Monday, September 27, 2004

Mujahid Jutawan


“Kami mengisytiharkan jihad terhadap kerajaan Amerika kerana mereka adalah negara penjenayah, kejam dan zalim. Mereka telah melakukan jenyah yang besar terhadap umat Islam samada secara langsung atau melalui sokongan yang mereka berikan kepada Israel yang merampas bumi suci Palestin. Jika usaha kami membebaskan bumi umat Islam dianggap sebagai terroris, maka ia adalah suatu penghormatan bagi kami�

Demikianlah antara ucapan yang dilafazkan oleh Osama bin Laden yag terkenal di dunia Islam sebagai seorang jutawan dan mujahid yang alim.

Apa yang diucapkan oleh Osama bin Laden itu memang tidak dapat dinafikan oleh sesiapa pun.Osama telah berjaya meniupkan semangat perjuangan di dada mujahid-mujahid Islam dari pelusuk dunia terutama ketika peperangan menentang pencerobohan komunis Rusia di Afganistan.

Namun, nama beliau kembali bertiup kencang sebagai penjenayah paling dikehendaki dunia sebaik sahaja berlakunya peristiwa pengeboman kedutaan Amerika Syarikat di Kenya dan Tanzania. Kerajaan Arab Saudi telah menggugurkan kerakyatan beliau, kebanyakan negara Arab dan Eropah tidak membenarkan beliau memasuki Negara mereka dan kerajaan Amerika Syarikat telah membuat beberapa tuduhan terhadap beliau. Setakat ini tiada siapa yang membuat tuduhan secara rasmi serta membuktikan jenayah yang dilakukan oleh Osama.

BIOGRAFI
Osama bin Mohammad bin Laden dilahirkan di Bandar Riyadh, Saudi Arabia pada tahun 1957.

1.Kekayaan
Kekayaan keluarga bin Laden adalah dianggarkan bernilai US$5 billion. Osama sahaja dianggarkan memiliki kekayaan US$300 juta.

2.Pendidikan
Mendapat pendidikan awal di Kota Jeddah dan kemudiannya melanjutkan pelajaran di King Abdul Aziz University di Jeddah dalam bidang ekonomi dan pengurusan serta kejuruteraan awam.

3.Status perkahwinan
Berkahwin dan mempunyai empat orang isteri.

4.Gaya hidup
Walaupun kaya, gaya hidupnya adalah amat sederhana dan pemurah. Beliau sentiasa berjubah dan amat mengambil berat di dalam amalan-amalan sunnah Nabi SAW.

5.Kegiatan Islam
Mula bergiat dengan gerakan Islam pada pertengahan 1974 dan berterusan sehingga bermulanya jihad di bumi Afganistan. Beliau juga terlibat di dalam jihad di selatan Yemen menentang pemberontakan komunis sehingga komunis jatuh di Yemen.

6.Pengalaman
Menjadi teman rapat As-Syahid Abdullah Azzam. Menubuhkan pejabat Mujahideen di Peshawar serta Camp Sidda bagi melatih mujahidin Arab yang datang berjihad di Afganistan. Terlibat dalam banyak siri pertempuran bersama-sama mujahidin semasa di Afganistan.

7.Dibuang negeri
Meninggalkan Arab Saudi pada tahun 1991 dan kemudian diarahkan kerajaan Arab Saudi untuk pulang tetapi beliau enggan pulang. Kerajaan Arab Saudi telah menggugurkan kerakyatannya, membatalkan passport, membekukan semua harta yang ada disana serta melabelkan beliau sebagai penjenayah.

8.Diangagap penjenayah
Sekarang beliau tinggal di Afganistan. Beliau kini kin dianggap sebagai penjenayah yang paling dikehendaki oleh barat terutamanya CIA Amerika Syarikat kerana dikatakan menjadi penganjur rangkaian keganasan antarabangsa.


AWAL PERJUANGAN
Bermula dari tahun 1979, ketika bumi Afganistan dijajah oleh rejim komunis Rusia, Osama Bin Laden dengan gigih telah mengatur serta menyusun pemuda-pemuda Islam dari seluruh pelusuk dunia untuk berjihad di Afganistan. Beliau adalah pendakwah serta mujahid yang terus menerus menyeru umat Islam agar mara berjihad menentang kekejaman komunis Rusia. Pemuda-pemuda Islam terutamanya dari Timur Tengah telah ditiupkan dengan semngat jihad di bumi Afganistan, berpegang kepada ajaran Allah dan sentiasa memohon pertolongan dari Allah.

1. Ujian Dari Allah
Beliau telah berusaha menyakinkan umat Islam bahawa pencerobohan tentera Rusia adalah ujian Allah yang amat besar kepada umat Islam di seluruh dunia. Beliau begitu gigih menjelajah seluruh pelusuk bumi umat Islam dengan berceramah serta menyediakan risalah jihad bagi mengingatkan umat Islam supaya kembali berpegang kepada ajaran Allah.

Osama Laden yang kini berusia 47 tahun tetap gigih dengan semangat perjuangan beliau walaupun terpaksa menghadapi pelbagai ujian yang besar. Walaupun berasal dari keluarga yang kaya raya, beliau tetap menunjukan sikap sebagai seorang Muslim yang amat bersikap rendah diri serta pemurah. Beliau pernah menceritakan bahawa kerajaan Arab Saudi sentiasa mengugut serta menekan keluarga beliau.

2.Menolak Pujukan Ibunya Agar Kembali Ke Saudi
Semasa berada di Sudan, kerajaan Saudi pernah menghantar ibunya, bapa saudaranya serta abang-abangnya ke Khartoum sebanyak sembilan kali bagi memujuk beliau agar kembali ke Arab Saudi dan memohon maaf kepada Raja Fahd. Sekiranya beliau tidak pulang, segala kekayaan dan kedudukan yang ada pada beliau akan dirampas oleh kerajaan Saudi.

Osama begaimanapun menegaskan: “Saya telah menolak pujuk rayu ibu serta keluarga dengan baik. Saya tahu mereka dipaksa oleh rejim Saudi. Saya memberitahu ibu saya, biarkan apa sahaja yang Raja Fahd mahu lakukan kepada saya dan keluarga saya, saya tidak sekali-kali akan kembali. Saya kini hidup penuh ketenangan dan bermaruah… hidup mati saya adalah untuk perjuangan Islam�

“Adalah lebih baik bagi kami tinggal di bawah pokok dari dalam istana yang besar sedangkan terus mendapat kemurkaan Allah. Mendengar perkataan saya itu, ibu saya terus menangis teresak-esak lalu memeluk saya. Inilah satu-satunya peristiwa yang tak dapat saya lupakan selain dari saat paling sedih bagi saya apabila mendapat berita kehilangan sahabat karib serta rakan seperjuangan saya, Ustaz Azzam yang gugur syahid di bumi Afganistan."


3.Tuduhan Barat Terhadap Osama Laden
  • Mengeluarkan fatwa terhadap kezaliman Amerika Syarikat.
  • Terlibat dalam perancangan peristiwa pengeboman World Trade Center, Amerika Syarikat.
  • Terlibat di dalam peristiwa pengeboman di pengkalan tentera Amerika di Al-Khobar, Arab Saudi.
  • Berkomplot bagi membunuh Presiden Clinton
  • Mengadakan kempen besar-besaran bagi menjatuhkan kerajaan beraja Arab Saudi.
  • Menjadi penaung serta berkomplot melakukan tindakan berbentuk keganasan di peringkat antarabangsa melalui pertubuhan yang dikenali sebagai al-Qaeda.

