Hoping for a nonviolence movement in Palestine (Jakarta Post)

Since I was a small child, I have been taught that the powerless party
always deserves “affirmative action” in any unbalanced conflict before
a true resolution can be settled. As a Muslim who now lives in the
West, I keep trying very hard to understand why the mainstream West
always assumes that the much more powerful Israel is the “good guy”,
while the powerless Palestinian is the “bad guy” in the Palestinian
crisis.

Is it compensation by the West for their “guilty feeling” over the
Holocaust? Is it more about the power of Jewish money? Is it related to
skin-color? How are we to understand that 200 “home-made” rockets sent
by Hamas to Israel during the first week of the crisis deserve more
attention as a proof of terrorism than over 700 lives, mostly
Palestinian civilians, who were taken by sophisticated Israeli weapons
in the same week?

Many of my fellow Muslims and I have never agreed with Hamas who
perceives every single Jew as the villain and whose blood is halal
(permissible by God) to shed. We also disagree with some Muslims,
including Hamas and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who want to
wipe Israel from the map. A true “two-state” solution is the most
reasonable option.

Moreover, I completely understand that any attack on the Jews should
remind all of us of the Holocaust as the most horrible crime against
humanity. Everyone should work to prevent that from happening again in
our history, not only to the Jews but also to every human being. And
surely, let us acknowledge that since 1948 the Palestinians have been
suffering from a deep wound as a displaced and dispossessed people for
a crime that neither they nor their ancestors have committed against
the Jews.  

However, in this satanic circle of violence, arguments for justified
killings by either side or why some people should support one party or
the other are both endless and useless, if not creating an even larger
crisis. Clearly, the situation in Gaza today is much more complicated.

The temptation to continue to use weapons on both sides is terribly
strong, either in the name of self-defense, justice, dignity, revenge
or even God. I have no capacity whatsoever to tell them what is the
right thing to do. For over 60 years, the use of weapons by the
Palestinians has only provided justification for the Israelis to kill
more and to grab more land.

If the Palestinians ceased using weapons, if Arab leaders and the
Muslim world in general could help Hamas and other radical groups to
stop the shooting, then Israel’s justification to kill would cease to
exist.

Let friends of the Israeli tell the same story. Only when Israel as the
more powerful group with many privileges stops using weapons, will
those Muslim radicals, including Hamas that was initially created by
Israel,  have no legitimacy and lose Palestinian support.  Israel
should stop calling Hamas “terrorist” and the Palestinians should stop
thinking of Israel as the “evil people” by definition. Both sides
should agree that the other can change substantially and that they can
change their perception of each other. They can talk and work together
to make peace. 

While every possible step for peacemaking should be taken by leaders
around the world, we — common global citizens — should share the
responsibility. Beside the various efforts that have been made thus
far, from prayer to humanitarian efforts, we Muslims especially need to
react more properly and strategically and let others do the same. So
far, many Muslims around the world have reacted in ways that increase
the violence. Yes, we have been sharing our responsibility through
prayers, fundraising, press releases, discussions, protests, art works
and news exchanges.

However, most actions are shaped within the framework of “justification argument”.  

For example, in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country and where I
come from, Muslim protesters shut down the only synagogue there last
week based on the assumption that there is an automatic connection
between Israel, Judaism and the Jews. Some Indonesian Muslim groups,
such as the Islamic Defender Front, (FPI) are even ready to send
untrained voluntary troops to Gaza to fight back.

Instead of helping the crisis, these kinds of reaction only spill
out and magnify the waves of hate, vengeance and atrocity from Gaza
globally. With Gaza as the epicenter of violence, many Muslims around
the world position themselves with the Palestinians. They identify
themselves as the oppressed Palestinian who is looking for the “evil
Israeli” and their friends to fight.

Whoever identifies as “the other” is the “Israel” and thus the enemy.

