Farsijana's home of intercivilization, intercultures and interreligious practices
Minggu, 10 April 2011
Kamis, 07 April 2011
Rabu, 06 April 2011
Denis Leonardo Design: Heritage house, Pondok Jati Rasa
Denis Leonardo Design: Heritage house, Pondok Jati Rasa: "Houses Owned Miss Farsijana Risakotta at Cliff Edge. Adapted by Denis IBS from Maria Hartiningsih dan Wawa..."
A cliff house in Java: About this blog: Retracing the spirit of my ancest...
A cliff house in Java: About this blog: Retracing the spirit of my ancest...: "Since the article of our home in the southern cost of Javanese ocean in Parangtritis appeared in Kompas, in February 6, 2011, I have gotten ..."
Senin, 04 April 2011
Learning from my grandfather of doing an interfaith practice
Learning from my grandfather of doing an interfaith practice
By Farsijana Adeney-Risakotta
My grantfather was a Javanese. He had eight siblings. I got to know his family when my parents took us including our grandparents to what we called "the tour of Java". It was carried out when I was about 13 years old in 1978. Our parent rent a blue bird car to drive us from Jakarta to Surabaya. It was about a month trip while stopping in many places to reconnect with my grandpa's family and to enjoy the beauty of Javanese landscape.
Coming to Java was to see another paradise in my life. I grew up among the ocean and plantation of our grandmother's property in the village of Amahusu in the bay of Ambon. Actually our parent's home was in the city of Ambon, but my father loved so much to have a nap on the beach at the front of my grandma's home. He would drive us to taste the breeze almost everyday whether he could make it after his working day and when he did not travel to Jakarta. My father was the head of the department of Industry at the time.
The tour of Java gave a deep meaning of myself. Especially to think how could I develop myself like this now. Now we live with Muslims and Christians at our home. I work with women of different religious background in Yogyakarta. I have retraced myself to understand how I can be the person to listen others sharing their faith without feeling of uneasy.
The more I think the more I strongly believe in the role of my father and my grandpa. My father had a driver whose name was what we called "Oom Hadi". Oom means uncle. He was a Muslim from Buton, South Sulawesi. He was a sweet guy. I remember always talking with him about his memory of living at his original home in Buton. We were living at the time in the city of Ambon. The attitute of people in Ambon toward the Butonese was to look them down.
However, in our family, my parents taught us to respect to oom Hadi and others. Whether we had something more in our home, my mother always gave some food for oom Hadi to take home. Going to visit my grandparents in their home in Amahusu, we always returned with frest coconuts, different kind of fruits and vegetables that were harvested from their yard or plantation up in the hills. So giving to oom Hadi as we brought home was a common practice.
However only coming to Java, I learned that we have many Muslim families. My grandpa, I called him "Opa" had told us about his siblings, but I could comprehen when I arrived in Java. I remember my grandpa would be asked to pray anytime we came to visit them. The family thought that he had died because of no news for 40 years since he left Java to go to Serui, Papua. He was the fifth of eight siblings. He and his elder brother were Christians. Being as Christians and Muslims in the family was accepted as I also saw in the extended-family grave yard, there are signs of Al'quran calligraphy and the cross.
Later on, I returned to Yogya in the Central Java of the costal line to live with my Muslim aunt while I went to my senior high school. Perhaps my interests to stay with them, beside I had to company my brother who already had studied in Yogya, was because of our trip to Java. The first night of staying in my aunt's home, I woke up in the early morning listening of the call of praying. I was curious to know what was going on. I sneaked out from my bed to follow the blurred light. I was so surprised that I saw my aunt who had bowed wearing a white cloth covering the whole of her body. I wactched deeply. Before she later felt being wached by someone, I had to return to my bed.
After my grandfather woke up, I told my morning observation to him. He smiled and said that my aunt, Suti was doing a pray which is called "sholat", that means pray in Arabic. He told me that as she performed sholat, as I have prayed anytime I want to talk with God. Christians pray anytime to feel closed to God as Muslims pray five times a day.
At the day, my aunt who had felt sick told my grandpa that she would like him to pray for her. My grandpa did not look surprising. He was calm. I guess because anytime we travelled to visit new families, I have seen their requests for my grandpa to pray. Then my grandpa said that he could pray only in his Christian tradition. My aunt smiled and said that the more other pray the more blessing for her healing would happen.
So my grandpa invited me to join the pray. I prayed with lots of curiousity. I closed half of my eyes to see what was happening. I showed the face of my aunt peacefully during the pray. My grandpa ended up with the blessing of God to all his offerings and asked God to heal my aunt. He asked the healing that was done by Jesus, the prophet according to Islam may return to give her a strength.
It was a wonderful morning for me as a teenager to learn how we can share our faith to strengthen our love one in the time of needs.
Thanks my grandpa for a deep feeling of love you have left for me as you did to my aunt. It always inspires me for doing the same thing with the grace of God.
By Farsijana Adeney-Risakotta
My grantfather was a Javanese. He had eight siblings. I got to know his family when my parents took us including our grandparents to what we called "the tour of Java". It was carried out when I was about 13 years old in 1978. Our parent rent a blue bird car to drive us from Jakarta to Surabaya. It was about a month trip while stopping in many places to reconnect with my grandpa's family and to enjoy the beauty of Javanese landscape.
Coming to Java was to see another paradise in my life. I grew up among the ocean and plantation of our grandmother's property in the village of Amahusu in the bay of Ambon. Actually our parent's home was in the city of Ambon, but my father loved so much to have a nap on the beach at the front of my grandma's home. He would drive us to taste the breeze almost everyday whether he could make it after his working day and when he did not travel to Jakarta. My father was the head of the department of Industry at the time.
The tour of Java gave a deep meaning of myself. Especially to think how could I develop myself like this now. Now we live with Muslims and Christians at our home. I work with women of different religious background in Yogyakarta. I have retraced myself to understand how I can be the person to listen others sharing their faith without feeling of uneasy.
The more I think the more I strongly believe in the role of my father and my grandpa. My father had a driver whose name was what we called "Oom Hadi". Oom means uncle. He was a Muslim from Buton, South Sulawesi. He was a sweet guy. I remember always talking with him about his memory of living at his original home in Buton. We were living at the time in the city of Ambon. The attitute of people in Ambon toward the Butonese was to look them down.
However, in our family, my parents taught us to respect to oom Hadi and others. Whether we had something more in our home, my mother always gave some food for oom Hadi to take home. Going to visit my grandparents in their home in Amahusu, we always returned with frest coconuts, different kind of fruits and vegetables that were harvested from their yard or plantation up in the hills. So giving to oom Hadi as we brought home was a common practice.
However only coming to Java, I learned that we have many Muslim families. My grandpa, I called him "Opa" had told us about his siblings, but I could comprehen when I arrived in Java. I remember my grandpa would be asked to pray anytime we came to visit them. The family thought that he had died because of no news for 40 years since he left Java to go to Serui, Papua. He was the fifth of eight siblings. He and his elder brother were Christians. Being as Christians and Muslims in the family was accepted as I also saw in the extended-family grave yard, there are signs of Al'quran calligraphy and the cross.
Later on, I returned to Yogya in the Central Java of the costal line to live with my Muslim aunt while I went to my senior high school. Perhaps my interests to stay with them, beside I had to company my brother who already had studied in Yogya, was because of our trip to Java. The first night of staying in my aunt's home, I woke up in the early morning listening of the call of praying. I was curious to know what was going on. I sneaked out from my bed to follow the blurred light. I was so surprised that I saw my aunt who had bowed wearing a white cloth covering the whole of her body. I wactched deeply. Before she later felt being wached by someone, I had to return to my bed.
After my grandfather woke up, I told my morning observation to him. He smiled and said that my aunt, Suti was doing a pray which is called "sholat", that means pray in Arabic. He told me that as she performed sholat, as I have prayed anytime I want to talk with God. Christians pray anytime to feel closed to God as Muslims pray five times a day.