  • PELOPOR JIHAD
    Osama bin Laden pernah ditanya oleh pemberita terkenal Britain, Robert Fisk dari akhbar The Independent tentang persoalan mati. Dengan tenang beliau menjawab: “Sekarang saya sedikitpun tidak takut dengan mati. Sebagai seorang Muslim kami percaya apabila kami mati, kami akan menjadi ahli syurga. Sebelum kami ke medan peperangan, Allah sentiasa memeberi kami ‘sakinah’ (ketenangan)."

    1.Membebaskan Bumi Afganistan
    “Suatu ketika , semasa berjihad di Afganistan, tentera komunis Rusia hanya berada kira 30 meter dari kami. Mereka berusaha untuk menangkap saya. Kami sentiasa dibedil tetapi hati saya sungguh aman dan tenteram sehinggakan saya terus tertidur. Saya sendiri melihat mortar 120mm jatuh dihadapan kami tetapi ia tidak meletup. Empat lagi bom-bom besar telah digugurkan ke atas pengkalan Mujahidin tetapi satupun tidak meletup. Dengan pertolongan Allah, kami akhirnya berjaya menghalau rejim komunis Soviet Union.�


    Beginilah kecekalan serta ketabahan Osama bin Laden di dalam dakwahnya. Beliau terpaksa menghadapi berbagai-bagai rintangan dan tekanan bukan sahaja dari kuasa besar Amerika tetapi juga dari kalangan pemimpin sekular negara-negara Arab yang tidak senang dengan cara pendekatan yang dibawa oleh beliau. Beliau menekankan aspek jihad didalam perjuangan serta mengecam pemimpin Arab yang sekular yang terlalu bergantung kepada kuasa-kuasa besar seperti Amerika, Britain dan Peranchis.

    2.Membakar Semangat Pemuda-pemuda Islam
    Sebagai plihan, usaha dakwah serta ajaran yang diberi oleh Osama bin Laden telah mendapat sambutan di kalangan-kalangan pemuda-pemuda Islam. Kesedaran Islam bertambah dan kerja-kerja dakwah mula mendapat perhatian. Osama dan pengikut-pengikutnya telah mengusahakan pembinaan masjid, sekolah-sekolah agama serta ma’ahad tahfiz al-Quran.

    Beliau juga memberi sumbangan serta kepakaran dalam membangunkan ekonomi Negara Bosnia, Somalia dan Sudan yang dikepung oleh kuasa-kuasa besar dunia . Klinik-klinik serta jalan-jalan raya turut dibina dengan perbelanjaan yang amat cermat.

    Perang Teluk juga banyak memberi pengajaran kepada Osama. Beliau menentang keras kemasukan askar-askar Amerika dan Britain ke bumi HIjaz yang suci. Sikap golongan sekular yang terlalu bergantung kepada kuasa-kuasa besar Barat menyebabkan Osama bin Laden serta golongan muda Islam yang dilantik oleh beliau, mengambil langkah bagi menyedarkan umat Islam bahawa hanya dengan Islam mereka dapat membebaskan diri dari kekejaman musuh-musuh Islam.

    Beliau juga sering menekankan tentang bahaya Zionis yang sentiasa benci kepada umat Islam serta berwaspada terhadap ancaman fahaman secular dan nasionalis Arab yang menyerang umat Islam di kebanyakan negara-negara Arab.

    3.Pendakwah Yang Gigih dan Berani Mati
    Inilah potret kehidupan mujahid Osama bin Laden yang merupakan “pelopor jihad Afganistan.� Walaupun terus menerus diburu sebagai “penjenayah paling dikehendaki,� Osama tetap merupakan seorang pendakwah yang gigih dan menjadi lambang kebanggaan pemuda-pemuda Islam di seluruh dunia.

    Ia tidak sedikitpun menyekat perjuangan suci bagi menentang kezaliman dan membebaskan bumi umat Islam dari gengaman kuasa besar yang didalangi rejim Zionis “Israel�. Beliau kini menjadi harapan kepada seluruh umat Islam bagi meneruskan jihad bagi membebaskan diri serta tanahair mereka dari cengkaman kuasa-kuasa besar.

    Osama pernah berkata: “Di dalam Islam, Allah menyediakan tempat yang istimewa bagi mereka yang berjihad. Sehari berjihad di Afganistan adalah seperti 1000 hari bersembahyang di setiap masjid.�

    Source:
    Abdul Majid Hakim OSAMA BIN LADEN Antara TERORIS dan PEJUANG SUCI Pustaka Ilmi Malaysia, 2002.

  • AN INSIDER'S VIEW OF OSAMA BIN LADEN
  • Most Wanted Terrorist - Usama Bin Laden

    AG: Hingga kini masih lagi meragui insan yang bernama Osama bin Laden ini, adakah dia sememangnya seorang pejuang Jihad yang tulen, ataupun sebahagian dari mekanisme Zionis proxy melalui pertubuhan CIA. Mungkin juga seorang double agent yang telah berpaling tadah. Mungkin dakyah Zionis terlalu kuat, hinggakan goyah dan masih was-was keyakinan ini. Walau apapun yang diperjuangkan, ingatlah bahawa Jihad fisabilillah walau bagaimana kuat dugaannya, akhirnya pasti akan mendapat pertolongan dari Allah SWT.
  • My New Monitor.

    Assalamualaikum Wbh, Gd day mate!

    Pagi Ahad yang lalu menyaksikan monitor Proview 14" yang aku beli tahun lepas (from 2nd hand shop) menghembuskan nafasnya yang terakhir, dalam bahasa "perubatan" PC hardwarenya; LAST framerate display. Dah "kong" dan tak boleh nak repair lagi. Sebelum nipun symptom-symptom yang menunjukkan ajalnya akan tiba dah jelas kelihatan. Berkelip-kelip dan blank (black) display dah banyak kali. Sampailah time aku turn on PC malam minggu yang lalu... Ianya dah tak menyala lagi.

    Actually that monitor ditukar ganti dari sebuah motherboard yang rosak. Time tu aku nak cari motherboard secondhand... for Pentium III. When I found that motherboard also fault, so the shop owner give me that monitor as a refund. Ada tak sesapa yang nakkan monitor rosak itu untuk diperbaiki... interested? Aku rasa nak sedekah terus jer. Asalkan you all take it from my house. Karang my house jadi macam junkyard ler pulak.

    Keadaan memaksa supaya aku tukar ajer monitor baru... Banyakler backlog kalau I dont take action on it. This computer for my personally use. For working purposes I dont mix it up. Tugasan dan "home work" kena jalan terus. So, takpalah jika keluarkan sedikit untuk investment bagi masa depan yang gemilang. Kalau nak ikutkan, baru je buat resolution for being discipline with my savings. Apa nak buat, manusia hanya mampu merancang.

    So my mission on that Sunday. Pukul 3.00 petang terus ke computer store, survey and finally I'm decide on this... SAMSUNG SyncMaster 793DF. Kenapa tak LCD? Maybe not at this moment. A very tight budget. This nice monitor (from my eyes) already cost me AUD150.00 after discount (around RM400.00). Tepat pukul 5.30 baru sampai rumah. Syukur for a good public transportation here. That cab brings me just infront of my house.

