Cukuplah Karena Kita Sesama Manusia

Hidup terus berjalan.
Bagi keluarga Timothy McKay, Garth McEvoy, Evert Mokodompis dan korban bom JW Mariott/Ritz Carlton mungkin tidak semudah itu. Istri Evert bahkan baru saja melahirkan anak keduanya sehari setelah bom meledak.

Pagi ini aku tertegun membaca satu artikel di Tribun Kaltim. Judulnya Ightiyal dan Bom Bunuh Diri. Salah satu isi tulisan itu adalah :

Teror bom itu telah membuat Indonesia menangis. Menangis karena dengan aksi itu, citra Indonesia kembali masuk dalam kategori negara yang tidak aman. Menangis karena pecinta Manchester United kecewa berat karena jadwal laga Indonesia All Stars verus MU di Stadion Gelora Bung Karno dibatalkan. Umat Islam Indonesia juga ikut bersedih, karena aksi pelaku teror bom bunuh diri itu serta merta meninggalkan citra buruk umat Islam di mata dunia.

Juga disebutkan tentang MUI yang harus menunggu empat tahun (setelah Bom Bali I) untuk menyatakan fatwa haram untuk aksi bom bunuh diri. Fatwa tersebut dikeluarkan 10 November 2005.

Tanpa mengurangi makna dan maksud baik penulis, aku bertanya-tanya "Seegois apa kita ini?" Apakah Indonesia menangis karena telah jatuh lagi korban-korban tak bersalah, telah bertambah lagi anak-anak yatim atau piatu dan telah muncul lagi korban-korban luka yang mungkin akan cacat seumur hidup..... atau karena MU tidak jadi datang??? Mana yang lebih penting? Nyawa manusia atau citra?

Dan ketika aku membaca di tulisan tersebut tentang seorang Syeikh Sholih Al Fauzan di Arab Saudi yang menyatakan bahwa

Ightiyal (membunuh dengan rahasia dan sembunyi-sembunyi) dan perusakan (pada sumber-sumber pemerintahan di negeri kafir) adalah perkara yang tidak boleh. Karena akan menyebabkan kejelekan terhadap kaum muslimin dan menyebabkan pembunuhan dan pengungsian terhadap kaum muslimin, ini perkara yang tidak boleh

...aku mulai merasa sedikit mual.

Apakah segala sesuatu harus berputar di sekitar kita, kaum muslim?
Apakah tidak cukup alasannya karena semua manusia punya hak hidup yang sama?
The same flesh, bone, blood, heart and mind?

Beberapa hadis dari Nabi Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) yang sangat menekankan agar kita menjauhi kekerasan :

Deal gently with the people, and be not harsh; cheer them and condemn them not.

That person is nearest to God, who pardons, when he has someone in his power, one who would have injured him.

Assist your brother or sister Muslim, whether he be an oppressor or an oppressed. 'But how shall we do it when someone is an oppressor?' Muhammad said, 'Assisting an oppressor is by forbidding and withholding that person from oppression.'

The best jihad (lit. striving) is a just word before a tyrannical authority.

All God's creatures are His family; and he or she is the most beloved of God who tries to do most good to God's creatures.

Faith is a restraint against all violence, let no Mu'min commit violence.

May Allah bless us with His love, and the love of those who love Him. May Allah fill our hearts with love.
Wallahu'alam bissawab. Only God knows the best.

Jakarta Meledak Lagi

What's the difference between a drone attack and a suicide bomber? Both use robots, and at the end of the day, both puppeteers get to go home to their families and act like nothing happened that day. Or act like something happened and proud of it.

Apa yang kalian inginkan?
Mengacaukan negeriku?
Tidak puas dengan pemilu?
Permainan kekuasaan?
Mengklaim satu kebenaran di atas yang lain?
Berperan menjadi Tuhan?

The circle of violence won't solve anything.
Whoever you are, you stupid and coward people who are trying to destroy my country, I pray your family won't suffer the same fate as the victims of the bombings of the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton today.

