Mari melihat Timur Tengah dengan cara yang berbeda

Meski banyak orang Islam di Indonesia, tapi pengetahuan kita tentang Timur Tengah sepertinya dan sebenarnya sangat terbatas. Pengetahuan-pengetahuan tentang Timur Tengah terkunci di bilik-bilik pesantren dan yang keluar ke masyarakat umum hanya yang terkait dengan agama saja, baik peraturan, larangan maupun kesakralan agama. Orang kemudian takut mendiskusikannya, karena khawatir disebut kafir atau bid’ah.

Even though most Indonesians are moslem, but our knowledge about Middle East countries is very limited. The knowledge is locked and discussed only among pesantren walls (traditional Islamic school and dormitory) and what spread out to the public is only about the Islam regulation, Islam forbids, Islam punishment and the sacred of them. People are then afraid to discuss further, otherwise they will be called as "kafir" or "bid'ah". 

Apalagi kemudian, masuk ke negara-negara Timur Tengah tidak terlalu mudah bagi orang Indonesia, misalnya kita mau ke Arab Saudi, harus dengan visa haji atau umroh dan harus dengan pasangan mahram, itupun ada musimnya. 

Additionally, it's a bit difficult to go to middle east countries for Indonesians. For example, if we want to go to Arab Saudi, it should be for hajj or umroh pilgrim with special visa, and with our own legal partner, especially for women, it is prohibited to go there alone or by herself. Women should be escorted by the husband. And we can't go there anytime.

Mereka yang pernah ke sana atau tahu tentang Timur Tengah merasa paling tahu tentang Timur Tengah, meski hanya dari satu sumber saja. Begitu ada sumber lain yang berbeda dengan sumbernya, maka mereka pun terganggu. Dan mengecam, bahwa itu untuk menjelek-jelekkan Islam.

People who ever been there, think that they are the only persons who know everything about middle east countries, though they know only from one source, or even their own experience. It is actually no big problem, everybody has their own reaction to their experience. The problem is when they find that there is another different, or totally different reactions and view from another source like theirs, they will feel disturbed and react, "It is to mischief Islam".

I was in burqa in a women apparel shop at Puli Khumri market, Prov. Baghlan, Afghanistan, September 2010 

Ketika saya ke Afghanistan dan bercerita sedikit tentang Afghanistan, karena memang cuma sebentar di sana sehingga yang bisa diceritakan cuma sedikit, banyak orang yang terkaget-kaget karena suasana Afghanistan jauh berbeda dengan yang ada di media massa. Catatan: Afghanistan sebenarnya masuk ke Asia Tengah. Tetapi banyak orang Indonesia, termasuk saya, menganggap Afghanistana daah bagian dari Negara Timur Tengah.

When I was back from Afghanistan and talked a bit about Afghanistan, its people, its situation, its landscape, many people were surprised because it is so different like what mass media talked. Note: Afghanistan actually belongs to Central Asia, not middle east, but many people, include I, think it is middle east countries. 

Mari kita lihat Timur Tengah dari berbagai perspektif sehingga lebih obyektif.

Let's see middle east countries from different perspectives, from different sources, from different reactions to be more objective.