Save Indonesia From Religion Conservatism

Many people still think that Indonesia is a good example of moderate Muslim society. That is why the majority, the moderat Muslims here, do not think it serious when more radical Islamic organizations publish their newspaper, magazines, get publicities in television, more seats in parliament, and lurk into many universities silently to spread their hard religion.
Not until the draft of Pornography Law is open to the public. Then everybody realizes, how serious it is. We can not ignore them anymore, because now they want us to live like them. And if we keep silent, because of "the respect for religion", one day they will force us to follow their way of life, their way of thinking, and persecuting and condemning everyone who lives and thinks differently. It has happened in Aceh with the implementation of sharia, and its seeds begin to spread in Tangerang, Banten,Padang, South Sulawesi, and several other cities.They also have attacked more liberal Islam organization, closed schools owned by other religion, churches or temple, and many other attacks.
It is not just that. It has affected our life also, with increasing intensity.
Could you remember the situation here, 20 (twenty) years ago? It was difficult to find women wearing jilbab at the time, girls were not permitted wearing it in schools, the formal office wear for women employees were dress, couples from different religion could get married, and sending Muslim children to Christian or Catholic schools was common. No parents were afraid their children would convert to Christian religion although there were no Islamic teaching or Islamic teacher teaching Islamic religion.
But things changed. Slowly. Because for twenty years, we did not care. We let them did their work to achieve their dream : the more conservative Islam, and then, if time and situation possible, the implementation of sharia. Democracy helps them : nobody can prevent them now. And the masses are ready, because during the twenty years they were never been taught to be rational, to have good character, responsibility and broad vision.
Does this increasing religion conservatism and radicalism affect your life?
It has affected me. Several years ago, some of my cousins decided not to come to my wedding, because I married to a man from other religion. They came at last, because one of them insisted to come. But I could not forget their look, their eyes...
A few weeks ago, I was a little shocked to see a big banner in a street near my house,"Time for the leadership of Khilafah. It is time for the implementation of sharia," and in another area," ...(name of a famous ulama) agrees to implement th sharia."
Attached to the series of street lamps to my housing complex, the local ulama organization put many green boards, each with one of the 99 names of God (according to Quran) and its Arabic letters. How do you feel seeing all of that in a public street if you are not Muslim, even if you are a moderate Muslim? Doesn't it make you more anxious every day?
Almost every week I can not recognize my friend anymore if we do not meet every day, because everytime I meet them I always find that they wear jilbab now. I even have difficulties to get friends if I insist to have someone without it. Because their number is decreasing now. My mother faces the same thing. More of her friends wearing it this time, even asked her to wear it. I also heard that some mothers or husbands who think jilbab is not necessary facing difficulties because their little daughters or wives want to wear it, (may be because of the environment pressure), and must find a way to prevent it. Some years ahead we will become a minority...
Even now I feel like minority. Last year when my office had an outbound and we must wear uniform T Shirt, they made long sleeves shirt for women, and the short ones for men. It is not them who adjusted their clothes by wearing another shirt besides the uniform, but it is us (women without jilbab) who must adjust to them, by wearing long sleeves shirt!
It is not just the way you dress. It is also the way of thinking. Now people believe that morality, integrity and productivity could come only from practicing and believing religion more. So in recent years my office sends every new employees or the new promoted for three days religious teaching. Not just my office. Many companies and institutions send about a hundred thousands of their employees to the famous Emotional and Spiritual training in the country, which is another name of Islamic religion indoctrination.
The training emphasizes on blind faith and obedience to religion, the fear of hell, the morality based on the fear of the punishment from God and the seeking of rewards (pahala), the false information that scripture is supported by latest findings in science, and the pride to be a part of the Islamic society, which refers to Arab as the conqueror of the world in the past. What could we expect from such a training? They report that people repent their sins, gave back the money they stole from thier companies, more productive, get the meaning and purpose of life, and God saved their life in plane accident. I do not know if it's true. But I have read how it could change someone to be more religious and at the same time lose rationality. A young girl wrote, that after the training she decided to wear jilbab and to be more religious, hoping that by doing that Prophet Mohammad would welcome her in the gate of paradise.

Religion becomes the quick solution for all problem. More people think that if our society practicing and believing religion more deeply, our problem will be solved, because there would be no more corruption, no more moral degradation from the West, more productive people with high morality.They do not realize that every children in this country have been taught religion all their life, from elementary school to university, everybody must have religion, and the number of mosques and pilgrims to Mecca may be the biggest in the world. Facts have proved that practicing and having religion has no correlation with moral. Because morality from religion is not based on reason or responsibility. It does not teach its subject to have dignity, to do good things and work hard without expecting rewards (pahala). On the contrary, it teaches its followers to calculate their conduct based on profit; the sin can be paid if you do some rituals which have value more than the sin you did. So people are busy calculating and collecting their rewards, the ticket to heaven. For that they go to Mecca more than once, if necessary seven times, praying for hours, and building luxurious mosques. All are their saving for afterlife, for forgiveness of their sins.
I know that from experience.
Ome day I had lunch at Japanese restaurant with my friends who all wearing jilbab and very religious. After finished lunch they realized, that they had eaten nirin, which contain alcohol, although very little. They felt sorry, but then said,"That's ok. We will shalat tobat (repentance prayer) tonight for this sin."
They are educated working women. Yet it never comes to their mind to think or ask: Why does their religion ban alcohol? Why do they have to follow it? Why do they have to wear jilbab? Is that enough reason to obey it?
They do not use their reason anymore, they do not complain or ask anything. Because their religion tell this and that, it means true, it means they are saved from hell. That is why they will obey everything told by religion.
A rational person will not drink alcohol because she knows it will make her drunk or harm her health, but a little alcohol in the food or cakes is nothing, because it can not make her drunk. And if ulema, religious books, her husband or environment asks her to wear jilbab, she would ask first : why? What is wrong with her hair, her body, is it so shameful that must be covered? Why do they (men, religion) think that her hair and body is so shameful? Is wearing jilbab more healthy and comfortable in the climate of this country?
She will ask everything told to her before she obey it. She will not submit her reason just because of religion, she is not afraid to ask to get the truth.
Our problem is, too many people are too afraid to convince the importance of rational and free thought, to publish and distribute books, magazines and articles that could improve the critical thinking or freedom of thought, because it will offend religion. We have no scientist who voluntarily talking, writing or explaining this to the public.
Do you think Richard Dawkins writing popular books on evolution to improve your (religious) faith? Of course not. But the translation of his book in Indonesian language was advertised as"the book that will improve your faith."
If this situation does not change, in the long run our country will be dominated and ruled by the conservative and radical Islam. Remember the differences they have made in the past twenty years, and the difference they could make in the next ten years.
Just think the consequence on your life, especially if you are a woman.

