Right Islam vs. Wrong Islam

By Abdurrahman Wahid*
News organizations report that Osama bin Laden has obtained a religious edict from a misguided Saudi cleric, justifying the use of nuclear weapons against America and the infliction of mass casualties. It requires great emotional strength to confront the potential ramifications of this fact. Yet can anyone doubt that those who joyfully incinerate the occupants of office buildings, commuter trains, hotels and nightclubs would leap at the chance to magnify their damage a thousandfold?

Imagine the impact of a single nuclear bomb detonated in New York, London, Paris, Sydney or L.A.! What about two or three? The entire edifice of modern civilization is built on economic and technological foundations that terrorists hope to collapse with nuclear attacks like so many fishing huts in the wake of a tsunami.

Just two small, well-placed bombs devastated Bali’s tourist economy in 2002 and sent much of its population back to the rice fields and out to sea, to fill their empty bellies. What would be the effect of a global economic crisis in the wake of attacks far more devastating than those of Bali or 9/11?

It is time for people of good will from every faith and nation to recognize that a terrible danger threatens humanity. We cannot afford to continue “business as usual” in the face of this existential threat. Rather, we must set aside our international and partisan bickering, and join to confront the danger that lies before us.

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An extreme and perverse ideology in the minds of fanatics is what directly threatens us (specifically, Wahhabi/Salafi ideology–a minority fundamentalist religious cult fueled by petrodollars). Yet underlying, enabling and exacerbating this threat of religious extremism is a global crisis of misunderstanding.

All too many Muslims fail to grasp Islam, which teaches one to be lenient towards others and to understand their value systems, knowing that these are tolerated by Islam as a religion. The essence of Islam is encapsulated in the words of the Quran, “For you, your religion; for me, my religion.” That is the essence of tolerance. Religious fanatics–either purposely or out of ignorance–pervert Islam into a dogma of intolerance, hatred and bloodshed. They justify their brutality with slogans such as “Islam is above everything else.” They seek to intimidate and subdue anyone who does not share their extremist views, regardless of nationality or religion. While a few are quick to shed blood themselves, countless millions of others sympathize with their violent actions, or join in the complicity of silence.

This crisis of misunderstanding–of Islam by Muslims themselves–is compounded by the failure of governments, people of other faiths, and the majority of well-intentioned Muslims to resist, isolate and discredit this dangerous ideology. The crisis thus afflicts Muslims and non-Muslims alike, with tragic consequences. Failure to understand the true nature of Islam permits the continued radicalization of Muslims world-wide, while blinding the rest of humanity to a solution which hides in plain sight.

The most effective way to overcome Islamist extremism is to explain what Islam truly is to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Without that explanation, people will tend to accept the unrefuted extremist view–further radicalizing Muslims, and turning the rest of the world against Islam itself.

Accomplishing this task will be neither quick nor easy. In recent decades, Wahhabi/Salafi ideology has made substantial inroads throughout the Muslim world. Islamic fundamentalism has become a well-financed, multifaceted global movement that operates like a juggernaut in much of the developing world, and even among immigrant Muslim communities in the West. To neutralize the virulent ideology that underlies fundamentalist terrorism and threatens the very foundations of modern civilization, we must identify its advocates, understand their goals and strategies, evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, and effectively counter their every move. What we are talking about is nothing less than a global struggle for the soul of Islam.

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The Sunni (as opposed to Shiite) fundamentalists’ goals generally include: claiming to restore the perfection of the early Islam practiced by Muhammad and his companions, who are known in Arabic as al-Salaf al-Salih, “the Righteous Ancestors”; establishing a utopian society based on these Salafi principles, by imposing their interpretation of Islamic law on all members of society; annihilating local variants of Islam in the name of authenticity and purity; transforming Islam from a personal faith into an authoritarian political system; establishing a pan-Islamic caliphate governed according to the strict tenets of Salafi Islam, and often conceived as stretching from Morocco to Indonesia and the Philippines; and, ultimately, bringing the entire world under the sway of their extremist ideology.

Fundamentalist strategy is often simple as well as brilliant. Extremists are quick to drape themselves in the mantle of Islam and declare their opponents kafir, or infidels, and thus smooth the way for slaughtering nonfundamentalist Muslims. Their theology rests upon a simplistic, literal and highly selective reading of the Quran and Sunnah (prophetic traditions), through which they seek to entrap the world-wide Muslim community in the confines of their narrow ideological grasp. Expansionist by nature, most fundamentalist groups constantly probe for weakness and an opportunity to strike, at any time or place, to further their authoritarian goals.

The armed ghazis (Islamic warriors) raiding from New York to Jakarta, Istanbul, Baghdad, London and Madrid are only the tip of the iceberg, forerunners of a vast and growing population that shares their radical views and ultimate objectives. The formidable strengths of this worldwide fundamentalist movement include:

1) An aggressive program with clear ideological and political goals; 2) immense funding from oil-rich Wahhabi sponsors; 3) the ability to distribute funds in impoverished areas to buy loyalty and power; 4) a claim to and aura of religious authenticity and Arab prestige; 5) an appeal to Islamic identity, pride and history; 6) an ability to blend into the much larger traditionalist masses and blur the distinction between moderate Islam and their brand of religious extremism; 7) full-time commitment by its agents/leadership; networks of Islamic schools that propagate extremism; 9) the absence of organized opposition in the Islamic world; 10) a global network of fundamentalist imams who guide their flocks to extremism; 11) a well-oiled “machine” established to translate, publish and distribute Wahhabi/Salafi propaganda and disseminate its ideology throughout the world; 12) scholarships for locals to study in Saudi Arabia and return with degrees and indoctrination, to serve as future leaders; 13) the ability to cross national and cultural borders in the name of religion; 14) Internet communication; and 15) the reluctance of many national governments to supervise or control this entire process.