At the day, my aunt who had felt sick told my grandpa that she would like him to pray for her. My grandpa did not look surprising. He was calm. I guess because anytime we travelled to visit new families, I have seen their requests for my grandpa to pray. Then my grandpa said that he could pray only in his Christian tradition. My aunt smiled and said that the more other pray the more blessing for her healing would happen.
So my grandpa invited me to join the pray. I prayed with lots of curiousity. I closed half of my eyes to see what was happening. I showed the face of my aunt peacefully during the pray. My grandpa ended up with the blessing of God to all his offerings and asked God to heal my aunt. He asked the healing that was done by Jesus, the prophet according to Islam may return to give her a strength.
It was a wonderful morning for me as a teenager to learn how we can share our faith to strengthen our love one in the time of needs.
Thanks my grandpa for a deep feeling of love you have left for me as you did to my aunt. It always inspires me for doing the same thing with the grace of God.
A Common Word questions! Can the Islamic and Christian communities agree on love of God and love of neighbour as common beliefs?
| Muslim and Christian Understanding: Theory and Application of "A Common Word" |
| By Waleed El-Ansary and David K. Linnan |
| Sunday, 21 November 2010 |
| The Common Word initiative was commenced by leading Islamic scholars as outreach to the Christian world following Pope Benedict XVI’s controversial 2007 Regensburg address. Can the Islamic and Christian communities agree on love of God and love of neighbor as common beliefs? This book distinguishes between theory and application to capture issues in comparative theology and different views of common global challenges like the environment, development, and human rights. Muslims and Christians together constitute more than half of the world’s population. There can be no meaningful progress on such crucial issues without peace and justice between these two communities. Click here to purchase a copy   |
Minggu, 03 April 2011
How can we care to our nation?
How can we care to our nation?
By Farsijana Adeney-Risakotta*)
I was running this morning as usually when this question raised on my mind. A friend of mine who discussed my book on the ecological art and the expression on women toward anti-violence made a comment that he would be hit by cars if he was thinking on a vision while running. He commented to my words on the book that the idea for putting together the ecological women art on anti violence arrived when I was running. It is always truth for me anyway because I believe running is the next step for my brain to reconnect with think I have envisioned in my mind.
Running, taking shower, they all are the same for me to get lots of a united inspiration to shift my words into sentences. I wrote my mind with so many sentences. Our brain needs to formulate our understanding for what we have had in our unconsciousness’ thoughts. When we were building our writing home in the current location, on the cliff of Parangtritis ocean where now our heirloom home stands, I told my husband that I wanted to have the door of the bathroom facing to the ocean. Now from the closet of the bath I can watch the ocean to have a dialogue with the open sphere of the horizon perspective of the nature to bring back the understanding for myself.
Running is just like the process I had anytime I am on the closet. It sounds so “kasar” (rude) and impolite to say in my writing. When the journalists of Kompas, Maria Hartiningsih and Wawan interviewed me on which room in the heirloom home of Pondok Jati Rasa that I like so much, I explained about this fact that I like so much my crown of the toilet but I asked them not to writing and taking the picture. It is too personal. However, this morning I decided writing this in my blog.
As I made my point before to remind me that if I visit my blog every time, it is not about the blog itself, it is about all the connection I have been envisioning throughout my historical existence. I have carried the vision of my parents, my grandmother, and the words of the meaning of my name which has depth understanding on important values given by Sanskrit, Persian, Arab and Hebrew. Farsijana Rohny Cootje means a girl born in February is full with Holy Spirit, looking for knowledge and caring for family and people. The vision comes like an opened horizon that I can see from my crown on the toilet at the cliff house in Parangtritis.
As I made my point before to remind me that if I visit my blog every time, it is not about the blog itself, it is about all the connection I have been envisioning throughout my historical existence. I have carried the vision of my parents, my grandmother, and the words of the meaning of my name which has depth understanding on important values given by Sanskrit, Persian, Arab and Hebrew. Farsijana Rohny Cootje means a girl born in February is full with Holy Spirit, looking for knowledge and caring for family and people. The vision comes like an opened horizon that I can see from my crown on the toilet at the cliff house in Parangtritis.
So this morning, I have an inspiration to continue my thought last night as I wrote in Indonesian on the existence of an ethic of care. It starts with the story of my grandma whose name is with me now, Cootje. She is a nurse and spent her entire youth to the time when we got marriage with a Javanese guy in Serui, Papua. There, my mother was borne. I visited Serui in 2007 for a university work and reminding me to the story of my grandparents. They were medical couples working to serve the people there in the period when everything was still called close to modern life.
The house where my mother borne was still stood. It was a hanging house where according to my grandma, under the house usually there was a ghost walked out from the operation room of the hospital to the house. My imagination of this moment when I was little always creating a misterious life of Papua in me. Until I went there to see that how close is the house and the room where there was the operation area. Then my grandma continued saying that my Javanese grandpa would suggest to do a Javanese ritual to rotate the house seven times to disappear the ghost. Coming to this story I remembered the couple would argue to each other that they were not agree with each one approached. My grandmother would just pray when that happened. I smiled to remember their arguments.
The house where my mother borne was still stood. It was a hanging house where according to my grandma, under the house usually there was a ghost walked out from the operation room of the hospital to the house. My imagination of this moment when I was little always creating a misterious life of Papua in me. Until I went there to see that how close is the house and the room where there was the operation area. Then my grandma continued saying that my Javanese grandpa would suggest to do a Javanese ritual to rotate the house seven times to disappear the ghost. Coming to this story I remembered the couple would argue to each other that they were not agree with each one approached. My grandmother would just pray when that happened. I smiled to remember their arguments.
So returning to the care! My thought was how we can care to our nations. As a woman, the word of care is seen in the feminist study as an evident of weakness given by social system to women since they are little to hold in in their entire life. Women tend to be trained in their brain to care for others. Their natural response to their body as a future mother makes them to get ready for caring to the weak babies. Care becomes words that show submission of women to their family and larger society. Caring can create a condition of ppression to women. In many cases, this concern can be understood. However, I would argue that the impact of education to women especially to the context where women reconnect to new idea of equality, they can reshape their understanding of care. Care becomes their icon with a new perspective to be critically reshaped and remaking.
Indonesian experiences provide many opportunities for women to be educated as equal as men. The political contexts have given an access to women to participate for making their own contribution to the nation. This contribution is not mainly in the area of caring which relating with the common practices women will have to participate for example to do social work for family and others.
Women can participate to share their knowledge, their concern, and their reflection which comes out from the connection to the field of what they seeing, watching, smeeling, listening, learning, thinking and touching. Caring is not only about doing domestic work. Caring is also to share our perspective finding in our way to work with many issues relating with how we can live together.
Women can participate to share their knowledge, their concern, and their reflection which comes out from the connection to the field of what they seeing, watching, smeeling, listening, learning, thinking and touching. Caring is not only about doing domestic work. Caring is also to share our perspective finding in our way to work with many issues relating with how we can live together.
My capacibilities as a scholar who had a chance to be trained in the field that is not many women interest in like studying theology, religions, development, conflict, violence should open me to lots of possibilities to share to others. I work directly with women on the grass roots throughout our province of Yogyakarta to serve the Indonesian women coalition. As an anthropologist, I learned to examine issues as ideas and the practices women want to do to achieve their better life. Then any time I had an opportunity I wrote down my thoughts to reflect. Something, the desire for writing flows easy sometime not. I have to feel which calls in my heart to formulate into words to make a good and short stories for my link that listen deeply. I wrote things that spring out as my concern.
Therefore I was very sad to learn that my article, title as “Orthodoxy of Religious teaching: blessing or curving toward violence?” as I posted in my site of Face book was discarded. In the article, I explained about the history of splitting of religions due to the notion of orthodoxy search for making a different teaching. My argument, when people came to the process of doing orthodoxy interpretation, is they can be very fanatics, close-minded that can lead to the violent actions. It relates with interests and power to enforce to other people who are against with the orthodoxy thinking. Orthodoxy has happened in the history of world religions. So can we learn to be more faithful in our religions, to be faithful in our struck of being religions according to the orthodoxy of religious institution without getting to the trap of violent actions.