Our deepest condolences.
Jakarta meledak lagi.
Indonesia menangis lagi.

Tikus, Cicak, Buaya, Manusia...

Pagi hari. Sambil ganti baju.

Aku : " Gimana dugemnya semalam? ^^ "
Dia : " Gitu deh.."
Aku : Sigh...
Aku : " Jadi ngurusin hanky pangky bisnis gitu sekarang ya..."
Dia : " Semalam akhirnya nyebut angka...."
Aku : " Haaa??? "
Dia : " Itu sih murah. Taun kemarin mintanya something point something billion. "
Aku : " Whaattt??? Terus? "
Dia : " Ya, ntar kuterusin ke bosku. "
Aku : " Terus?"
Dia : " Ya, terserah keputusan yang di atas. "
Aku : " That's it? Bakal dikasih? "
Dia : " Itu dia. Sebenernya kita ngga salah apa-apa. Cuma dipersulit aja. "
Aku : " Ngga bisa dilaporin ke KPK kah? "
Dia : " Hehehe, I wished. "
Aku : " Ngapain kita marah-marah sama anggota DPR atau jaksa korup...kalo ternyata yang terang-terangan di depan mata kita ngga bisa berbuat apa-apa. "
Dia : " Aku pasti bakal protes ke bos. Tapi bukan keputusanku hasil akhirnya. "
Aku : " Jadi selama ini bikin SIM ngga nembak, tilang ngga minta damai, nolak amplop dari supplier, nolak titipan...ada artinya ngga sih? "

Di sini aku salah. Maklum emosi. Mulailah dari yang kecil, mulailah dari diri sendiri...gitu kan?
Jadi pasti ada artinya. Walau saat ini rasanya tidak ada artinya...

Aku : " Mau gimana memutus lingkaran setan ini? Apa mereka yang minta-minta seperti itu padahal mereka digaji dengan uang rakyat ngga takut memberi makan anak-istrinya uang haram? "
Dia : " Lha mereka agamanya (tiiiiitttt).
Aku : " So? Semua agama ngga ada yang menghalalkan korupsi, suap, KKN... Itu yang korupsi banyak yang pake embel-embel haji. Kalo mereka minta 300 juta ke kantong mereka itu bukan masalah agamanya apa tapi orangnya gimana"
Dia : Sigh.
Aku : " Seperti memberi makan tikus..."
Dia : " Masih mending. Ngasih makan tikus ngga dosa. "

Siang hari. Via sms.

Aku : " Aya naon semalam? pake nulis status begitu, hun?"
Dia : " Ya soal permintaan orang-orang itu semalam. Perasaanku galau "
Dia : " Bos tadi pagi malah bilang 'bagus, kok cuma segitu'. Kok begini..."

Saat ini.
Sedih.
Marah.
Bingung.

Aku : " DAMN!!!!!"

Happy Voting, Indonesia!

It's voting day!
And it's too late to be a pessimist.
We can choose only the best of the worse.

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

Cartoon of The Day

By Carlos Latuff

Smile and Help

"Bassem" means smile.



"Ezra" means help.













Apa persamaan yang dimiliki Ezra dan Bassem? For me, they're both amazing human being.

Manusia suka mengkotak-kotakkan sesamanya.
Berdasarkan agama. Bangsa. Suku. Warna kulit. Status.
Padahal kita semua sama. Flesh and bone. Heart and mind.

Apa persamaan Ezra dan Bassem?
Keduanya percaya bahwa keadilan dan hak asasi manusia harus ditegakkan.
That humanity and justice shall prevail.
Keduanya mengorbankan diri mereka untuk itu.

Bassem tewas ketika melakukan protes damai menentang pembangunan tembok pemisah di Bil'in.
Ezra Nawi akan menjalani masa hukumannya 1 Juli besok.

Ketika sebagian dari kita masih sibuk mempermasalahkan perbedaan dan mengklaim superioritas, seorang Bassem yang muslim Palestina dan Ezra yang yahudi Israel membuktikan bahwa tingkat kemanusiaan tidaklah terkotak-kotak. That humanity IS universal. Shame on people who think it isn't.