We must employ effective strategies to counter each of these fundamentalist strengths. This can be accomplished only by bringing the combined weight of the vast majority of peace-loving Muslims, and the non-Muslim world, to bear in a coordinated global campaign whose goal is to resolve the crisis of misunderstanding that threatens to engulf our entire world.

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An effective counterstrategy must be based upon a realistic assessment of our own strengths and weaknesses in the face of religious extremism and terror. Disunity, of course, has proved fatal to countless human societies faced with a similar existential threat. A lack of seriousness in confronting the imminent danger is likewise often fatal. Those who seek to promote a peaceful and tolerant understanding of Islam must overcome the paralyzing effects of inertia, and harness a number of actual or potential strengths, which can play a key role in neutralizing fundamentalist ideology. These strengths not only are assets in the struggle with religious extremism, but in their mirror form they point to the weakness at the heart of fundamentalist ideology. They are:

1) Human dignity, which demands freedom of conscience and rejects the forced imposition of religious views; 2) the ability to mobilize immense resources to bring to bear on this problem, once it is identified and a global commitment is made to solve it; 3) the ability to leverage resources by supporting individuals and organizations that truly embrace a peaceful and tolerant Islam; 4) nearly 1,400 years of Islamic traditions and spirituality, which are inimical to fundamentalist ideology; 5) appeals to local and national–as well as Islamic–culture/traditions/pride; 6) the power of the feminine spirit, and the fact that half of humanity consists of women, who have an inherent stake in the outcome of this struggle; 7) traditional and Sufi leadership and masses, who are not yet radicalized (strong numeric advantage: 85% to 90% of the world’s 1.3 billion Muslims); the ability to harness networks of Islamic schools to propagate a peaceful and tolerant Islam; 9) the natural tendency of like-minded people to work together when alerted to a common danger; 10) the ability to form a global network of like-minded individuals, organizations and opinion leaders to promote moderate and progressive ideas throughout the Muslim world; 11) the existence of a counterideology, in the form of traditional, Sufi and modern Islamic teachings, and the ability to translate such works into key languages; 12) the benefits of modernity, for all its flaws, and the widespread appeal of popular culture; 13) the ability to cross national and cultural borders in the name of religion; 14) Internet communications, to disseminate progressive views–linking and inspiring like-minded individuals and organizations throughout the world; 15) the nation-state; and 16) the universal human desire for freedom, justice and a better life for oneself and loved ones.

Though potentially decisive, most of these advantages remain latent or diffuse, and require mobilization to be effective in confronting fundamentalist ideology. In addition, no effort to defeat religious extremism can succeed without ultimately cutting off the flow of petrodollars used to finance that extremism, from Leeds to Jakarta.

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Only by recognizing the problem, putting an end to the bickering within and between nation-states, and adopting a coherent long-term plan (executed with international leadership and commitment) can we begin to apply the brakes to the rampant spread of extremist ideas and hope to resolve the world’s crisis of misunderstanding before the global economy and modern civilization itself begin to crumble in the face of truly devastating attacks.

Muslims themselves can and must propagate an understanding of the “right” Islam, and thereby discredit extremist ideology. Yet to accomplish this task requires the understanding and support of like-minded individuals, organizations and governments throughout the world. Our goal must be to illuminate the hearts and minds of humanity, and offer a compelling alternate vision of Islam, one that banishes the fanatical ideology of hatred to the darkness from which it emerged.

The writer is former president of Indonesia, founder the Wahid Institute, Jakarta.

(The Wall Street Journal, 30/12/2005)

Daughter of Islam: An eloquent (and elegant) foe of Muslim fundamentalists.