    Here some info about my new monitor:
    (Not an advertisement just to share something)




    Specifications
    Monitor Type: CRT Monitor

    Diagonal Size: 17 in

    Viewable Size: 16 in

    Display Technology: CRT

    Resolution: 1280 x 1024

    Pitch: 0.2 mm

    Refresh Rate at Max Resolution: 65 Hz

    System: Type PC, Mac

    General Product Information
    Additional Features: MagicTune

    Color: Black, Silver

    Front Controls: Brightness, Contrast, H/V moire, H/V position, H/V size, Color balance, Rotation, Trapezoid, Degauss, Color temperature, Parallelogram

    Included Software: Natural Color, Driver, Magic Tune

    Operating System: Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition, Microsoft Windows 2000 / XP

    Dimensions and Weight
    Weight: 31.53 lbs

    General Product Info
    Also known as Samsung SyncMaster 793DF, Samsung SyncMaster 793DF-T/T, Samsung 793DF-T/T, Samsung 793DF, Samsung SyncMaster

    Manufacturer Part No.: 793DF-T/T

    Dimension: 14.9 in x 15.8 in x 16.1 in (HxWxD)

  • SAMSUNG AU
  • Dick Smith Electronic
  • Friday, September 24, 2004

    Tiga bahaya besar jika makanan TIDAK HALAL

    Assalamualaikum Wbh,
    Dalam kesibukan menyiapkan diri dengan bakal hari minggu yang padat dengan berbagai aktiviti, terjumpa pula dengan satu artikel dikira menarik yang boleh dikongsi bersama.

    Jika diberi pilihan antara HALAL dan HARAM - sebagai contoh bahan makanan, sudah tentunya sebagai seorang MUSLIM kita akan cenderung memilih yang HALAL bukan? Namun adakalanya, sampai satu ketika, kita berada dipersimpangan untuk menentukan samada ianya HALAL atau sebaliknya. Was-was dan ketidakpastian membuat keputusan inilah yang akhirnya menjerumuskan kita kepada perkara yang SYUBHAT.

    ILMU adalah salah satu langkah penyelesaian, selain daripada merujuk kepada yang lebih mengetahui. Sebagai mengambil langkah yang selamat, seeloknya elakkanlah diri dari terlibat dengan perkara-perkara yang SYUBHAT sedaya upaya kita. Sememangnya dugaan Allah terhadap keimanan kita datang dalam berbagai cara.

    Rasulullah SAW. bersabda, "Sesungguhnya yang HALAL itu jelas dan yang HARAM itu jelas. Di antara keduanya ada perkara yang SYUBHAT yang kebanyakan manusia tidak mengetahuinya. Barang siapa yang menjaga dari yang SYUBHAT, bererti dia telah menjaga din dan kehormatannya, dan barang siapa yang terjerumus dalam SYUBHAT bererti dia telah terjerumus kepada yang HARAM. Sebagaimana seorang pengembala yang mengembala di sekitar larangan, maka lambat laun akan masuk ke dalamnya. Ketahuilah bahawa setiap pemerintah memiliki daerah larangan. Adapun daerah larangan Allah adalah apa yang diharamkan-Nya." (HR Bukhari & Muslim).

    Selamat membaca dan memperolehi manfaat darinya InsyaAllah dan selamat berhujung minggu. Wassalam - AG.

    --------------------


    Kepentingan memilih makanan dan minuman yang bersih serta halal, sangat dititikberatkan dalam Islam. Ini bertujuan memastikan makanan dan minuman itu tidak memudaratkan manusia.

    Rasulullah saw bersabda, yang bermaksud: "Wahai orang beriman, makanlah barang yang bersih daripada apa yang kami kurniakan kepada kamu." (Hadis riwayat Muslim)

    Makanan yang suci dan bersih akan menjamin kesihatan yang baik. Justeru, di samping memilih makanan berzat dan berkhasiat, sebaik-baiknya pada masa yang sama, perhatian perlu diberi terhadap kebersihan dan kesuciannya dari segi syariat agama.

    Sabda Rasulullah, yang bermaksud: "Setiap daging yang tumbuh daripada makanan yang haram, maka api nerakalah yang layak baginya." (Hadis riwayat at-Tirmizi)

    Islam begitu menitikberatkan kesihatan umatnya. Seseorang mukmin yang sentiasa prihatin kepada kebersihan dan kesucian makanannya setiap hari, pasti akan lahir dalam dirinya nur keimanan yang membantunya menjaga kebersihan diri secara keseluruhan termasuk pakaian, tempat tinggal dan tubuh badan.

    Dalam ibadat asas agama itu sendiri iaitu solat, aspek terpenting yang ditekankan ialah kebersihan diri. Allah tidak akan menerima solat hamba-Nya dalam keadaan kotor dan hina. Ini sesuai dengan maksud hadis Rasulullah yang diriwayatkan Ibnu Hibban iaitu: "Menjadi bersihlah kamu, kerana sesungguhnya Islam itu bersih."

    Pemilihan makanan bersih dan halal menjadi keutamaan dalam ajaran Islam. Allah berfirman yang bermaksud: "Makanlah apa yang dikurniakan Allah kepada kamu daripada benda yang halal lagi bersih. Bersyukurlah dengan nikmat Allah jika kamu benar-benar menyembah Allah."

    "Sesungguhnya Allah hanya mengharamkan kepada kamu memakan bangkai, darah, daging babi dan binatang sembelihan bukan kerana Allah. Maka sesiapa yang dalam keadaan yang terpaksa memakannya, sedang dia tidak sengaja dalam mencarinya, sesungguhnya Allah Maha Pengampun lagi Maha Penyayang." (Surah an-Nahl, ayat 114-115).

    Makanan yang haram sama ada ia daripada bahan yang dicampur najis atau benda bersumberkan punca yang tidak halal, akan mendatangkan tiga bahaya besar kepada pemakannya.

    Pertama, makanan itu akan mempengaruhi jiwa pemakannya sehingga dia lebih gemar membuat kejahatan dan maksiat serta benci kerja kebajikan dan ketaatan. Kedua, sebarang doanya tidak akan dimakbulkan Allah. Ketiga, dia akan mendapat keseksaan neraka Allah pada hari akhirat kelak.

    Apa juga bentuk makanan yang halal dan bersih perlu diikuti dengan peraturan memakannya. Makanan seimbang umpamanya, akan dapat menghindarkan seseorang daripada dijangkiti penyakit.

    Rasulullah begitu menekankan soal pemakanan kepada sahabatnya. Baginda bersabda, pada diri setiap insan itu hendaklah diisi dengan keperluan sesuai dan sama pada setiap masa. Ini supaya apa saja bentuk makanan yang masuk ke dalam perut, bukan saja dapat dinikmati kelazatan dan nikmatnya, malah membolehkan seseorang itu melakukan ibadat dengan tenaga dikeluarkan.

    Rasulullah menyarankan agar perut manusia diisi dengan satu pertiga air, satu pertiga makanan dan satu pertiga lagi udara. Ini bukan saja bertepatan dengan metod ilmu sains dan kesihatan, malahan ia perlu diamalkan oleh setiap manusia. Insya-Allah, jika cukup jumlah yang disarankan Rasulullah itu, pasti kita bukan saja akan dapat berasa nikmat kenyang, malahan hidup kita akan lebih mendapat rahmat dan keredaan Allah.

    Dari aspek adab pemilihan makanan pula, mukmin perlu menghindarkan diri daripada mengambil makanan yang sudah lama terbuka dari tin yang berkarat, makanan layu dan sebagainya. Kita memakan sesuatu jenis makanan untuk mendapat sejumlah tenaga yang mencukupi daripada zat yang terkandung didalamnya.

    Islam dan ilmu kesihatan begitu rapat hubungannya. Makanan atau minuman awal yang masuk ke dalam perut seseorang bayi adalah susu ibunya. Selain terjamin kebersihan dan suci dari segi syariat, susu ibu adalah pemangkin terawal untuk menyemai kasih sayang di antara seorang ibu dan anaknya.

    Akhlak yang bakal dijelmakan oleh anak itu adalah melalui susuan ibunya. Tabiat si penyusu akan dipindahkan kepada anak yang menyusu. Jika salihah si ibu yang menyusukan, Insya-Allah akan lahir anak yang berakhlak mulia dan terpuji. Sebaliknya, jika minuman awal yang diberi kepada bayi itu daripada susu haiwan, dikhuatiri akhlak bayi akan menjadi sebaliknya.