Condemnation of the massacre and helping the victims in whatever form
are very important. It is also equally important for Muslim leaders
around the world to present the Gaza crisis not primarily as a conflict
between “us” Muslims against “them” Jews.  Both the Israeli government
and Hamas deserve condemnation and both sides are responsible for the
increasing number of casualties, many of whom are children, women and
the elderly.

We need to speak and act not as a particular national or religious
group, but as an inter-religious global community. Instead of
suspecting every Jew and Christian around us, we Muslims outside of
Palestine need to collaborate with each and every morally concerned
individual — Muslim, Jew, Christian, black, white, color, female, male
and others — to take care of the victims and work effectively for the
same purpose: Peace.

By working together, not only can we isolate the Gaza violence mainly
around its epicenter, but we can also send our greater sympathy,
support and hope by pushing the message of peace from our side.

The writer is President of Nahdlatul Ulama Community in North
America and a PhD candidate in Religious Studies at Temple University,
Philadelphia.

Makhluk Dari Planet Mana Israel Ini?

Oleh Emha Ainun Nadjib

Makhluk dari mana Israel ini, adigang adigung adiguna, boleh melakukan apa saja, pembunuhan massal, penggusuran besar-besaran, pemberangusan dan pemusnahan atas umat manusia dan nilai-nilai kemanusiaan, kapan saja dia mau, tanpa sanksi yang memadai dari pihak manapun di muka bumi.
Nama kelompok kebangsaannya disebut paling banyak di Alquran, bahkan dipakai sebagai nama Surah. Beberapa identifikator sejarah penciptaan oleh Tuhan menyimpulkan yang disebut ‘’Dajjal’’, perusak dunia kelas wahid, berasal dari suku Yahudi ini dan berambut keriting. Tapi orang tidak benar-benar berani mengutuknya karena mereka keturunan Nabi Besar yang amat kita takdzimi, yakni Ibrahim AS, entah dari beliau Ismail atau Ishaq. Dan kemah ajaran beliau, millah Ibrahim, adalah induk segala ajaran, teologi monotheisme, nama beliau kita sebut pada rakaat salat kita semulia kekasih Allah, Muhammad SAW junjungan kita semua.
Mayoritas aset moneter global dan segala jenis modal perekonomian, bank dunia dan institusi-institusi keuangan primer dunia dipegang oleh turunan beliau dan strategi pengelolaannya sampai ke Kongres Amerika Serikat berada di genggaman turunan yang lain dari beliau juga. Sejumlah futurolog ekonomi menganjurkan anak-anak kecil sekarang mulailah diajari berbahasa Arab karena akan menjadi bahasa utama dunia: pergilah cari kerja ke Negeri koalisi 16 Pangeran di Jazirah Arab. Bahasa Ibrani tak perlu dipelajari, karena para fungsionaris dari Israel mungkin lebih pandai berbahasa Arab dibanding Raja Saudi dan lebih mlipis berbahasa Indonesia dibanding orang Indonesia.
*