BY NANCY de WOLF SMITH
Saturday, February 25, 2006 12:01 a.m.
WASHINGTON–Yenny Wahid has a smile that could melt a Hershey bar at 100 yards. Her sunny disposition is all the more remarkable because Ms. Wahid is on what may be the world’s most difficult mission right now: She’s a prominent Muslim (and a woman at that) who speaks out against terror and the hijacking of her religion by ideologues who twist it to their own politicalends.
After 9/11, many Americans assume that the radical Islamic agenda is to destroy the U.S. The reality is that attacks on Western targets are designed to function as brutal propaganda coups
that will attract recruits to the cause of violent revolution. The main goal of ideologues like Osama
bin Laden is to topple the governments of Muslim countries, including, most famously, the Wahabi
royal regime of Saudi Arabia. But the real strategic plum, Ms. Wahid says, would be her native
Indonesia and its 220 million citizens–with the largest Muslim population on earth.
“We are the ultimate target,” she told me in Washington during a trip to the U.S. earlier this
month. “The real battle for the hearts and minds of Muslims is happening in Indonesia, not
anywhere else. And that’s why the world should focus on Indonesia and help.”
Think of it as a potential domino whose fall would be felt far beyond Asia. “It’s big enough to
destabilize the region,” Ms. Wahid notes. But “imagine if Indonesia became a hotbed for
terrorism, or a source for people to get martyrs from. We’ve got enough people to provide an
army of terrorists if we’re not careful.”
At present, Ms. Wahid calls that a “worst-case, doomsday scenario,” and she is probably correct,
given Indonesia’s history of moderate, syncretic Islam, with elements from the region’s Hindu and
Buddhist past. While there have been demonstrations there over the Danish cartoons that
lampooned the prophet Muhammad, they have generally involved only few hundred people. By
contrast, Ms. Wahid points out, a December rally she helped organize under the banner of “Islam
for Peace” attracted some 12,000 marchers.
At the head of that crowd, riding in a wheelchair alongside Ms. Wahid, was her father,
Abdurrahman Wahid, the respected and beloved Islamic scholar who headed Indonesia’s largest
Muslim cultural organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), before becoming the first president of newly
democratic Indonesia from 1999 to 2001. In a seminal article for this newspaper–”Right Islam vs.
Wrong Islam”–Mr. Wahid wrote on Dec. 30 that “a terrible danger threatens humanity” in the
form of “an extreme and perverse ideology” that grossly distorts the true meaning of the religion.
He called on fellow Muslims to end the “complicity of silence” about terrorism and other acts of intolerance which characterize the radicals’ behavior.
At 31, Yenny Wahid–her real name is Zannuba–is trying to follow her father’s example and
defend the values their faith teaches. Educated in Indonesia, she got a Master’s degree in public
administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government in 2002. Her ease in Western
surroundings is apparent not merely from the snappy cream-colored pantsuit she was wearing
when we met but also from her elegantly accented English.
She is active in the NU’s political wing, the National Awakening Party, and an adviser to
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The job most dear to her heart, however, is
running the Wahid Foundation–named after her father–which works to promote, in the words of
its Web site, “democratic reform, religious pluralism, multiculturalism and tolerance amongst
Muslims” and reflects “a universal Islam [that] desires justice and prosperity for all.”
The key word may be prosperity. Indonesia, which was on its way to Asian Tigerhood until the
currency crisis of 1997-98, has not recovered from the economic meltdown that coincided with
the fall of the Suharto dictatorship. The country is a democracy now, but a struggling one to
which few investors have returned. It also has a free press, among the friskiest in Asia. Yet the
new openness has also paved the way for vocal opponents of Indonesia’s traditional secular
approach to government–voices previously suppressed–and they are gaining ground.
It is still politically incorrect to call for an Islamic state; and the mainstream press, along with the
vast majority of Indonesians, vigorously supports efforts to fight and arrest terrorists such as the
ones who perpetrated the Bali and Marriott hotel bombings of 2002 and 2003. Even so, Ms. Wahid says, the fear of being labeled un-Islamic has become intimidating to many moderate political
candidates. Radicals who want to install an Islamic regime–those who dream of violence while
many ordinary religious conservatives still do not–also are operating in an economic milieu not
unlike the one communists exploited in poor countries a generation ago.
Poverty and a lack of education make millions of Indonesians desperate,
and easy, targets, Ms. Wahid says. “After the fall of Suharto, people
expected democracy would solve all their problems. But of course it
takes a long time for things to fall into their right places, and people are
not patient. They want a quick answer. So there is this sense of
democracy-fatigue in Indonesia. And my fear is if people are willing to
entertain the idea of Islam, and an Islamic state, as an alternative
solution to governing, because they are so frustrated by the level of
corruption . . . we’d be in big trouble.”
Ms. Wahid is not imagining things. She points to other examples: “This
is exactly the issue that just happened in Palestine. Because Hamas
managed to portray themselves as the clean party. We do have parties like that as well [in
Indonesia], like Hamas.”
Well-financed radicals have already infiltrated at least some of Indonesia’s traditional religious
boarding schools, or pesantren. For poor rural families especially, these schools–called madrassas
in other Muslim countries–are the only way to see that their sons get decent food and clothing.
Yet even the majority of pesantren that teach a moderate form of Islam turn out young clerics
who find it difficult to make a living in the outside world. This is one reason, Ms. Wahid believes,
that Indonesia’s mosques have become a potent trouble zone.
“The market for these preachers is quite limited, and you get to be the top preacher by being the
preacher with a sexy message. A sexy message can be very inflammatory: ‘Christians are the
ones that created all these problems for you guys–kill them!’ Friday prayer is an obligation for
men, so it has become a very effective medium to propagandize with preachings that are just very, very hateful toward non-Muslims.”
Like her famous father and other influential clerics in Indonesia, Ms. Wahid is trying to hold the
line against this trend. Their task, as she sees it, is to remind Indonesians of the true teachings of
Islam and its sacred texts. “One thing for sure is that [radicals] have a very distorted view of
what religion should be,” she says. “Killing people meaning glory? It’s lunacy. We do discuss these
things, we hold conferences, for instance on the word ‘jihad’ and how it’s been used and abused
throughout history. The prophet Muhammad said the greatest jihad is against yourself, how to
make yourself a better person. It’s not . . . running to kill people.”
For a true definition of martyrdom, she points to the sacrifice of Riyanto, a young man dispatched
with other members of the Nahdlatul Ulama youth militia during Christmas several years ago to
guard churches threatened with attacks. When he discovered a bomb outside a church, he tried to
throw it out of the way of the crowds and was killed when it blew up. Ms. Wahid and others mark
the anniversary of his death every year. “We always tell this message: This is the real case of
martyrdom. That’s the way to defend religion, not by killing others but by defending others’ rights
to practice their religion.”
As uplifting as her story is, Ms. Wahid cannot speak to Indonesians with the same authority as her
father, whose power to influence public opinion derives in part from his credentials as an Islamic
scholar. However, Abdurrahman Wahid is 65, blind and frail. The NU organization where he
remains a towering figure may have 40 million members, but there are power struggles under
way inside the group, and no guarantee that its future leaders will be as wise and outspoken as
he has been.
Ms. Wahid is doing what she can to help a new generation follow in her father’s footsteps, through
the Wahid Foundation. It involves “trying to . . . identify these young leaders, young clerics with
same-minded beliefs, and connect them with one another and provide them with something, a
house, so that they can come out and speak. An army of able, dedicated young men who can talk
in a unified message of tolerant and peaceful Islam.”
That’s an ambitious project, and Ms. Wahid says Indonesia cannot prepare for the future without
help. It needs foreign investors “willing to take the risk,” and more contact with the West on every
level–including contact as rudimentary as instruction in English that will enable people to pull
themselves out of poverty. The Wahid Foundation, for instance, has a program that tries to
arrange micro-loans in rural communities.
She’s not surprised when I point out that calling for foreign investment in a country with
Indonesia’s financial reputation is a tall order. “This is a difficult period for us,” she admits, “but
this is a win-win situation for all. We have all these resources, we have a population of 220
million, a big market. As for rule of law . . . we’re trying to simplify the bureaucracy, the red tape
and there have been many corruption cases brought to court. The wheels of justice are starting.”
Given the threat posed by Islamic fundamentalism, ignoring Indonesia could quickly become a
lose-lose situation. If for no other reason, she says, “the world has an interest in making
Indonesia a stable country politically and economically so that people do not entertain this idea
that an Islamic state is a solution to their problems. When people are hungry, when people are
poor, they can do drastic things.”
One could argue that by openly resisting the ideology of Islamic extremists, Ms. Wahid herself is
taking a drastic step, albeit one born of courage, not desperation. When I asked her where she
got the strength to speak the truth at a time when many prefer to remain silent, she beamed and
said: “This is the real thing that defines people of faith. I have faith in God. That’s enough for my
father, and enough for myself.”
Ms. Smith is a member of the Journal’s editorial board.