Berikut adalah surat pribadi Ezra Nawi yang dimuat di The Nation.

Israel's Man of Conscience

My name is Ezra Nawi. I am a Jewish citizen of Israel.

I will be sentenced on the first of July after being found guilty of assaulting two police officers in 2007 while struggling against the demolition of a Palestinian house in Um El Hir, located in the southern part of the West Bank.

Of course the policemen who accused me of assaulting them are lying. Indeed, lying has become common within the Israeli police force, military and among the Jewish settlers.

After close to 140,000 letters were sent to Israeli officials in support of my activities in the occupied West Bank, the Ministry of Justice responded that I "provoke local residents."

This response reflects the culture of deceit that has taken over all official discourse relating to the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

After all, was I the one who poisoned and destroyed Palestinian water wells?

Was I the one who beat young Palestinian children?

Did I hit the elderly?

Did I poison the Palestinian residents' sheep?

Did I demolish homes and destroy tractors?

Did I block roads and restrict movement?

Was I the one who prevented people from connecting their homes to running water and electricity?

Did I forbid Palestinians from building homes?

Over the past eight years, I have seen with my own two eyes hundreds of abuses such as these and exposed them to the public--therefore I am considered a provocateur. I can only say that I am proud to be a provoker.

Because I am a provoker, the police together with their allies have threatened me, beaten me and arrested me on numerous occasions. And when I continued to "provoke" them, they did not hesitate to out me as a gay man; indeed, they spread rumors among the Palestinians with whom I work that I have AIDS.

One of the reasons I have been singled out has to do with who I am. It is difficult to explain, but as a Mizrahi Jew (descended from Jewish communities in the Arab and Muslim world), a gay man and a plumber, I do not belong to the elite of Israeli society and do not fit the stereotype of the Israeli peacenik--namely, an intellectual Jew of Ashkenazi decent. Actually, the police officers who constantly arrest me and I are part of the same social strata. I was programmed like them, have a similar accent, know their jargon and our historical background is comparable. And yet, in their eyes I am on and for the other side, the Palestinian side.

This simple fact seems to disturb them so much that they have to vilify me; that is the only way their worldview will continue making sense. I threaten them precisely because I undermine the categories and stereotypes through which they understand the world.

But the policemen are only actors on this stage. The military, civil administration and the judicial system are all working with the police, and all of them together follow the commands of their masters, the Jewish settlers.

This unholy alliance is extremely dangerous, because for them the end--gaining full control of the Land of Israel--justifies the means. In order to advance this end they dehumanize the Palestinians; and because the Palestinians in their eyes are not human, everything is permitted. They can steal their land, demolish their homes, steal their water, imprison them for no reason and at times even kill them. In Hebrew we say damam mutar, taking their blood is permissible.

It is important to keep in mind, however, that the evil I confront every day in the West Bank could not have been carried out without the Israeli court system. Judge Eilata Ziskind not only mistakenly found me guilty but she instructed the court to invite a translator for the sentencing, as if I do not speak Hebrew; in her mind I, a Mizrahi Jew, am a Palestinian Arab--and Arabs are, almost by definition, guilty. My case is merely part of a pattern. All the crimes committed by the state and its proxies in the territories over the past four decades were made kosher by the Israeli courts. Therefore, the courts are just as much to blame for the ongoing cruelty.

Because I am a provoker the state subjects me to continuing harassment, and yet I have remained persistent. What strengthens me and gives me energy is the widespread and constant support I have always received from political allies. When I was beaten by settlers, when my car was stolen, when I was arrested, I never felt alone. I know that thousands of people, both in Israel and abroad, support what we in Ta'ayush (Jewish-Arab Partnership) are doing against the occupation.

"Ezra" in Hebrew means help, and I know that in times of trouble I can rely on my friends for help.

