Written by Amde Sidik
This is not a specific reply to the accusation level against me with reference to my articles Happy Maal Hijrah 1429 & Happy New 2008 posted in AS Journal on 13 January, 2008 as I have not spared much time reading the details of it (the accusation). But rather just as the earlier response, as I scanned through, I cognised something was not well understood. The refined reply will take sometime as I have to be away most of the time from my blog.
That article of mine -Happy Maal Hijrah 1429 & Happy New 2008 posted on 13 January, 2008 in AS Journal was found to be controversial by one person, so far one person only. (Circulated among the Gmail subscribers). According this one person, he consulted three Islamic religious experts to verify my writing. After reading ten times, he came out open, which is to me, falling short to declaring me as ... So, shall I say, four of them lah!
My question is what to verify? I still failed to see. Is it about the idea in that article? The way I presented? Badly constructed materials? The phrases I used? My English is so horrible? Or a person like me is not competent to write religious matter especially on Islam.
A kind of ..."Amde this isn't your territory, keep away you! This is religious subject. Writing about Islam is only meant for Muslim with sound religious record, had formal education in Islamic religion, had memorized the Quran numerously, understanding of it is not included if it is from English translation. It is only writings from Arab prominent Universities, notably from the Al Azhar University (I am not insinuating the University)"
To back track, the jest of my article is, how do we answer questions on Islam global image in general sense -just see and hear around the world, and the second part, what do we know of the image/s in our country? I have not provided answers, not even a suggestion, because the article is going be extended. For those who have not read, it is hardly a paragraph touches the core of Islam or religion per se. I know it would take me bigger space to have a real debate. It wasn’t intended to be.
Because it’s hardly a paragraph on Islamic religion, I now ask, is it worthwhile jumping into conclusion that the writer knew nothing about the subject or which part of it gives indication that he is betraying his own religion?
I remember not that long ago, a highly educated in Islamic religious graduate from our own home grown UII plus Al Azhar University, and this is not the only one, not to mention the rest in order not to be too personal. This religious expert/s I noted did not give us good impression about the prudence of good Islamic religious education. The media say … murtad
Or Amde needs to be nailed anyway, because he is as he is? Poor me! I really don't know.
I don’t intend to be boastful, but I have to introduce myself no matter how unethical it sounds to some, because for me, to reach this stage was a long journey. A journey with candle light to start with.
Three writers inspire me to read Islam and religion continuously, namely Feisal Abd Rauf, a Kuwaiti of an Egyptian ancestry, educated in Egypt, England, Malaysia, and USA; he is now Imam of Masjid al Farah New York City Mosque. He has written numerous books on Islam and Islam in connection with Physic among others.
Dr Zaiuddin Sadr a friend in England, international best seller special writer in mathematic and Islam, a technical designer he who helped design water system- Zam-Zam in Mecca, coincidently happened to be Datuk Seri Anwar adviser on Islam at one time. He used to say about himself an ulamak without beard!
(Hajj) Michael Wolfe, his father a Jew and mother devote Christian, and he is a devoted Muslim, a travel writer, notably -Thousand Roads to Mecca 1997. One can still watch him every Hajj season at CNN, sometime BBC, giving views on Islam-I haven't heard of him being banned to visit Muslim countries unlike Osama Bin Ladin who has price tag on his head any where at any time by President Bush
That would give inkling, how I view religion, and how I view Islam. The rest of the views I got are all mine, mine alone, and I hope to progress with it. Insyallh. See if I can contribute something one day in a way of thinking about religion even if is not specifically Islam
Call any Ustaz who wants to have a debate with me on that topic, views on religion and views on Islam against global background. I am prepared.
I don't have big name like Carl Bernstein, David Yalopp or the infamous Shalman Rashdi sort of. But I am fortunate enough that media in Sabah are generous to me to make me as I am now, especially Daily Express. So what do I do?
I tell you something, writing is not something one can resign when one is pressured, especially if one is innocent. It is not as simple as what David Blanket did or in our local scene as Dr Chua Soi Leck did recently.
I can write more on this, but if I continue, we are surely going to miss the point again, i.e., the original contention I want to tell my readers are. See, I am a writer. I am not a reporter nor I am journalist-may be sometime what I wrote are rubbish, only Daily Express , Gulf News, Canberra Times or South Morning Post take up those rubbish from me.
Let me give a simple methodology when I do my writing, but again just let me first explain the word methodology, the first time I heard about the word methodology was when I did my Masters of Science Degree in University of Birmingham way in 1983. What it means simply is how do you do it or how do you investigate it? What do you use to prove or to substantiate your findings, are your findings significant enough? Hear these words? They don't tell you exactly what they want to mean, all are waffled and blurred if not dubious. If it happens in science what about it in art and any other fields, later in life I did my Law degree, this discipline helps me to understand two things: when facing with large and messy materials, one should deduce it. If the materials is too little one should induce it; this may not tell my readers a lot, even practicing lawyers are still missing the point.