Unbelievable Love.

Oh ho.. I can not believe to my Self any more. oh my God how come, i easily fall in love again? while i am in relationship. Why love come in and come out easily in my heart. I think some time i am so crazy. but it is all about ‘feeling’.

then every time, every moment i always thinking of you. imagine you are in my side. and u love me too. although i know it is really impossible. you are in relationship with someone else, so am i.

you know it is so hurt and painfully on my heart. wanna to hate you, but really i can not. you are so special in my heart. I am powerless without you. Oh my GOD what is i have to do now? are you testing me ? wheter none i love more but U.

Forgive Me Ya Allah. I will try to love you more than the others.

being Fake Chef

On saturday 11 th August 2007. PPI UTP (Association Of Indonesian Student @ Universiti Teknologi Petronas) held “Islamic Talk” together with Ustd. DR Syamsudin Arif-Researcher at International Islamic University Malaysia- on the Topic: ‘Muslim Intelectual Role In Civilization’. On behalf this program, a night before it is held we prepare snack for the attendee by our selves. I mean cook Indonesian snack by our selves. since feel boring with Malaysian food.. he he.

We prepare 3 kinds of menus. firstly is ‘Bala-Bala’ in Jombang usually it is called ‘ote-ote. secondly is ‘Tahu Isi’ . and the last one ‘popia’. The fascinating moment is how the process to make them. You know we are all man. I accompanied by Dedy, Iwan, Yudho, Dhany, Dhanie, Faisal, Kiki, Chandra, Surya. Ha ha.. Imagine how we are 10 people work together? it is so wonderfull. So Finally on 04 am we finished our Job. Being happy the job finished successfully although never wonder how the taste our snack is. thank you my friend for your good cooperation. i deeply appreciated it.

my lab. tutorial schedule this semester

one that make me feel happy and enjoy my Life @ UTP (read: Universiti Teknologi Petronas) is being Lab. Tutor for Undergraduate Student. If last semester I handled 4 time slots for IPSP (read: Introduction to Problem Solving and Programming) Subject with Mr Muhammad Noor Ibrahim. This semester i am handling 3 timeslot for SP (read: Structured Programming) Subject with Miss Syakirah. I surely dont know why being a part of my students is very very happy me. I really enjoy with them.

Monday : 12.00-14.00, lab1/group 16, IT, @ building: 01-01-07

Thursday : 09.00-11.00, lab2/group 16, IT, @ building: 02-00-10

Thursday :16.00-18.00, lab2/group 15, IT, @ building: 01-00-03

Patience to Learn

A young man presented himself to the local expert on gems and said he wanted to become a gemologist. The expert brushed him off because he feared that the youth would not have the patience to learn. The young man pleaded for a chance. Finally the expert consented and told the youth, “Be here tomorrow.”The next morning the expert put a jade stone in the boy’s hand and told him to hold it. The expert then went about his work, cutting, weighing, and setting gems. The boy sat quietly and waited.

