiap detil larangan Allah, serta layak menjadi contoh masyarakat sekitar kita?
Evaluasi terhadap pelaksanaan atau implementasi rumusan strategis pencapaian pahala haji mabrur dapat dilakukan dengan mencocokkan jawaban atas pertanyaan tersebut di atas dengan rumusan yang telah disediakan Allah dan Rasul-Nya. Jawaban atas semua pertanyaan-pertanyaan kita hanya dapat diketahui oleh Allah dan hati kita masing-masing. Perilaku nyata kita sebagai wujud dari perasaan dan sikap kita di dalam kehidupan kleseharian di dalam masyarakat seusai menunaikan ibadah haji, namun demikian dapat dengan mudah dilihat dan dirasakan oleh dan berdampak terhadap orang-orang lain di sekeliling kita. Seorang yang memperoleh pahala ibadah haji mabrur niscaya akan merupakan pribadi yang selalu bertambahnya kebaikan dan kebajikannya. Semoga.

C O M M U N I C A T I O N:A Golden Bridge To a Better Sociocultural Life

C O M M U N I C A T I O N
A Golden Bridge To a Better Sociocultural Life

By: Dr. Solatun Ibn.M. Djamil

1. Why Communication
We have an extremely memorable sympathetic story on the case that the fourth Indonesia President Abdurrahman Wahid was entering the Indonesia Presidential Palace in his first day as Indonesian President with wearing his luxurious very expensive presidential coat, but he was leaving the palace in a political eviction with only have sufficient time to wear his disheveled undershorts . We indeed will not questioning the case of because all of Indonesian knew that the apprehensive sympathetic case was originated by the failure of communication. Abdurrahman Wahid was previously stated that Indonesia Parliament (members) just look like Taman Kanak-Kanak (Kinder Garden). Most of the parliament members offended and than intercepted all kaind of the president policies therefore he fallen and dislodged from the presidential throne.
Additionally, this is just the other real case can give us a lesson. The Washington Post once published sensational, unfavorable news on an important businessman. Later the news appeared to be a lie. In agreement with the norms, the person was given a right to give his response, but the response was not able to erase the effect of the previous incorrect news on its readers’ minds completely. The man became bankrupt and finally committed suicide (Madjid, 1997) .
Failures in various domains of life, in business, educational, health or political, can be traced to communication problems or what is commonly termed miscommunication . Miscommunication does mean that communication has not happened; rather, “it means that often the meanings that communicators create in response to messages sent to them are very different from the meanings that were intended” (Kreps and Thornton, 1992:7).
In political arena, one remarkable miscommunication took place when the word mokusatsu was interpreted by the US authority in World War II. This Japanese word was a response of the Japanese to the ultimatum of the Allies asking the Japanese to surrender. The US authority took it more or less as “to ignore” (“we do not care”) or “to treat with silent contempt” instead of the more appropriate meaning, “do not give a comment until a decision is made,” or “We will comply with your ultimatum without further notice” as intended by the Japanese (see also Smith, 1993:55; Jandt, 2004:155). This misinterpretation probably led to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the US in August 1945.
It is also assumed that the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger above Cape Carnaval, US, was not only a technical failure, but also a communication failure. There were indeed technical problems when the “O” rings were not set properly in their place. Yet, the NASA engineers failed to inform the management of NASA about this problem and to ensure further possible social and political consequences of the possible failure of the Challenger launching (Schirato and Yell, 2000:3).
If miscommunication could lead to fatal danger, it could also create the same danger in the health care. Specifically, it may lead to the death of patients. It is worth noting that decisions to be made by health care providers must be based on messages provided by the clients, colleagues, and other members of the health care team. Their interpretation of the patient’s condition and symptoms resulted from blood test, X-rays or CAT-scan will be risky if it is misleading. In Indonesia, for example, there have been some cases where the misinterpretation of patients’ symptoms by physicians led them to give inappropriate drugs that made the patients get worse or even die. In other cases, sloppy surgeons left their medical tools inside the patient’s body upon the operation, causing them to suffer from pain for some time. Some patients have endeavored to bring law suits against those physicians. However, due to the strong power of the Indonesian medical doctors association, and the difficulty to prove that the medical doctors were wrong, in most cases such law suits have failed.
Despite the importance of human communication in today’s world, many experts in various fields, including the communication it self, not excerptionaly the field of telecomunication, seem to be little the importance of communication. The field of telecommunication it self indeed ha it’s a very crucial problematic challenge related to communication effectiveness. This is just the other real case faced by my own self in term of Information Technology when I was getting Rp.100.000,00 top-up values from an unacquaintedable top-up service centre. I said to my wife that the case has traped me to an anxious feeling. Unfortunately (as my wife answered) the amount of the top-up value just only Rp.100.000,00 rather than Rp.100 billion which will make whoever (certainly me) feel better to forget guilty feeling of because the amount can make us to be richer indeed to be a billionair like the top-ten Indonesian corruptors in BLBI and KLBI cases.
This negligence is partially based on common misunderstandings about communication which include the following:
• Communication skill is a natural gift; every one is capable to do it; it is not a result of one’s training or education.
• I am speaking, therefore I am communicating.
• Communication is based on intention; communication takes place whenever I intend to do so.
• Communication is a verbal process.
• Meanings are in words.
• The more we communicate, the higher its effectiveness.

We might argue, “Why do we have to learn something natural? We have never learned to walk, to sit, to eat, and to sleep, and all other things that we do every day.” We just take it for granted that we communicate every day, so that we think we know how to communicate and how to solve communication problems until we get shocked when our taken-for-granted communication turns to be a failure.
I’d like to throught this session argue that communication like various forms of arts and sports: writing, dancing, running, playing tennis, or swimming that must be learned and developed before we master them. Communication skills as a kind of sociocultural skill must be regarded the same way to them. Habitual communication does not guarantee skillful communication. Simply communicating does not mean communicating effectively. Effectiveness, this is the key point. According to Samovar and Porter (1982:27), understanding communication means that we understand what happens during communication, why it happens, what consequences brought about by communication, and what we can do to influence or maximize the results of communication. Communication is said to be effective if the results of communication fits the purpose of the communicators, whether to inform, to entertain, to persuade, to induce action, or to settle a problem. Communication among those involved in Information Technology based Telecommunication is effective if it fits the expectation of the communication participants (machine makers/ programmers, computer users, telecommunication network users, and certainly all other stakholders).
Since effective communication in our day to day life is inevitable at this globalized world, learning communication is thus not only important but also will bridging our self to be effectively relate to others who have their cultural diversities which differ from us. Yet merely understanding people from different cultures will help us to understand not only their cultures but also their feeling, their wants, and their thought and or ideas, therefore communication in the other word can be nicknamed as A Golden Bridge To A Better Sociocultural Life. I indeed think that human being are really communication being, just as Samovar suggest that we can not not communicate (Samovar, 1982).

2. Communication and Culture
Communication is a culture and culture is communication (Samovar,1991). A well-known anthropologist Edward T. Hall (1976) divides culture into high-context cultures characterized by high-context communication (messages) and low-context culture characterized by low-context communication (messages). People living in high context-cultures (most countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America and some countries in Southern Europe) communicate implicitly, relying much on nonverbal symbols and behaviors, including facial expression, tone of voice, and even silence. While, they often hide their feelings to maintain rapport with others, people living in low-context cultures (North America, North Europe, Australia, New Zealand) are blunt and straightforward to make statements. They say what they mean and mean what they say. Consequently, health care providers who come from low-context cultures may often find patients coming from high-context cultures as unreliable, defensive, and tricky. Mutual understanding and trust can hardly develop if the medical professionals ignore these differences.
Deddy Mulyana argued that it is not only no doubt but really true that our culture must contain biases that may inhibit our communication with others. We have to keep some distance from our own culture by “living in other cultures,” by putting ourselves on their shoes not on our shoes. We can only see our own culture clearly from some distance. Samuel Johnson, an English writer in the eighteenth century believed that he would understand his country much better when he stood in another’ culture, or in the words of the French philosopher Jean Baudrillard, “To open our eyes to the absurdity of our own customs is the charm and benefit of travel” (Schneider and Barsoux, 1997:10).The crux of the problem is that most people are not aware of the importance of suspending their judgment of other cultures before exploring their own culture so that they can clearly see the positive as well as the negative aspects of their culture, an attitude characterized by understanding and empathy that may enable them to be more just and tolerant toward others.
Refer to the previous two dictums, we can conclude that culture and communication are likely as the two sides of the same coin. There is no communication unless it is characterized as culture bound; and no culture wherever it arised and developed by its embracers entity unless it is the product of communication pratices.