My questions, my words, my arguments, can be dialogue with people as I see it as my contribution to our nation, more over my concern to this humanity and the sustainability of this earth. I have a dream to see we live together in peace day to day…therefore I care to you all then I write my thoughts. So please return my freedom to contribute to this discourse as I write any of my thoughts with respect and love to others, to their traditions in my heart and my action. Please listen to me my unknown friend who are around me but do not want to hear my voices. I hope you will not erase and block any of my words anymore because you begin to know me as I learn to know you all. May God guide our life together!
*A grass roots activist, an anthropologist and a theologian.
Learning from Indian model, Community workshop on awareness and capacity building for minority
It is taken from http://www.csss-isla-com/community-workshop-goregoan-23-2-2011-report.htm, down load in April 4, 2011, at 5.45 am
Community Workshop on
Awareness and Capacity Building for Minority
Date: 23rd February 2011
Venue: Sarvodaya, St. Pius College Campus, Goregaon (E), Mumbai.
Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS) organized one-day community workshop for the empowerment of and capacity building for the minority community. In democracy, it is a vital requirement to safeguard the minority rights and therefore, the major purpose of this workshop is to create awareness amongst the members of minority community, most particularly Muslims, about the emerging initiatives to restore their capacity. Participants
Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer, in his inaugural lecture, shed light on the contemporary realities and deprivation of backward section of India’s population particularly Muslims. He was particularly scathing on his criticism about the failure of Indian democracy and constitution in guaranteeing equal status and economic rights to Muslims and poorer sections of India. He said that though Indian Prime Minister is an honest person but due to his emphasis upon globalization he is not being able to see the repercussion of the economic policies upon the common masses in India. The inflation is rising high and because of that poorer section of the society is not able to meet the expenditure for two square meals a day. On top of it Prime Minister is not able to feel the pain of common masses. According to him unrestrained globalization is not good for the country or for the poorer section of society. Since majority of Muslims are from artisan class and are involved in jobs like helper and technicians due to globalizations these sections halve suffered much and indirectly this has led to the mass deprivation of Muslims in India further pushing them down the scale of economic growth of India. Secondly he said that corruption has become rampant in India which is also causing innumerable damage to Indian society. Due to this the government is not able to deliver the various welfare schemes to the poorer section of Indian society. The poorer section of Indian society has not been empowered during the sixty years of independence due to faulty economic policies and corruption.
Dr. Engineer claimed that due to faulty economic policies, corruption and the development of vested interest groups in Indian democracy, benefits of various governmental schemes have not been able to reach to the poorer section of Indian population. Though during the sixty years country has progressed much
Dr. Engineer while throwing the light upon the Sachchar and Rangnath Mishra Commission Reports said that from all social and economic indexes available in the country the position of Muslims in India have become worse than Dalits. This is the reason the government of India appointed these commissions to ameliorate the conditions of Muslims in India. But he doubted whether the government will ever be able to table the Rangnath Mishra Commission report in the parliament seeing the position of BJP in this regard. According to him it looks highly unlikely that government will ever be able to implement the recommendations of these commissions in its letter and spirit. Seeing the inability of the government in implementing the reports of these commissions in India now what is the way out? According to him the only thing Muslims in India can do now is that Prime Minister has announced various schemes for the development of Muslims community in India. Muslims must take benefits of the Prime Minister 15 point programme and various Maulana Azad’s schemes regarding educational loans and small loans for the economic development of the Muslim community. In this regard if they do not get benefit from these schemes due to corruption and nepotism then he recommended to women that they should agitate and go for dharna and procession for getting their due. He gave an example of Egypt in this regards that how one girl through face book has been able to bring about revolution there. So if women of Muslims community want they can also bring revolutionary changes in the lives of Muslims in India but it will come only through their hard work like fighting against nepotism and corruption. And this they can achieve only through peaceful agitations.
Dr. Engineer was of the view that there are numerous schemes for Muslims in India by the government but they do not reach to the target group. There are tough problems at the implementation stage. There are biases and prejudice among the bureaucrats and officials of the government of India who often prove to be stumbling blocks in the implementation of the various government schemes meant for Muslims. To counter this problem Muslims have to be extra vigilant and active. First they should be armed with the information regarding the various schemes meant for Muslims. Secondly they should be able to point out that what factor is responsible for non-implementation of the schemes of the Muslims. Thirdly if the officials do not listen to them then they should be ready for peaceful agitations of every kind. According to him only through agitations they will be able to get their due rights in India.
During the lecture he also emphasized the need for Muslim women’s participation in the economic growth of the country. He said that Muslim women must come forward, educate themselves and be ready for fighting the discriminatory attitude of government officials and bureaucrats who are proving to be hindrance in implementing the various government schemes meant for women in generals and Muslim women in particular.
Regarding castism in India Dr. engineer was of the opinion that despite the constitutional guarantees of equal status to every citizen of India the institution and values of castism continues in India. This institution is particularly secular in its way because it exists in all religious communities in India. On this point he was very critical of Indian social values and religious institutions which have been responsible for the persistence of casteism in India. According to him the untouchables and scavenger class in India have not been able to achieve an equal status in the society. And this is a blot on Indian democratic set up. Even Muslims are not free from the institution of casteism in India. Despite the claims of Islam as a religion which believe in the value of equality to all human beings but the concept of lower and upper caste in Indian Islam as Ajlaf and Ashraf challenge the sanctity of this notion. During his references about the persistence of casteism in Indian Muslims he also emphasized upon the fact that for the partition of India it is the elite Muslims (Ashraf) who are responsible. Majority of Muslims and particularly lower class Muslims are not at all responsible for the partition of India. Regarding the Sachar Commission’s report about the percentage of backward caste among Muslims in India as 42% he said that they are more than 80% of Muslim population in India. According to him even in the backward sections of Muslims who they have got reservation in government jobs, it is the non Muslims backward caste that captures most of the reservation seats and very few Muslims get a job in this category.
Dr. Engineer suggested that there is a need to change the educational curriculum of India. According to him the educational set up in the country perpetuate values and notions which are helpful in promoting and protecting the interests of elite and middle class in India. He was of the view that time has come to evaluate the achievements of Indian democracy as far as poorer and deprived section of society is concerned. This theme is important from the point of view of mapping out economic growth pattern among deprived sections of Indian population from different religious groups. The educational and economic opportunities have not been even to Muslims and backward section of Indian society. The critical analysis will help in knowing about the appropriation of major portion of economic progress by elite and middle class which in turn will help in the formulation of policies for making the benefits of economic growth available to the poorer section of society also. Overall Dr. Engineer’s inaugural lecture was a reminder about the failure of Indian constitution and democracy in delivering, economic, social and educational justice to deprived sections of Indian population. According to him corruption, casteism and communalism are the major threat of Indian society.
After Dr. Engineer’s lecture Mr. Anwar Hussain spoke on ‘Prime Minister’s 15 Point programme. He mainly emphasized upon the implementation aspects of the programme. During the lecture he said that though there are various schemes of government of India but Muslims are not aware of these schemes. These schemes that are meant for Muslims never see the light of the day. Plainly speaking they just do not see the light of the day. He recommended to the women who were present during the workshop that the immediate task before them is to first know the details about different schemes of the government of India and then pin point the reasons why they are not being implemented by the officials of the government of India. After investigating the reasons if they find that officials and local leaders are non-cooperative then they should go for peaceful agitations for this. According to him, for the implementations of the various schemes for Muslims, there is a dire need to create a pressure group that would be always active and ready to fight for the cause of the minorities.