Anda tidak akan paham menemukan peta Indonesia Raya dijadikan center display di sebuah web Israel dan Amerika Serikat. Juga agak miris melihat tanda warna merah pada daerah tertentu dari Nusantara. Di Belanda, November 2008 saya ngobrol panjang dengan pemimpin Yahudi internasional Rabi Awraham Suttendorp yang sangat mengenal Indonesia lebih detail dari kebanyakan orang Indonesia sendiri, sebagaimana di kantor Perdana Menteri Israel Anda bisa dolan ke sana dan melirik ruangan khusus yang berisi segala macam data tentang Indonesia segala bidang yang di-update setiap pekan.
Israel juga punya situs berbahasa Indonesia. Kepada Rabi saya tanyakan kenapa disain tengah atas atau puncak mahkota keagamaan yang beliau pakai memimpin peribadatan di Synagoge sama dengan disain bagian atas rumah-rumah Pulau Jawa bagian utara. Kenapa ibukota Israel tidak Tel Aviv saja tapi Java Tel Aviv. Kenapa kantor-kantor Yahudi di berbagai negara pakai kata Java. Apa pula hubungan dua konsonan yang sama itu: J dan W. Jewish dan Jawa. Mana yang lebih tua: Jewish atau Jawa. Kalau Sampeyan keturunan Nabi Ibrahim, apakah nenek moyang kami manusia Nusantara yang seluruhnya berpuluh abad yang lalu disebut Jawa atau Jawi adalah ‘’keponakan’’-nya Ibrahim ataukah lebih tua dari Ibrahim.
Dari dunia Jawa dimunculkan sedikit informasi bahwa beberapa waktu yang akan datang akan terjadi hasil ‘’taruhan’’ antara Yahudi (Jewish) dengan Jawa (bukan Jawa non-Sunda non-Batak dalam pengertian 100 tahun terakhir): Kalau Yahudi yang memenangkan persaingan memimpin dunia, maka mereka akan ajak Jawa menjadi rekanan kerja. Kalau Jawa yang ‘’juara’’ mereka akan berguru kepada Jawa.
Apa-apaan itu? Dari bidang ilmu dan teknologi diberitakan bahwa revolusi invensi atau penemuan-penemuan baru akan mengubah geo-ekonomi, geo-politik dan kebudayaan dunia dari Cina, Brazil, Jepang dan Indonesia.
Bangsa Indonesia memasuki 2009 sebagai ‘’orang lugu’’ dan tidak perduli pada dirinya sendiri karena habis waktu dan enerjinya untuk urusan kotak suara. Padahal sejumlah makhluk Tuhan di luar manusia yang ditugasi menemani pertumbuhan peradaban ummat manusia sudah menyiapkan dibukanya sejumlah penemuan di bidang telekomunikasi, energi dan pertanian.
Sengaja saya tuturkan kepada sidang pembaca hal-hal yang ‘’tidak-tidak’’. Nanti kita akan sampai ke yang lebih ‘’tidak-tidak’’ lagi: Lemorian, banjir Nuh, Parikesit, terciptanya pulau-pulau Kalimantan, Sumatra, Sulawesi dst. Dan akan saya sambung pada tulisan berikutnya pekan depan.
Tapi kita jangan bilang tidak masuk akal dulu sebelum kita bisa menjawab seberapa masuk akal kelakuan Israel sekarang ini: Dengan lancar dan mulus-mulus saja menghajar Palestina di depan rumah saudara-saudaranya sendiri sesama bangsa Arab, di depan hidung PBB.
Berdasarkan sejumlah ‘’khayalan’’ saya di atas, ucapkan: ‘’Ayo, Israel! Kalau berani jangan hanya berantem sama anak kemarin sore. Datang ke Indonesia, sini kamu, carok kita!’’.

