Peace, Sept. 11 and planetary thinking   Jennie M Xue  ;   An author and columnist based in Northern California

JAKARTA POST, 09 September 2014

                                                                                                                       

                                                      

Peace is simple, the Sept. 11 tragedy was horrible, Brand Islam needs revamping and the world needs to think on a planetary level. But human beings make things complicated and peace is a luxury in this chaotic world. We can change the world for the better if we all work hand-in-hand in making peace universal. Victor Hugo in Oration on Voltaire wrote: “If barbarism persists, then philosophy must protest. If the sword is relentless, then civilization must denounce it.” I was in Jakarta when Indonesia experienced the May 1998 tragedy and I had just returned that summer from New York City when Sept. 11, 2001 occurred. I climbed up the observation deck at the World Trade Center and enjoyed the foggy view of Manhattan, not knowing that it would be my last time standing in that building. In 1998 in Indonesia and in 2001 in the US, I saw firsthand the devastating consequences of inhumane acts of killing and violence. Blood, tears, fire and rubble. Death, orphans, bodies, amputees, victims and survivors. It was as if hell had broken loose. On earth. Enough. The world has become a bit gloomier with those two incidents, yet they taught me an important lesson: hatred is loud and love is silent. To fight hatred, we must amplify love as loudly as possible. With anything and everything we have: debate, media coverage, teaching, speaking, writing and other creative ways to disseminate the core message. We also must cut the financial sources of militant extremists and terrorist groups. Recently, we read and watched videos about the beheadings of two American journalists, James Foley and Steven Sotloff, by the Islamic State (IS) organization — by far the most extreme of extremists. As if the “brand” of Islam hadn’t been tarnished enough, IS flaunted the term “Islam” in a horrific and terrorizing way. US President Barack Obama has made a statement to fight back against IS and the military has been using force to do so, which the world appreciates. This time around, I support a US military attack. Humanity must be saved, loudly and militantly. Obviously IS is much more dangerous than al-Qaeda, as it aims to claim territories, not merely to attack individuals and symbols of freedom. Carefully review these numbers to better grasp how powerful the group is. IS owns US$2 billion in cash and makes $3 million per day from oil and other assets since the capture of Mosul in Iraq. By comparison, the Taliban has $560 million, Hezbollah $500 million, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC) $350 million, al-Shabaab $100 million and Hamas $70 million. Six million people are living under IS control across 90,650 square kilometers in Syria and Iraq. The group aspires to occupy 1,2 milion square km by reversing the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916. There are already 80,000 personnel fighting for IS. Scientifically and technologically speaking, the human race has reached a point in which it has started to search for other planets to inhabit. City College of New York theoretical physics professor Michio Kaku, who is also one of the founders of string theory, once said that based on patterns of energy consumption there are three levels of extraterrestrial civilization: planetary, stellar and galactic. Today, the earth has not even reached level one. We are now at level zero, for we rely on planetary-based energy consumption, which has obviously been financing the IS terror on humanity. At level zero, sectarian wars and conflicts are focused on obtaining the greatest amount of natural resources, aka energy. At level one, the whole planet can be self-sustaining using renewable resources. At level two, collaboration between planets in galaxies is possible. And at level three, intergalactic communications are possible, allowing planets and galaxies to be united in federations. Yet, the hard truth today is that the name of a religion has been used to justify unforgivable crimes against humanity. At level zero of extraterrestrial civilization, we must fight various elements that could result in our early extinction. Maintaining and disseminating messages of peace is of utmost urgency today. We don’t need another Sept. 11 tragedy to remind ourselves of the message. Let’s just think and act on a planetary level, not sectarian. ●

In search of a secular president Jennie M Xue and Michael J Rahardjo   ;  Jennie M. Xue is an Indonesian-born author and columnist based in California; Michael J. Rahardjo is an essayist and columnist based in Jakarta

JAKARTA POST,  07 Februari 2014

                                                                                                                        

                                                                                         

                                                      

Indonesia is in dire need of a secular president because it is a secular country by law.  The de jure fact that Indonesia is a secular country is often blurred by the de facto reality that too many Indonesian leaders indulge themselves in religious symbols. Such lifestyles have reached an alarming level, for they do not seem to put an end to the various laws and policies that perpetuate discrimination.  It is as if Indonesians live in a theocracy, not a democratic, secular country.  Indonesia’s ID cards still bear the “choice of religion” column. The central government is also too lenient on hard-core extremists and local governments that have been using force to close down churches and other minority places of worship. The requirement for halal certification for food, cosmetics and hotel accommodation is also a violation of the secular country concept.  The 2013 school curriculum emphasizes the study of religion with four extra hours and pivots on so-called “religion” in other subjects, including science and math.  On the other hand, Indonesian literature has been eliminated from the high school curriculum due to the removal of IPA (natural sciences) and IPS (social sciences) majors. In the 2013 high school curriculum for the Indonesian language subject, the first core competency expected is internalizing and implementing religious teachings as observed by adhering to Indonesian language norms and being grateful for having Indonesian language and literature as a blessing from God. Amazing, isn’t it? This core competency was designed by the Education and Culture Ministry of a secular country.  Perhaps Indonesia isn’t that secular or is actually anti-secular considering the controversial birth of Pancasila? Was Indonesia intended to be an Islamic country?  That was previously discussed, but it is now history.  As Indonesia is legally a secular country, we must remind ourselves that Indonesia’s Constitution protects all individuals equally. Churches being sealed, closed down or even burned down without the government doing anything significant to deter the repeat of these acts is incomprehensible.  It is also incomprehensible that the Ahmadiyah, a minority sect in Islam, has been persecuted heavily for simply being different, despite being peaceful and respectful toward others.  The cases of wrongdoing toward minorities are called “acts of persecution”, not merely discrimination. Why? Because those acts were imposed upon a specific group by a group of violent individuals condoned by the government’s silence and noninterference.  By condoning violent acts with a failure to stop them via soft and hard power, such as peaceful talks, negotiations and armed protection, a lack of political will in maintaining balance between groups with different religions is prevalent. We need a president who understands this and works hard to protect the basic human rights of Indonesians. The definition of “persecution” according to the Geneva Convention Article 1A, is that the suffering or fear caused must be sufficiently serious, by its nature or repetition; it must either constitute a basic attack on human rights, for example, life, freedom or physical integrity, or, in the light of all the facts of the case, manifestly preclude the victim from continuing to live in his or her country of origin; and it must be based on one of the grounds mentioned in Article 1A: race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.  A president who respects human rights, humanity and peace must act according to universal morality, not based upon specific religious teachings. We must remind ourselves and respect the fact that Indonesia is a secular country. Consequently, we need a secular president.  In a paternalistic society like Indonesia, a president is a fatherly icon of influence. It matters that he projects an aura of spirituality without giving special preference to a specific religion. This would translate to peace-oriented decisions and policies.  A secular female president may be an even better choice, for today’s world requires a gentler and more peaceful approach in leadership.  Professor Susan Perkins of Northwestern University, Katherine Philips of Columbia University and Nicholas Pearce published an article in Columbia’s Journal of International Affairs that pointed to a correlation between higher gross domestic product (GDP) growth and female presidents in countries with ethnic strife. ●