Throughout the lecture Mr. Anwar Hussain was very categorical about creating the pressure groups among Muslim community for the redressal of the grievances and implementations of the schemes. He said to the women present in the workshop that if a girl of 26 years can bring revolution in Egypt then why they cannot bring revolutionary changes in the attitude of politicians and bureaucrats. They can do it if they have the will. Women attending our workshop also agreed with him that they are ready to face various challenges by the officials and bureaucrats who are totally hostile for the implementations of various government schemes meant for them. Some of them said that they are successful in getting some of their demands met when took to the course of agitations. Among the audience everybody agreed that without taking the recourse of agitations it is very difficult to get the demands or schemes of Muslims implemented. He during the lecture gave various schemes announced by the Prime Minister of India for the upliftment of Muslims. But they demanded that they want to get information regarding this translated in Urdu and Hindi as Mr. Anwar said that without the translations of these documents into these language people will not be having any idea about these schemes. According to him the first step in implementations of the various schemes meant for Muslim is to have full information regarding this. Since most of the Muslim community is illiterate so they can only read Hindi or Urdu so the information regarding these schemes must be available in these languages in order to reach out to all the sections of Muslim population throughout the country.
An official from Maulana Azad Minority Finance and Development Corporation (MAMFDC) Neumat Shaikh spoke on the role of MAMFDC for the empowerment of Minority. He had thrown lights on the various schemes and loans for minority under MAMFDC and how to avail it. He encouraged all the participants that Minority most particularly Muslims should not be deprived of higher education because of economic constraints as MAMFDC has undertaken this task. It is a vital duty of MAMFDC to provide loans to minority students aspiring to attain MBBS, B.Ed and other professional courses. Further more, business loans will be also given to minority, and women can also take loan for Self Help Group (SHG) which is an effort towards women empowerment. However, participants asserted strongly that despite such assurance, they are waiting for years to obtain these loans. They showed their grievances to him and he accepted some of the loopholes in the bureaucratic level and emphasized on their strong will to get back the benefits.
Shazia Shaikh delivered talk on Educational and Economic Empowerment for Muslim girls. She pointed out patriarchal family structure amongst Muslims and it is primarily woman who is major instrument of patriarchy who discourages Muslim girls to get education particularly higher education. They are the one who discriminated between girls and boys starting from the primary level, however, Islam strongly supports right of women to get education and right to earn. During the age of Prophet and after that, Muslim women were highly empowered. They were scholars, jurist, poet and artisan etc. so what stopped contemporary Muslim women to march towards higher ambitions and goals. The Fatwa pronounced by Deoband that it is not lawful for Muslim women to work in government and private offices is highly unethical and perceived as a major obstacle in the way of Muslim women. However, Fatwa is merely legal opinion and is not binding The Muslim society so far failed to provide viable atmosphere to Muslim girls and instead restricted her so much in the name of religion. However, this is very wrong notion. One must understand Islam truly to recognize rights of women in Islam. Education and economic empowerment is not only their social rights but religious rights too. Our society needs more participation of Muslim women but the family hurdle is the major problem which should be tackled firstly to restore their rights and empower them fully.
The last session was interaction with the participants and they pointed out various questions which emerged from the first session to last session. They thanked Dr. Engineer for enlightening them. They realized their important role to fight for their rights. They also thank us for sensitizing them on various important issues, and especially on the role of Muslim women in bringing about serious change in the society. Mr. Anwar Hussain concluded the workshop with vote of thanks.
Ortodoksi ajaran agama: berkat atau kutukan atas kekerasan?
Catatan:
Ini adalah artikel saya yang dipost di Facebook saya tetapi kemudian saya ketahui lagi sudah dihapuskan oleh seseorang yang saya gak pernah akan tahu. Karena artikel ini, saya ngak bisa lagi mempost artikel lainnya langsung dari laptop saya ke facebook. Keuntungan dari masalah saya di Facebook bisa mendorong saya menjadi seorang blogger, suatu sebutan yang sebelumnya ngak pernah terpikir segera dilakukan. Kadang-kadang dari akibat yang perih dan pedih ada kebaikan untuk masa yang lebih lama.
Semoga tulisan-tulisan saya di blog bisa memberikan kesejukan kepada pembaca, bukan sebaliknya keresahan dan kemarahan. Semoga hanya permenungan yang mendalam terpatri keluar dari diri saya untuk bisa dipertimbangkan dengan hati, jiwa dan akal budi dari pembaca lainnya. Salam. F
Ortodoksi ajaran agama: berkat atau kutukan atas kekerasan?
Oleh Farsijana Adeney-Risakotta*)
Orang beragama sering kali menolak anggapan bahwa
agama terkait dengan emosi. Sembah sujud kepada Allah bukan sekedar emosi, tapi kesungguhan hati. Manusia memang berbeda-beda dalam mencapai kedalaman hatinya untuk menyentuh rasa kasihan Allah.
agama terkait dengan emosi. Sembah sujud kepada Allah bukan sekedar emosi, tapi kesungguhan hati. Manusia memang berbeda-beda dalam mencapai kedalaman hatinya untuk menyentuh rasa kasihan Allah.
Ibuku seorang Pentakosta yang menyentuh kepedulian Allah dengan mengungkapkan isi hatinya dengan cucuran air mata yang menyayatkan hatinya. Doanya seperti seorang yang sedang ber"zikir" selama bulan Ramadhan di mesjid Istiqomah dekat rumah kami. Setiap kali saya berada dalam keintiman mereka dengan Allah, saya ingat keintiman diri sendiri dengan Allah.
Keintiman dengan Allah memang membuat manusia dimurnikan kembali termasuk ketika cara pengungkapan keintiman itu ditolak oleh orang lain. Misalkan alasan penutupan dan pelarangan gereja-gereja beribadah karena tidak didukung oleh masyarakat di sekitarnya. Penolakan dukungan ini seringkali didasarkan pada alasan bahwa cara umatnya bersembayang yang berbeda dengan masyarakat yang mengelilingi tempat ibadah tersebut. Keintiman mereka berbeda dengan keintiman saya dan menganggu ketentraman diri mereka yang berbeda agama.
Keintiman dengan Allah memang membuat manusia dimurnikan kembali termasuk ketika cara pengungkapan keintiman itu ditolak oleh orang lain. Misalkan alasan penutupan dan pelarangan gereja-gereja beribadah karena tidak didukung oleh masyarakat di sekitarnya. Penolakan dukungan ini seringkali didasarkan pada alasan bahwa cara umatnya bersembayang yang berbeda dengan masyarakat yang mengelilingi tempat ibadah tersebut. Keintiman mereka berbeda dengan keintiman saya dan menganggu ketentraman diri mereka yang berbeda agama.
Menghadap kepada Allah terkait dengan ketulusan hati. Umat yang menggunakan keintiman dengan Allah karena alasan-alasan politik, akan berhadapan sendiri dari hasil keintiman itu. Mungkin keintiman mereka menjadi keangguhan yang malahan merupakan sumber petaka untuk hubungan mereka dengan orang lain. Atau sebaliknya, kalau ketulusan dari keintiman itu dimurnikan oleh Allah, maka walaupun rumah fisik diambil, tapi rumah bathin dipelihara Allah.
Mas Singgih, seorang aktivis Percik, alumni mahasiswa Santa Dharma, yang pernah tinggal bersama kami di Pondok Tali Rasa, pernah mengunggapkan kepada saya bahwa ia merasa tidak suci dibandingkan dengan jamaah lain yang bersholat di mesjid Istiqomah. Tapi ia beribadah selalu ke sana setiap sholat Jumat. Hasil dari keintiman dengan Allah bisa memurnikan caranya beribadah dan menjadi lebih bebas sholat tanpa beban aturan yang ketat tentang perbedaan dalam cara beribadah.
Fenomena mas Singgih, bisa ditemukan pada banyak orang. Mungkin saya juga seperti mas Singgih, bisa bersembayang kepada Allah dimana saja.
Ceritanya menjadi berbeda ketika seseorang meninggal. Perbedaan ritual menjadi alasan dari perbedaan identitas yang diberikan kepada seseorang dalam komitmennya kepada komunitas agama tertentu. Berapa dalam komitmennya akan diterima sebagai balasan dari komitment komunitas kepada dirinya. Perbedaan ritual agama sering kali diikuti dengan perbedaan aliran politik.