    Islam juga melarang amalan berlebih-lebihan dalam mengambil apa juga jenis makanan dan minuman, malah yang digalakkan adalah sifat bersederhana ketika makan. Rasulullah bersabda yang bermaksud: "Tiada bahaya yang lebih dibenci Allah daripada perut yang penuh dan ketat dengan makanan yang halal."

    Kebanyakan penyakit bermula daripada salah pilih makanan, termasuk makan secara melampaui batas. Dalam hadis Rasulullah, Baginda bersabda maksudnya: "Perut adalah sumber penyakit dan berpantang adalah sebaik-baik ubat. Biasakanlah setiap tubuh dengan apa yang lazimnya."

    Justeru, makanlah sekadarnya, sebagaimana anjuran Rasulullah, iaitu 'makan sebelum lapar dan berhenti sebelum kenyang.' Apa yang tersirat di sebalik nasihat Baginda itu ialah bersederhana, iaitu apabila seseorang itu makan dalam keadaan yang terlalu lapar, sudah tentu dia akan makan dalam keadaan lahap dan melampau sehingga membawa kemudaratan kepada dirinya.

    Sementara 'berhenti sebelum kenyang' pula membawa hikmah besar, iaitu jika seseorang makan dalam keadaan gelojoh dan lahap, pasti ia sukar berhenti. Ini kerana seleranya tidak dapat dikawal lagi. Apabila seseorang itu sudah sendawa, ia menunjukkan perutnya sudah cukup dengan isi yang diperlukan oleh tubuh, untuk diproses dan ditukar menjadi tenaga. Tetapi apabila perut terus diisi dengan makanan sehingga terlalu sarat, sukarlah 'kilang' dalam perut untuk memprosesnya.

    Hakikatnya, Allah begitu murka kepada hamba-Nya yang suka melampau batasan, termasuk dalam soal pemilihan, adab dan cara makan. Mereka yang melampau batas akan dibalas Allah dengan pelbagai jenis penyakit, sama ada ia menimpa individu tertentu atau menyerang manusia secara keseluruhan.

    Harus kita insaf bahawa kelalaian dan kealpaan kita mengurus dengan baik segala nikmat dan anugerah kurniaan Allah, akan membawa padah kepada diri kita sendiri.

    Wallahu'alam.

    Cat Stevens Calls U.S. Deportation 'Ridiculous'

    By Paul Majendie

    LONDON (Reuters) - Yusuf Islam, the pop star formerly known as Cat Stevens, returned to Britain Thursday after his deportation from the United States over "potential" terrorism links sparked a diplomatic row.

    "The whole thing is totally ridiculous," Islam, 57, said on arrival at London's Heathrow airport. "Half of me wants to smile, half of me wants to growl."

    British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw raised the issue with Secretary of State Colin Powell in person at the United Nations. Straw "expressed concern that this action should not have been taken," a Foreign Office spokesman said.

    Powell told reporters: "Our Homeland Security Department and intelligence agencies found some information concerning his activities that they felt under our law required him to be placed on a watch list and therefore denied him entry."

    Islam, who changed his name after converting to the Muslim faith in the 1970s, was traveling with his daughter on a United Airlines flight Tuesday from London to Washington when American officials diverted it 600 miles to Bangor, Maine.

    "It's crazy," Islam said as he was mobbed by reporters at Heathrow. "Everybody knows me from my charitable work and now there have to be explanations, but I'm glad to be home."

    Asked if he felt victimised, he added: "Absolutely. But you know, for God's sake, people make mistakes. I just hope they have made a big mistake.

    "I wasn't handcuffed or anything like that. They treated me very well," he added. "A lot of security officers are very pleased because they got my autograph."

    "ADDITIONAL INFORMATION"

    U.S. Homeland Security spokesman Brian Doyle said on Wednesday that Islam was deported after his name turned up on U.S. "no fly" lists.

    "Why is he on the watch lists? Because of his activities that could be potentially linked to terrorism. The intelligence community has come into possession of additional information that further raises our concern," Doyle said.

    A law enforcement official said the United States had information that the singer, who last visited the United States in May, had donated money to the militant Islamic group Hamas.
    Powell said Washington had no criminal case against him. "But it is the procedure that we have been using to know who is coming into our country, know their backgrounds and interests, and see whether we believe it is appropriate for them to come in."

    A leading Arab-American group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, has written to President Bush and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge asking them to explain why Islam was barred.

    UK Muslim leaders were outraged. "The United States is shutting down its house, building walls around itself," said Anas Altikriti, spokesman for the Muslim Association of Britain.

    Inayat Bunglawala, spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, said the saga will make Muslims "wonder who else, which other moderate educationalists or community leaders are on these U.S. watch lists."

    Islam was denied entry to Israel in 2000 after authorities there accused him of supporting Hamas. He denied it and said his charitable donations were for humanitarian causes.

    Among charities he has supported are children affected by war in Bosnia and Iraq as well as victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks against America, which he condemned.

    Born Steven Demeter Georgiou in July 1947 to a Swedish mother and a Greek Cypriot father, he changed his name to Cat Stevens when he entered the music world.

    He had a string of hits in the early 1970s including "Peace Train," "Moonshadow,," "Morning has Broken," and "Wild World" before converting to Islam in 1977

  • Cat Stevens: One Man, Two Identities - Malicious articles with intention to distorted images of Yusof’ Islam. Or converted muslim.
  • Yusuf Islam | Cat Stevens Official Website
  • JI supporters in Australia: Ruddock

    People must face up to the fact that supporters of Jemaah Islamiah are living in Australia, federal Attorney-General Philip Ruddock says.

    A Sydney butcher had his passport seized last weekend and was stopped from returning to Indonesia after Australia's spy agency declared him a leading supporter of JI's Australian arm.

    While Mr Ruddock refused to comment specifically on the case of Kusmir Nesirwan, who was stopped by Customs staff at Sydney airport on Sunday, he said it would be naive for people to believe JI supporters did not live in Australia.

    "What we know is that there has been people who are known to be supporters of Jemaah Islamiah in Australia," Mr Ruddock told ABC radio.

    "That's been in the public arena for a long period of time now.

    "It'd be naive to believe there aren't people here with such links but in relation to specific individuals ... I don't intend to comment on those matters because they do really relate to ongoing investigations."

    Mr Ruddock said the issue was a national security matter on which the relevant agency had made an assessment, and that confiscating someone's passport was one of the options open to authorities.

    But he said Mr Nesirwan was entitled to appeal the seizure.

    "Those who are affected adversely are in a position to appeal those matters, they can go to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal security division, to test the decisions that are made," he said.

    "But the decisions are made (at) arm's length from the government by the relevant security agency."

    Mr Nesirwan has reportedly denied any terrorist links.

    AAP

    Taxi driver 'too busy' for terror - Please Don't Laugh This Not A JOKES.

    Im just willing to kill sheep and cattle for living. Not my fellow Aussie citizen. Gods, or now sheep and cattle part of our citizen???



    A MAN accused of involvement in a Jemaah Islamiah (JI) plan to attack the Sydney Olympics was "too busy" for terrorism, his lawyer said today.

    The Sydney man, identified yesterday as Kusmir Nesirwan, was said to have been involved in a JI plot engineered by Asian terror mastermind Riduan Isamuddin, also known as Hambali, the operations leader of JI.

    Mr Nesirwan has denied involvement and was today described by his laywer, Stephen Hopper, as a hard-working man "who pays his taxes".

    "He's been far too busy trying to set up a business as a butcher and driving a taxi to have anything to do with this sort of thing," Mr Hopper told ABC radio. "The whole notion he was involved in a plot is just ridiculous."