Anak

Apakah artinya anak bagi anda?
Seorang teman ketika berobat untuk memiliki anak menangis di depan dokternya karena setelah segala usaha, keinginan untuk memiliki anak sendiri tidak berhasil.
Seorang sahabat dekat saya di kantor selama bertahun-tahun tidak bersedia lagi membalas telpon dan makan siang bersama, bahkan menjauhkan diri sejak tahu saya akan memiliki anak, dan tidak bersedia menjenguk seorang teman pun yang baru melahirkan, karena ia tidak dapat memiliki anak meskipun telah berusaha dengan segala cara.
Persahabatan yang saya kira cukup berarti, ternyata tidak cukup kuat untuk mengatasi rasa marah dan iri karena tidak dianugerahi anak. Demikianlah betapa besarnya arti seorang anak. Benarkah? Ataukah kesedihan tidak memiliki anak juga didukung oleh lingkungan kita yang turut menambah beban mereka dengan terus menerus menanyakan hal tersebut (a.l menjadi topik favorit tayangan infotainment) dan menganggapnya sebagai sebuah kekurangan yang sangat, betapapun berhasilnya seseorang di bidang lainnya? Tidak dapat dipungkiri, masyarakat kita masih seperti itu, dan tidak semua orang sanggup menghadapi lingkungan yang menekan seperti itu setiap hari.
Tanyakanlah setiap perempuan yang sukses, 99% akan menjawab bahwa saat paling membahagiakan dalam hidup mereka adalah saat ketika melahirkan dan memiliki anak, apalagi yang pertama. Bukan ketika mereka lulus pendidikan tertinggi, mendapatkan promosi yang susah payah diperjuangkan, atau mendapatkan penghargaan atas prestasinya. Padahal setiap saat perempuan paling miskin dan tidak berpendidikan sekalipun dapat melahirkan anak tanpa henti, bahkan membunuh, membuang atau melemparkannya begitu saja di jalanan jika tidak dapat memberi makan atau pendidikan. Tapi memiliki anak tetap dianggap sesuatu yang sangat istimewa, yang tanpanya dapat membuat segala keberuntungan dan keberhasilan yang diperoleh menjadi tak berarti. Tidak memiliki anak dapat membuat seseorang ditimpa depresi dan marah kepada dunia dan setiap orang yang memiliki anak. Haruskah demikian?
Steven Pinker, seorang psikolog evolusioner terkemuka tidak bersedia memiliki anak, karena menganggap manusia hanya kendaraan bagi gen yang egois untuk membiakkan diri. Menuruti kehendak gen yang selalu mencari dan mengoptimalkan tubuh manusia yang ditempatinya untuk tujuan utamanya berkembang biak sebanyak-banyaknya sama saja dengan tunduk dan menjadi budaknya. Namun pendapat ini hanya bisa muncul dari seorang ilmuwan yang telah sungguh-sungguh menghayati teori evolusi.
Biologist Richard Dawkins, yang memahami bahwa bagi sebagian besar orang memiliki anak merupakan salah satu cara untuk mendapatkan imortalitas yang sangat didambakan, menyatakan bahwa anak bukanlah hal terbaik untuk mendapatkan imortalitas. Setelah tiga generasi, mereka tidak akan mengingat anda lagi. Namun apabila anda dapat menyumbangkan sesuatu bagi dunia, seperti memperkaya seni, kebudayaan, sains atau apapun yang dapat membuat anda tetap dikenang setelah tiada, itu lebih berharga daripada memiliki keturunan. Ya, apalagi jika ternyata anak yang sangat anda dambakan tersebut tidak sesuai dengan harapan.
Saya melihat banyak orang yang di masa tua dikecewakan dan disusahkan oleh anak-anak yang begitu mereka harapkan di waktu kecilnya, sehingga mereka memberi nasihat kepada mereka yang sedih karena tidak memiliki anak,"Memiliki anak adalah seperti sebuah lotere, kita tidak tahu persis bagaimana hasil akhirnya, meskipun kita telah berusaha sebaik mungkin sewaktu mereka kecil. Jika tidak menang lotere, tidak memiliki anak adalah lebih baik".
We can't get everything we want, that's life! Some people have everything very easily, others get so little 'though have tried very hard all their life. We can't say anything about fairness here. The nature of the world does not understand or know that term.