Ternyata tidak semua orang Amerika seburuk kelompok ekstrem kanan yang terungkap dalam sebuah posting saya kemarin. Berikut ini sebuah surat yang ditulis oleh bakal calon presiden AS dari Partai Demokrat, Obama, yang menceritakan bagaimana ia mengenal orang Muslim. Ternyata politisi keturunan Kenya ini pernah tinggal di Indonesia pada masa kecilnya.
Tentu kita berharap ia akan memenangkan perlombaan menuju kursi presiden AS ini, karena kalau ia berhasil, hal itu akan sangat kondusif bagi perdamaian dunia. Tapi, yah, kita lihat saja, apakah ia berhasil mengalahkan lobby Yahudi di AS kali ini.
Salam,
Hudoyo
Mon Jan 21, 2008 2:07 am (PST)
Letter from Barack Obama on His Muslim Heritage
There has been a lot made in the recent weeks about the Muslim
history of my family. Some of the things that have been said are
true, others are false, so I am writing this letter to clear up the
misunderstandings on this issue.
Yes, it is true that I have a name that is common amongst Kenyan
Muslims where my father came from and that my middle name is
Hussein. Barack is a name which means "blessing" and Hussein is a
masculine form of the word beauty.
Since there is nothing inherently wrong with the concept of
blessings from God and the beauty He creates I fail to see the
problem with these names.
Some will say wouldn't it be a problem to have a president with a
name similar to the deposed and executed former dictator of Iraq ?
My answer to this is simply no; rather it is the strength and beauty
of America that the son of an African man with a "funny sounding"
name, born under British Colonial Rule, can now be a serious
candidate for the presidency of the United States .
My father was a Muslim and although I did not know him well the
religion of my father and his family was always something I had an
interest in. This interest became more intense when my mother
married an Indonesian Muslim man and as a small child I lived in
Indonesia and attended school alongside Muslim pupils.
I saw their parents dutifully observing the daily prayers, the
mothers covered in the Muslim hijab, the atmosphere of the school
change during Ramadan, and the festiveness of the Eid celebrations.
The man my mother was married to was not particularly religious; but
he would attend the mosque on occasion, and had copies of the Quran
in different languages in the home, and books of the sayings and
life of the Prophet Muhammad.
From time to time he would quote Islamic phrases such as "no one
truly believes until he wants for his brother what he wants for
himself", "oppression is worse than slaughter", and "all humans are
equal the only difference comes from our deeds".
Growing up in Hawaii with my mother and her grandparents, Islam
largely escaped my mind. My mother installed in me the values of
humanism and I did not grow-up in a home were religion was taught.
It was later while I attended college at Columbia University and
Harvard Law that I became reacquainted with Muslims as both schools
had large Muslims student populations. Some of them were my friends
and many came from countries that our nation now has hostile
relations with.
The background I had from my early childhood in Indonesia helped me
get to know them and learn from them and to me Muslims are not to be
looked upon as something strange.
In my experiences up until college a Muslim was no less exotic to me
than a Mormon, a Jew, or a Jehovah's Witness.
After college I settled in my adopted hometown of Chicago and lived
on the South Side and worked as a community organizer. Chicago has
one of the largest Muslim populations in America (estimated to be
around 300,000) and Muslims make-up some of the most productive
citizens in the area.
I met countless numbers of Muslims in my job as an organizer and
later on in my early political career. I ate in their homes, played
with their kids, and looked at them as friends and peers and sought
their advice.
Therefore, when the tragic terrorist attacks of 9-11 occurred I was
deeply saddened with the rest of America , and I wanted justice for
the victims of this horrific attack, but I did not blame all Muslims
or the religion of Islam.
From my experience I knew the good character of most Muslims and the
value that they bring to America . Many, who did not personally know
Muslims, indicted the entire religion for the bad actions of a few;
my experience taught me that this was something foolish and unwise.
Later I had the chance to visit the homeland of my father and meet
Muslim relatives of my including my grandmother. I found that these
were people who wanted the same things out of life as people right
here in America and worked hard, strive to make a better way for
their children, and prayed to God to grant them success.
This is what I will bring to the office of the Presidency of the
United States .
I will deal with Muslims from a position of familiarity and respect
and at this time in the history of our nation that is something
sorely needed
____________
SASTRA-PEMBEBASAN, wacana sukasamasuka sastrakitakita
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