    Singapore's Straits Times newspaper quoted spy sources as saying: "Hambali's plan for attacking the Olympics was ... rejected by the JI chief in Australia, Abdul Rahim."

    Hambali was said to be "bitterly disappointed" because he had already selected and trained a team for the attack.

    Abdul Rahim left his Perth residence for Indonesia shortly before it was raided by ASIO, a month after the Bali attacks.

    The man arrested for allegedly planning to bomb the Israeli Embassy, Jack Roche, said Rahim had requested a secondment to al-Qaeda.

    Mr Nesirwan, of Greenacre, told The Daily Telegraph the allegations were false.

    "I think it is a silly story. Why would I want to try to kill my fellow Australians?" he said.

    "I love Australia. This is unbelieveable. It's all lies."


    He also said he had attended lectures by JI spiritual leader Abu Bakar Bashir at Sydney mosques and invited him to lunch in the mid-1990s.

    According to the Straits Times, he was involved in JI operations in Ambon, the Indonesian city where more than 5000 people have died in clashes between Muslims and Christians since 1999.

    An Indonesian with Australian permanent residency, Mr Nesirwan last night confirmed he was in Ambon three years ago to attend his father's funeral.

    During the Olympics, he worked as both a night shift taxi driver and at a halal butcher shop that he had recently purchased with a loan.

    The specific Olympic Games attack plans and the reasons for rejecting them were not known, but the Straits Times said it showed the degree to which the al-Qaeda-linked JI had entrenched itself in Australia.

    "Certainly, the JI was more rooted in the country than the Australian authorities were aware of, or wished to acknowledge," the intelligence sources were quoted by the paper as saying.

    A spokeswoman for Attorney-General Daryl Williams said inquiries into JI were continuing.

    "We do not comment on the details of those investigations," she said.

    "However, we note the Sydney Olympics were hailed as the safest Olympics ever and they went off without a hitch."

    Some Australian authorities believe Asian spies leaked the story to punish Prime Minister John Howard for his "first strike" comments.

    On Sunday, Mr Howard said he would launch a first strike against terrorists in neighbouring countries to prevent attacks on Australians.

    AG: Poor Mossad in Singapore HQ. Only this kind of info can you give US. Come on friends, wake up! Pls be more creative OK.

    AFL 2004 Grand Final @ MCG, 2.30pm Saturday: Brisbane Lions v Port Adelaide; Hopefully will not meet with Howards propaganda machines there.

    Thursday, September 23, 2004

    Yusuf Islam deported from US

    Morning broken ... Brother Yusuf Islam leaves his plane yesterday AP



    Former pop star Cat Stevens was being returned to Britain after being branded a terrorist supporter and thrown out of the United States.

    The musician, who converted to Islam and changed his name to Yusuf Islam in the 1970s, was detained and questioned by the FBI after his Washington-bound flight was diverted on Tuesday.

    He had been travelling with his 21-year-old daughter Maymanah, who was allowed into the country after the flight had eventually continued to Washington's Dulles Airport.

    But the move to deport him sparked a protest to the US government by Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and angered Muslim groups on both sides of the Atlantic.

    Islam's brother David Gordon, said Islam had condemned terrorist acts and donated money to terrorism victims.

    "He just wants to be an ambassador for peace," said Gordon, who lives in Princeton, New Jersey, and serves as Islam's business manager.

    US security sources confirmed that Islam, 56, who has mingled at charity events with Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Prince of Wales, was expected to arrive in London.

    Officials refused to give further details about his deportation.

    Straw told US secretary of state Colin Powell that the action "should not have been taken".

    A spokesman for Straw said: "He (Straw) heard the reports of the incident involving Cat Stevens.

    "He did say to the secretary of state that this action should not have been taken."

    Straw was in New York where he was to address the United Nations General Assembly.

    US security officials said Islam's name was on a security watch list.

    The discovery, after United Airlines Flight 919 had already taken off, led to the aircraft being diverted 1,000km to Bangor, Maine.

    After being escorted off the aircraft and questioned by the FBI, Islam was denied entry to the US on national security grounds.

    The Department of Homeland Security said Islam was put on the watch list "because of concerns that about activities that could potentially be related to terrorism".

    "The intelligence community has come into possession of additional information that raises concerns about him," a spokesman said.

    US government sources claimed that Islam had financially supported the terrorist group Hamas.

    He was denied entry to Israel four years ago amid reports that he had given tens of thousands of dollars to Hamas.

    At the time, Islam strongly denied knowingly giving money to terrorists.

    British officials, speaking anonymously, said there was no evidence in the British intelligence community that Islam posed any danger.

    That revelation is sure to prompt further anger among Muslim groups on both sides of the Atlantic, who believe Islam was targeted simply because of his faith.

    Islam has spoken out against the Russian school massacre and the September 11 terror attacks.

    After September 11, he said: "No right-thinking follower of Islam could possibly condone such an action."

    He is head of the Islamia Schools trust and has met the prime minister, the Prince of Wales and Home Secretary David Blunkett in that capacity.

    Islam has also founded a charity raising money for orphans and families afflicted by war in areas such as Kosovo, Bosnia, and Iraq.

    The refusal to allow Islam into the US on national security grounds was described by the Muslim Council of Britain as a "slap in the face of sanity".

    Deputy general secretary, Mohammad Abdul Bari, described Islam as "a very moderate man".

    "He is very well respected in the Muslim community," he said.

    "We are really appalled at what is happening. It is a slap in the face of sanity. If prominent, well-known personalities are treated like this, then how can there be bridge building?"

    A spokesman for Islamia Schools said: "Everyone who has heard the news has been pretty sympathetic. He is more famed now as a peace activist than he was as a singer."

    The Muslim Association of Britain condemned the decision by the US authorities, which followed a move last month to prevent an Islamic professor taking up a teaching post in America.

    Spokesman Anas Altikriti said such actions prevented "open, constructive and positive dialogue" between the US and Muslims around the world.

    He added: "It seems that the US officials would rather that the untrue and distorted images of Islam and Muslims persist in the minds of its own citizens."

    In Washington, the US Council on American-Islamic Relations also attacked the treatment of Islam.

    "When internationally-respected Islamic personalities like Yusuf Islam .. are denied entry to the United States, it sends the disturbing message that even moderate and mainstream Muslims will now be treated like terrorists," said Nihad Awad, the group's executive director.

    Cat Stevens had a string of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, including Wild World and Morning Has Broken, but abandoned his music career and his name in the late 1970s.

    Last year he released two songs, including a re-recording of his 1970s hit Peace Train, to express his opposition to the war in Iraq.

    Islam appears to have been a recent addition to the security watch list.

    He travelled to the US unhindered in May for a charity event and to promote a DVD of his 1976 MajiKat tour


    Muslim convert and former pop star Britain's Cat Stevens, known as Yusuf Islam, returns to Heathrow airport in London, September 23, 2004. Stevens returned to Britain on Thursday after his deportation from the United States over 'potential' terrorism links sparked an Anglo-American diplomatic row. Photo by Toby Melville/Reuters



    Cat Stevens' treatment angers UK

    BRITISH Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has complained to his American counterpart Colin Powell about the deportation from the US of former pop star Cat Stevens as a possible terrorist risk.

    Mr Straw, in New York for United Nations meetings, had spoken to the US Secretary of State about the imminent removal of the British musician, his spokesman said.

    "He heard the reports of the incident involving Cat Stevens," the spokesman said. "He did say to the Secretary of State that this action should not have been taken."

    Stevens, who sold many millions of records before abandoning his pop career when he became a Muslim in the late 1970s, changing his name to Yusuf Islam.

    He was due to be sent back to Britain later today.

    Yesterday, a United Airlines flight from London to Washington was diverted to Bangor, Maine, after US authorities discovered that Islam was aboard.

