Muhammad’s Promise to St. Catherine
“This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them.
Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by God! I hold out against anything that displeases them.
No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries. No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims' houses.
Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God's covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.
No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray. Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants.
No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world)."
Obama’s Quote
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those [...]
“Malam Seribu Bulan” di Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
Hari-hari saya berada di Tokyo semakin cerah. Hanya sekali hujan turun, yakni malam ketika saya usai mengikuti seminar. Di luar yang saya kira, seminar itu bukan bagian dari seminar yang lebih luas; tapi benar-benar merupakan seminar sehari. Ada lima orang di forum yang membicarakan novel saya. Pertama, Pak Toru Aoyama yang berlaku sebagai tuan rumah [...]
Catatan Lebaran
Ini salah satu sudut desa tempat sekarang ibu saya tinggal. Lebaran ini sepertinya saya tidak pulang, dan sebagai gantinya berkali-kali harus menelepon ibu saya, menanyakan kabar mereka di rumah. Pertama, tentu karena saya malas menghadapi kemacetan di jalan. Meskipun jalur mudik ke selatan tidak semacet jalur ke timur, tetap saja pulang menjelang Lebaran bukan satu [...]
YouTube Diblokir Gara-gara “Fitna”
Gara-gara film “Fitna” karya Geert Wilders yang menghubung-hubungkan ayat Al-Quran dan serangan teroris, Pemerintah Indonesia berencana memblokir YouTube. Saya sendiri tak peduli dengan film “Fitna” yang saya anggap sebagai ketololan Wilders (tolol karena di satu sisi ngomong “free speech“, di sisi lain mau banned Al-Quran). Tapi kenapa ujung-ujungnya YouTube? Mau membuang kulkas gara-gara sepiring nasi [...]
Rushdie dan Dunia yang Tak Lagi Senyap
“Jangan tinggalkan aku sekarang, atau aku tak akan memaafkanmu, dan aku akan membalas dendam, aku akan membunuhmu dan jika kau punya anak dari lelaki lain aku akan membunuh anak-anak itu juga,” demikian kata Shalimar sang pencinta Muslim di pertengahan Shalimar the Clown.
Boonyi, sang kekasih Hindu, menjawab ancaman itu dengan enteng: “Betapa romantisnya kamu, mengatakan hal termanis!”