3. Communication: Its Aspect and Prospects
Since communication is commonly defined as “the imparting or interchange of feeling, thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs…” communication will usually manifest in an act or instance of transmitting and or a process by which messages and or information is exchanged between two or more individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior . Communication also commonly related to an exchange of information. Communication can be perceived as a two-way process in which there is an exchange and progression of thoughts, feelings or ideas towards a mutually accepted goal or direction.
Communication is a process whereby messages such as information is encoded and imparted by a sender to a receiver via a channel/medium. The receiver then decodes the message and gives the sender a feedback. Communication requires that all parties have an area of communicative commonality. There are auditory means, such as speaking, singing and sometimes tone of voice, and nonverbal, physical means, such as body language, sign language, paralanguage, touch, eye contact, by using writing (www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/communication. Retrieved on 2009-03-08).
Communication is thus a process by which we assign and convey meaning in an attempt to create shared understanding. This process requires a vast repertoire of skills in intrapersonal and interpersonal processing, listening, observing, speaking, questioning, analyzing, and evaluating. if you use these processes it is developmental and transfers to all areas of life: home, school, community, work, and beyond. It is through communication that collaboration and cooperation occur (www.k12.wa.us/ CurriculumInstruct/Communications/default.aspx. Retrieved on March 14, 2008).
Communication is the articulation of sending a message through different media, whether it be verbal or nonverbal, so long as a being transmits a thought provoking idea, gesture, action, etc. Communication is a learned skill. Most babies are born with the physical ability to make sounds, but must learn to speak and communicate effectively. Speaking, listening, and our ability to understand verbal and nonverbal meanings are skills we develop in various ways. We learn basic communication skills by observing other people and modeling our behaviors based on what we see. We also are taught some communication skills directly through education, and by practicing those skills and having them evaluated ( dictionary.reference.com/browse/media. Retrieved on March 14 2008).
Communication as an academic discipline relates to all the ways we communicate, so it embraces a large body of study and knowledge. Communication as commonly studied at universities, especially at the department of Communication Sciences, will basicly comprise at least of “the content including all messages will be trnsactionally and multilinearely delivered, and the relation including the way we deliver the messages”.
The content or message of a communication transaction will simply can be said as “what is said”. The maing contended on the messages itself will depend on the individual who say in his or her (communicator) sociocultural hierarchy and or ocupassion, the situation surounding the communicator. The meaning indeed will be depend on “what academic dicipline, kind of hobby, what ethnic and or nationality, and what profession are the communicators originated from”. When a Javanese dentist said to his or her Sundanese patient “please gigitekan” the patient may will be dancing a Jaipong Dance, despitely the word “gigitekan” in the dentist mind perceived as “to push the teeth with the other theeth”. Telecommunication engineers at the other place may will say “mouse” to point toward an optional hardwere used in computer sett usually used to point any preset menus displayed in the computer’s monitor. If the engineers saying “mouse” nierside his new young wife the case may will be very different from the first case. The engineer may be has his a very personal taste in making his firtatious wife with his personal hope may be said “embrace me please (peluklah/dekaplah aku)”.
The previous two case are just in term of verbal communication. Communication in fact occurred in verbal and nonverbal ways. There is indeed a vast consensus among communication scholars that nonverbal communication is more influential than verbal communication. Most researchers maintain that a larger part of the meaning of a message is conveyed nonverbally, particularly that containing emotional tones. It is estimated we send more than a half of all our messages through nonverbal channels: 65 % according to Birdwhistell (1955) and 93 % according to Mehrabian and Ferris (1967). (Singelis, 1994:275). This quantity of nonverbal messages partly depends on the culture of the people involved. People from Eastern cultures typically use more nonverbal messages than their Western counterparts. Scholars indicate that nonverbal communication is more dominant than verbal communication, ranging from some 60 percent (in the low-context culture) to some 90 percent (in the high-context culture). Some research shows that at least 75 percent of all communication is nonverbal (Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner, 1999:76). Research conducted by Mehrabian and his colleagues indicate that total liking is indicated by 7 % verbal, 38 % vocal + 55 % facial expression (1972:182). This means that nonverbal behavior is far more important than verbal behavior as a source of our emotion. In general we trust nonverbal sources more than verbal sources, since people are more spontaneous when behaving nonverbally. Put differently, nonverbal behavior is more natural than verbal behavior. It is easier for us to control our verbal behavior than our nonverbal behavior; so we are more able to manipulate our verbal behavior than our nonverbal behavior.
The nonverbal communication is included to as communication scholars consensus on the way communicator deliver the messages and commonly said the relation aspect of communication. According to this paragraph, we will indeed conclude that in a lose manner, communication comprise of two main aspects, content aspect and relation aspect. The second aspect we usually called relation may be refered to a memorable case on how Indonesian Medias criticize the way the Director of IMF behaving in a disgrace manner to Soeharto the President of Indonesia when he was signing the additional loan from IMF two decades ago. Althought the IMF Director has no disgrace feeling as any journalist feel, the way the IMF Director taken in practice is not only uncommon but also unpolite accroding to Javanese culture, especially in term of Soeharto as the number one person of the day in Indonesia. The IMF Director style is just a cultural style which usually said by communication scholars as “body language”, but culturally Javanese perceive that it is an important part of Javanese cultural politeness and or ethics.
Some scholars maintain that body language or the language of gestures was the first form of human communication, preceding verbal communication by tens of thousands of years (Cornballis cited in Adler 2004:123) . Some cultures use a lot of body language, while others do not. Italians are considered as people who use a lot of hand gestures while speaking so that they are regarded as too emotional by Americans and North Europeans. Native Americans, Finns, and Japanese are peoples who use a relatively small amount of body language. Indeed gestures and their meanings vary from culture to culture. In the US, number one is indicated by raising an index finger, but some in parts of Europe it is indicated by raising a thumb, and two by raising an index finger and a thumb (Jandt, 2004:131).
To summon somebody, people use different hand waves. In many Western countries, such as the US, England, Germany, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands, one call others to come forward by waving one’s hand with one’s palm upward and fingers moving toward the summoner. In many other countries in Asia (for instance the Philippines, Indonesia, China, Japan), Africa (Ghana), and Latin America (Peru), in South Europe (some areas in Italy, Spain, Portugal) and in several Arab countries, it is just the other way around: one summons others by the hand with the palm downward and the fingers moving toward the summoner, even though the hand wave varies a little from one country to another. As Tischler (1999:146) points out, In the US waving the hand up and down in parting will make South Americans approach you. In the Netherlands the Dutch waving hand to summon Indonesians will make them confused. Just imagine, a Dutch medical doctor gives this gesture to her Indonesian patient waiting to be called in a hospital waiting room in Amsterdam. The Indonesian patient might be upset.
A member of the Peace Corps was called to come to the city to settle a problem indicating that a volunteer treated an Ethiopian like a dog. He found the volunteer working in a health center. He observed that the volunteer pointing and calling patients one by one using his finger to come to the examination room. The hand gesture was a big mistake since in Ethiopia, such a pointing was suitable for children, and his summoning was suitable for dogs. In Ethiopia, one points to others by extending one’s arm and hand, and summons others by extending one’s hand, with one’s palm downward, and close it repeatedly (Calloway-Thomas et al., 1999:137). The following is a similar faulty incidence:

A Dutch nurse is working in a field hospital somewhere in East Africa. Her task consists, quite simply, of showings the patients in: they are all sitting on the floor in a tent, and she needs to signal to each of them that it is his/her turn to go into the doctor’s cabinet.
Although the nurse’s task is apparently simple and straightforward, the local people seem to hate her, and do not want to have anything to do with her. They say: ‘She treats us like dogs.’
At first glance, there is nothing in the nurse’s behaviour that could cause such a strong reaction. Until it is discovered that she indicates the next person to be seen by the doctor by pointing with the finger. This simple gesture was the cause of the local people’s reaction: in many countries you can point at animals, but it is extremely rude to point at people with your finger (Pinto, 1990: 112, quoted by Verluyten, 2000:62)

We often wave our hands to greet others. In France, however, greeting through waving hands is personal and individual. General hand wave to all people present in an office as found in the US is deemed insulting to French colleagues. Instead, we should greet each French colleague individually while mentioning their names, such as, “Bonjour Nathalie,” shake her hand and see straight in her eyes (Schneider and Barsoux, 1997:24).
The raised thumb seems to be common in many cultures. But its meaning varies from culture to culture, with the most common meaning being “approval.” In Germany it means “Good!” or “OK”, but it also means “one,” usually used to order something, for example, “One more glass of beer” in a bar. In Australia, the raised thumb also means OK, but it is an insult when it is done abruptly upward, but in Japan the raised thumb means “a male” or number five. In the US “Okay (OK)” is commonly indicated by forming a circle by a thumb and a forefinger while three other fingers stand. In Ireland, however, this sign is vulgar and it is rude in some Latin American countries such as Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. It is comparable to or even worse than the middle finger gesture which means “Fuck you!” in the US. In Morocco, Belgium and in some parts in France (including Paris) the sign means “zero.” The same sign means money in Japan, Korea, and the Philippines. The gesture is often used to warn or to threat others in several Arab countries, for example in Syria. In Turkey as well as in Greece, it means a sexual invitation. Imagine an American male doctor who gives the OK sign to a Turkish female patient, a Greek female patient, or a Brazilian patient in an American hospital. This may result in a deteriorating relationship between the two parties.
The fig gesture (the thumb protruding between the index finger and the middle finger while the fist is close) is vulgar in several European countries, in Guatemala, and in Indonesia. But in Portugal and Brazil, it means “Good Luck!” The same sign means “Nothing. You will get nothing” in Ukraine (for children who ask too much). It is worthy of note that while the V sign (with the palm facing outside) means victory in most of the Western countries, in Britain, the same sign (but with the palm facing inside) is insulting, its meaning being equal to the middle finger sign in the US.

SUGGESTED REDING:

1. ^ “communication – Definition from the Mirriam-Webster online dictionary”. Mirriam-Webster. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/communication. Retrieved on 2009-03-08.
2. ^ “communication”. written at Washington. office of superintendent of Public instruction. http://www.k12.wa.us/CurriculumInstruct/Communications/default.aspx. Retrieved on March 14, 2008.

Allport, Gordon W.. The Nature of Prejudice. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley, 1954.
Arifin, Anwar. Ilmu Komunikasi: Sebuah Pengantar Ringkas. Jakarta: Rajawali Pers, 1998.
Baird, Craig, Franklin H. Knower, dan Samuel L. Becker. Essentials of General Speech Communication. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1973.
Barker, Larry. Communication. Edisi ke-3. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1984.
Baron, Robert A. dan Paul B. Paulus. Understanding Human Relations: A Practical Guide to People at Work. Edisi ke-2. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1991.
Book, Cassandra L. , ed. Human Communication: Principles, Contexs, and Skills. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1980.
Bross, Irwin D.J. “Models.” Dalam James H. Campbell dan Hal W. Hepler, ed. Dimensions in Communication: Readings. Belmont, California: 1965.
Curtis, Dan B., James J. Floyd, dan Jerry L. Winsor. Komunikasi Bisnis dan Profesional. Ed. Yuyun Wirasasmita. Penerj. Nanan Kandagasari, Rina Komara, dan Yeti Pudjiyati. Bandung: Rosda Jayaputra, 1996.
DeFleur, Melvin L. Theories of Mass Communication. Edisi ke-2. New York: David McKay, 1970.
DeFleur, Melvin L. dan Sandra Ball-Rokeach. Theories of Mass Communication. Edisi ke-5. New York: Longman, 1989.
DeVito, Joseph A. The Interpersonal Communication Book. Edisi ke-5. Cambridge: Harper & Row, 1989.
DeVito, Joseph A. Komunikasi Antarmanusia: Kuliah Dasar. Edisi ke-5. Penerj. Agus Maulana. Jakarta: Professional Books, 1997.
Effendy, Onong Uchjana. Ilmu Komunikasi: Teori dan Praktek. Bandung: Remaja Rosdakarya, 1997.
Fagin, Joe R. Racial and Ethnic Relations. Edisi ke-2. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1984.
Fisher, B. Aubrey. Teori-teori Komunikasi. Penerj. Soejono Trimo. Bandung: Remaja Rosdakarya, 1986.
Fisher, B. Aubrey dan Catherine Adams. Interpersonal Communication: Pragmatics of Human Communication. Edisi ke-2. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994.
Forrest, Mary dan Margot A. Olson. Exploring Speech Communication: An Introduction. St. Paul: West, 1981.
Geertz, Clifford. The Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays. New York: Basic Books, 1973.
Griffin, Em. A First Look at Communication Theory. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1991.
Gudykunst, William B. dan Young Kim. Communicating with Strangers: An Approach to Intercultural Communication. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992.
Hall, Edward T. The Silent Language. Garden City, NY: Anchor Books, [1959] 1973.
Hall, Edward T. Beyond Culture. New York: Doubleday, 1976.
Hall, Edward T. dan William Foote Whyte. “Komunikasi Antarbudaya: Suatu Tinjauan Antropologis. Dalam Deddy Mulyana dan Jalaluddin Rakhmat, ed. Komunikasi Antarbudaya: Panduan Berkomunikasi dengan Orang-orang Berbeda Budaya. Bandung: Remaja Rosdakarya, 1996, hlm. 36-53.
Hanafi, Abdillah. Memahami Komunikasi Antar Manusia. Surabaya: Usaha Nasional, 1984.
Hersey, Paul dan Kenneth H. Blanchard. Management of Organizational Behavior Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1993.
Hurt, H. Thomas, Michael D. Scott, dan James C. McCroskey. Communication in the Classroom. Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley, 1978.
Hybels, Saundra dan Richard L. Weaver II. Speech/Communication. Edisi ke-2. New York: D. Van Nostrand, 1979.
Infante, Dominic A., Andrew S. Rancer, dan Deanna F. Womack. Building Communication Theory. Prospect Heights, Illinois: Waveland Press, 1990.
Kolb, David Rubin, M. Irwin dan Joyce Osland. Organizational Behavior. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1992.
Kottak, Conrad Philip. Anthropology: The Exploration of Human Diversity. New York: Random House, 1974.
Krech, David, Richard S. Crutchfield, dan Egerton L. Ballachey. Individual and Society: A Textbook of Social Psychology. Tokyo: McGraw-Hill, 1962.
Lewis, Richard D. Menjadi Manajer Era Global: Kiat Komunikasi Bisnis Lintas-budaya. Penerj. dan Editor Deddy Mulyana. Bandung: Remaja Rosdakarya, 1997.
Littlejohn, Stephen W. Theories of Human Communication. Edisi ke-5. Belmont, California: Wadsworth, 1996..
Mulyana, Deddy. “Lebaran, Silaturahmi dan Usian Panjang.” Dalam Deddy Mulyana. Nuansa-nuansa Komunikasi: Meneropong Politik dan Budaya Komunikasi Masyarakat Kontemporer. Bandung: Rosda, 1999, 46-48.
Mulyana, Deddy. “Kampanye Politik sebagai Teater.” Dalam Deddy Mulyana. Nuansa-nuansa Komunikasi: Meneropong Politik dan Budaya Komunikasi Masyarakat Kontemporer. Bandung: Rosda, 1999, hlm.87-92.
Madjid, Nurcholis. “Pendewasaan Diri.” Republika, October 17, 1997.
Mulyana, Deddy. “Ritualisme Nonton Sepakbola di Televisi.” Dalam Deddy Mulyana. Nuansa-nuansa Komunikasi: Meneropong Politik dan Budaya Komunikasi Masyarakat Kontemporer. Bandung: Rosda, 1999, hlm. 147-154.
Pace, R. Wayne dan Don F. Faules. Komunikasi Organisasi: Strategi Meningkatkan Kinerja Perusahaan. Ed. Deddy Mulyana. Bandung: Rosda, 1998.
Pearson, Judy C. Gender and Communication. Debuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown, 1985.
Pearson, Judy C. dan Paul E. Nelson. Understanding and Sharing: An Introduction to Speech Communication. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm.C. Brown,1979.
Porter, Richard E dan Larry A. Samovar. “Aprroaching Intercultural Communication.” Dalam Larry Samovar dan Richard E. Porter, ed. Intercultural Communication: A Reader. Edisi ke-3. Belmont, California: Wadsworth, 1982, hlm. 26-42.
Rich, Andrea L. Interracial Communication. New York: Harper & Row, 1974.
Ross, Raymond S. Speech Communication: Fundamentals and Practice. Edisi ke-6. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1983.
Samovar, Larry dan Fred Sanders. “Language Patterns of the Prostitute: Some Insight into a Deviant Subculture.” Dalam Larry A. Samovar dan Richard E. Porter, ed. Intercultural Communication: A Reader. Belmont, California: Wadsworth, 1982, hlm. 249-257.
Samovar, Larry A. dan Richard E. Porter. Communication between Cultures. Belmont, California: Wadsworth, 1991.
Severin, Werner J.dan James W. Tankard, Jr. Communication Theories: Origins, Methods, and Uses in the Mass Media. Edisi ke-3. New York: Longman, 1992.
Trenholm, Sarah dan Arthur Jensen. Interpersonal Communication. Belmont, California: Wadsworth, 1992.
Tubbs, Stewart L. dan Sylvia Moss. Human Communication. Edisi ke-7. New