    His name appeared on several terrorism "watch lists" and he was rejected entry by US authorities.

    "Why is he on the watch lists? Because of his activities that could be potentially linked to terrorism," US Homeland Security spokesman Brian Doyle said yesterday.

    "The intelligence community has come into possession of additional information that further raises our concern."

    Mr Islam was denied entry to Israel in 2000 over suspicions that he had given money to the radical Palestinian group Hamas. The singer has consistently denied supporting terrorism.

    But unnamed British officials claim there is no evidence known to the country's intelligence services that the former singer posed any danger.

    The decision was also slammed as divisive by Islamic groups in Britain.

    Mr Islam, who has been a vocal campaigner for the establishment of faith-based Muslim schools in Britain, was "a very moderate man", the Muslim Council of Britain's deputy general secretary, Mohammad Abdul Bari, said.

    "We are really appalled at what is happening," said Bari, who later held talks on the issue with junior foreign office minister Douglas Alexander.

    "It is a slap in the face of sanity. If prominent, well-known personalities are treated like this, then how can there be bridge building?"

    A statement released through the singer's website also expressed amazement at the US stance.

    "What we can say ... is that he will be shocked and angered at being associated with anyone who commits acts of violence," it read.

    "He has vehemently and consistently criticized terrorist acts and has always advocated peace through his songs and his extensive humanitarian relief work.

    "Any suggestion therefore that he poses a security risk due to alleged connections with terrorist activities is totally denied as it is simply wrong."

    The Muslim Association of Britain, another leading Islamic group, also condemned the decision, saying it followed a move last month to prevent an Islamic professor taking up a teaching post in the US.

    Spokesman Anas Altikriti said such actions prevented "open, constructive and positive dialogue" between the United States and Muslims around the world.

    "It seems that the US officials would rather that the untrue and distorted images of Islam and Muslims persist in the minds of its own citizens," he said.

  • Cat Stevens' plane diverted
  • Cat Stevens' Peace Plane Grounded
  • Cat Stevens deported amid terrorism fears

    AG: Slam for that paranoid move policy. Everything that have a beard will now labeling as a terror by that moron FBI. What a poor rabbi now also can't fly.
  • Wednesday, September 22, 2004

    I'll attack a country if I have to: PM

    September 20, 2004 - 10:10AM

    Prime Minister John Howard says he would not hesitate to launch an attack on another country if there was no alternative.

    And he criticised Opposition Leader Mark Latham for failing to give the same assurance.

    Mr Howard said his first and foremost responsibility was to the people of Australia and he was amazed Mr Latham refused to commit to launch a preemptive attack to protect Australians if he had no alternative.

    Mr Latham has rejected the concept of preemptive action against terrorists, a proposal which sparked regional outrage when foreshadowed by Mr Howard in December 2002.

    "I've said that if there were no alternative other than to do something ourselves to prevent an attack on Australia from a terrorist group, I would do it and I have criticised him for not saying the same thing," Mr Howard told ABC radio.

    "Because the first responsibility of a prime minister is to ensure the defence and protection and security of his country.

    "And all I said a couple of years ago, and I repeat it on your program this morning, if when necessary, in order to prevent a terrorist attack on Australia that we'd take action ourselves and there was no alternative then I would do it.

    "I am amazed that he didn't give the same unhesitating, unconditional response."

    The prime minister said there was no basis for neighbouring countries to be upset about his pledge to launch an attack because they also viewed terrorist group Jemaah Islamiah (JI) as the enemy.

    Regardless of the reaction of other nations, Mr Howard said his first responsibility was to Australians.

    "My first responsibility is to the people of Australia. I am the prime minister of Australia and my first responsibility is to them," he said.

    "I don't expect there would be any consternation - and if there were it would not be reasonably based - because what I've said is at no way directed at our friends in the region.

    "I was asked about a hypothetical situation involving JI.

    "JI is an enemy of Indonesia as much as JI is an enemy of Australia.

    "This idea that in some way taking effective action against a terrorist organisation is seen as an unfriendly act in the neighbourhood is nonsense.

    "They would see JI as much an enemy of their interest and their future as we see JI as an enemy of our future and of our interests."

    Opposition Leader Mark Latham said Mr Howard would weaken Australia's ability to fight Jemaah Islamiah (JI) in South-East Asia.

    Mr Latham said Mr Howard's comments about unilateral pre-emptive strikes on terrorist groups in other countries would wipe away Australia's efforts to target the JI terrorist organisation.

    "It's a region where you can't take any risks when it comes to Australia's security," he told ABC radio.

    "You need to recognise the importance of a co-operative approach.

    "The prime minister was yesterday talking about unilateral pre-emption against the sovereignty of other countries, striking them without even telling them.

    "It's going to diminish co-operation and weaken our capacity to work with our neighbour's important strategies to destroy JI."

    Mr Latham said he would on Monday announce a new package to boost army personnel numbers in Townsville which he said would also boost the local economy.

    "It's a significant expansion of the army base and the personnel, and when you bring extra personnel and their dependents in we'll have new capital construction," he said.

    Mr Latham said Labor had already promised to flood proof the highway near Tully, a promise made by the federal coalition last week.

    First-blood doctrine rejected

    By Chris Jones and Malcolm Cole
    September 22, 2004


    PRIME Minister John Howard has been labelled a political Rambo after he defended yesterday the Government's right to launch a pre-emptive attack on terrorist groups in the Asia-Pacific region.

    Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd said Mr Howard and his Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer were national security liabilities who had alienated Australia's Asian neighbours with ill-considered comments on pre-emptive strikes.

    Mr Rudd said Mr Howard had "sounded like Rambo" in recent days when talking up his doctrine of military pre-emption to prevent terrorist attacks on Australia.

    The latest exchange came as Indonesian president-in-waiting Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said he wanted to work with Australia to root out terrorism.

    Mr Rudd said Labor did not support pre-emptive strikes because of the impact on national security and diplomacy, and the risk of retaliatory strikes.

    Mr Howard said he was not about to launch an attack on nations such as Indonesia and Malaysia, both of which have criticised his doctrine of pre-emption.

    He said if he planned to attack a terrorist group in another nation, he would collaborate first.

    "But what I have said, and I repeat unapologetically, is that if it were necessary to stop an attack on Australia and there were no alternatives, I would act in the manner I have said," Mr Howard said.

    "The first responsibility of any prime minister is the defence of this country.

    "Now I don't expect any of this to arise, but I don't want any Australian to be in any doubt as to where I stand on the issue, and I think sensible people will understand it and they'll agree with me and they'll know exactly what I'm saying."

    Mr Howard also rejected any role for the United Nations in heading off a pre-emptive strike, saying: "This idea that the defence of Australia is something that is negotiable in the forums of the United Nations is a doctrine I will never accept."

    But, following diplomatic criticism of his stance – announced two years ago and repeated this week – Mr Howard claimed he had never meant to imply Australia was planning a unilateral attack on any other country.

    "None of it is directed against our friends in the region – you talk as if it's directed against Indonesia or Malaysia, well it's not," he said.

    Opposition Leader Mark Latham said the Government was guilty of "the greatest flip-flop in foreign policy that we've ever seen in this country". "He's walked away from this idea that you might attack their sovereign territory unilaterally, without telling them about it – he's saying you work with Indonesia and Malaysia, well that's Labor's approach," Mr Latham said.

    "That's what we've been saying for two years since Mr Howard trotted out his doctrine of pre-emption."

    Mr Latham said it was clear Mr Howard now realised that telling nations their sovereign territory could be attacked without warning was "foolhardy, risky and dangerous".