The following moring the expert again placed the jade stone in the youth’s hand and told him to hold it. On the third, fourth, and fifth day the expert repeated the exercise and the instructions.

On the sixth day the youth held the jade stone, but could no longer stand the silence. “Master,” he asked, “when am I going to learn something?”

“You’ll learn,” the expert replied and went about his bussiness.

Several more days went by and the youth’s frustation mounted. One morning as the expert approached and beckoned for him to hold out his hand, he was about to blurt out that he could go on no longer. But as the master placed the stone in the youth’s hand, the young man exclaimed with-out looking at his hand, “This is not the same jade stone!”

“You have begun to learn,” said the master.

Have a positive day!

Top Tips from the CIO 100: 15 Ways to Create Innovation with IT

Making businesspeople comfortable and using technologies you already have are just two ideas you can steal from CIO 100 winners to make yourself a better innovator.

By The CIO Staff

Behind every successful innovator are effective leadership and management practices. Below, 15 CIO 100 winners share their secrets.

1. Don’t Rest on Your Laurels
“You continuously have to try to improve IT’s position,” says Foley & Lardner CIO Doug Caddell. “You have to build credibility, capitalize on successes and market IT. If you don’t, no one will.”

2. Spend Time on Organizational Design
“Most IT people don’t think in deep and nuanced ways about human systems the way they do about computer systems,” says Vince Kellen, VP of IS at DePaul University. “IT organizations are often underengineered. But they should be treated like any large technology project.” The goal is to align employee talents with organizational needs.

3. If You Love Innovation, Set it Free
“It’s easy to get into the trap of thinking, We innovate it, so we own it,” says Scott Sullivan, VP of information technology and services for Pitt Ohio Express. But the real success of IT-led business innovation comes only when the business takes ownership. “It’s hard to do. It’s your baby,” says Sullivan. “But when it comes to IT-driven innovation, you have to let it go.”

4. Get Stakeholder Skin in the Game
For David Behen, deputy county administrator and CIO for Washtenaw County, Mich., the key to successful innovation is to get stakeholder buy-in-not just philosophically but literally. “Get them to put forward some form of resources,” says Behen, whether it’s human capital, assets or money. “Once you have that, it’s pretty hard to stop the momentum.”

5. Assume Anything Can Be Improved
“You have to have the courage to examine what has been the norm and ask yourself why, and then ask yourself why again, and ask yourself why a third time,” says Tim Harvey, executive VP of global distribution services and CIO of Hilton Hotels. Any process has the potential to be more efficient. “You have to find where things can be changed to satisfy customer demand while at the same time improving internal operational results.”

6. Make Businesspeople Comfortable
“If I put my IT staff in an 18-wheeler and asked them to drive, they’d be pretty scared,” says Chris Luter, IT director of Veridian Homes. And “if you’re talking to the business in a way that is intimidating, you won’t create a partnership with them.” So Luter avoids techy jargon.

7. Test, and Test Again
Washington Mutual commissions focus groups to test-drive customer-facing applications while they are under development. “It isn’t until we establish what is going to work best for our customers that we build the software,” says CIO Deb Horvath.

8. Think Broadly About ROI
A large-scale IT project’s return on investment isn’t always delivered in neatly packaged cold, hard figures. For this reason, Randy Headrick, Air National Guard’s CIO and director of communications and information, recommends factoring in cost-avoidance variables-such as fines you won’t have to pay or employees you won’t have to add to the payroll-for a more accurate assessment of a project’s financial impact.

9. Look for Silver Linings
Required projects such as complying with regulations don’t have to be painful if you use them as opportunities to improve operations, says Ron DePoalo, CTO of the Merrill Lynch Global Private Client technology group. He used Check 21 legislation (which encourages banks to process check images rather than paper) as a catalyst to improve customer service and save money.

10. Use What You Have
Winning management buy-in on an enterprisewide IT project isn’t only about justifying investment dollars. Rather, says Karan Sorensen, CIO at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, it’s equally important to take advantage of existing resources “so that when you look from a cost perspective, there’s a high degree of leveraging.”

11. Explain Yourself
Major innovation can mean major changes in how employees work. Delphi CIO Bette Walker says it’s important to deliver a clear, consistent and concise message to frontline workers to avoid attrition and poor morale. A carefully crafted strategic communications plan shouldn’t just appeal to senior-level executives.

12. The Best Solution May Not Be Yours
“I can code in seven different languages, but I’m a business guy,” says Samuel Gaer, executive VP and CIO of the New York Mercantile Exchange. When Gaer proposed listing Nymex’s energy futures contracts on the well-established Globex platform run by the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, he told his boss: “This has nothing to do with a lack of faith in our abilities; this has everything to do with a forward-looking business relationship.”

13. Seek Skills You Don’t Have
A successful collaboration pairs partners with complementary skills. “Mitch [Davis, CIO at Bowdoin College] is the king of the creative idea,” says Erin Griffin, VP of IT and CIO of Loyola Marymount University. “I’m [a] process and planning person.” The two organizations built a joint disaster recovery system. “Not only did our staffs have complementary skills,” says Griffin. “We did as well.”

