Compromise For Facebook Users

(published in The Jakarta Post on 27 May 2009. Click here)

I smiled when I learned that Facebook worried some Muslim clerics. Hundreds of clerics from the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) from Java and Bali gathered in Kediri and eventually issued a fatwa banning the use of Facebook and other online social networks. I do appreciate their responsibility and concern for what has been happening in the Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) today.

The clerics said students (or 'santri' as they are commonly called) in Islamic boarding schools tend to spend excessive amounts of time on Facebook. It totally disturbs their concentration for their main task, which is to study hard, said Nabil Haroen, the spokesman for the Lirboyo boarding school in Kediri, East Java.

As well as this, Facebook facilitates virtual communication among friends that will be used for chatting, gossiping, even flirting, which will cause the users to commit the sin of lust, whereas traditional Muslim norms determine a separation between male and female students. On Facebook, users, regardless of gender, may communicate freely, share stories with each other as well as exchange photos.

How has Facebook made people addicted? It is not only for students, professionals and businesspeople, but also for housewives around the world, particularly in Indonesia. Housewives who usually spend time with their children and take care of their husbands, now are eager to sit in front of their laptops for hours on Facebook.

With Facebook, lost friends can be traced quickly, no matter where they are. There is no hiding place on Facebook, as everybody can find you easily. Do you want to use a pseudonym? What's the point? You will not get any friends. And why join Facebook if you want to be alone?

I believe thousands of people have been led to school reunions with their long-lost classmates after joining Facebook. There are lots of nice, sentimental stories from people after separated couples, friends, relatives and families were connected and reunited by Facebook.

I can understand the clerics's agitation over Facebook today; because their students prefer to chat with friends on Facebook rather than study, especially when the clerics learned the students were able to access indecent content via Facebook. The phenomenon has been seriously worrying the clerics, as getting Internet access today is as simple as flipping the palm of one's hand. The students may become more social ('gaul') than before once they are on Facebook.

This is similar to my wife when she dives for hours into Facebook. She stays up all night on Facebook without thinking about her health or other more important things to do. No coffee and no breakfast provided for me in the mornings, because she wakes up late.

However, I will not prohibit my wife from accessing Facebook after seeing her happiness when she unexpectedly meets old friends and has nostalgic chats with them. Honestly, I could not bring myself to take these happy moments away from her. Shouldn't I give her a bit freedom and time to enjoy talking to her friends after taking care of household affairs all day? I just ask: "Please remember me, dear."

Technological development has been growing so rapidly today and will continue to grow. Like it or not, that is what is happening in our lives. So, rather than trying to stop the technology, we have to come to understand it, then utilize it wisely.

But new technology will always create an impact, whether a positive or negative one. This time, I would agree with Amidhan, the Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI) chairman for not issuing a fatwa to ban Facebook. Instead of prohibiting his grandchildren accessing Facebook, he just keeps an eye on them when they are on Facebook. That is a good compromise sir.

***

Serpong, 25 May 2009
Titus J.

Intolerant Mayor?

(published in The Jakarta Post on 15 May 2009. Click here)


Obviously, building discotheque is easier than building a church in this country. However, thank God for His omnipresence, because if He only would like to dwell in churches, some of the Christians in this country would never meet His presence and could not listen to His words. So, do we need a church?

A church today is a luxurious desire - like "a dream" that you have to scrap immediately when you wake-up, because realizing it would be little more than desperate longing, as these dreams hardly ever come true. You could have a great patience and wait till permission to build a church issued, but, be ready to be disappointed.

In this country, you can't be alone in wanting a church, because building a church requires the support of at least 90 worshipers. So, pity you if you live in some area where you are the only Christian. Where can you go to fulfill your spiritual needs? You cannot have a church for yourself.

Then, even if you can count 90 people living in your neighborhood, you still have to get approval from at least 60 local residents in there, otherwise, just forget having a congregation to worship God and fellowship among friends. You must find another church, no matter how far it might be. Since joint decree issued by Religious Affairs Minister Maftuh Basyuni and his colleague the Home Affairs Minister, building church is a sensitive matter in this so-called tolerant country.

Say that you and your fellows do finally manage to get a building permit; you still must keep vigilant because the permit could be easily revoked by the government because of opposition from nearby residents. This is exactly what happened in Cinere, Depok recently.