    The Courier-Mail

  • Malaysia, Philippines slam Howard's preemptive strike talk - Howard's 1st reminder
  • John Howard's Preemptive Strike Thesis

    AG: "My first responsibility is to the people of Australia. I am the prime minister of Australia and my first responsibility is to them," he said. Dear Aussie, that's what OUR hero have saying. So nice bull---- propaganda for next coming election.

    The latest exchange came as Indonesian president-in-waiting Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said he wanted to work with Australia to root out terrorism.
    Another proxy in the making.
  • Dont RISKS our citizen. Aussie maybe next.

    Zarqawi Group Says Kills U.S. Hostage in Iraq-TV

    Tell your MOM, dont ever let you to come here


    DUBAI (Reuters) - A militant group headed by al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has killed a second American captive in Iraq after the lapse of a 24-hour deadline on Tuesday, Arabic television channel Al Jazeera said.

    It said a statement announcing the killing of American Jack Hensley by the Tawhid and Jihad group was posted on the Internet. It gave no further details.

    On an Islamist site, a contributor who has in the past posted messages in the name of Tawhid and Jihad said the group would soon post pictures of the "slaying."

    Hensley's reported death comes a day after the group beheaded American Eugene Armstrong who was also kidnapped along with Hensley and Briton Kenneth Bigley last week.

    There was no word on Bigley's fate.

    In Washington, a State Department official said: "We take these reports seriously but I don't think we have a body yet."

    Tawhid and Jihad had threatened to kill the hostages unless women prisoners were freed from Iraqi jails.

    The U.S. military says no women are being held in the two prisons specified, but that two are in U.S. custody and are accused of working on ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's weapons program.

    Reuters

    AG: Another head... live from "Iraqi TV"... please find in which channel.

    Tuesday, September 21, 2004

    Di Balik Ledakan Bom di Depan Kedubes Australia

    eramuslim - Bom berkekuatan ledak dashyat kembali mengguncang Jakarta, Kamis (9/11) sekitar jam 10.20 siang. Sasarannya kali ini adalah Kantor Kedutaan Besar Australia yang terletak di Jl. HR Rasuna Said, yang pada jam itu masih ramai oleh lalu lalang kendaraan para pekerja yang berkantor di jalan protokol itu. Suara ledakan kabarnya terdengar dalam radius yang cukup jauh, sampai ke kawasan Monas bahkan Pasar Minggu. Sekejap kemudian, Jakarta kembali berduka, akibat korban yang jatuh dalam peristiwa tersebut, yang kebanyakan adalah warga Jakarta yang pagi itu sedang memulai hari dengan aktivitas kantornya.

    Negara Kanguru Australia, bisa jadi sama kagetnya dengan warga Jakarta. Karena wilayah 'negaranya' menjadi sasaran bom lagi, setelah ratusan warganya tewas dalam peristiwa bom Bali. Untuk itu, tak tanggung-tanggung, Perdana Menteri Australia mengirim Menteri Luar Negerinya Alexander Downer, staff medis dan tim dari kepolisian federal Australia untuk ikut menyelidiki peristiwa tersebut.

    Peristiwa ledakan hari Kamis kemarin, kembali mengusik pertanyaan, mengapa teror bom ini masih terus terjadi dan sampai kapan ancaman bom ini menghantui kita?

    Sudah Ada Peringatan Awal

    Spekulasi seputar adanya ‘warning’ sebelum ledakan terjadi di Kedubes Australia mewarnai pemberitaan seputar ledakan bom tersebut. Dalam keterangan persnya hari Jumat (10/11), Menlu Australia Alexander Downer mengungkapkan mengungkapkan dugaan bahwa aparat kepolisian Indonesia sebenarnya sudah menerima text yang berisi peringatan beberapa saat sebelum ledakan terjadi. Meskipun, kemudian pernyataan Downer itu dibantah oleh polisi Indonesia.

    Dugaan sudah adanya ‘peringatan’ awal akan adanya serangan bom ke Kedubes Australia ini, bisa jadi bukan isapan jempol semata. Dua hari sebelum kejadian, pemerintah AS kembali mengeluarkan travel warning bagi warga negaranya. Adanya travel warning, lagi-lagi menimbulkan dugaan, kemungkinan negara adikuasa ini tahu adanya ancaman tersebut, tapi tidak tahu kapan dan di mana ancaman itu akan terjadi.

    Dugaan ini diperkuat dengan keterangan dari sumber Eramuslim yang tidak mau disebut namanya. Menurut sumber itu, pihak Kedutaan Australia sendiri tahu akan adanya ancaman tersebut, karena sebelumnya sudah menerima sejumlah ancaman. Bahkan kata sumber Eramuslim, seminggu sebelum kejadian, para staff di Kedutaan Australia sudah melakukan latihan untuk mengantisipasi kalau ancaman bom itu benar-benar terjadi.

    Sehingga bisa dikatakan, pada saat terjadinya ledakan kemarin, secara psikologis mereka sudah siap. Kabarnya, di dalam kantor Kedutaan sudah ada semacam terowongan yang tembus ke jalan Casablanca, sebagai jalan darurat kalau terjadi hal-hal yang bersifat emergency. Gedung Kedutaan sendiri, dibangun khusus oleh kontraktor asal Australia, dan didesain sedemikian rupa supaya tahan ledakan. Tak heran, kalau saat terjadi ledakan gedung Kedutaan Australia masih nampak kokoh, padahal gedung-gedung disebelahnya bagian luarnya, terutama kaca-kaca jendela hancur berantakan.

    Kembali soal ke peringatan awal tadi, situs Tempointeraktif (7/2/2004) memuat laporan tentang peringatan dari pihak intelejen kepolisian Diraja Malaysia yang meminta agar kepolisian Indonesia mewaspadai akan adanya teror bom baru di Indonesia. Perancang terornya diduga masih orang yang sama, yang melakukan peledakan Bom Bali dan Bom Marriot yang sampai saat ini masih buron yaitu Dr. Azahari Husen dan Noor Din Mohd. Top.

    “Keduanya disinyalir masih memiliki sejumlah target serangan bom di Indonesia, salah satunya adalah Mabes Polri sendiri,� kata Kapolri Jenderal Da’i Bachtiar saat itu.

    Dengan adanya informasi itu, kepolisian Indonesia pun mengintensifkan pencarian dua tokoh kunci kasus ledakan bom di Indonesia yang masih buron itu, yaitu Dr.Azahari dan Noor Din Top. Polisi hampir menangkap mereka di Bandung beberapa waktu lalu. Tapi kedua buronan ini ternyata lebih licin, dan berhasil lolos dari kejaran polisi tanpa meninggalkan jejak. Hingga terjadilah ledakan di Kedubes Australia hari Kamis kemarin, dan aparat kepolisian lagi-lagi meyakini bahwa pelakunya adalah kelompok Dr. Azahari.

    Keyakinan aparat kepolisian itu berdasarkan pengakuan 6 dari 9 tersangka pelaku bom Marriot yang kini dalam tahanan Mabes Polri. Mereka mengaku telah direkrut dan dibai'at oleh Dr. Azahari dan Noor Din Top untuk melakukan bom bunuh diri. Bahkan ke-6 orang tersangka itu, kabarnya sudah membuat surat ke keluarganya masing-masing yang menyatakan siap melakukan tugas pengeboman. Kadiv Humas Mabes Polri Irjen Pol Paiman pada sejumlah wartawan, Jumat (10/9) menyatakan, dari pengakuan ini mengindikasikan bahwa Azahari masih melakukan perekrutan untuk tugas-tugas pengeboman.

    Sejauh ini, polisi masih mengarahkan dugaan pelaku bom tersebut adalah kelompok Dr. Azahari dan Jamaah Islamiyah. Tapi dugaan itu masih harus dibuktikan lewat penyelidikan. Tugas polisi untuk memecahkan dan menangkap pelaku sebenarnya.