14. Grow With the Business
To be considered a partner in innovation, IT needs to move forward in sync with the business. “If [the business] keeps looking backward and IT is still in the same place, that’s a problem,” says K&L Gates CIO Steven Agnoli. Moreover, your IT strategy must mirror (and help to realize) the strategic goals of the business. Thinking too far ahead can create just as much of a mismatch as not moving fast enough.

15. Harness Creativity Through Diversity
At the outset of a project, bring together the best and brightest from a multitude of disciplines, recommends Marriott VP of Enterprise Security Kathy Memenza, who led the company’s project to encrypt and monitor the use of credit card data using public key technology. Team members from enterprise technology planning and engineering, architecture, and security, among other Marriott departments, brought unique and varied experiences related to protecting and using customer data that no single person or single department possessed alone.

NU: Concept of Khilafah Islamiyah is still unclear

Jakarta, NU Online
The Central Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) has asserted that the concept of Islamic state (Khilafah Islamiyah) remained unclear within the frame of its form and establishment. The clarity of the concept would always disturb and question the validity of any independent and sovereign nation.

General Chairman of the Central Board of Nahdlatul Ulama KH Hasyim Muzadi said here Monday that the existence of hardline groups driving the implementation of Khilafah Islamiyah had so far angered a large number of countries in Europe in which their constitution has been all of the time questioned by the groups.

“If the scene is like that, I am not absolutely surprised,” Hashim told reporters at the NU headquarters, Jalan Kramat Raya 164 Jakarta.

Hasyim explained, up to now there was no one of nations of the world implementing governmental system based of Islamic law (syariah) even in many most populous Muslim countries.

“Even in the middle East countries, there is no one basing itself on the khilafah instead of kingdom such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iran, Syria, Egypt, Uni Emirat Arab and so on. So in the Middle East and also in Australia, the Hizbut Tahrir has remained a questioned matter,” Hasyim said.

Hasyim called on the government to again and again keep on guard against the hardline groups like the Indonesian Hizbut Tahrir in the beloved country of ours.

The Hizbut Tahrir, Hasyim added, would take the same actions to the nation as that being taken in any other countries by questioning the system of the Indonesia’s Proclamation Republic.

At the same time, the President of the World Conference on Religions for Peace questioned the government being considered to have no such firmness to the group. Whereas, he said, it would admitted or not threaten the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. (rif)

KH Abdurrahman Wahid

Family Background

His last name used to be ‘Addakhil,’ Abdurrahman Addakhil. The lexical meaning of the Arabic word ‘Addakhil’ is ‘The Conqueror,’ a name taken by his father Wahid Hasyim from the name of a founder of Islamic emperor Bani Umayyah who once conquered Spain and embedded the glorious Islamic era in the country. The name ‘Addakhil’, which was less known, was later changed to ‘Wahid,’ Abdurrahman Wahid. Nevertheless, he is popularly called ‘Gus Dur.’ ‘Gus’ is a noble title commonly used in community of traditional Islamic pondok pesantren (boarding school ) to call a son of traditional Islamic priest ‘kyai.’ ‘Gus’ means ‘older brother.’

Gus Dur—born in Denanyar village, Jombang regency, East Java on August 4, 1940—is the oldest of the six children of noted Muslim figure K.H.* Wahid Hasyim. By his hereditary line, Gus Dur is a blue-blooded figure. His father is the son of K.H. Hasyim Asy’ari, the founder of the first largest Muslim organization in Indonesia, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), who is also the founder of Pondok Pesantren (Ponpes) Tebu Ireng in Jombang. His mother, Ny. Hj. Sholehah, is the daughter of the founder of Ponpes Denanyar in Jombang, a noted NU figure K.H. Bisri Syamsuri who succeeded K.H. Abdul Wahab Hasbullah to the post of ‘Rais Aam’ in the NU Central Board (PBNU). Thus, Gus Dur is a grandson of two noted NU figures who are also the country’s dignitaries.

In 1949, after the physical clash with the Dutch ended, Gus Dur’s father was assigned to be the first Minister of Religious Affairs of the new country Indonesia. As he and his family moved to Jakarta, Gus Dur was entering a new social circumstance and interaction. He met with his father’s guests, important people of various backgrounds –similar level of people whom he had met in his grandfather’s house. It gave particular experience to him. In this phase, he was beginning to get acquainted with politics from what he heard from his father’s colleagues who often had their chats and conversations at his father’s residence.

Since his early childhood, his mother had been convinced in one thing that Gus Dur would be blessed a special destiny in his life and take a total awareness of responsibility over NU.

In April, 1953, Gus Dur went along his father to a village in West Java province to attend an inaugural ceremony of a religious school. On their way to the ceremony along the mountainous area between Cimahi and Bandung, the car they were riding engaged in a traffic accident that caused to his father’s death. He survived from the accident, but the death of his father, left deep feeling in his mind.

Gus Dur likes very much reading books. Since his early adolescence, he reads many books from libraries including his father’s private library. In his teenage, Gus Dur was already familiar to many kinds of magazines, newspapers, novels, and scientific books. He reads not only fiction readings –especially tales of ‘silat’ (traditional martial arts)—, but also those of philosophical discourses and historical documents of foreign countries.

Reading is not his only hobby. He has been fond of football, chest, and music. It is not surprising that he was several times asked to be commentator of football matches in both printed and electronic media including TV.
Watching movies is his other hobby. Therefore, it is understood that he is also known for his good appreciation in cinematography. During the 1986’s Indonesian Movie Festival (FFI), Gus Dur was assigned to lead a team of juries of the Festival.