HATI-HATI TIPUDAYA LEWIS

Bernard Lewis mencoba menipu kita agar kita simpati terhadap Barat terutama terhadap pemikirannya, tetapi coba kita perhatikan bagaimana dia berusaha membungkus racun dengan seulas madu. Di pertengahan ucapannya dia tidak lebih dan tidak kurang dari seorang Yahudi yang berusaha memutar balikkan fakta untuk menipu umat Islam. Dia sekali lagi dengan cara sangat halus berusaha mengadu doma kita bangsa dan negara MUslim dengan Bangsa dan Negara Muslim lainnya, terutama Iran. Ini kita dapat mudah lihat dalam paparan pernyataan Bernard Lewis berikut ini, sekali lagi hati-hatilah.
SELAMAT MEMBACA

No contemporary writer has done more to inform Western perceptions of Islam than Bernard Lewis. His seminal 1950 work, The Arabs in History, still holds up as one of the definitive accounts of the Arab world. Some of his more recent books have examined the rising anti-Western mood in the Islamic world. Coming after 9/11, What Went Wrong? The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East and The Crisis of Islam Holy War and Unholy Terror seek to explain the roots of extremism. His take on these subjects has often been controversial; some scholars accuse him of being needlessly alarmist about the “clash of civilizations” — a term he coined before Samuel Huntington’s book. Lewis’s latest book Islam: The Religion and the People, (Wharton School of Publishing) co-authored with Buntzie Ellis Churchill, is a useful primer for those who know little or nothing about the religion and its adherents. TIME’s World Editor Bobby Ghosh recently interviewed Lewis, 92, over the phone. Excerpts:

More Related
Friedman’s Lament
There’s the Death of Print, and Then There’s the Death of Print
A World Without Humans
TIME: Tell me about the timing of your new book. Why now, and how do you feel it adds to the general discussion on Islam?

LEWIS:There are two points I would like to make. One is the importance of Islam at the present time, which is about a billion and a third people, but it’s not because of the numbers only but more because of its role at the present time, its situation in Europe, Africa, Israel and increasingly America, and the mood in which the Islamic world finds itself at the present time. I think it’s very important that we should understand it.

That brings me to my second point. There are considerable difficulties in understanding it because of two false images, which are widespread. On the one hand we have the image of Muslims as barbarians, the traditional image of a Saracen riding out of the desert on horseback with a sword in one hand and a Koran in the other offering their victims a choice between the two. On the other hand we have Islam as a religion of love and peace, like the Quakers but without their aggressiveness. Both of these are, of course, nonsense. Both are wildly exaggerated, and the truth is in its usual place somewhere between the two.

What we try to do in this book is to give an unvarnished, unapologetic, undefensive account of Islam as it truly is. It’s not a religious book. We are not theologians. We are concerned with human beings, people who expressed and promoted the religion and who profess it at the current time. What we have tried to do is to give a fair and balanced account of the realities of the Islamic world, the good things, the bad things, and the present danger.

Over the last six or seven years in the Western world, there has been a greater interest in Islam. Is there a similar curiosity, a similar appetite in the Islamic world for understanding about the West?

There has been in the past, but less so nowadays. But it’s a different situation. You must remember that in most of the Islamic countries, the level of literacy is low. Second, the degree of freedom of expression is very limited, so you can’t expect the same kind of outpouring of interest and response to that interest as there is in the Western world.

The wild man image, as you put it, of the Saracen with the sword in one hand and the Koran in the other …

Which, by the way, is not only absurd but also impossible — unless you were going to assume a race of left-handed swordsman. No self-respecting Muslim would carry the Koran in the left hand, which is traditionally reserved for unclean purposes.

How deeply rooted is that image still in Western culture and in the Western psyche?

I would say it was deeply rooted for quite a long time when the West was more or less continuously under attack. First, it was the Arab conquest was in Spain and then the Turks in Europe. Then it began to fade, but now, of course, it has revived for obvious reasons.

Are there any particularly noteworthy examples in recent times that spring to your mind of how deeply rooted this is?

Well there are various statements one finds in the press and in speeches that project that image of Islam. To be fair the image presented by the enemies of Islam is much the same as that presented by the terrorists. As I see it, the terrorist organizations represent a deformation of Islam in the same way as Nazism is a deformation of German patriotism and Bolshevism is a deformation of the aspiration for social betterment. We have observed such things in our lifetime now, and as with the Germans and the Russians, the Muslims themselves are the first and worst victims of this.

There seems to be a growing disquiet among religious scholars or ordinary Muslims about this image that the terrorists are presenting to the world. There seems to be some discussion of how to address and redress that. We should have no illusions. It is a very real danger that could be a mortal threat to our whole civilization, to our way of life. It comes in two varieties. On the one hand you have the al-Qaeda type. On the other hand you have the Iranian type sponsored by the Iranian government. Both of these have global aspirations. Both of them have a sort of apocalyptic mind-sets. Both feel that now is the end of time and that the final struggle is about to take place between the forces of good and the forces of evil, the forces of good, of course, means themselves and the forces of evil means us, the rest of the world.

Do you think that on the Iranian side, there is some cynical political calculation as well?br Yes there is that too. There are a number of differences of opinion in Iran. Iran is a very old country; it’s not a recently manufactured state. Iran is a country that goes back not just centuries but millennia. In Iran you have patriotism that’s distinct from nationalism, which is what you find in most of the rest of the Muslim world. This sense of Iranian identity is very strong and very deep-rooted, and in opposing this we have to be careful not to give the present rulers of Iran a gift of something that they don’t personally enjoy — the support of Iranian patriotism.

On the one hand there are patriotic Iranians who feel offended and insulted when people attack their country. On the other hand there are many Iranians, probably a majority of Iranians, who feel outraged by the present leaders of their country, who feel they are dishonoring the good name of Iran, as many Germans felt about the Nazis.

What should we make, if anything, of the Saudi King Abdallah’s visit to the Pope, and his sponsorship of an interfaith dialogue in Spain? Are these serious efforts to reach out and arrive at some sort of understanding, or are they merely cosmetic?

I think they show an awareness of the mortal danger that this kind of militant Islam represents to the Saudis and to the rest of the world.

What do you make of the outbreak of violence between Shi’ites and Sunnis, especially in Iraq? How do you expect that will that play out?

Obviously this is an internal division among Muslims. The case of Iraq is a particularly important one because Iraq is a country that has a Shi’ite majority but a Sunni domination. I would borrow a word from the Irish history to describe it and say it’s the “Shi’ite Ascendancy.” Since the days of the medieval Caliphate, the Sunnis remained the ruling group. They monopolized all of the positions of power and authority. Now, for the first time, the Shi’ite has access to power as they must inevitably in any real democracy, and so far its going better than what one might have expected. The Irish word “ascendancy” describes it perfectly.

Some in the West think that if they are fighting each other that is a jolly good thing for the rest of us, because then they aren’t bothering with us. How do you respond to that?

I don’t share that view.

Is the hatred of Muslim extremists towards the West greater than their hatred towards each other?

Communication:A Golden Bridge to A Better Socio-Cultural Life

C O M M U N I C A T I O N
A Golden Bridge To a Better Sociocultural Life

By: Dr. Solatun Ibn.M. Djamil

1. Why Communication
We have an extremely memorable sympathetic story on the case that the fourth Indonesia President Abdurrahman Wahid was entering the Indonesia Presidential Palace in his first day as Indonesian President with wearing his luxurious very expensive presidential coat, but he was leaving the palace in a political eviction with only have sufficient time to wear his disheveled undershorts . We indeed will not questioning the case of because all of Indonesian knew that the apprehensive sympathetic case was originated by the failure of communication. Abdurrahman Wahid was previously stated that Indonesia Parliament (members) just look like Taman Kanak-Kanak (Kinder Garden). Most of the parliament members offended and then intercepted all kaind of the president policies therefore he fallen and dislodged from the presidential throne.
Additionally, this is just the other real case can give us a lesson. The Washington Post once published sensational, unfavorable news on an important businessman. Later the news appeared to be a lie. In agreement with the norms, the person was given a right to give his response, but the response was not able to erase the effect of the previous incorrect news on its readers’ minds completely. The man became bankrupt and finally committed suicide (Madjid, 1997) .
Failures in various domains of life, in business, educational, health or political, can be traced to communication problems or what is commonly termed miscommunication . Miscommunication does not mean that communication has not happened; rather, “it means that often the meanings that communicators create in response to messages sent to them are very different from the meanings that were intended” (Kreps and Thornton, 1992:7).
In political arena, one remarkable miscommunication took place when the word mokusatsu was interpreted by the US authority in World War II. This Japanese word was a response of the Japanese to the ultimatum of the Allies asking the Japanese to surrender. The US authority took it more or less as “to ignore” (“we do not care”) or “to treat with silent contempt” instead of the more appropriate meaning, “do not give a comment until a decision is made,” or “We will comply with your ultimatum without further notice” as intended by the Japanese (see also Smith, 1993:55; Jandt, 2004:155). This misinterpretation probably led to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the US in August 1945.
It is also assumed that the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger above Cape Carnaval, US, was not only a technical failure, but also a communication failure. There were indeed technical problems when the “O” rings were not set properly in their place. Yet, the NASA engineers failed to inform the management of NASA about this problem and to ensure further possible social and political consequences of the possible failure of the Challenger launching (Schirato and Yell, 2000:3).
If miscommunication could lead to fatal danger, it could also create the same danger in the health care. Specifically, it may lead to the death of patients. It is worth noting that decisions to be made by health care providers must be based on messages provided by the clients, colleagues, and other members of the health care team. Their interpretation of the patient’s condition and symptoms resulted from blood test, X-rays or CAT-scan will be risky if it is misleading. In Indonesia, for example, there have been some cases where the misinterpretation of patients’ symptoms by physicians led them to give inappropriate drugs that made the patients get worse or even die. In other cases, sloppy surgeons left their medical tools inside the patient’s body upon the operation, causing them to suffer from pain for some time. Some patients have endeavored to bring law suits against those physicians. However, due to the strong power of the Indonesian medical doctors association, and the difficulty to prove that the medical doctors were wrong, in most cases such law suits have failed.
Despite the importance of human communication is undoubtedly critical in today’s world, many experts in various fields, including the communication it self, not excerptionaly the field of telecommunication, seem to be little the importance of communication. The field of telecommunication it self indeed has its a very crucial problematic challenge related to communication effectiveness. This is just the other real case faced by my own self in term of Information Technology when I was getting Rp.100.000,00 top-up values from an unacquaintedable top-up service centre. I said to my wife that the case has traped me to an anxious feeling. Unfortunately (as my wife answered) the amount of the top-up value just only Rp.100.000,00 rather than Rp.100 billion which will make whoever (certainly me) feel better to forget guilty feeling of because the amount can make us to be richer indeed to be a billionair like the top-ten Indonesian corruptors in BLBI and KLBI cases.
This negligence is partially based on common misunderstandings about communication which include the following:
• Communication skill is a natural gift; every one is capable to do it; it is not a result of one’s training or education.
• I am speaking, therefore I am communicating.
• Communication is based on intention; communication takes place whenever I intend to do so.
• Communication is a verbal process.
• Meanings are in words.
• The more we communicate, the higher its effectiveness.