I hate academic stuff! Tell me in real world, who would want to read academic stuff? Not even 5% of those from the house of universities read by general public. Because of this reason many people start writing heavy stuff into a very simple and less elaborative manner –read Feynman on Physic. It doesn't mean the writers are stupid who can't present succinctly. To some, I supposed, when people find attraction or something blogging their heads while reading, they would come back to the phrases, and start paying attention or asking question. Tell me how many those read Quran bother to knock someone's house asking for something about what blogging his or her mind? I supposed very few unless you are students, only when asked by their lecturers to do so.
Many would be asking Amde is a graduate in writing, its rubbish! I couldn't even speak English when I was in form three- a few of my teachers are still alive and kicking, ask them- Mr. Thanda, Chin Hock Yen, Liew Syn Chong or Liaw Ben Teck., how stupid, how poor and how ugly I was. I was and still am so bad in language even today, when I concentrate my Malay I forget my English, if I concentrate in English I forget my Malay, except one dialect, my Kadayan dialect. I hold it intact, but some sometime I pretend not to know it, especially, in front of boastful Kadayans who say they know a lot about Kadayan.
You see, by my pretending not to know it they start telling me what they know of it but actually ninety percent of what they said I already knew. For me you would only be master of it until you write a book. I did my part. The catch is; people appreciate if you asked something from them by first putting him or her superior or above you are. That is why even in Islam used to emphasize to be humble, but sadly many misconstrued into thinking that being humble, quiet, look stupid are the real manifestation of stupidity.
You watch this when confronting with civil servants in Malaysia, say, you are asking for application form for something related to government department; you are chicken dead, especially if you are just wearing salipar jepun and torn T shirt in front of them. Or you do that when meeting with a tau keh start bargaining the price to buy hardware, the tau keh would just close his eyes, you are not there. You start speaking in English with him, he will jump to you. Does this mean your ten ringgit isn't equivalent to YBs ten ringgit? I want to hear from Islamic religious thinking thinkers thought about this -I am in fact hinting to those who dispute my understanding of my faith.
About my blog, I update it only whenever I have time, feel free to see.
This is not a specific reply to the accusation level against me with reference to my articles Happy Maal Hijrah 1429 & Happy New 2008 posted in AS Journal on 13 January, 2008 as I have not spared much time reading the details of it (the accusation). But rather just as the earlier response, as I scanned through, I cognised something was not well understood. The refined reply will take sometime as I have to be away most of the time from my blog.
That article of mine -Happy Maal Hijrah 1429 & Happy New 2008 posted on 13 January, 2008 in AS Journal was found to be controversial by one person, so far one person only. (Circulated among the Gmail subscribers). According this one person, he consulted three Islamic religious experts to verify my writing. After reading ten times, he came out open, which is to me, falling short to declaring me as ... So, shall I say, four of them lah!
My question is what to verify? I still failed to see. Is it about the idea in that article? The way I presented? Badly constructed materials? The phrases I used? My English is so horrible? Or a person like me is not competent to write religious matter especially on Islam.
A kind of ..."Amde this isn't your territory, keep away you! This is religious subject. Writing about Islam is only meant for Muslim with sound religious record, had formal education in Islamic religion, had memorized the Quran numerously, understanding of it is not included if it is from English translation. It is only writings from Arab prominent Universities, notably from the Al Azhar University (I am not insinuating the University)"
To back track, the jest of my article is, how do we answer questions on Islam global image in general sense -just see and hear around the world, and the second part, what do we know of the image/s in our country? I have not provided answers, not even a suggestion, because the article is going be extended. For those who have not read, it is hardly a paragraph touches the core of Islam or religion per se. I know it would take me bigger space to have a real debate. It wasn’t intended to be.
Because it’s hardly a paragraph on Islamic religion, I now ask, is it worthwhile jumping into conclusion that the writer knew nothing about the subject or which part of it gives indication that he is betraying his own religion?
I remember not that long ago, a highly educated in Islamic religious graduate from our own home grown UII plus Al Azhar University, and this is not the only one, not to mention the rest in order not to be too personal. This religious expert/s I noted did not give us good impression about the prudence of good Islamic religious education. The media say … murtad
Or Amde needs to be nailed anyway, because he is as he is? Poor me! I really don't know.
I don’t intend to be boastful, but I have to introduce myself no matter how unethical it sounds to some, because for me, to reach this stage was a long journey. A journey with candle light to start with.