Gus Dur spent most of his adolescence in Yogyakarta and in a small town Tegalrejo in Central Java where he began to improve his scientific knowledge. He studied at Ponpes Tambak Beras in the next period before going to Egypt to continue his study at Al Azhar University. Prior to his leaving, one of his uncles proposed a marriage on his behalf to a young girl Sinta Nuriyah, a daughter of Haji M. Sakur. Their marriage was held while he was still in Egypt and the bride was in Java, Indonesia.

Going home from his study abroad, Gus Dur lived in Jombang and decided to be a teacher. In 1971, this young and talented figure joined at the Faculty of Ushuluddin of Tebu Ireng University in Jombang. Three years later, he was appointed secretary to pesantren Tebu Ireng during which he began his career as a writer, a columnist. Through his articles, he expressed his thoughts which soon drew public attention.

Djohan Efendi, a prominent scholar of the era, regarded Gus Dur as a good digester who digested all thoughts and information he read, and absorbed them into his mind, and finally, thought them out again as his own authentic thoughts. That is why, according to Djohan, Gus Dur rarely put footnotes in his articles.

His uncle K.H. Yusuf Hasyim, in 1974, asked Gus Dur to help him run Ponpes Tebu Ireng. At the same time, he was frequently invited to give speech in the subject of religion and ‘pondok pesantren’ both in domestic and overseas forums. The next period, Gus Dur joined a non-governmental organization (LSM). Joining LP3ES, in where he worked with Dawam Raharjo, Aswab Mahasin, and Adi Sasono in Pesantren development projects, was his first experience in working in the field of LSM. Few years later, Gus Dur founded P3M under the sponsorship of LP3ES.

In 1979, Gus Dur moved to Jakarta where he founded Pesantren Ciganjur. He was appointed ‘deputy ‘khatib’ to ‘syuriah’ in NU Central Board (PBNU) in 1980. His wide interaction with scholars from different religious, ethnic, and academic backgrounds began in this period. He was intensively involved in serious discussions on religion, social, and politics with them. His works in those fields intensified.

“A chain of Gus Dur’s career” which many consider as a deviation in his capacity as religious leader was his appointment in 1983 as Chief of the Jakarta Arts Board (DKJ).

In 1984, however, a team of NU Central Board’s “Ahl hall wa al aqdi” led by K.H. As’ad Syamsul Arifin elected Gus Dur by acclamation as NU Chairman during NU’s 27th Congress in Situbondo, East Java. He was reelected for another two terms until his resignation from the top post of NU Central Board in 1999 after he was elected the fourth President of Republic of Indonesia.

Being a president had not changed much his tendency to come up with controversial ideas. On the contrary, more people become aware of the controversy he makes. Before being president, only certain people especially NU followers who learnt his controversial ideas and thoughts, now all people of Indonesia know.

Gus Dur’s another career in the period of 1991 to 1999 which is important to be taken in this section is being head of Democracy Forum with its members mostly from those of nationalist and non-Muslim activists. In contrast, Gus Dur refused to join the Association of Indonesian Muslim Intellectual (ICMI) which he, even, accused of being sectarian.

The narrative above makes clearer how complicated and knotty Gus Dur’s way in going through his life. He meets many people with various ideological, political, cultural, and social backgrounds as well as those with different ideas. From the view of religious understanding and ideology, Gus Dur has also experienced a complex ways; traditional thought, ‘ideologist,’ fundamentalism, modernism, and secular one. Regarding cultural background, he has gone through both the Eastern culture with its courtesy and introverted tradition and the Western culture with its extrovert, modern and liberal customs. He has interacted with various scholars too, from those of conservative and orthodox to those of liberal and radical background.

Gus Dur’s thought on religion is much influenced by pondok pesantren with its traditional ethics, formality, and rigid hierarchy. Meanwhile, his roaming over the Middle East has introduced various thoughts on religion in him, from conservative, symbolic-fundamentalist, to liberal-radical thoughts. Gus Dur’s thought on humanism has been much influenced by Western philosophers’ thoughts. However, Several kyai, who teaches and guides him, have significantly contributed to Gus Dur’s humanist attitude and thought. The also learns humanism from the story about Kyai Fatah from Tambak Beras, K.H. Ali Ma’shum from Krapyak, and Kyai Chudhori from Tegalrejo.

Culturally, Gus Dur has lived through three models of cultural layers. Firstly, the culture of Pesantren which is hierarchical, introverted, and full of ethics and formality. Secondly, the culture layer of the East world which is open and harsh. And the third layer is the liberal, secular, and rational culture of the West. All of them seem to have been internalized in Gus Dur’s mind as a synergy. None of them appears to be more dominant than the others in building his personality and thought. They all have always been in intensive dialogue in his inner mind. This is why Gus Dur is always dynamic, and on the other hand, difficult to be understood. His freedom of thinking and his broad knowledge are beyond the traditional boundaries of his own community.