We might argue, “Why do we have to learn something natural? We have never learned to walk, to sit, to eat, and to sleep, and all other things that we do every day.” We just take it for granted that we communicate every day, so that we think we know how to communicate and how to solve communication problems until we get shocked when our taken-for-granted communication turns to be a failure.
I’d like to throught this session argue that communication like various forms of arts and sports: writing, dancing, running, playing tennis, or swimming that must be learned and developed before we master them. Communication skills as a kind of sociocultural skill must be regarded the same way to them. Habitual communication does not guarantee skillful communication. Simply communicating does not mean communicating effectively. Effectiveness, this is the key point. According to Samovar and Porter (1982:27), understanding communication means that we understand what happens during communication, why it happens, what consequences brought about by communication, and what we can do to influence or maximize the results of communication. Communication is said to be effective if the results of communication fits the purpose of the communicators, whether to inform, to entertain, to persuade, to induce action, or to settle a problem. Communication among those involved in Information Technology based Telecommunication is effective if it fits the expectation of the communication participants (machine makers/ programmers, computer users, telecommunication network users, and certainly all other stakeholders).
Since the need to an effective communication in our day to day life is inevitable at this globalized world, learning communication is thus not only important but also will bridging our self to be effectively relate to others who have their cultural diversities which differ from us. Yet merely understanding people from different cultures will help us to understand not only their cultures but also their feeling, their wants, and their thought and or ideas, therefore communication in the other word can be nicknamed as A Golden Bridge To A Better Sociocultural Life. I indeed think that human being are really communication being, just as Samovar suggest that we can not not communicate (Samovar, 1982).

2. Communication and Culture
Communication is a culture and culture is communication (Samovar,1991). A well-known anthropologist Edward T. Hall (1976) divides culture into high-context cultures characterized by high-context communication (messages) and low-context culture characterized by low-context communication (messages). People living in high context-cultures (most countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America and some countries in Southern Europe) communicate implicitly, relying much on nonverbal symbols and behaviors, including facial expression, tone of voice, and even silence. While, they often hide their feelings to maintain rapport with others, people living in low-context cultures (North America, North Europe, Australia, New Zealand) are blunt and straightforward to make statements. They say what they mean and mean what they say.
Deddy Mulyana argued that it is not only no doubt but really true that our culture must contain biases that may inhibit our communication with others. We have to keep some distance from our own culture by “living in other cultures,” by putting ourselves on their shoes not on our shoes. We can only see our own culture clearly from some distance. Samuel Johnson, an English writer in the eighteenth century believed that he would understand his country much better when he stood in another’ culture, or in the words of the French philosopher Jean Baudrillard, “To open our eyes to the absurdity of our own customs is the charm and benefit of travel” (Schneider and Barsoux, 1997:10).The crux of the problem is that most people are not aware of the importance of suspending their judgment of other cultures before exploring their own culture so that they can clearly see the positive as well as the negative aspects of their culture, an attitude characterized by understanding and empathy that may enable them to more just and tolerant toward other
Refer to the previous two dictums, we can conclude that culture and communication are likely as the two sides of the same coin. There is no communication unless it is characterized as culture bound; and no culture wherever it arised and developed by its embracers entity unless it is the product of communication pratices.

3. Communication: Its Aspects and Prospects
Since communication is commonly defined as “the imparting or interchange of feeling, thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs…” communication will usually manifest in an act or instance of transmitting and or a process by which messages and or information is exchanged between two or more individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior . Communication also commonly related to an exchange of information. Communication can be perceived as a two-way process in which there is an exchange and progression of thoughts, feelings or ideas towards a mutually accepted goal or direction.
Communication is a process whereby messages such as information is encoded and imparted by a sender to a receiver via a channel/medium. The receiver then decodes the message and gives the sender a feedback. Communication requires that all parties have an area of communicative commonality. There are auditory means, such as speaking, singing and sometimes tone of voice, and nonverbal, physical means, such as body language, sign language, paralanguage, touch, eye contact, by using writing (www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/communication. Retrieved on 2009-03-08).
Communication is thus a process by which we assign and convey meaning in an attempt to create shared understanding. This process requires a vast repertoire of skills in intrapersonal and interpersonal processing, listening, observing, speaking, questioning, analyzing, and evaluating. if you use these processes it is developmental and transfers to all areas of life: home, school, community, work, and beyond. It is through communication that collaboration and cooperation occur (www.k12.wa.us/ CurriculumInstruct/Communications/default.aspx. Retrieved on March 14, 2008).
Communication is the articulation of sending a message through different media, whether it be verbal or nonverbal, so long as a being transmits a thought provoking idea, gesture, action, etc. Communication is a learned skill. Most babies are born with the physical ability to make sounds, but must learn to speak and communicate effectively. Speaking, listening, and our ability to understand verbal and nonverbal meanings are skills we develop in various ways. We learn basic communication skills by observing other people and modeling our behaviors based on what we see. We also are taught some communication skills directly through education, and by practicing those skills and having them evaluated ( dictionary.reference.com/browse/media. Retrieved on March 14 2008).
Communication as an academic discipline relates to all the ways we communicate, so it embraces a large body of study and knowledge. Communication as commonly studied at universities, especially at the department of Communication Sciences, will basicly comprise at least of “the content including all messages will be trnsactionally and multilinearely delivered, and the relation including the way we deliver the messages”.
The content of a communication transaction will simply can be said as “what is said”. The meaning contended on the messages itself will depend on the individual who say in his or her (communicator) sociocultural hierarchy or ocupassion, and the situation surounding the communicator. The meaning indeed will be depend on what “academic diciplinary, kind of hobby, ethnic and or nationality, and profession” are the communicators originated from. When a Javanese dentist said to his or her Sundanese patient “please gigitekan” the patient may will be dancing a Jaipong Dance, despitely the word “gigitekan” in the dentist mind perceived as “to push the teeth with the other theeth”. A telecommunication engineer at the other place may will say “mouse” to point toward an optional hardwere used in computer sett usually used to point any preset menus displayed in the computer’s monitor. If the engineer saying “mouse” nearside his new young wife, thus the meaning of the word mouse may will be very different from the firstly one. The engineer may be has his a very personal taste in making his firtatious wife with his personal hope commonly may be said “embrace me please honey (peluklah/dekaplah aku sayang)”.
The previous two case are just in term of verbal communication. Communication in fact occurred in verbal and nonverbal ways. There is indeed a vast consensus among communication scholars that nonverbal communication is more influential than verbal communication. Most researchers maintain that a larger part of the meaning of a message is conveyed nonverbally, particularly that containing emotional tones. It is estimated we send more than a half of all our messages through nonverbal channels: 65 % according to Birdwhistell (1955) and 93 % according to Mehrabian and Ferris (1967). (Singelis, 1994:275). This quantity of nonverbal messages partly depends on the culture of the people involved. People from Eastern cultures typically use more nonverbal messages than their Western counterparts. Scholars indicate that nonverbal communication is more dominant than verbal communication, ranging from some 60 percent (in the low-context culture) to some 90 percent (in the high-context culture). Some research shows that at least 75 percent of all communication is nonverbal (Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner, 1999:76). Research conducted by Mehrabian and his colleagues indicate that total liking is indicated by 7 % verbal, 38 % vocal + 55 % facial expression (1972:182). This means that nonverbal behavior is far more important than verbal behavior as a source of our emotion. In general we trust nonverbal sources more than verbal sources, since people are more spontaneous when behaving nonverbally. Put differently, nonverbal behavior is more natural than verbal behavior. It is easier for us to control our verbal behavior than our nonverbal behavior; so we are more able to manipulate our verbal behavior than our nonverbal behavior.
The nonverbal communication is included to as communication scholars consensus on the way communicator deliver the messages and commonly said the relation aspect of communication. According to this paragraph, we will indeed conclude that in a lose manner, communication comprise of two main aspects, content aspect and relation aspect. The second aspect we usually called relation may be refered to a memorable case on how Indonesian Medias criticize the way the Director of IMF behaving in a disgrace manner to Soeharto the President of Indonesia when he was signing the contractual draft of additional loan from IMF two decades ago. Althought the IMF Director has no disgrace feeling as any journalist feel, the way the IMF Director taken in practice is not only uncommon but also unpolite accroding to Javanese culture, especially in term of Soeharto as the number one person of the day in Indonesia. The IMF Director style is just a cultural style which usually said by communication scholars as “body language”, but culturally Javanese perceive that it is an important part of Javanese cultural politeness and or ethics.
Some scholars maintain that body language or the language of gestures was the first form of human communication, preceding verbal communication by tens of thousands of years (Cornballis cited in Adler 2004:123) . Some cultures use a lot of body language, while others do not. Italians are considered as people who use a lot of hand gestures while speaking so that they are regarded as too emotional by Americans and North Europeans. Native Americans, Finns, and Japanese are peoples who use a relatively small amount of body language. Indeed gestures and their meanings vary from culture to culture. In the US, number one is indicated by raising an index finger, but some in parts of Europe it is indicated by raising a thumb, and two by raising an index finger and a thumb (Jandt, 2004:131).
To summon somebody, people use different hand waves. In many Western countries, such as the US, England, Germany, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands, one call others to come forward by waving one’s hand with one’s palm upward and fingers moving toward the summoner. In many other countries in Asia (for instance the Philippines, Indonesia, China, Japan), Africa (Ghana), and Latin America (Peru), in South Europe (some areas in Italy, Spain, Portugal) and in several Arab countries, it is just the other way around: one summons others by the hand with the palm downward and the fingers moving toward the summoner, even though the hand wave varies a little from one country to another. As Tischler (1999:146) points out, In the US waving the hand up and down in parting will make South Americans approach you. In the Netherlands the Dutch waving hand to summon Indonesians will make them confused. Just imagine, a Dutch medical doctor gives this gesture to her Indonesian patient waiting to be called in a hospital waiting room in Amsterdam. The Indonesian patient might be upset.
A member of the Peace Corps was called to come to the city to settle a problem indicating that a volunteer treated an Ethiopian like a dog. He found the volunteer working in a health center. He observed that the volunteer pointing and calling patients one by one using his finger to come to the examination room. The hand gesture was a big mistake since in Ethiopia, such a pointing was suitable for children, and his summoning was suitable for dogs. In Ethiopia, one points to others by extending one’s arm and hand, and summons others by extending one’s hand, with one’s palm downward, and close it repeatedly (Calloway-Thomas et al., 1999:137). The following is a similar faulty incidence:

A Dutch nurse is working in a field hospital somewhere in East Africa. Her task consists, quite simply, of showings the patients in: they are all sitting on the floor in a tent, and she needs to signal to each of them that it is his/her turn to go into the doctor’s cabinet.
Although the nurse’s task is apparently simple and straightforward, the local people seem to hate her, and do not want to have anything to do with her. They say: ‘She treats us like dogs.’
At first glance, there is nothing in the nurse’s behaviour that could cause such a strong reaction. Until it is discovered that she indicates the next person to be seen by the doctor by pointing with the finger. This simple gesture was the cause of the local people’s reaction: in many countries you can point at animals, but it is extremely rude to point at people with your finger (Pinto, 1990: 112, quoted by Verluyten, 2000:62)

We often wave our hands to greet others. In France, however, greeting through waving hands is personal and individual. General hand wave to all people present in an office as found in the US is deemed insulting to French colleagues. Instead, we should greet each French colleague individually while mentioning their names, such as, “Bonjour Nathalie,” shake her hand and see straight in her eyes (Schneider and Barsoux, 1997:24).
The raised thumb seems to be common in many cultures. But its meaning varies from culture to culture, with the most common meaning being “approval.” In Germany it means “Good!” or “OK”, but it also means “one,” usually used to order something, for example, “One more glass of beer” in a bar. In Australia, the raised thumb also means OK, but it is an insult when it is done abruptly upward, but in Japan the raised thumb means “a male” or number five. In the US “Okay (OK)” is commonly indicated by forming a circle by a thumb and a forefinger while three other fingers stand. In Ireland, however, this sign is vulgar and it is rude in some Latin American countries such as Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. It is comparable to or even worse than the middle finger gesture which means “Fuck you!” in the US. In Morocco, Belgium and in some parts in France (including Paris) the sign means “zero.” The same sign means money in Japan, Korea, and the Philippines. The gesture is often used to warn or to threat others in several Arab countries, for example in Syria. In Turkey as well as in Greece, it means a sexual invitation. Imagine an American male doctor who gives the OK sign to a Turkish female patient, a Greek female patient, or a Brazilian patient in an American hospital. This may result in a deteriorating relationship between the two parties.
The fig gesture (the thumb protruding between the index finger and the middle finger while the fist is close) is vulgar in several European countries, in Guatemala, and in Indonesia. But in Portugal and Brazil, it means “Good Luck!” The same sign means “Nothing. You will get nothing” in Ukraine (for children who ask too much). It is worthy of note that while the V sign (with the palm facing outside) means victory in most of the Western countries, in Britain, the same sign (but with the palm facing inside) is insulting, its meaning being equal to the middle finger sign in the US.

Additionally we should be concerned to Kafi Kurnia’s statement that “RUMUS SUKSES TERFOKUS PADA KOMUNIKASI. MAKLUM, ZAMAN INI ADALAH ZAMAN INFORMASI. INFORMASI MENGGERAKKAN PERUBAHAN. KOMUNIKASI YANG BAIK MELAHIRKAN TRANSPARANSI. KITA MENJADI LEBIH TERBUKA, DAN CEPAT BELAJAR DARI KESALAHAN” KAFI KURNIA (1999).
These are the other cases that indicate communication importance to our success. BJ Habibie make no aircraft by his own hand along his life, but his expertise, popularity and capability in communicating his knowledge on aircraft technology to the worldwide world class aircraft engineers has been the cause in which he being the number one most payable aircraft expert in the world. BJ Habibie’s way in solving Indonesia financial crisis when he was the Indonesia president is indeed being learned by so many scholars and international political leaders of because his success on it althought he is not a man graduated from a financial or monetary studies. His good communication to the experts in financial field has make him the man behind successful solving in financial crisis of Indonesia last 1998.
Henry Kissinger’s success with his oral communication competency is the other case that indicate the importance of communication skill to our success. Since Zainuddin MZ, Ustadz UJ, AA Gym, Rheinald Kasali, Mario Teguh, and Hermawan Kertajaya may be the success figures of the local cases in term of their communication competency, but all these cases clearly indicate to us that communication not only important but also inevitably should be our personal competency wherever and whatever we do our professional day to day life in whatever sociocultural environment.

4. Conclusion
This is a wise statement I got from my teachers that the “best conclusion of a speech is that the speaker pleasing the audiences to make their own conclusion based on their sociocultural and or personal perception”. I am however will regardly propose that mastering properly communication competency is inevitably to all of us, whatever our field of profession, indeed that we are telecommunication engineers. The main aspect which should be our concern in mastering communication competencies are the content we have to construct logically in term of our academic and professional disciplinary, and the relation in which way we have to deliver our constructive communication contents to other.
I really feel that I have to also propose that communication is culture bound, and the key aspect of the sociocultural behavior we have to compete is empathetic competency. In the other simpler word, best communicator must be the most empathic person, therewith communicator (you and me) try and try to endeavor and finally master the competency of understanding other rather than wanting to be understood. And, the highest empathetic understanding will be occured when we get a perfect understanding on whatever we did not understand about others and in whatever and why the others did not understand about us. May Allah The Allmighty bless us forever and give us best way to master competency in Communication.

SUGGESTED READING:

Allport, Gordon W.. The Nature of Prejudice. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley, 1954.
Arifin, Anwar. Ilmu Komunikasi: Sebuah Pengantar Ringkas. Jakarta: Rajawali Pers, 1998.
Baird, Craig, Franklin H. Knower, dan Samuel L. Becker. Essentials of General Speech Communication. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1973.
Barker, Larry. Communication. Edisi ke-3. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1984.
Baron, Robert A. dan Paul B. Paulus. Understanding Human Relations: A Practical Guide to People at Work. Edisi ke-2. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1991.
Book, Cassandra L. , ed. Human Communication: Principles, Contexs, and Skills. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1980.
Bross, Irwin D.J. “Models.” Dalam James H. Campbell dan Hal W. Hepler, ed. Dimensions in Communication: Readings. Belmont, California: 1965.
Curtis, Dan B., James J. Floyd, dan Jerry L. Winsor. Komunikasi Bisnis dan Profesional. Ed. Yuyun Wirasasmita. Penerj. Nanan Kandagasari, Rina Komara, dan Yeti Pudjiyati. Bandung: Rosda Jayaputra, 1996.
DeFleur, Melvin L. Theories of Mass Communication. Edisi ke-2. New York: David McKay, 1970.
DeFleur, Melvin L. dan Sandra Ball-Rokeach. Theories of Mass Communication. Edisi ke-5. New York: Longman, 1989.
DeVito, Joseph A. The Interpersonal Communication Book. Edisi ke-5. Cambridge: Harper & Row, 1989.
DeVito, Joseph A. Komunikasi Antarmanusia: Kuliah Dasar. Edisi ke-5. Penerj. Agus Maulana. Jakarta: Professional Books, 1997.
Effendy, Onong Uchjana. Ilmu Komunikasi: Teori dan Praktek. Bandung: Remaja Rosdakarya, 1997.
Fagin, Joe R. Racial and Ethnic Relations. Edisi ke-2. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1984.
Fisher, B. Aubrey. Teori-teori Komunikasi. Penerj. Soejono Trimo. Bandung: Remaja Rosdakarya, 1986.
Fisher, B. Aubrey dan Catherine Adams. Interpersonal Communication: Pragmatics of Human Communication. Edisi ke-2. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994.
Forrest, Mary dan Margot A. Olson. Exploring Speech Communication: An Introduction. St. Paul: West, 1981.
Griffin, Em. A First Look at Communication Theory. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1991.
Gudykunst, William B. dan Young Kim. Communicating with Strangers: An Approach to Intercultural Communication. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992.
Hall, Edward T. The Silent Language. Garden City, NY: Anchor Books, [1959] 1973.
Hall, Edward T. Beyond Culture. New York: Doubleday, 1976.
Hall, Edward T. dan William Foote Whyte. “Komunikasi Antarbudaya: Suatu Tinjauan Antropologis. Dalam Deddy Mulyana dan Jalaluddin Rakhmat, ed. Komunikasi Antarbudaya: Panduan Berkomunikasi dengan Orang-orang Berbeda Budaya. Bandung: Remaja Rosdakarya, 1996, hlm. 36-53.
Hanafi, Abdillah. Memahami Komunikasi Antar Manusia. Surabaya: Usaha Nasional, 1984.
Hersey, Paul dan Kenneth H. Blanchard. Management of Organizational Behavior Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1993.
Hurt, H. Thomas, Michael D. Scott, dan James C. McCroskey. Communication in the Classroom. Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley, 1978.
Hybels, Saundra dan Richard L. Weaver II. Speech/Communication. Edisi ke-2. New York: D. Van Nostrand, 1979.
Infante, Dominic A., Andrew S. Rancer, dan Deanna F. Womack. Building Communication Theory. Prospect Heights, Illinois: Waveland Press, 1990.
Kottak, Conrad Philip. Anthropology: The Exploration of Human Diversity. New York: Random House, 1974.
Littlejohn, Stephen W. Theories of Human Communication. Edisi ke-5. Belmont, California: Wadsworth, 1996..
Mulyana, Deddy. “Lebaran, Silaturahmi dan Usian Panjang.” Dalam Deddy Mulyana. Nuansa-nuansa Komunikasi: Meneropong Politik dan Budaya Komunikasi Masyarakat Kontemporer. Bandung: Rosda, 1999, 46-48.
Mulyana, Deddy. “Kampanye Politik sebagai Teater.” Dalam Deddy Mulyana. Nuansa-nuansa Komunikasi: Meneropong Politik dan Budaya Komunikasi Masyarakat Kontemporer. Bandung: Rosda, 1999, hlm.87-92.
Madjid, Nurcholis. “Pendewasaan Diri.” Republika, October 17, 1997.
Mulyana, Deddy. “Ritualisme Nonton Sepakbola di Televisi.” Dalam Deddy Mulyana. Nuansa-nuansa Komunikasi: Meneropong Politik dan Budaya Komunikasi Masyarakat Kontemporer. Bandung: Rosda, 1999, hlm. 147-154.
Pace, R. Wayne dan Don F. Faules. Komunikasi Organisasi: Strategi Meningkatkan Kinerja Perusahaan. Ed. Deddy Mulyana. Bandung: Rosda, 1998.

Porter, Richard E dan Larry A. Samovar. “Aprroaching Intercultural Communication.” Dalam Larry Samovar dan Richard E. Porter, ed. Intercultural Communication: A Reader. Edisi ke-3. Belmont, California: Wadsworth, 1982, hlm. 26-42.
Rich, Andrea L. Interracial Communication. New York: Harper & Row, 1974.
Ross, Raymond S. Speech Communication: Fundamentals and Practice. Edisi ke-6. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1983.
Samovar, Larry dan Fred Sanders. “Language Patterns of the Prostitute: Some Insight into a Deviant Subculture.” Dalam Larry A. Samovar dan Richard E. Porter, ed. Intercultural Communication: A Reader. Belmont, California: Wadsworth, 1982, hlm. 249-257.
Samovar, Larry A. dan Richard E. Porter. Communication between Cultures. Belmont, California: Wadsworth, 1991.
Severin, Werner J.dan James W. Tankard, Jr. Communication Theories: Origins, Methods, and Uses in the Mass Media. Edisi ke-3. New York: Longman, 1992.
Trenholm, Sarah dan Arthur Jensen. Interpersonal Communication. Belmont, California: Wadsworth, 1992.
Tubbs, Stewart L. dan Sylvia Moss. Human Communication. Edisi ke-7. New
“communication – Definition from the Mirriam-Webster online dictionary”. Mirriam-Webster. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/communication. Retrieved on 2009-03-08.
“communication”. written at Washington. office of superintendent of Public instruction. http://www.k12.wa.us/CurriculumInstruct/Communications/default.aspx. Retrieved on March 14, 2008.