Ceritanya menjadi berbeda ketika seseorang meninggal. Perbedaan ritual menjadi alasan dari perbedaan identitas yang diberikan kepada seseorang dalam komitmennya kepada komunitas agama tertentu. Berapa dalam komitmennya akan diterima sebagai balasan dari komitment komunitas kepada dirinya. Perbedaan ritual agama sering kali diikuti dengan perbedaan aliran politik.
Misalkan penelitian Clifford Geertz (1993, 150) tentang penolakan modin untuk memakamkan seorang aktivis muda yang meninggal, menurut saya bukan karena ada perbedaan modernitas dan konservatisme yang nampak dalam praktek ritual dikalangan Muslim, tetapi terutama karena perbedaan aliran politik yang dianutnya.
Dalam sejarah Kekristenan perbedaan ritual ibadah punya alasan politis juga. Tetapi perbedaan alasan politik pertama-tama dimulai dari koreksi terhadap ortodoksi ajaran yang ada. Refleksi terhadap ortodoksi ajaran sangat tergantung pada komunitas yang menggunakan perbedaan ajaran tersebut untuk menunjukkan kekuasaan terhadap sumber-sumber material dan manusia yang dipengaruhinya. Ortodoksi Martin Luther diterima oleh gereja-gereja Jerman, diikuti oleh gereja-gereja di Swiss, Belanda, Perancis, Scotland, Skandinavia terkait ada hubungan dengan alasan-alasan teritori fisik daerah, etnisitas dan kepentingan politik dagang.
Fenomena yang sama juga bisa terlihat dari proses ortodoksi yang diklaim oleh Islam terhadap Kekristenan dan didalam Islam sendiri, diantara berbagai aliran yang ada. Schisma Sunni dan Shiah segera sesudah Nabi Muhammad SAW dipanggil Allah SWT, juga lebih disebabkan karena perbedaan-perbedaan seperti digambarkan dalam fenomena sejarah kekristenan.
Cara kerja memurnikan agama bisa sangat berbau kekerasan. Ia terlihat berlawanan dengan ajaran-ajaran agama yang dianutnya. Ortodoksi untuk memurnikan keintiman dengan Allah seharusnya mengubah perilaku manusia ke arah yang lebih manusiawi, yang cinta kehidupan bukan kehancuran. Tetapi klaim interpretasi manusia atas apa yang diperintahkan Allah kepadanya bisa berbenturan dengan kepentingannya sendiri. Ortodoksi membangun cara interpretasi yang membenarkan klaim dan kepentingan sendiri.
Dalam sejarah Kekristenan perbedaan ritual ibadah punya alasan politis juga. Tetapi perbedaan alasan politik pertama-tama dimulai dari koreksi terhadap ortodoksi ajaran yang ada. Refleksi terhadap ortodoksi ajaran sangat tergantung pada komunitas yang menggunakan perbedaan ajaran tersebut untuk menunjukkan kekuasaan terhadap sumber-sumber material dan manusia yang dipengaruhinya. Ortodoksi Martin Luther diterima oleh gereja-gereja Jerman, diikuti oleh gereja-gereja di Swiss, Belanda, Perancis, Scotland, Skandinavia terkait ada hubungan dengan alasan-alasan teritori fisik daerah, etnisitas dan kepentingan politik dagang.
Fenomena yang sama juga bisa terlihat dari proses ortodoksi yang diklaim oleh Islam terhadap Kekristenan dan didalam Islam sendiri, diantara berbagai aliran yang ada. Schisma Sunni dan Shiah segera sesudah Nabi Muhammad SAW dipanggil Allah SWT, juga lebih disebabkan karena perbedaan-perbedaan seperti digambarkan dalam fenomena sejarah kekristenan.
Cara kerja memurnikan agama bisa sangat berbau kekerasan. Ia terlihat berlawanan dengan ajaran-ajaran agama yang dianutnya. Ortodoksi untuk memurnikan keintiman dengan Allah seharusnya mengubah perilaku manusia ke arah yang lebih manusiawi, yang cinta kehidupan bukan kehancuran. Tetapi klaim interpretasi manusia atas apa yang diperintahkan Allah kepadanya bisa berbenturan dengan kepentingannya sendiri. Ortodoksi membangun cara interpretasi yang membenarkan klaim dan kepentingan sendiri.
*Antropolog, teolog dan aktivis akar rumput tinggal di Yogyakarta
Eksistensi dari an ethic of care
An ethic of care, etika merawat!
By Farsijana Adeney-Risakotta
Menulis tentang nama nenek yang saya pikul mendorong saya merenungkan tentang makna merawat. Nenek saya seorang perawat. Ia seorang anak tunggal yang mengikuti pendidikan keperawatan di Bandung. Sesudah lulus, ia bekerja di rumah sakit Belanda di Serui Papua. Di sana, nenek Jacoba yang dipanggil dengan nama Cootje, sebagai nama yang diturunkan ke saya, menikah dengan kakek saya. Nenek berdarah Ambon dari desa Amahusu dan menikah dengan kakek saya, seorang Jawa, dari desa Taji di Prambanan, propinsi DI.Yogyakarta.
Nenek saya nama lengkapnya Jacoba da Costa. Da Costa adalah nama keluarganya. Saya ngak pernah mengerti arti da Costa sampai saya ke Lisbon, Portugal, di sana saya mengerti arti da Costa. Da Costa menunjukkan daerah pantai. Nenek saya mewarisi rumah orang tuanya yang terletak di tepi pantai. Di teluk Ambon, di mana lalu lalang kapal memasuki pulau Ambon melewati pantai di depan rumah nenek saya. Saya ingat selalu suka menonton perjalanan kapal keluar masuk teluk Ambon sambil berenang di pantai di depan rumah nenek saya. Ayahanda selalu senang menyopir kami sesudah pulang kantor untuk tidur siang di tepi pantai yang kadang-kadang berpasir, tetapi juga bisa berbatu-batu tergantung pada ombak dan angin yang membentuknya.
Nama nenek, Cootje, yang mengingatkan saya untuk menulis sepotong mengingat apa yang terjadi pada masa lalu. Tidak ada yang tahu apakah nenek saya berdarah Portugis. Di tanah Iberia, ketika saya sedang berkunjung di sana untuk mencari data-data penulisan disertasi saya, saya sadar ada banyak pengaruh dari Lebanon, terutama Islam di sana. Muslim di Iberia dan Andalusia (Spanyol selatan) di sebut Moro. Portugis adalah negara pertama bersama dengan Spanyol yang tiba di nusantara. Ketika mereka tiba di bumi nusantara, terutama di Maluku Utara, mereka segera menyebut masyarakat yang melakukan ritual agama sama seperti yang ditemui di Iberia, dengan sebutan Moro. Istilah ini juga ditemukan di Filipina Selatan.
Nenek saya tinggal di tepi pantai. Keluarganya adalah orang pantai, karenanya diberikan nama Portugis, "da Costa".
Menarik bagi saya merenungkan mengapa ayahanda saya ingin anaknya diberikan nama Cootje. Perempuan cenderung diharapkan untuk merawat keluarga. Cinta kasih yang mengalir dalam diri perempuan dilihat sebagai kodrat untuk setidaknya menjadi penyangga keluarga karena konstruksi dirinya sebagai perawat. Ayahanda seorang yang berpikir maju, karena ternyata selain memberikan nama Cootje, ia tahu bahwa anak perempuannya juga harus mencari ilmu pengetahuan sejati, kemanusiaan dan keilahian.
Itulah saya. Seorang yang mencari pengertian dengan melayani, merawat dan mencintai kemanusiaan.
Hari ini hujan seharian di Yogya. Saya menjemput suami saya yang selama empat hari melakukan retreat sendirian di rumah pusaka Pondok Jati Rasa, di atas tebing laut selatan, Parangtritis. Dalam perjalanan pulang hujan lebat. Saya mengendarai kendaraan pelan-pelan untuk membantu adik saya dengan mobil lain mengikuti saya. Mobil adik saya kebetulan wipersnya rusak. Sambil ngobrol saya yang berjalan pelan-pelan merenungkan tentang etika merawat.