(Sumber : Riau Pos, 09 Januari 2009)

A Paradigm Shift

By. Dr. Chandra Muzaffar*

For the first time in history the human family as a single entity is faced with multiple global crises, each of which has far-reaching implications for the future of our species. These crises are not just the consequences of specific events or even systemic flaws in say the global economic architecture. They are related to fundamental values and deeply entrenched worldviews. The solutions to these crises may require an unprecedented paradigm shift— a radical shift in the way in which we look at ourselves, at others, and at the planet that we inhabit.

There is first the environmental crisis which has many dimensions to it. Global warming and climate change which is the current focus could lead to rise in sea levels and flooding and subsequent inundation of human habitats. There could also be changes in agricultural yields and droughts. The ranges of disease vectors could also increase as a result of global warming. Even certain species could go extinct.

Droughts, linked to climate change, have been cited as one of the reasons for the current food crisis. The conversion of food crops to bio-fuel on a massive scale in countries like Brazil and the United States is yet reason for the present food shortage. Neo-liberal capitalist policies which advocate the opening up of agricultural economies in the Global South to the importation of subsidised foods often from the Global North have also led to the decline of food production in various countries in Africa. The upshot of it all is the spread of hunger and malnutrition within the poorer segments of their population.

The ordeal of the global poor has become worse partly because of the energy crisis. As the price of fuel escalates, it is not just the abysmally poor that suffer but also sections of the middle-class who struggle to make ends meet. Speculation on fuel prices is undoubtedly one of the principal causes of the continuous increase in the price of the commodity, just as speculation on food prices, it is alleged, has played some role in their hike. The steep decline in the value of the US dollar is an equally valid explanation for the increase in the price of fuel. Increasing energy consumption among the expanding middle and upper classes in China and India would be yet another factor.

The decline of the US dollar is central to the global financial crisis, our fourth crisis. In fact, the dollar links our third and fourth crises. As we have hinted, the declining dollar with its adverse impact upon fuel and food prices has increased the cost of living in many parts of the world. More than the declining dollar, it is the dominance of speculative capital in global financial transactions which has brought misery and suffering to millions of people as economies are destroyed and livelihoods wrecked. This is borne out by the negative consequences of the rapid entry and exit of speculative capital into various markets in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Russia in the course of the last 15 or 20 years.

Apart from the four crises outlined here— environmental, food, energy and financial (EFEF)— there are other global crises that should also be highlighted. The possession and proliferation of nuclear weapons, and indeed of all weapons of mass destruction, is a blight upon the human race. Narrow, exclusive identity consciousness has become stronger and stronger in almost every nook and cranny of the planet. The family as an institution appears to have lost its inner cohesion and strength in many different cultures right across the globe.
The various crises that confront humankind at this stage of our history are, as we have observed, inter-linked and inter-connected. In some instances, wrong policies and distorted priorities explain the crises that challenge us. In other instances, the dominant ideology of the day is the primary cause. In this regard, neo-liberal capitalism, the unofficial credo of the planet, with its emphasis upon private gain as against the public good, has undoubtedly eroded the ethical foundation of contemporary civilization. It has legitimized greed and selfishness as no other ideology has in history. The earlier phases of capitalism were less centered on the self, compared to its present phase. It is largely because of the worldview, the structures of power and the notion of the self associated with neo-liberal capitalism that humankind today is faced with a whole spectrum of crises of global proportions.

Can the human family get out of this morass? We can of course tinker with the existing system, make some superficial changes here and there but the underlying causes of our myriad crises will persist. For instance, we can limit greenhouse emissions to check global warming in the present context but if we want to ensure a sustainable, livable environment for future generations, the upper stratum of society will have to alter dramatically its consumption pattern and opt for a modest lifestyle, devoid of extravagance and opulence. Similarly, we can check speculation through taxation and circuit-breakers but if we do not adopt concrete measures to curb the accumulation of wealth by a few, greed will continue to express itself as a destructive social force. We can eliminate nuclear weapons but if we do not build trust among nations and peoples and nurture a profound respect for the sacredness of life, our fears and our insecurities will compel us to invent new and more terrible weapons of mass annihilation.

To curb greed and selfishness, to cultivate trust and respect, society needs to develop a strong moral and spiritual foundation. The various crises that face us today reveal that contemporary civilization is in no position to achieve that spiritual and moral transformation that will lift us out of this morass. History has shown us that it is only when spiritual and moral values are firmly anchored in a transcendent force —— a force that goes beyond the human being —— that they will have the power and the potency to transform civilization. This is why in seeking solutions to the challenges of our time we should with all humility re-connect with the Transcendent, with the Divine. As the second Secretary-General of the United Nations, the late Dag Hammarskjold once put it, “On the bookshelf of life, God is a useful work of reference, always at hand but seldom consulted.”

*Dr. Chandra Muzaffar is President of the International Movement for a Just World (JUST) and Professor of Global Studies at Universiti Sains Malaysia