BRIDGING ISLAM AND THE WEST

BRIDGING ISLAM AND THE WEST
Toward the Development of Intercultural Understanding

By Deddy Mulyana

Indonesia is now part of a globalized world. To be a prosperous country respected by others, it must develop and maintain good relationships with them. This ideal is not easy to achieve. There are cultural, economic, political, and psychological obstacles to overcome, some of which stem from our own weaknesses. For many nations, a balanced and harmonious global world – a world in which there are no conflicts, whether it be political or cultural (religious) is still a dream. Specifically from the Indonesian perspective, being part of a civilized world characterized by interreligious understanding and harmony is still very far from reality since in our own country we still have problems of interethnic and interreligious intolerance and enmity as boldly indicated by various riots among ethnic and religious groups causing the death of thousands of people in several parts of Indonesia, notably in Aceh, Papua, Maluku, and Poso. It is probably too early for us–if not an irony–to discuss the possibility of a peaceful co-existence with other nations, particularly the West. How can we become a member of a cilivilized and prosperous world when many ethnic and religious communities in Indonesia still distrust and even hate each other? This problem within our country must be first solved before we overcome problems with other countries.

Problems Within
For three decades, the Soeharto regime promoted the slogan “persatuan dan kesatuan Indonesia” (unity of Indonesia), along with other slogans such as “bhineka tunggal ika (unity in diversity), “pembangunan manusia seutuhnya” (intact human development), “tinggal landas” (take-off), etc. without planned and concrete programs. While there was economic development benefitting certain groups of people (Soeharto’s family members, relatives, and business cliques), human (cultural and moral) development was much neglected by the government. The primary development indicators used by the New Order were quantitative, particularly in terms of economic progress (although it turned out to be a failure), instead of qualitative ones such as the quality of democracy practiced by the government and its people, the degree of tolerance among various Indonesian cultural groups, and the standard of its people’s morality.
Consequently, our people have not reached the genuine cultural and moral standard frequently claimed by both the government and the people themselves, such as that “Orang Indonesia ramah-tamah” (Indonesian people are friendly), “Terdapat toleransi antaragama yang kuat di Indonesia” (There is strong interreligious tolerance in Indonesia). Rather, these claims are more likely to be ethnocentric statements. In fact, every nation tends to be ethnocentric, claiming that they are friendly, although this friendliness may be implemented in different ways. No people in this world admits that they are unkind or barbaric.
Some scholars in Indonesia have challenged the notion that Indonesian people have been kind and tolerant people, due to the fact that there were a lot of conflicts and rebellions within and among various Indonesian kingdoms in the past. The killings of thousands of people alleged as communists by the mass backed up by the government and the military in the 1960s are other instances that have made some of us doubt whether Indonesians deserve such an honour. In addition, the clashes among followers of different political parties before and during each election leading to the death of dozens of people for three decades, and the intercultural clashes (riots and slaughtering) among ethnic and racial groups in Indonesia for the last several years have undermined such an idealistic notion. From the cases above, many Indonesians can be considered as bad-tempered; they bear a grudge against others. This is partly due to their inability to settle intergroup or even interpersonal differences and conflicts. Their traditional-collectivistic orientation, as implied in the popular concepts of gotong royong (mutual cooperation) and musyawarah untuk mufakat (deliberation to reach an agreement), in contrast to western people’s individualistic orientation, makes them more accustomed to maintaining social harmony, being silent or giving in when facing others but grumbling behind their backs, leaving such conflicts prolonged or even unsettled. For decades this cultural tendency was intensified by the monolithic perspective maintained by the New Order, emphasizing the monoloyalty of groups of people to the government.
Some intergroup conflicts that have taken place in the last several years include the following: In May1998 Chinese shops in Jakarta were destroyed (with products being stolen) by the so called pribumi (native Indonesians). Not long after that there was also an interethnic riot between the Dayak and the Madurese in Sambas, West Kalimantan, causing hundreds of Madurese killed and hundreds of houses burned. Soon there were also serious interreligious group conflicts (riots and slaughtering) between Muslims and Christians in Maluku. The incident in that region was never anticipated, since cultural groups there had always been in harmony as implied in the concept Pella Gandong. Since the year 2000 there have also been riots between Muslims and Christians in Poso, Central Sulawesi, leading to the killings of hundreds of people from both sides, while the conflict in Maluku is still critical.
While the friction between the Acehnese and the military representing the central government (and to some degree the Javanese) has deteriorated, some frictions among ethnic groups are still latent. These latent frictions may come to the surface if they are not managed as early as possible. In Pekanbaru of the Riau province, for example, there has been an ethnic tension between the Riau Malays and the Minangkabau. The Malays feel that they are dominated economically by the Minangkabau. The Minangkabau are considered as agressive in business since they have a lot of experience in that field, while the Malays are humble, less-motivated and somewhat fatalistic. When I visited Kendari in Southeast Sulawesi recently, based on my personal communication with local people (lecturers at the Haluoleo University), I also found a similar incident in Kendari. Latent ethnic tensions also prevail both at this university, and more significantly in the provincial political arena. In the most recent election of the Jakarta governor, it was still a crucial issue whether the governor should be a Putra Betawi (Native Son of Jakarta) or not. All these tensions may not be admitted openly by local authorities. Yet, the tensions still have to be anticipated, especially among common people, since conflicts occur more readily among these people. Clearly, while some members of ethnic groups have meaningful and friendly relationships with each other, characterized by depth and empathy (the I – Thou relationship according to Martin Buber, 1970), the rest, perhaps in a larger number, interact with others superficially; they treat others as their contemporaries (Schutz, 1972), that is, people who live in the same period of time without facing each other, not as their conscociates who share the same space and time and communicate face-to-face intensively characterized by high intersubjectivity (Thou-orientation). In other words, their interethnic communication is still based on their sociological information about each other, particularly stereotypes from secondary sources (parents, relatives, peer groups, books, and mass media) rather than on their direct personal experiences. They still consider others as strangers (Simmel, 1950:402-408) who are far psychologically, although they are close physically, maybe as neighbors.

Factors Leading to Intergroup Conflicts
It is very difficult to discern all the factors contributing to ethnic, racial and religious conflicts and riots in Indonesia. The structural factor includes economic inequality among ethnic and racial groups (Indonesian natives vs. Chinese, Dayak vs. Madurese, Ambonese vs. Bugis, etc), unequal access to jobs and employment, lack of education, etc. Sayidiman Suryohadiprojo (Kompas, March 25, 1999) suggests that the practice of education be evaluated, the correct educational approach be formulated, considering that the frequent interethnic conflicts are caused by the lack of adaptability of the migrants. In the same vein, Rachbini (1999) suggests that while for well-educated urbans ethnic differences are not important, they are sensitive to low-educated people who constitute the larger portion of the Indonesian population. Rachbini cites a case in Sambas, West Kalimantan, where Madurese are seen by local people as rude, impolite, and hard to adapt to their local environment.
Although on the surface Indonesians seem united as a nation with its distinct culture, this is not really the case. From a cultural point of view, interethnic stereotypes still prevail among various ethnic, racial and religious groups in Indonesia, while the concept of Indonesian culture itself is still questioned whether it is already established or not. For instance, the Javanese and the Sundanese think that they are halus (soft) dan sopan (polite) and that the Batak are coarse, determined, hard-headed, loud and noisy, bad-tempered, and agressive. Interestingly, the Batak view themselves as brave, open, straighforward, clever, diligent, strong, and tough. They consider the Javanese and the Sundanese as soft and polite, but they are cowards, weak and like beating around the bush. For the Batak, it is honesty what others think as rudeness, while interpreting the softness of the Sundanese and the Javanese as hypocrisy.
Defining culture in a broad sense (incorporating all types of groups), the cultural diversity of Indonesia is very complex. The Indonesian population consists of several different religious groups–each having several subgroups–and hundreds of ethnic groups with their respective languages. The population also includes “strange” or “weird” cultural or subcultural groups, such as “sub-primitive” ethnic groups (for example the Baduy in West Java, the Sakai in Sumatra and the Amungme in Papua), waria (tranvestites), preman (street criminals), and dukun (native/traditional healers, fortune tellers, and magicians). Value differences and stereotypes among these existing groups, ethnic groups in particular, are still widespread. In 1970s Schweizer found strong interethnic stereotypes among Gadjah Mada University students, when she compared the Javanese, the Batak, and the Bugis-Macassarese (see Mulyana and Rakhmat, 1996). In 1980s and1990s, based on some obervation, interethnic stereotypes were also commonplace among communication students at Padjadjaran University and at Bandung Islamic University.
Although the various cultural (ethnic, racial, religious) groups interact more frequently, even using the same (national) language, this intercultural interaction does not necessarily lead to mutual understanding, since each group is prejudiced against each other to various degrees. This intergroup prejudice will not diminish if it is not well-managed. Using Arnett’s perspective, the main problem is communication from polarized positions (Gudykunst and Kim, 1992:258), namely the inability to believe or seriously take one’s own view as wrong dan others’ opinions as right. Communication is characterized by rhetoric that “we are right” and “they are wrong.” In other words, each cultural group tends to view one’s own culture as superior to other cultures and measuring other cultures by their own cultural standard.
When we communicate with people from other ethnic, racial, or religious groups, we are confronted with different value systems and rules. It will be difficult to understand their communication if we are ethnocentric. Ethnocentrisme is not dangerous as long as it is kept in mind. Yet, when it is activated through statements (stereotypes), attitude (prejudice), and behavior (discrimination), the consequences can be dreadful, as can be seen in the conflict between the Dayak and the Madurese in Sambas, West Kalimantan. Stereotypes lead to “self fulfilling prophecy,” that is a prediction that becomes a reality because, whether we realize it or not, we believe and say that it will become a reality (Verderber, 1996:37). Once you characterize an individual–due to his or her group membership–as stingy, coarse, wild, soft, a coward, a terrorist, or whatsoever, your statement or behavior will stimulate the other to behave the way you expect. Whatever the other says or does, you will interpret the statement or the action according to your biased (pre)conceptions. In other words, the statement or the behavior tends to reinforce your preconceptions.

Identity Crisis
From a psychological point of view, we Indonesians are suffering from a chronic identity crisis, especially in dealing with people from the West. We tend to imitate their way of life, following their values and life styles. Here is an illustration: A young sexy Indonesian female singer (who often lets her belly-button visible) is proud because her fans associate her with Britney Spears, while a popular Malaysian singer, Siti Nurhaliza (who covers herself modestly), does not want to be associated with anyone else, except herself (as a Malay woman). In a wider scope, it is easy to find evidences indicating our obsession to “swallow” foreign values: fastfood restaurants (McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken), fashion, entertainment (especially music), real estates (houses with Mediterranean or American designs). The fact that we admire white people conspicuously is portrayed in many TV commercials (for example those promoting skin creams claimed to whiten women’s skin and make them more beautiful).
To attract more viewers, since decades ago Indonesian films and soap operas have included stars who have Indo faces. For example, in the film Roro Mendut, made in 1983 and directed by Ami Priyono, Meriam Bellina stars as the main character although according the novel (written by Y.B. Mangunwijaya), Roro Mendut is depicted as a woman from a coast whose skin is hitam manis (sweet black). In a recent Indonesian TV soap opera entitled Terpikat, all the three stars: Wulan Guritno, Nafa Urbach, and Indra L. Brugmann, have Indo faces. All those cases, and so many other cases that cannot be described here due to the limited space, constitute symptoms that we have been suffering from a sort of psychological illness, or more specifically, an inferiority complex. Apparently we have inherited this tendency from our forebears who were once colonized by the Dutch for three hundred and fifty years. Dr. Sudjoko, a former lecturer at the Bandung Institute of Technology, characterized this tendency as krocojiwa (having low souls). He describes Indonesians as “being inferior vis-à-vis the West they admire, blindly imitating their attitude, behavior, and appearance.” Ironically, this inferiority complex is also felt by many indonesian Muslims who should feel confident and stand firmly against others, including the West. What the Muslim sociologist Ibnu Khaldun said in the 14th century in his well-known book, Muqaddimah, may be true that the conquered people always imitate the conqueror in their fashion, decoration, beliefs, and other customs. According to this scholar, this tendency stems from the obsession of the conquered to associate themselves with those have defeated them. The conquered respected the conqueror excessively, while they feel that this imitation will erase all the factors leading to their defeat (see also Mulyana, 1999:43).