DEVELOPMENT RELATED PROGRAMS FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION OF ASEAN COUNTRIES

by H.E. Mrs. Dra. Khofifah Indar Parawansa

- H.E. The Ambassadors/Representative of the Government of ASEAN Countries;

- Director of Bureau of Economic and Functional Cooperation of ASEAN Secretariat;

- Chairperson of Poverty Alleviation Coordinating Body;

- Representative of Foreign Ministry of the Rep. of Indonesia;

- Representative of Cabinet Secretariat of the Rep. of Indonesia;

- My Colleague from Ministry of Women Empowerment and BKKBN;

- Distinguished program participants; and

- Ladies and Gentlemen;

Assalamua’alaikum Warrahmatullahi Wabarakatuh,

May I, on behalf of the Government of the Republic Indonesia, take this opportunity to warmly welcome you all to Indonesia, particularly to the complex of the National Family Planning Coordinating Board. Also, it is my pleasure to invite us all to say grace to Allah the Almighty for His abundant blessings allowing us all to gather on this momentous event . It is indeed a part of numerous collaborative efforts which we have been promoting for years in the context of ASEAN collaboration, ” the sharing experiences in the field of development related programs for poverty alleviation” through an Observation Study Tour (OST) .

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a quite a honor and a great pleasure to us to host this OST on the poverty alleviation, though Indonesia , at present, does not yet succeed in overcoming its economic problems as also felt by other ASEAN countries due to currency crisis. In some countries, including Indonesia this has developed unto multi dimension crisis. The social impact of the crisis has been substantial and it is still felt until now. The crisis has resulted in the widespread of malnutrition, unemployment, children dropping out of schools and poverty. Etc.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Prior to this Asian economic crisis, Indonesia had achieved considerable progress in improving social conditions as the result of a rapid economic growth coupled with investments in social and agricultural infrastructures. Poverty – by any standard fell down dramatically. For example, between 1970 and 1996.. the proportion of population living below poverty line decreased from 60 percent to 11 percent. There was also substantial educational and health improvements which occurred in the two decades prior to the late 1990s. Similarly, infant mortality rate fell down, and provision of basic infrastructure facilities – water supply, roads and electricity – expanded significantly.

Distinguished participants, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The crisis outbreak in mid 1997 forced Indonesian families to adjust the first serious economic contraction in decades. Throughout 1998 real economic growth was – 13.7%, a sharp turn off from the high growth in the previous decades of in average over 7%. The Indonesian people witnesses the value of the currency fell down up to 15% in less than one year compared to that of before crisis value, while domestic prices of consumption goods increased sharply up to the level of beyond the people purchasing power.

National poverty rate increased from 15.7 % in 1996 to 27.1 in 1999. During that period, the number of urban poor doubled, while the rural poor increased by 75%.

In fact, poverty in Indonesia is caused not only by that crisis, but mainly by the deep-rooted inequity of socio-economic structure of the Indonesian community. Income disparity between rural-urban, agricultural-industry, the disparity of earning assets between large number of poor population and number of wealthy population, etc are few among causes of poverty. It was found in a survey in Java for instance, in 1973 in agricultural sector, 55% of farmers were those who were categorized as poor farmers, and they owned only 22.4% of agricultural land, while 4.8% of well-off farmers were those who owned 24.5% of agricultural land. It is estimated that the unbalance structure has been continuously going on until recently.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In order to prepare a direct intervention to the target audience of poverty alleviation programs, BKKBN along with several related institutions both government and non governments, develop a program applying a concept of family approach. In the approach, the program efforts are focussed on providing supports aimed at empowering the poor families to become self reliance. A micro-credit scheme called KUKESRA was introduced to give the opportunity to the poor families organized in group to run a small scale productive business under the UPPKS (Income Generating Activity for Prosperous Family). With sufficient, continuous support and guidance provided to the groups by relevant government and non government institutions, the UPPKS whose members are the pre-prosperous family and prosperous family stage l , has become a family-group-based effective and productive economic activity which has significantly been instrumental improving the income to family.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

To monitor the progress made by the poor families in exercising themselves to become self reliance, a family enumeration is conducted annually. By using 23 family socio-economic indicators, the data collected through this enumeration have been able to provide information on the prosperity level of every family. Poor families are those who are categorized under the Pre-prosperous and Prosperous family stage I category. It is found out that the categorization of families has been very useful for target audience identification needed by poverty alleviation program. The data have been also used by various institutions in planning the other program interventions to minimize the impact of the economic crisis under the Social Safety Net program.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Though it is very challenging, BKKBN in cooperation with other institutions responds positively the request of the ASEAN Secretariat in organizing such a program course. It is a golden opportunity to each country through an open mind inter-action and mutual respect dialogue to learn the relevant method of poverty alleviation. The experiences teach us that poverty alleviation issue is not that simple. It is not merely related to problem of the earning assets by the poor to help them generate income. But, it is closely related to the rural economic development strategy, land reform policy, production control policy, development policy on financial institution such as rural bank, micro credit scheme, etc. Without any effort to develop an integrated approach to poverty eradication, it is very difficult to sustain the poverty alleviation efforts in a long run.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my sincere hope that your experiences here will provide you with the opportunity to sit back, look at the poverty alleviation program which is both similar to and different from yours, and think what would work best in your country. Of course, it is neither possible nor desirable to try to copy our program approaches uncritically.

Before I officially close my remark, may I express my special thanks to the ASEAN Secretariat and UNDP that have made this course possible.

And by saying “Bismillahhirrahmanirrahim”, may I declare the Training Program for Strengthening of Facilitators’ skill of Development Related Programs for Poverty Alleviation for ASEAN Countries, officially open.

Thank you