Suami saya berpuasa empat hari tanpa makan kecuali minum air putih. Berpuasa penting untuk suami saya. Merawat keluarga, mendukung suami mencapai perkembangan diri yang terus terbangun merupakan bagian dari dasar etika pemeliharaan. Membagi waktu untuk membangun semangat dari anggota keluarga ketika mereka membutuhkan diri kita adalah tanda dari prinsip merawat. Ketulusan dalam merawat yang dimulai dari keluarga akan mendorong formasi pelayanan yang bermakna mendalam terhadap sesama kita, orang lain yang bersentuhan dengan kerja-kerja kita.
Ketulusan merawat memang bukan hanya ciri khas dari perempuan, tetapi juga lelaki. Saya bersyukur bahwa saya ngak harus hanya menjadi perempuan yang pintar, tetapi juga bisa merawat sesama dengan hati demi pencapaian eksistensi diri masing-masing.
Merawat keluarga sama juga dengan merawat anggota masyarakat. Keprihatinan mereka adalah bagian dari keprihatinan saya, keprihatinan kita.
Karena inilah, saya hendak berbagi hidup untuk mengerti semua hubungan yang sebaiknya bisa terbangun di antara umat manusia. Untuk itulah saya menulis, merefleksikannya dalam kata-kata supaya makin nyata apa yang saya mengerti tentang mengasihi diri sendiri, mengasihi sesamamu manusia.
Setidak itulah yang bisa saya kenangkan dari nenek saya, semangatnya, spirit untuk merawat sudah menjadi daging dalam diri saya.
Ketika saya berkesempatan mengunjungi Serui, di Papua saya mengerti semua cerita nenek tentang Papua ketika ia bercerita kepada cucu-cucu kecilnya sambil berbaring di pantai di depan rumahnya, saya bersyukur masih banyak orang di Serui ingat pelayanan Maxi Sapardi dan Jacoba da Costa di sana.
Terima kasih oma dan opa yang mengalirkan darah peradaban Maluku dan Jawa dalam diri saya, terutama darah petualangan dan komitmen sebagai perawat kemanusiaan di dalam diri saya.
By Farsijana Adeney-Risakotta
Menulis tentang nama nenek yang saya pikul mendorong saya merenungkan tentang makna merawat. Nenek saya seorang perawat. Ia seorang anak tunggal yang mengikuti pendidikan keperawatan di Bandung. Sesudah lulus, ia bekerja di rumah sakit Belanda di Serui Papua. Di sana, nenek Jacoba yang dipanggil dengan nama Cootje, sebagai nama yang diturunkan ke saya, menikah dengan kakek saya. Nenek berdarah Ambon dari desa Amahusu dan menikah dengan kakek saya, seorang Jawa, dari desa Taji di Prambanan, propinsi DI.Yogyakarta.
Nenek saya nama lengkapnya Jacoba da Costa. Da Costa adalah nama keluarganya. Saya ngak pernah mengerti arti da Costa sampai saya ke Lisbon, Portugal, di sana saya mengerti arti da Costa. Da Costa menunjukkan daerah pantai. Nenek saya mewarisi rumah orang tuanya yang terletak di tepi pantai. Di teluk Ambon, di mana lalu lalang kapal memasuki pulau Ambon melewati pantai di depan rumah nenek saya. Saya ingat selalu suka menonton perjalanan kapal keluar masuk teluk Ambon sambil berenang di pantai di depan rumah nenek saya. Ayahanda selalu senang menyopir kami sesudah pulang kantor untuk tidur siang di tepi pantai yang kadang-kadang berpasir, tetapi juga bisa berbatu-batu tergantung pada ombak dan angin yang membentuknya.
Nama nenek, Cootje, yang mengingatkan saya untuk menulis sepotong mengingat apa yang terjadi pada masa lalu. Tidak ada yang tahu apakah nenek saya berdarah Portugis. Di tanah Iberia, ketika saya sedang berkunjung di sana untuk mencari data-data penulisan disertasi saya, saya sadar ada banyak pengaruh dari Lebanon, terutama Islam di sana. Muslim di Iberia dan Andalusia (Spanyol selatan) di sebut Moro. Portugis adalah negara pertama bersama dengan Spanyol yang tiba di nusantara. Ketika mereka tiba di bumi nusantara, terutama di Maluku Utara, mereka segera menyebut masyarakat yang melakukan ritual agama sama seperti yang ditemui di Iberia, dengan sebutan Moro. Istilah ini juga ditemukan di Filipina Selatan.
Nenek saya tinggal di tepi pantai. Keluarganya adalah orang pantai, karenanya diberikan nama Portugis, "da Costa".
Menarik bagi saya merenungkan mengapa ayahanda saya ingin anaknya diberikan nama Cootje. Perempuan cenderung diharapkan untuk merawat keluarga. Cinta kasih yang mengalir dalam diri perempuan dilihat sebagai kodrat untuk setidaknya menjadi penyangga keluarga karena konstruksi dirinya sebagai perawat. Ayahanda seorang yang berpikir maju, karena ternyata selain memberikan nama Cootje, ia tahu bahwa anak perempuannya juga harus mencari ilmu pengetahuan sejati, kemanusiaan dan keilahian.
Itulah saya. Seorang yang mencari pengertian dengan melayani, merawat dan mencintai kemanusiaan.
Hari ini hujan seharian di Yogya. Saya menjemput suami saya yang selama empat hari melakukan retreat sendirian di rumah pusaka Pondok Jati Rasa, di atas tebing laut selatan, Parangtritis. Dalam perjalanan pulang hujan lebat. Saya mengendarai kendaraan pelan-pelan untuk membantu adik saya dengan mobil lain mengikuti saya. Mobil adik saya kebetulan wipersnya rusak. Sambil ngobrol saya yang berjalan pelan-pelan merenungkan tentang etika merawat.
Suami saya berpuasa empat hari tanpa makan kecuali minum air putih. Berpuasa penting untuk suami saya. Merawat keluarga, mendukung suami mencapai perkembangan diri yang terus terbangun merupakan bagian dari dasar etika pemeliharaan. Membagi waktu untuk membangun semangat dari anggota keluarga ketika mereka membutuhkan diri kita adalah tanda dari prinsip merawat. Ketulusan dalam merawat yang dimulai dari keluarga akan mendorong formasi pelayanan yang bermakna mendalam terhadap sesama kita, orang lain yang bersentuhan dengan kerja-kerja kita.
Ketulusan merawat memang bukan hanya ciri khas dari perempuan, tetapi juga lelaki. Saya bersyukur bahwa saya ngak harus hanya menjadi perempuan yang pintar, tetapi juga bisa merawat sesama dengan hati demi pencapaian eksistensi diri masing-masing.
Merawat keluarga sama juga dengan merawat anggota masyarakat. Keprihatinan mereka adalah bagian dari keprihatinan saya, keprihatinan kita.
Karena inilah, saya hendak berbagi hidup untuk mengerti semua hubungan yang sebaiknya bisa terbangun di antara umat manusia. Untuk itulah saya menulis, merefleksikannya dalam kata-kata supaya makin nyata apa yang saya mengerti tentang mengasihi diri sendiri, mengasihi sesamamu manusia.
Setidak itulah yang bisa saya kenangkan dari nenek saya, semangatnya, spirit untuk merawat sudah menjadi daging dalam diri saya.
Ketika saya berkesempatan mengunjungi Serui, di Papua saya mengerti semua cerita nenek tentang Papua ketika ia bercerita kepada cucu-cucu kecilnya sambil berbaring di pantai di depan rumahnya, saya bersyukur masih banyak orang di Serui ingat pelayanan Maxi Sapardi dan Jacoba da Costa di sana.
Terima kasih oma dan opa yang mengalirkan darah peradaban Maluku dan Jawa dalam diri saya, terutama darah petualangan dan komitmen sebagai perawat kemanusiaan di dalam diri saya.
Sabtu, 02 April 2011
Tentang Nama Blog?
Sekali lagi tentang nama!