Proposed Solution
To reiterate, it will be difficult for Indonesians (including the Muslims) to develop relationships with the West, if we cannot overcome intergroup conflicts within our country. Concrete efforts should be conducted first to solve the problem at this national level before we solve the problem at the international level.
First of all, we have to reconstruct our culture and develop relatively-new civilization. So far we have talked much about our national culture, yet we do not really know what is meant by Indonesian culture. From my point of view, Indonesian culture is an ever-changing process; it is never final. So from time to time we have to reformulate the parameters of our national culture. In principle, as the renowned poet WS Rendra once asserted, we may adopt cultural aspects from any cultural source, as long as they improve our human dignity. This means we can and have to abandon any traditional aspect of our culture that inhibits human development, such as the rubber-time custom, laziness, etc. and adopt any “foreign” cultural aspect that is beneficial to develop our humanity, such as self-discipline, hardwork, honesty, cleanliness, etc. An anecdote on the laziness of Indonesians describes that in the Arab kingdom Koreans are sweaty when they are working while Indonesians are sweaty when they are eating.
Second, to reformulate the constructive national culture and develop our civilization, perhaps we have to establish a national cultural council composed of independent members besides government representatives. This council is in charge of redefining our national identity and formulating the cultural strategies of Indonesia in dealing with foreign cultures. It is evident that while the government has allowed its people to be greatly influenced by western cultures (through television in particular), the government has not fairly treated all cultural groups throughout the country. In this context, the cultural council should cooperate with main educational institutions and nongovernmental organizations to formulate and socialize the cultural policies (including laws pertaining to ethnic, racial, or religious discrimination, for example). It should also gather knowledge on cultural beliefs, values, and practices of all potential cultural groups in Indonesia. Social scientists, especially antropologists, sociologists, and communicologists, who were ignored by the Soeharto regime can be assigned by the government to gather this knowledge and to investigate any intergroup conflict and propose recommendation to tackle the problem.
So far the government’s ignorance of cultural beliefs of a community may have constrained the development of that community. The lack of knowledge and empathy of the government with the cultural beliefs of the Amungme in Papua, for instance, have caused the Amungme to suffer from alienation in their own homeland while it is exploited as a mining area by the Freeport company endorsed by the Indonesian government. In the eyes of the Amungme, the land is sacred and as a center of their spiritual life. The population occupying Bintuni and Windesi in the Manokwari Regency believe that Gunung Nabi (Mount Prophet) is a holy place where “the Creator” resides. The Amungme in Papua say “Te Aro Neweak I am O” meaning that “Nature is myself.” As human beings they feel they have never been separated from their natural environment. They believe they come from nature, and they consider their land as their mother giving birth and nourishment to them, so the land must be respected. Based on such beliefs, the Amungme in Tembagapura rejected “modern shelters” provided by the government in Timika, although the new shelters were given freely and were much better than their traditional houses called Honay, and although they were taught to have a modern life, to cultivate local fisheries, and to utilize plants for their health (Mulyana, 2000:200-201).
The prospective national cultural council’s task also includes the reformulation of the problem of SARA (Suku, Agama Ras, dan Antargolongan) (Ethnic, Racial, Religious, and Intergroup problems), so that the problem becomes more rational. Until recently, this problem had always been concealed. Dircourse on ethnic, racial and religious differences had been taboo among the citizens. These cultural differences are to be managed rather than avoided. Without discussing these differences, intercultural stereotypes potentially leading to conflicts will still prevail, while on the surface they are latent. Once a friction takes place, its consequences can be so terrifying, because people are not accustomed to getting over such a friction, as indicated by many cases in the last few years.
Without improving our ideas and policies on SARA problems, intercultural conflicts may happen again in the future. We have to eliminate concepts and terms covering up the real problems such as pribumi (native), nonpribumi (non-native), WNI Keturunan (WNI descent), and the term SARA itself. According Daniel S. Lev, an Indonesianist at the University of Washington, Seattle, historically the politics of SARA has always been created from the top. It used to be a tactic of the colonialist government to make people ununited, since unity is a big power threatening the government (Kompas, June 10, 1998).
The Indonesian government needs to develop a multicultural policy that guarantees each group to preserve its culture. We should not be worried that the development of each culture will undermine the so called national culture. The cultural diversity will even enrich our experiences as individuals as well as a nation. In fact, individuals are able to broaden their cultural parameters further. In Chicago, for example, Chinese, Greeks, and Polish establish their own ethnic communities, yet they also proudly share their American identity. So, Indonesians can also become good Javanese, Indonesians, Muslims or Christians, and even the citizens of the world, without contradicting one identity with another. We should cast away the idea that when individuals stick to their ethnic culture they are less nationalist (Indonesian). Thus, there should not any bans on the display of Chinese cultural aspects such as the Barongsay dance and the Chinese cookies Dodol Cina like in the past. Indonesia has to be culturally open, flexible, and at the same time confident.
In developing our multicultural policy, we need to establish community centers enabling people from various cultural groups to socialize. Various community and cultural programs, including nonformal educational programs, can be carried out so that these cultural groups can understand each other, assisted by local authorities as facilitators who should first undergo intercultural training programs led by experts in this field. Local governments can hold intercultural activities enabling each cultural group to display its culture such as traditional food, traditional costumes, handicrafts, arts, etc. This Indonesian multicultural policy should also be realized through intercultural education at all levels (from primary level to tertiary level). Intercultural misunderstanding can be minimized through the understanding of values, expectation dan behavior of other cultural groups, and apply such knowledge in our communication with them. In fact, a broader project called global education has long been promoted by UNESCO. In its assembly in 1994 in Geneve, UNESCO reasserted its commitment to recommend the following: education should develop the capacity to recognize and accept values inherent in the diversity of individuals, genders, communities, and cultures, and develop the capability to communicate, share and cooperate with others.
We can also spread this intercultural knowledge and empathy through the printed media (newspaper articles, magazines, books, etc.) and the electronic media (radio and television programs focusing on the diversity of Indonesian subcultures and the importance of mutual cultural understanding) . This will be a great aid to this formal and informal intercultural education. Television in particular may broadcast programs containing a certain ethnic or racial group’s lifestyle. Until now most television characters portrayed by Indonesian television have reflected those from urban areas (especially Jakarta), well-educated classes, and dominant ethnic groups such as the Javanese and the Sundanese. Stories broadcast by television have barely touched other ethnic or racial groups such as the Sasak, the Banjar, the Menadonese, let alone the Chinese, the Indians or the Arabs. The government has always been proud that Indonesia is composed of hundreds of ethnic groups with each having its own language, yet the perspective used in television programs is the Jakarta perspective. Local programs depicting various lifestyles of Indonesian people may at the same time minimize our dependence on imported programs, particularly western ones frequently not suitable for Indonesian people. An interesting television program may delineate a conflict between a Javanese and a Chinese in an elegant, creative and funny way, and at the same time may propose a smart solution to the problem. Ethnic and racial problems may occur anywhere: in neighborhood, schools, offfices, or parks. Intercultural themes are so abundant and will never be worn out. However, certain rules still have to be set up. For instance, no television program should defame any religion. Certain programs promoting chances of minority ethnic groups to progress (for example, to be high-ranking officials, even to be the President of Indonesia) may also be produced and broadcast. This aims to eradicate a strong impression held by the people so far that only members of certain dominant ethnic groups can be the president. While in the past there was an “unwritten law” that only a Javanese can be the president, it is now still difficult to imagine that a Papua, an Ambonese, a Sasak, or an Aceh can reach that political position.

Concluding Remarks
To develop mutual-beneficial relationships with other countries, particularly the West, first we have to solve our internal problems which include mainly the integroup conflicts in our country and the lack of education among the people. The solution to these problems basically pertains to the development of relatively-new Indonesian civilization based on selective, constructive values such as independence, self-discipline, hardwork, steadfastness, honesty, responsibility, accountability, punctuality, cleanliness, etc. This reformulation of national identity and culture requires strong leadership and determination, especially in the effort to be free from the negative (cultural, political, and economic) influence of other nations and international organizations. Part of this radical solution is the development of the Indonesian multicultural policy which can be applied in the form of multicultural education at all levels and throughout the mass media

REFERENCES
Buber, Martin. I and Thou. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1970.
Gudykunst, William B., and Young Yun Kim. Communicating with Strangers: An Approach to Intercultural Communication. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992.
Kompas, June 10, 1998.
Kompas, March 25, 1999
Mead, George Herbert. Mind, Self, and Society: From a Standpoint of a Social Behaviorist. Editor Charles W. Morris. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1934.
Mulyana, Deddy. Nuansa-nuansa Komunikasi: Meneropong Politik dan Budaya Masyarakat Kontemporer. Bandung: Rosda, 1999.
——–. Ilmu Komunikasi: Suatu pengantar. Bandung: Rosda, 2000.
Mulyana, Deddy, and Jalaluddin Rakhmat, ed. Komunikasi Antarbudaya: Panduan Bekomunikasi dengan Orang-orang Berbeda Budaya. Second edition. Bandung: Remaja Rosdakarya, 1996.
Rachbini, Didik J. “‘Nazisme Lokal’ di Kalimantan Barat.” Republika, March 26, 1999.
Schuzt, Alfred. Collected Papers: Studies in Social Theory. Vol. II. Editor Maurice Natanson. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1971.
Verderber, Rudolph F. Communicate! Edisi ke-8. Belmont: Wadsworth, 1996.

INTRODUCTION TO ISLAM

An Introduction to Islam

“Truly, the only way of life acceptable to Allah is Islam.” [Qur'an 3:19]

In 610 CE, Allah ordained the final Prophet He would send to earth. Over five
centuries had passed since the previous Prophet He sent, Jesus the son of Mary.
This final Prophet was Muhammad ibn Abdillah (saas). Though Muhammad (saas) was
born in the Arabian peninsula, he was sent to all of humanity. He was
commissioned to deliver a message from Allah to Arabs and non-Arabs alike.

The message was the same one which Allah had sent down to the earliest humans.
It contained a description of the way of life which Allah had established for
people to follow while they lived here on earth. By agreeing to follow this way
of life, people would essentially be submitting themselves to Allah. The name of
this way of life was simply ’submission’. In Arabic, this is Islam (pronounced
“Isslaam”).

The message of Islam was conveyed in only two ways: in the form of a book, and
in the living example of the Prophet. These two are the basis for a way of life
which is acceptable to both mind and heart – it is neither illogical nor
impersonal. It is in fact the only true way of life revealed from the Creator.
The scope of this way of life is vast enough that it transcends the traditional
notion of ‘religion’. Islam includes submitting to Allah in the realm of
politics, economics, law, etc.

Whoever wishes to understand Islam can only start at one place: the Oneness and
Uniqueness of Allah. This is the essence of the creed of Islam, and no other
creed on earth approaches its power and elegance. Scholars have written at
length on the beliefs of Islam (e.g. Ibn Taimiyah and at-Tahawi), but the core
belief is undisputed:

Sahih Bukhari – Volume 9, Book 93, Number 470:
Narrated Mu’adh bin Jabal:
The Prophet said, “O Mu’adh! Do you know what Allah’s Right upon His slaves is?”
I said, “Allah and His Apostle know best.” The Prophet said, “To worship Him
(Allah) Alone and to join none in worship with Him (Allah). Do you know what
their right upon Him is?” I replied, “Allah and His Apostle know best.” The
Prophet said, “Not to punish them (if they do so).”

We here at MSA-USC pray that Allah finds the information contained in this site
pleasing to Him. We also hope that you find the information useful to you.

An introduction for someone entirely new to Islam

The True Religion

Islamic Belief (Al-Aqidah) by Abu Ja`far at-Tahawi

A brief introduction to the Creed of Islam by Dr. Abdul-Aziz Al-Qari

Understanding Islam and the Muslims

World of Islam, courtesy of ISL Software, makers of the WinAlim Islamic database.

Principles of Islamic Faith (Al-`Aqidah Al-Wasitiyah) by Ahmad Ibn Taimiyah
(from Iqra’ International Educational Foundation)

This text is openly improveable to all readers. Thank you for improving in all term.