So, don't expect me to buy their lies. That Palestinians are terrorists. That Jews or Muslims or Christians are bad. That all Israelis are coldblooded occupiers. That women are being opressed in Islam.
That gay or bikini-clad women are ignorant people.



Jadi next time kalau ada yang mengatakan Palestina adalah masalah SARA, atau mendukung Boycott Israel adalah bodoh dan dangkal, aku hanya perlu mengingat Bassem dan Ezra. Dan yakin bahwa mereka tidak sendiri dalam perjuangan mereka.

We're all doing our part. I'm doing my teeny tiny little part by reminding you of Bassem and Ezra.


q7zjewapvb

Nike, Just Stop It.

If they were friends of yours, would you say "Well hey, that's their lot and they've just got to deal with it. That's part of economic development."
If that was your brother or sister or your mother would you be so dismissive of the injustice that they're facing?

(Jim Keady,Just Stop It Campaign)
www.educatingforjustice.org
www.teamsweat.org

Behind The Swoosh

Heal The World

Michael Jackson.
Damn, he was good! I mean his musics. Lagunya, suaranya, video klipnya...
No comment about the controversy. Who am I to judge...

Salah satu lagu Michael Jackson yang bikin "merinding" adalah Gone Too Soon, soundtrack film 'The Ryan White Story' yang menceritakan perjuangan seorang anak yang terkena HIV Aids saat menjalani perawatan hemofilia dan mengalami diskriminasi. Di Russiaville ( Indiana, AS), Ryan dilarang melanjutkan sekolah karena 117 orangtua (dari total 360 murid) dan 50 guru menandatangani petisi untuk melarang Ryan bersekolah. Orangtua Ryan menempuh jalan hukum dan ketika Ryan diijinkan kembali bersekolah, 151 murid memilih tidak masuk sekolah. Dan sebagai seorang pengantar koran, Ryan juga mengalami penolakan dari orang-orang yang tadinya berlangganan koran dengannya.

Keluarga Ryan akhirnya memilih untuk pindah ketika sebuah peluru ditembakkan ke rumah mereka.
31 Agustus 1987, ketika hari pertama bersekolah di SMA Hamilton Heights (Cicero, Indiana), Ryan akhirnya bertemu dengan lingkungan yang tidak takut untuk menjabat tangannya.

Ryan White meninggal 8 April 1990 (18 tahun), beberapa bulan sebelum kelulusannya.

Gone Too Soon. Like a comet blazing 'cross the evening sky
Like a rainbow fading in the twinkling of an eye
Shiny and sparkly and splendidly bright
Here one day gone one night
Like the loss of sunlight on a cloudy afternoon
Like a castle built upon a sandy beach
Like a perfect flower that is just beyond your reach
Born to amuse, to inspire, to delight
Here one day gone one night

Like a sunset dying with the rising of the moon
Gone too soon.

Dan entah kebetulan atau tidak, waktu membaca tentang Amazon Uprising kemarin, lagu Earth Song lah yang terlintas.
Jadi ceritanya, beberapa waktu yang lalu terjadi Tiananmen-nya Amazon. Alan Garcia didukung oleh perjanjian Free Trade dengan AS membuat ke(tidak)bijakan yang memungkinkan perusahaan asing untuk mengeksploitasi 45 juta hektar (hampir 70% hutan amazon) tanpa persetujuan dari komunitas lokal, dalam hal ini suku Indian Amazon. Untuk melawan korporasi besar (industri kayu, minyak dan pertambangan) dan pemerintah kapitalis, komunitas suku asli Indian yang tidak memiliki senjata dan hampir tak tersentuh listrik menggunakan segala cara yang mereka bisa. Memblokade jalan, menyandera kantor-kantor industri pertambangan, berdemo dengan membawa busur dan panah. "We will fight together with our parents and children to take care of the forest, to save the life of the equator and the entire world.", kata pemimpin mereka.
Respon dari Garcia? Menyatakan kondisi darurat di Amazon dan mengirimkan helikopter militer yang menembak ke arah demonstran. Korban dari aparat dan demonstran berjatuhan.

