Assalamu’alaikum.. May peace be upon you. yes! PEACE. The one word that we’re using more often these days, in Indonesia and through out the rest of the world. Reading, hearing, and watching the news become more traumatizing and depressing. Terrorism, wars, oppressions, anarchist, and criminal acts are the main topic of almost all of the news’ outlets. I couldn’t help it anymore – wondering why it is so easy to spread hatred and negativity, without thinking about other’s feeling. One group’s claim to be the victim, while their acts scream villain. One nation is banning people solely based on their origin country or even their religion. One group massacred other group just because they were different. A killing spree in random places by a person, just to be accepted in one criminal group. ah.. I could going all day listing all the terror happening in our reality now, but what’s the purpose?

Here we are, living in a very divided world, yet hope is still here. We could see that despite – or because of  – all this cruelty, people begin to extend their help into a larger scale. Groups from different background are embracing each other more than they ever before. The phrase “faith in humanity restored” is getting its stage. People racing to show the warm of their heart to each other, just to make sure that we really feel that this life is worth living.

This is what Ramadhan is truly about : to bring the best of people. As a moslem, I believe this is what Rasulullah SAW wants to see : kindness, in every way of our life. I am no expert in explaining about what is Ramadhan, but I found a very helpful article if you want to understand about it more, it is this article from Vox. I like the closing line : “Because terrorists are assholes.” Don’t ever let terrorists act define what Islam is. This Ramadhan is our opportunity to unite moslems around the world to show the true face of Islam.

Terrorists. They have no religion, even if many will automatically link it to Islam – they are not muslims. Islam is a religion about peace and thaught us how to live peacefully among others. Terrorism rooted deeply within the society itself, not within Islam. It is an act of defiance, to scare people, to threaten another group for its own political gain. There are many kinds of terrorism, which cause expert to hardly agree on one definition. The fail to exactly define what is terrorism clearly show the complexity of its term, moreover its actions and its aim. One thing for sure, terrorist wants us to stop living. That is not Islamic teaching.

:sigh: I got carried away… I wanted to write about Ramadhan, but I was mumbling about these issues instead. My bad.. I am sorry, I guess I have been diving this issue for too long and I need to get it off my chest – to vent out. I need to write more about it later, in a better compose post.

Back to Ramadhan. It is a month of joy. Let’s bring the best of us and enjoying this closeness. We are closer to Allah, our family, our loved ones, and our fellow creatures of the world. Let’s observe Ramadhan by being a better human being.

Ramadhan Mubarak, Every one!

Salam,

The DarkJasmine