JAWA BARAT DALAM PERSPEKTIF

Mimpi Eskatologis
JAWA BARAT 2010 DALAM PERSPEKTIF
Oleh SOLATUN

Jawa Barat memang segalanya bagi Indonesia. Manusia cerdas Indonesia terkumpul dan mengasah kecerdasan nalarnya di ITB, di Jawa Barat. Udara paling sejuk Indonesia adanya di Bandung, di Jawa Barat. Gadis-gadis tercantik Indonesia adanya di Bandung, di Jawa Barat. Sayur-sayuran dan buah-buahan segar Indonesia semuanya adanya di Lembang dan Cisarua, di Jawa Barat. Vulcano satu-satnya yang dapat dicapai kendaraan roda empat adalah Tangkuban Parahu, di Jawa Barat. Pusat pendidikan tinggi terkemuka pencetak doktor dan para jenderal (UI, ITB, UNPAD, UPI, SESKOABRI, SESPIMPO SESKOAD, SESKOAU) adanya di Bandung Jawa Barat. Pesantren paling kolosal, paling besar, dan paling modern di dunia adalah Al-Zaitun, juga berada di Jawa Barat. Industri dari yang paling massal produksinya, paling canggih teknologinya, hingga paling strategis adanya juga di Jawa Barat.
Kita hanya ragu dengan satu hal bahwa itu ada di Jawa Barat, yaitu akhlaq atau moralitas baik akhlaq individual, akhlaq sosial, maupun akhlaq kebangsaan sebagian terbesar masyarakat Jawa Barat. Keraguan kita misalnya dapat didasarkan pada alasan bahwa ternyata korupsi tertinggi di Indonesia terjadi di Jawa Barat. Sampah masyarakat paling mesum (pelacur, pemakai narkoba, dan manusia sejenis itu) pun paling banyak berdomisili di Jawa Barat. Sampah kota paling menyebalkan adanya di Bandung, di Jawa Barat. Jalan berlubang-lubang, kemacetan lalulintas akut di setiap pojok kota, dan kios-kios kumuh di atas trotoar juga adanya di Bandung, di Jawa Barat. Dan, video porno paling spektakuler dan kontroversial pun dibuat di ITENAS, yang juga di Bandung Jawa Barat. Hal yang juga tidak mungkin lepas dari ingatan kita adalah bahwa hutan paling rusak di Pulau Jawa adalah hutan Jawa Barat.
Jawa Barat memang propinsi fenomenal. Propinsi ini berpenduduk terbesar, Indeks Pembangunan Manusia (IPM) terrendah, derajat kesehatan masyarakatnya sangat rendah, tingkat /angka pengangguran dan pemutusan hubungan kerja (PHK) tertinggi, korupsi tertinggi, dan drop-out sekolah dasarnya pun tertinggi. Cita-citanya, menjadi propinsi termaju di Indonesia tahun 2010. Industri andalannya, penyewaan area untuk penampungan sampah ibukota Jakarta. Luar biasa.
Kesan tersebut di atas belum tentu benar, tetapi boleh jadi juga sama sekali tidak salah. Kita namun demikian, tampaknya memang bukan harus berurusan dan berwacana dengan benar atau salahnya kesan tersebut di muka. Persoalan Jawa Barat paling krusial tampaknya justeru adalah cita-cita ngin menjadi propinsi termaju di Indonesia tahun 2010.
Persoalan ini menjadi paling krusial oleh karena beberapa alasan. DPRD Jawa Barat misalnya, sudah bekerja sebulan lebih dan sibuk merumuskan Anggaran Pendapatan dan Belanja Daerah (APBD), tetapi hingga saat ini belum merumuskan cetak biru Jawa Barat sebagai propinsi termaju di Indonesia tahun 2010 yang merupakan mimpi spektakuler itu. Sketsa kasar lisan pun belum pernah terlontar baik oleh perorangan anggota atau pimpinan DPRD, maupun oleh DPRD secara institusional. Aneh memang, cetak biru program dan bangunan yang hendak dicapai belum ada tetapi anggarannya disusun terlebih dahulu.
Persoalan ini menjadi lebih krusial lagi dan perlu kita wacanakan, mengingat 2010 itu tinggal lima tahun lagi. Kita pada saat ini bukan saja belum melihat kesiapan mental, apalagi kesiapan lainnya yang tercermin pada sikap dan perilaku para penggede pemerintahan di Jawa Barat. Kita misalnya dapat melihat betapa memalukan kita sebagai warga Jawa Barat ketika Gubernur Jawa Barat berubah sikap dan pernyataan tidak selang sehari dalam persoalan pusat pengolahan sampah ibukota Jakarta di Bojong Jawa Barat. Kejadian memalukan itu sangat jelas menunjukkan betapa lemahnya kekuatan dan posisi tawar Jawa Barat terhadap DKI Jakarta, terutama gubernurnya.
Perubahan sikap gubernur tersebut, benar-benar menarik untuk kita cermati dalam konteks Jawa Barat bercita-cita menjadi propinsi termaju di Indonesia tahun 2010. Kita misalnya menjadi tergelitik untuk bertanya, mungkinkah dengan posisi yang begitu lemah, propinsi penyangga ibukota negara, dengan status sebagai area pembuangan sampah ibukota, ingin menjadi propinsi termaju di Indonesia dalam rentang 5 tahun. Berbagai persoalan yang jauh lebih mendasar, padahal pada saat bersamaam masih mengkendala dan belum jelas alternatif solusinya. Persoalan-persoalan tersebut di antaranya adalah rendahnya kulitas moral SDM (sumber daya mansia) Jawa Barat. Variabel permasalahanya berderet dari A sampai Z dan tercermin secara akumulatif dalam bentuk Indeks Pembangunan Manusia Jawa Barat yang sangat rendah di Indonesia.
Hal yang lebih mendesak mendapat jawaban dan alternatif solusi tepat-akurat-proporsional oleh karenanya adalah “masih pantaskah kita bercita-cita menjadikan Jawa Barat sebagai propinsi termaju di Indonesia lima tahun mendatang?”
Saya sangat yakin bahwa kita tidak perlu, bahkan tidak boleh sama sekali bersikap pesimistis. Optimisme kita namun demikian akan menghadapkan kita pada pertanyaan tentang “propinsi termaju seperti apa yang kita idamkan? Bidang kehidupan apa saja yang harus menjadi prioritas sasaran kemajuan dan keunggulan kita (tentu saja bukan bidang usaha penampungan sampah)? Bagaimana strategi dan taktik pencapaiannya? Modal apa yang telah tersedia, dan apalagi yang masih harus kita cari untuk mengadakannya? Masalah potensial apa saja yang kita hadapi untuk mencapainya? Jika impian itu berhasil kita wujudkan, apa saja indikator keberhasilannya?”
Kita andaikan saja, katakanlah Jawa Barat 2010 adalah sebuah mimpi eskatologis. Mimpi tentang kehidupan masa depan yang harus kita bayar dengan perilaku dan amal nyata hari ini. Impian tersebut hendaknya paling tidak memuat gambaran atau sketsa Jawa Barat sebagai propinsi yang gemah ripah wibawa mukti tata tengtrem kertaraharja, atau gemah ripah lohjinawi toto tentrem karto rahajo (berkesejahteraan sosial, berkeadilan sosial, dan berkepastian hukum sehingga aman tenteram namun dinamis).
Penyediaan sketsa atau semestinya cetak biru Jawa Baratb sebagai propinsi termaju di Indonesia, tentu saja baru satu dari seribu langkah. Hal yang juga mendesak adalah bahwa kita ingin segera melihat dan mengetahui strategi seperti apa yang dirancang oleh pemerintah dan DPRD Jawa Barat untuk mencapai cita-cita tersebut. Kita ingin mengetahui dengan baik formula-formula program pencapaian mimpi-mimpi Jawa Barat 2010. Kita hendaknya saat ini sudah dengan mudah membaca untuk dapat mengikuti secara seksama skenario implementasi program-program pencapaian dan pewujudan cita-cita itu. Kita juga hendaknya sudah dapat mengetahui bagamana pemerintah, DPRD, dan tentu kita semua warga Jawa Barat harus mengendalikan dan mengontrol implementasi program-program pewujudan cita-cita itu.
Keinginan kita tersebut saya pandang sangat beralasan mengingat mimpi Jawa Barat tahun 2010 itu hendaknya bukan mimpi basa-basi para pembesar Jawa Barat terutama gubernur dan pimpinan DPRD. Mimpi tersebut hendaknya, dan harusnya adalah merupakan mimpi kita bersama seluruh entitas Jawa Barat tanpa ada perbedaan status sosial, etnis, atau partai politik. Hal terakhir ini justeru merupakan kesadaran refleksif yang hendaknya menjadi salah satu modal awal pencapain mimpi itu. Kita tidak perlu ragu bahwa tidak mungkin Jawa Barat akan menjadi propinsi termaju di Indonesia hanya dengan pernyataan politik gubernur dan pimpinan DPRD-nya. Kita bahkan juga yakin bahwa sekiranya pernyataan politik itu ditindaklanjuti dengan berbagai program, tetapi tidak disertai dengan kebersamaan seluruh warga Jawa Barat maka mukan saja tidak mungkin tercapai melainkan hanya akan menjadi isapan jempol tak bermakna.
Kita dengan demikian saat ini semestinya bertanya kepada para penggede Jawa Barat tentang beberapa hal yang berkenaan dengan projeksi eskatologis mimpi Jawa Barat tahun 2010. Saya katakan projeksi eskatologis oleh karena mimpi masa depan Jawa Barat ini benar-benar harus kita tebus dan bayar dengan kerja keras, memeras keringat, bahkan tidak mustahil menuntut kita ntuk rela bekerja bahu membahu hingga berdarah-darah.
Pertanyaan kita kepada para penggede misalnya, dari mana dan di atas tumpuan apa kita hendak bertolak untuk menjawab pertanyaan-pertanyaan krusial di dalam kerangka merumuskan, mengimplementasikan, dan mengendalikan program-program nyata pewujudan mimpi Jawa Barat tahun 2010. Bagaimana kita membagi tugas besar itu dalam kerangka kerja bersama keluarga masyarakat Jawa Barat agar cita-cita itu tidak menjadi utopia yang hanya menjadi hiasan pidato-pidato politik. Dan kita juga hendaknya sudah tahu bahwa kesemua itu harus dimulai sekarang, bukan besok atau waktu lainnya.
Tanpa mengurangi optimisme dan kepercayaan kita terhadap kapabilitas para pemimpin Jawa Barat, kita juga tetap harus yakin bahwa hanya dengan kerjasama (bukan hanya sekedar kerja bersama dan sama-sama bekerja) yang sinergis kita akan dapat mewujudkan mimpi Jawa Barat yang terlanjur menjadi nyanyian yang trerkadang sumir. Akhlaq sosial juga hendaknya bukan sekadar hiasan pidato seremonial, karena hanya di atas akhlaq itu maka semua piotensi kita masyarakat Jawa Barat dapat menjadi sebuah kekuatan nyata. Hanya orang berakhlaq yang akan belajar menjadi pandai ketika menyadari bahwa dirinya bodoh. Hanya orang berakhlaq yang akan bekerja keras, tekun, dan jujur ketika sadar bahwa dirinya miskin. Hanya orang berakhlaq yang akan berusaha berobat dan memelihara kesehatannya ketika dia sadar bahwa sakit akan menghalagi produktifitasnya. Dan hanya orang berakhlaq yang akan sanggup berhenti korupsi ketika sadar bahwa korupsi itu bukan saja dosa tetapi juga membahayakan masyarakat luas di samping tidak bermanfaat jangka panjang bagi dirinya. Dan, hanya orang Jawa Barat yang berakhlaq yang akan mampu bersinergi dengan memanfaatkan berbagai potensi keunggulan Jawa Barat untuk mewujudkan mimpi Jawa Barat menjadi propinsi termaju di Indonesia tahun 2010.