On March 2, Depok mayor Nurmahmudi Ismail issued an ordinance that revoked a building permit for a Huria Kristen Batak Protestant (HKBP) church that had already been obtained from the Bogor regent on June 13, 1998. The revocation was done in response to opposition from the area's majority Muslim residents.

I am not surprised, as so many churches, particularly in West Java, have been forcibly closed in the past several years. According to the edition of "The Jakarta Post" paper published on May 7, at least 30 churches have been forcibly closed in West Java between September 2004 and April 2007.

The closure of the churches is mainly the foot work of radical groups who always claim the churches lack the necessary permit. The radical groups have even attacked a congregation and forced them to stop praying in the middle of church services, as the worshipers were still observing their sacral rituals.

This was a tragic incident for the country that holds the "Ketuhanan Yang Maha Esa" 1) - the first item of the Pancasila state ideology, which guarantees the freedom to embrace any state sanctioned religion (which includes both Islam and Christianity) - in such high regard.

Indeed, it is unbelievable to learn that in Indonesia, people are prevented from congregating to pray. It is also unbelievable to learn that in Indonesia, people are attacked and ousted from their churches, just because the church supposedly lacks a permit.

***

Serpong, 12 May 2009

Titus J.

Note:
1) Ketuhanan Yang Maha Esa (Believe in one God) is the first principle of Pancasila as the state ideology. Pancasila comprises panca=five, sila=principle.

Are Our Children Happy?

Students today are spending time in school excessively, even almost similar to employees who spending time in office. They leave their home early in the morning and back to home in late afternoon. If they came earlier to their home, they take lunch, eat their meal in hurry then prepare stuffs for some other extra activities and go out again. In the evening they then come home back, exhausted and go to bed to welcome the same routine in the following day.

I met with some teenagers who have to come to the school even though during holidays, and when I asked why did they love school so much and not enjoy holidays with friends or families, they explained that before holidays their teachers assigned them for doing some tasks which must be accomplished when they back from holidays. They had to come to school since the laboratory is there, and the computers are also there. They could not stay away from school because their future is inside there.

The school put their own standard to maintain the reputation and to compensate a very high tuition fees. Yeah, the school today is part of business entities where quality means money and vice versa. If you don’t have enough money, please don’t try to step on their floor because you will be shocked by numbers which will be handed to you if you intend to enroll your children.

The school that we pay a lot of money then will drill our children as much as they can do to create the best quality outputs. The school provides completed facilities which our children can use it freely anytime they want to. The school offers a long list of lessons which our children should swallow it no matter what. Some students feel under pressure where a bunch of tasks, home works, try out preparation, etc. should be accomplished within a tight schedule. But, some others are forced by their respective parents to pursue the best rank in class. The parents give a noble reason by saying: “Dear, you should reach the first rank and don’t be the second because that’s not your class.”

Then day and night the parents monitor the kid tightly. They also send their kid to take extra classes, not only mathematics, computer, and English for example, but also piano, painting and any other else to keep them busy in the daily activities from Monday to Saturday. Do you believe that even in holiday, when they all members of family go for picnic, the kid should still open the books and memorize some lessons upon arrival in the destination?

Great! The time for student report finally comes and the parents confidently come to the school to receive the report. And when the name of their kid announced as the best rank student of the school, the parents proudly stand among the crowd who applaud them noisily. The father and mother smile with the most beautiful smiling they ever had and whisper each other to express satisfaction. But, look, does the kid also smile?

I remember when I was a kid, holiday was something great that I (and friends) always welcome excitedly. Holiday means playing and playing, nothing else. Friends are everywhere and we like to go together to some place by bicycle. Our school never disturbed our holiday with some tasks or any other burdens that would make us lose our holiday. My parents also never forced me to be the first rank in my school even though I could achieve it sometime. But being the first rank was never targeted by my parents. Was the education standard and the students at that time less qualified than today?


Today, we live in the situation where our society always measures everyone with the rank. Only the best rank, the number one, will deserve respect. Sadly, the parents often not realize their demand so high while capacity of their kid is limited. They drill their kid badly to be the number one, and if the kid failed, they show their disappointment. Is that really for the sake of the kid or their own ego and pride?

I believe there is nothing wrong with being the number one. However, can we do it without seizing our children happiness, without seizing their time to play with their friends? I am worry the next generation would be so individualistic and intolerant because their school and parents have put them in prison and prevent them knowing everything “outside there”.

***
Serpong, 4 May 2009
Titus J.