Saya memilih nama blog saya Farsidarsjana karena memang sebutannya terdengar indah. Farsi itu adalah nama saya di universitas. Mahasiswa saya memanggil diri saya, bu Farsi. Darasjana berasal dari bahasa Yunani dan Sanskrit. Kata darash asalnya dari bahasa Yunani yang berarti mencari dan Sijana adalah nama saya, yang diambil dari bahasa Sanskrit yang berarti pengetahuan.
Saya sudah lama percaya bahwa peradaban dunia dibentuk oleh berbagai pengaruh dari barat dan timur. Ketika saya di Beijing, seorang mahasiswa memberikan arti nama saya Farsijana dalam bahasa kanji yang artinya adalah bunga. Saya ngak punya kemampuan untuk membaca huruf kanjinya. Tetapi saya tahu banyak orang dari berbagai tempat yang saya kunjungi sangat tertarik dengan nama Farsijana.
Farsi adalah nama perabadan dari negara Iran. Dalam bahasa Iran, Farsi berarti agung, indah, puncak dari kehidupan. Hanya negara Iran yang bisa diberikan nama Farsi. Sekarang bahasa Iran disebut Farsi. Saya sering disangka seorang dari Iran. Apalagi ketika saya mulai menari, ada beberapa teman-teman yang saya bertemu di Amsterdam, ketika saya masih belajar S3, segera menduga kalau saya dari Iran.
Saya ingat yang pertama-tama memanggil saya dengan sebutan Farsi adalah mentor saya, guru yang sangat saya hormati, yaitu Pdt. Dr. Eka Darmaputera (alm). Beliaulah yang memanggil saya Farsi ketika komunitas di STT Jakarta lebih memanggil saya Nona. Beliau pernah bertanya arti nama saya, tetapi saya katakan bahwa saya belum diberitahu oleh ayahanda. Sesudah ayahanda meninggal, saya bertemu dengan Pdt Eka Darmaputera, saya menjelaskan arti nama itu. Pak Eka sungguh memanggil nama saya dengan iman saja walaupun saya belum tahu artinya.
Menulis tentang guru, orang tua, nenek, dan warisan peradaban yang terkait dengan nama diri, seolah-olah membuka jalan saya untuk mengerti dari mana saya berasal dan ke mana saya akan bergerak meneruskan kehidupan.
Saya hanya seorang anak manusia. Tetapi ada harapan yang diletakan dalam sejarah diri saya yang mendorong saya terus mencari...melangkahi dirinya...dengan hati-hati...memasuki misteri kehidupan.
Farsidarasjana adalah wadah saya sekarang ini untuk masa berikutnya. Saya akan selalu kembali ke sini karena saya tahu di sini bukan sekedar blog...di sini ada pewarisan peradaban yang harus saya kenali dalam wajah perubahan di dunia saat ini.
Saya memilih nama blog saya Farsidarsjana karena memang sebutannya terdengar indah. Farsi itu adalah nama saya di universitas. Mahasiswa saya memanggil diri saya, bu Farsi. Darasjana berasal dari bahasa Yunani dan Sanskrit. Kata darash asalnya dari bahasa Yunani yang berarti mencari dan Sijana adalah nama saya, yang diambil dari bahasa Sanskrit yang berarti pengetahuan.
Saya sudah lama percaya bahwa peradaban dunia dibentuk oleh berbagai pengaruh dari barat dan timur. Ketika saya di Beijing, seorang mahasiswa memberikan arti nama saya Farsijana dalam bahasa kanji yang artinya adalah bunga. Saya ngak punya kemampuan untuk membaca huruf kanjinya. Tetapi saya tahu banyak orang dari berbagai tempat yang saya kunjungi sangat tertarik dengan nama Farsijana.
Farsi adalah nama perabadan dari negara Iran. Dalam bahasa Iran, Farsi berarti agung, indah, puncak dari kehidupan. Hanya negara Iran yang bisa diberikan nama Farsi. Sekarang bahasa Iran disebut Farsi. Saya sering disangka seorang dari Iran. Apalagi ketika saya mulai menari, ada beberapa teman-teman yang saya bertemu di Amsterdam, ketika saya masih belajar S3, segera menduga kalau saya dari Iran.
Saya ingat yang pertama-tama memanggil saya dengan sebutan Farsi adalah mentor saya, guru yang sangat saya hormati, yaitu Pdt. Dr. Eka Darmaputera (alm). Beliaulah yang memanggil saya Farsi ketika komunitas di STT Jakarta lebih memanggil saya Nona. Beliau pernah bertanya arti nama saya, tetapi saya katakan bahwa saya belum diberitahu oleh ayahanda. Sesudah ayahanda meninggal, saya bertemu dengan Pdt Eka Darmaputera, saya menjelaskan arti nama itu. Pak Eka sungguh memanggil nama saya dengan iman saja walaupun saya belum tahu artinya.
Menulis tentang guru, orang tua, nenek, dan warisan peradaban yang terkait dengan nama diri, seolah-olah membuka jalan saya untuk mengerti dari mana saya berasal dan ke mana saya akan bergerak meneruskan kehidupan.
Saya hanya seorang anak manusia. Tetapi ada harapan yang diletakan dalam sejarah diri saya yang mendorong saya terus mencari...melangkahi dirinya...dengan hati-hati...memasuki misteri kehidupan.
Farsidarasjana adalah wadah saya sekarang ini untuk masa berikutnya. Saya akan selalu kembali ke sini karena saya tahu di sini bukan sekedar blog...di sini ada pewarisan peradaban yang harus saya kenali dalam wajah perubahan di dunia saat ini.
Perkenalan diri
Hanya karena tulisan saya dihapus, entah siapa yang melakukannya, di dalam jaringan Facebook saya, saya akhirnya belajar menulis di sini. Belum terlambat, saya berharap! Seorang teman di jaringan fb mendorong saya memulai gunakan blog sebagai media mengkomunikasikan pikiran saya.
Sebenarnya sudah lama saya ingin menulis di blog. Tetapi saya tahu ada banyak tanggungjawab ketika membuka akun di sini. Waktu saya bukan hanya di belakang komputer. Saya mengembara dengan berbagai pemikiran tetapi saya selalu harus menunggu waktu yang tepat untuk menuangkannya. Mungkin saya harus belajar untuk memulai saja. Saya berjanji untuk meluangkan waktu menghadirkan diri saya dalam tampilan kata-kata di sini.
Saya ingin memperkenalkan diri saya. Sehari-hari saya disapa oleh keluarga dan teman-teman akar rumput dengan sebutan Nona atau mba Nona. Saya diberi nama Farsijana Rohny Cootje, seperti tertulis dalam akte kelahiran. Tetapi hanya sesudah saya remaja saya mulai menggunakan nama Farsijana. Ketika itu saya sedang belajar di SMA Negeri I Yogyakarta. Saya bertanya kepada ayahanda tentang nama saya. Tetapi ia katakan saya harus hidup dulu dengan nama itu.
Hanya beberapa hari sebelum kematiannya, sesudah saya menyelesaikan pendidikan S1 di Sekolah Tinggi Teologi Jakarta, di tahun 1988, ayahanda menuliskan arti nama saya. Sebagian tubuhnya lumpuh dan tidak bisa berbicara, hanya bisa menulis sepotong. Saya mengambil kertas dan ia menuliskan arti nama saya.
Farsijana berasal dari dua suku kata yaitu Fa dan Sijana yang dihubungkan dengan huruf R. Huruf R adalah singkatan dari nama kedua saya yaitu Rohny. Fa dipilih karena saya lahir pada bulan Februari dan Sijana diambil dari bahasa Sanskrit yang berarti mencari pengetahuan. Rohny adalah kata yang diambil dari bahasa Arab yang berarti Roh yaitu spirit dari Allah. Kata roh dalam bahasa Ibrani, bahasa asli Alkitab disebut "ruah" yang berarti roh Allah melayang-layang. Kemudian nama ketiga saya diberikan dari nama nenek, yaitu nama kecilnya, Cootje. Nenek seorang perawat.