Hey, what about yesterday
What about the seas, the heavens are falling down
I can't even breathe
What about everthing, I have given you
What about nature's worth, It's our planet's womb
What about animals, We've turned kingdoms to dust
What about elephants, Have we lost their trust
What about crying whales, We're ravaging the seas
What about forest trails, Burnt despite our pleas
What about the holy land, Torn apart by creed
What about the common man, Can't we set him free
What about children dying, Can't you hear them cry
Where did we go wrong
Someone tell me why

What about baby boy
What about the days
What about all their joy
What about the men
What about the crying man
What about Abraham
What about death again

Do we give a damn

Tapi yang ekstraordinary, kali ini korporasi-korporasi itu kalah. Indegenious people yang menang. Kongres Peru mencabut dua undang-undang yang memungkinkan perusahaan pertambangan untuk mengebor hutan Amazon.

Diamond, oil and land for blood...do we give a damn?

Dan tentang rasisme, tentang SARA (reminds me of this stupid presidential campaigns...), ingat video klip dahsyat Black or White?

They Print My Message
In The Saturday Sun
I Had To Tell Them
I Ain't Second To None
And I Told About Equality
An It's True
Either You're Wrong
Or You're Right

So, did we get his messages?
Rest In Peace, bro. Thanks for your music.

Neda and Basem

Exactly what I had in mind.

From Gabriel, Jews sans frontieres.

Shame on CNN for caring about the death of non-violent protesters according to the interests of U.S. foreign domination. The love these journalists professes for Neda is just as racist as the their indifference towards Bassem. Indeed, it is the same racism.

Broadcast the death of Bassem!

Bassem Abu Rahme is the 18th individual to be killed by israeli forces during a demonstration against the Wall.

His name was Basem, which means smile, and that is how he greeted everyone. But we all called him ‘Pheel’, which means elephant because he had the body the size of an elephant. But Basem had the heart of a child.

He loved everyone, and because of his sweetness and ability to make us laugh, everyone loved him. Basem was everyone’s friend: the children talk about how he would play with them, scare them and then make them laugh. He would tend the garden in the playground and bring toys and books to the kindergarten. The old ladies in the village talk about how he used to visit, to ask after them and see if they needed anything. In the village, he seemed to be everywhere at once. He would pop in to say hello, take one puff of the nargila, and be off to his next spot. The morning he was killed he went to the house of Hamis, whose skull had been broken at a previous demonstration three months ago by a tear gas canister projectile - the same weapon that would kill Basem.

Basem woke Hamis and gave him his medicine, then off he went to visit another friend in the village who is ill with cancer. Then a little girl from the village wanted a pineapple but couldn’t find any in the local stores. So Basem went to Ramallah to get a pineapple and was back before noon for the Friday prayers and the weekly demonstration against the theft of our land by the apartheid wall. Pheel never missed a demonstration; he participated in all the activities and creative actions in Bilin. He would always talk to the soldiers as human beings. Before he was hit he was calling for the soldiers to stop shooting because there were goats near the fence and he was worried for them. Then a woman in front of him was hit. He yelled to the commander to stop shooting because someone was wounded. He expected the soldiers to understand and stop shooting. Instead, they shot him too.

People came to his funeral from all the surrounding villages to show Basem that they loved him as much as he had loved them. But those of us from Bil’in kept looking around for him, expecting him to be walking with us.

Pheel, you were everyone’s friend. We always knew we loved you, but didn’t realize how much we would miss you until we lost you. As Bil’in has become the symbol of Palestine’s popular resistance, you are the symbol of Bil’in. Sweet Pheel, Rest in Peace, we will continue in your footsteps.

— Mohammad Khatib, member of the Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements

More on Bil'in Village here.

Blog About Palestine Day 2009 - The Harvest

Hey! I found my name there.
Along with the other post about Nakba.
Will read them all as soon as I have the time.

The list.

Thanks, Young Activist and Karin, for correcting my English and translating Palestina In My Mind into Germany.

Keep on spreading the truth!