Three writers inspire me to read Islam and religion continuously, namely Feisal Abd Rauf, a Kuwaiti of an Egyptian ancestry, educated in Egypt, England, Malaysia, and USA; he is now Imam of Masjid al Farah New York City Mosque. He has written numerous books on Islam and Islam in connection with Physic among others.
Dr Zaiuddin Sadr a friend in England, international best seller special writer in mathematic and Islam, a technical designer he who helped design water system- Zam-Zam in Mecca, coincidently happened to be Datuk Seri Anwar adviser on Islam at one time. He used to say about himself an ulamak without beard!
(Hajj) Michael Wolfe, his father a Jew and mother devote Christian, and he is a devoted Muslim, a travel writer, notably -Thousand Roads to Mecca 1997. One can still watch him every Hajj season at CNN, sometime BBC, giving views on Islam-I haven't heard of him being banned to visit Muslim countries unlike Osama Bin Ladin who has price tag on his head any where at any time by President Bush
That would give inkling, how I view religion, and how I view Islam. The rest of the views I got are all mine, mine alone, and I hope to progress with it. Insyallh. See if I can contribute something one day in a way of thinking about religion even if is not specifically Islam
Call any Ustaz who wants to have a debate with me on that topic, views on religion and views on Islam against global background. I am prepared.
I don't have big name like Carl Bernstein, David Yalopp or the infamous Shalman Rashdi sort of. But I am fortunate enough that media in Sabah are generous to me to make me as I am now, especially Daily Express. So what do I do?
I tell you something, writing is not something one can resign when one is pressured, especially if one is innocent. It is not as simple as what David Blanket did or in our local scene as Dr Chua Soi Leck did recently.
I can write more on this, but if I continue, we are surely going to miss the point again, i.e., the original contention I want to tell my readers are. See, I am a writer. I am not a reporter nor I am journalist-may be sometime what I wrote are rubbish, only Daily Express , Gulf News, Canberra Times or South Morning Post take up those rubbish from me.
Let me give a simple methodology when I do my writing, but again just let me first explain the word methodology, the first time I heard about the word methodology was when I did my Masters of Science Degree in University of Birmingham way in 1983. What it means simply is how do you do it or how do you investigate it? What do you use to prove or to substantiate your findings, are your findings significant enough? Hear these words? They don't tell you exactly what they want to mean, all are waffled and blurred if not dubious. If it happens in science what about it in art and any other fields, later in life I did my Law degree, this discipline helps me to understand two things: when facing with large and messy materials, one should deduce it. If the materials is too little one should induce it; this may not tell my readers a lot, even practicing lawyers are still missing the point.
I hate academic stuff! Tell me in real world, who would want to read academic stuff? Not even 5% of those from the house of universities read by general public. Because of this reason many people start writing heavy stuff into a very simple and less elaborative manner –read Feynman on Physic. It doesn't mean the writers are stupid who can't present succinctly. To some, I supposed, when people find attraction or something blogging their heads while reading, they would come back to the phrases, and start paying attention or asking question. Tell me how many those read Quran bother to knock someone's house asking for something about what blogging his or her mind? I supposed very few unless you are students, only when asked by their lecturers to do so.
Many would be asking Amde is a graduate in writing, its rubbish! I couldn't even speak English when I was in form three- a few of my teachers are still alive and kicking, ask them- Mr. Thanda, Chin Hock Yen, Liew Syn Chong or Liaw Ben Teck., how stupid, how poor and how ugly I was. I was and still am so bad in language even today, when I concentrate my Malay I forget my English, if I concentrate in English I forget my Malay, except one dialect, my Kadayan dialect. I hold it intact, but some sometime I pretend not to know it, especially, in front of boastful Kadayans who say they know a lot about Kadayan.
You see, by my pretending not to know it they start telling me what they know of it but actually ninety percent of what they said I already knew. For me you would only be master of it until you write a book. I did my part. The catch is; people appreciate if you asked something from them by first putting him or her superior or above you are. That is why even in Islam used to emphasize to be humble, but sadly many misconstrued into thinking that being humble, quiet, look stupid are the real manifestation of stupidity.
You watch this when confronting with civil servants in Malaysia, say, you are asking for application form for something related to government department; you are chicken dead, especially if you are just wearing salipar jepun and torn T shirt in front of them. Or you do that when meeting with a tau keh start bargaining the price to buy hardware, the tau keh would just close his eyes, you are not there. You start speaking in English with him, he will jump to you. Does this mean your ten ringgit isn't equivalent to YBs ten ringgit? I want to hear from Islamic religious thinking thinkers thought about this -I am in fact hinting to those who dispute my understanding of my faith.
About my blog, I update it only whenever I have time, feel free to see.
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