Jadi orang tua saya memberikan nama saya Farsijana Rohny Cootje dengan harapan saya anak perempuan lahir pada bulan Februari penuh dengan Roh Tuhan, mencari ilmu dan merawat keluarga serta masyarakat.
Sekitar 7 tahun sejak saya masih di SMA sampai dengan sesudah saya lulus S1 baru saya mengerti arti namanya. Ayahanda mengatakan saya sudah hidup dalam nama saya sehingga saya layak mengertinya.
Shakeaspeare mengatakan apa arti sebuah nama. Tetapi nama untuk saya menjadi penting. Terutama karena nama Farsijana hanya dipanggil oleh ibu saya apabila ia marah pada diri saya. Dulu ketika saya masih kecil tinggal di Ambon di Maluku bersama dengan orang tua. Ibu saya akan berteriak "farsiiiiiiiiiiiiiiijaaanaa". Sesudah saya pindah ke Yogyakarta untuk hidup mandiri, saya ingin mengerti nama itu. Tetapi saya harus sabar sampai akhirnya di usia 23 tahun, di Jakarta, kemudian baru saya tahu apa artinya.
Saya sudah melewati tahun-tahun penuh berkat dan kesusahan. Masa kecil yang indah dan masa remaja, masa mencari jati diri melengkapi lembaran hidup saya. Ketika ayahanda sakit di Jakarta selama 4 tahun sebelum ia kemudian meninggal, inilah tahun-tahun kesusahan untuk kami. Tahun ketika kami pernah ngak punya makanan. Saya bekerja apa saja, seperti menjual buku dan membuat dekorasi pakaian pengantin untuk bisa bersama ibu saya menghidupkan keluarga di Jakarta.
Masa lalu direkam dalam pengalaman sehingga masa sekarang dihormati sebagai anugerah Allah. Setiap saya berhadapan dengan penderitaan orang lain, saya ingat penderitaan diri sendiri. Saya percaya tangan kasih Tuhan bersama dengan mereka yang susah. Mungkin saya dipakai untuk memfasilitasi mereka melewati penderitaan ini.
Penderitaan adalah bagian dari kehidupan. Tidak bisa dipungkiri! Mungkin dengan menuturkan penderitaan yang bisa dilewati, saya berharap ada jalan keluar untuk sesama manusia, seorang ibu, seorang pemuda, seorang pemudi, seorang bapak, suatu keluarga, suatu bangsa dapat diatasi. Kekuatan kita adalah anugerah dari kekuatan Allah, sang Pencipta.
Kiranya tuturan diri saya ini bisa diterima oleh siapa saja yang ada di dunia maya ini. Saya harap menulis di blog ini bisa lebih diterima oleh siapapun juga apabila tulisan saya tampil sebagai bagian dari permenungan diri tentang berbagai tema dan isu yang kita semua geluti bersama.
Semoga gak ada yang menghapus lagi apa yang saya hendak bagikan melalui tulisan-tulisan saya kemudian.
Salam solidaritas
Farsijana (April 3, 2011)
Sebenarnya sudah lama saya ingin menulis di blog. Tetapi saya tahu ada banyak tanggungjawab ketika membuka akun di sini. Waktu saya bukan hanya di belakang komputer. Saya mengembara dengan berbagai pemikiran tetapi saya selalu harus menunggu waktu yang tepat untuk menuangkannya. Mungkin saya harus belajar untuk memulai saja. Saya berjanji untuk meluangkan waktu menghadirkan diri saya dalam tampilan kata-kata di sini.
Saya ingin memperkenalkan diri saya. Sehari-hari saya disapa oleh keluarga dan teman-teman akar rumput dengan sebutan Nona atau mba Nona. Saya diberi nama Farsijana Rohny Cootje, seperti tertulis dalam akte kelahiran. Tetapi hanya sesudah saya remaja saya mulai menggunakan nama Farsijana. Ketika itu saya sedang belajar di SMA Negeri I Yogyakarta. Saya bertanya kepada ayahanda tentang nama saya. Tetapi ia katakan saya harus hidup dulu dengan nama itu.
Hanya beberapa hari sebelum kematiannya, sesudah saya menyelesaikan pendidikan S1 di Sekolah Tinggi Teologi Jakarta, di tahun 1988, ayahanda menuliskan arti nama saya. Sebagian tubuhnya lumpuh dan tidak bisa berbicara, hanya bisa menulis sepotong. Saya mengambil kertas dan ia menuliskan arti nama saya.
Farsijana berasal dari dua suku kata yaitu Fa dan Sijana yang dihubungkan dengan huruf R. Huruf R adalah singkatan dari nama kedua saya yaitu Rohny. Fa dipilih karena saya lahir pada bulan Februari dan Sijana diambil dari bahasa Sanskrit yang berarti mencari pengetahuan. Rohny adalah kata yang diambil dari bahasa Arab yang berarti Roh yaitu spirit dari Allah. Kata roh dalam bahasa Ibrani, bahasa asli Alkitab disebut "ruah" yang berarti roh Allah melayang-layang. Kemudian nama ketiga saya diberikan dari nama nenek, yaitu nama kecilnya, Cootje. Nenek seorang perawat.
Jadi orang tua saya memberikan nama saya Farsijana Rohny Cootje dengan harapan saya anak perempuan lahir pada bulan Februari penuh dengan Roh Tuhan, mencari ilmu dan merawat keluarga serta masyarakat.
Sekitar 7 tahun sejak saya masih di SMA sampai dengan sesudah saya lulus S1 baru saya mengerti arti namanya. Ayahanda mengatakan saya sudah hidup dalam nama saya sehingga saya layak mengertinya.
Shakeaspeare mengatakan apa arti sebuah nama. Tetapi nama untuk saya menjadi penting. Terutama karena nama Farsijana hanya dipanggil oleh ibu saya apabila ia marah pada diri saya. Dulu ketika saya masih kecil tinggal di Ambon di Maluku bersama dengan orang tua. Ibu saya akan berteriak "farsiiiiiiiiiiiiiiijaaanaa". Sesudah saya pindah ke Yogyakarta untuk hidup mandiri, saya ingin mengerti nama itu. Tetapi saya harus sabar sampai akhirnya di usia 23 tahun, di Jakarta, kemudian baru saya tahu apa artinya.
Saya sudah melewati tahun-tahun penuh berkat dan kesusahan. Masa kecil yang indah dan masa remaja, masa mencari jati diri melengkapi lembaran hidup saya. Ketika ayahanda sakit di Jakarta selama 4 tahun sebelum ia kemudian meninggal, inilah tahun-tahun kesusahan untuk kami. Tahun ketika kami pernah ngak punya makanan. Saya bekerja apa saja, seperti menjual buku dan membuat dekorasi pakaian pengantin untuk bisa bersama ibu saya menghidupkan keluarga di Jakarta.
Masa lalu direkam dalam pengalaman sehingga masa sekarang dihormati sebagai anugerah Allah. Setiap saya berhadapan dengan penderitaan orang lain, saya ingat penderitaan diri sendiri. Saya percaya tangan kasih Tuhan bersama dengan mereka yang susah. Mungkin saya dipakai untuk memfasilitasi mereka melewati penderitaan ini.
Penderitaan adalah bagian dari kehidupan. Tidak bisa dipungkiri! Mungkin dengan menuturkan penderitaan yang bisa dilewati, saya berharap ada jalan keluar untuk sesama manusia, seorang ibu, seorang pemuda, seorang pemudi, seorang bapak, suatu keluarga, suatu bangsa dapat diatasi. Kekuatan kita adalah anugerah dari kekuatan Allah, sang Pencipta.
Kiranya tuturan diri saya ini bisa diterima oleh siapa saja yang ada di dunia maya ini. Saya harap menulis di blog ini bisa lebih diterima oleh siapapun juga apabila tulisan saya tampil sebagai bagian dari permenungan diri tentang berbagai tema dan isu yang kita semua geluti bersama.
Semoga gak ada yang menghapus lagi apa yang saya hendak bagikan melalui tulisan-tulisan saya kemudian.
Salam solidaritas
Farsijana (April 3, 2011)
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