    Bom Apakah yang Meledak di Kedutaan Besar Australia?

    Sampai saat ini, belum ada kepastian seputar jenis bom yang meledak di depan Kedubes Australia. Namun, Kapuslabfor Mabes Polri Brigjend Polisi Tudon Setia Putra, dalam keterangan persnya di Media Center, Wisma Tugu, Kuningan (10/9) menyatakan, kalau dilihat dari sumber ledakan, ledakan bom yang terjadi di Kedubes Australia kemungkinan besar adalah bom bunuh diri. Pelakunya mengenakan kendaraan Daihatsu Zebra warna hijau. Menurut Setia Putra, bangkai kendaraan tidak tersisa karena sudah menjadi serpihan, dan polisi berhasil menemukan sliding door mobil tersebut.

    Ditanya soal material bom, Setia Putra mengatakan, Puslabfor masih menunggu air yang menggenangi lubang bekas ledakan dikeringkan, sehingga bisa dilakukan perhitungan kandungan TNT bom tersebut. Untuk sementara, Polri menyatakan bom di Kedubes Australia mengandung material TNT dan Sulfur.
    Ahli Kimia dari ITB Yazid Bindar PhD, di harian Republika (10/9) juga mengungkapkan dugaan serupa. Ia menduga bom dibuat dari Trinitrotoluene (TNT) berdaya ledak tinggi yang dipadukan dengan bom rakitan, sehingga menimbulkan dampak lubang setelah ledakan.

    Pemerhati persenjataan yang dihubungi Eramuslim, yang tidak bersedia disebut namanya, juga mengungkapkan hal yang sama, bahwa bom tersebut kemungkinan besar terbuat dari material Sulfur dan TNT. “Bisa jadi ini bom mobil sekaligus bom bunuh diri. Efek ledakan di Kedubes Australia kemarin dan munculnya cendawan asap berwarna putih, bisa terjadi kalau material bom tersebut tercampur dengan bensin yang diisi full yang kemungkinan berasal dari mobil,� kata sumber Eramuslim. Oleh sebab itu, sumber itu meyakini bom yang meledak kemarin berasal dari bom mobil, bukan bom yang dikendalikan dengan pengatur waktu. Apalagi penjagaan di Kedubes Australia cukup ketat, sulit memperkirakan orang bisa lolos meletakkan bom waktu di tempat itu, katanya lagi.

    Analisa sumber Eramuslim tersebut diperkuat oleh Ahli Kimia ITB Yazid Bindar yang mengatakan, munculnya cendawan asap setelah ledakan, kemungkinan karena adanya minyak di sekitar ledakan.

    Sementara itu, Kepala Kepolisian Federal Australia Mike Keelty menilai ada kesamaan pola antara bom yang meledak di Kedubes Australia dengan bom Bali dan Marriot. Kesamaan pola itu meliputi sasaran yang dicapai dan bahan kimia yang digunakan.

    Dalam keterangan persnya, Jumat (10/9), Keelty juga meyakini bom di depan Kedubes Australia berasal dari bom mobil, namun ia meragukan kalau itu adalah serangan bom bunuh diri.
    Terlepas dari itu semua, ada sisi yang mungkin bisa diulas kembali dari pernyataan bahwa bom di depan Kedubes Australia hampir sama dengan bom Bali dan Marriot. Apalagi setelah ledakan sempat terlihat cendawan asap.

    Sedikit menengok kebelakang saat bom Bali terjadi. Situs Joe Vialls, mengungkap banyak soal ledakan bom Bali. Dalam situsnya, Joe Vialls, yang merupakan investigator independen ini berpendapat, efek yang ditimbulkan oleh bom Bali hanya mungkin ditimbulkan oleh bom nuklir mikro atau dikenal sebagai Special Atomic Demolition Munition (SDAM). Ini terlihat dari adanya cendawan panas, kubangan yang cukup besar, serta lumpuhnya aliran listrik saat ledakan. Bom mikro nuklir ini hanya dimiliki negara-negara besar seperti AS dan Israel. Vialls meyakini bom Bali adalah bom mikro nuklir karena daya ledaknya mencapai jutaan kaki per detik.

    Pada akhirnya peristiwa ledakan bom memperlihatkan pada kita semua, hanya menyisakan duka dan korban sia-sia. Sementara para pelakunya mungkin sama sekali tidak merasa berdosa dan masih berkeliaran diluar sana. Mampukah aparat berwenang di negara ini memberikan perlindungan maksimal bagi warganya, agar peristiwa menyedihkan ini tidak terulang kembali? (ln/dari berbagai sumber).

    AG: So how? What the OTHER'S story. A bit confusing right?

    Monday, September 20, 2004

    PEMERINTAH BELUM LARANG BUKU KARYA IMAM SAMUDRA


    Pemerintah kemungkinan bakal melarang buku karangan Imam Samudra yang berjudul Aku Melawan Teroris. Buku setebal 280 halaman itu dapat dianggap mencitrakan Indonesia sebagai sarang teroris.
    Hari Sabarno



    JAKARTA--MIOL: Pemerintah belum akan melarang peredaran buku Aku Melawan Teroris yang ditulis oleh Imam Samudra sebelum dilakukan pengkajian mendalam atas isi buku tersebut oleh Kejaksaan Agung.

    Dalam buku yang ia tulis, Imam Samudra mengajak umat Islam membenci negara-negara Barat seperti Amerika dan Australia, sekaligus membenarkan tindakan terorisme seperti peledakan bom di Kedubes Australia, Kamis (9/9).

    "Dalam era demokratisasi, masalah kebebasan berpendapat harus juga dijaga sedemikian rupa agar kebebasan itu bukan tanpa batas. Oleh karena itu perlu dilakukan penilaian terhadap buku tersebut, sejauh mana buku tersebut mempengaruhi masyarakat," kata Menko Polkam ad interim Hari Sabarno, dalam jumpa pers di Jakarta, Rabu.

    Lagi pula, kata Menko Polkam, buku tersebut juga sangat subyektif yang ditulis oleh seorang teroris.

    "Kita tetap akan menyikapi buku tersebut dengan hati-hati agar dunia internasional tidak menganggap negeri kita sebagai sarang teroris," katanya. (Ant/O-2)

  • Buku Karangan Imam Samudra Terancam Dilarang
  • [Aku Melawan Teroris]
  • Biografi Setengah Hati Samudra

    jawapos.co.id - JAKARTA - Keinginan tokoh sentral kasus bom Bali, Imam Samudra alias Abdul Aziz alias Kudama, menerbitkan buku akhirnya terwujud. Pria yang telah divonis mati itu memberi judul bukunya Aku Melawan Teroris.

    Materi buku tersebut merupakan karya Samudra sejak ditahan aparat keamanan. Hari-harinya di penjara dihabiskan untuk menulis catatan harian serta pemikiran-pemikirannya yang kini menjadi buku. Karyanya tersebut terbit sejak awal September ini dan kini memasuki tahap cetak untuk diperbanyak. Meski saat ini belum ada di toko, buku setebal 280 halaman berdesain cover mencolok dengan foto diri Samudra yang mengenakan peci dan baju muslim putih itu telah beredar di kalangan terbatas.Cetakan buku yang dieditori Bambang Sukirno dan diterbitkan Jazeera, Solo, tersebut cukup bagus. Buku itu terdiri atas empat bab yang menceritakan sosok Samudra lumayan lengkap. Mulai yang "enteng" hingga yang membuat otak berpikir keras.Misalnya, yang "enteng" adalah soal pribadi Samudra, sisi yang mungkin ingin diketahui banyak orang. Termasuk, soal pertemuannya dengan sang istri, Zakiyah, sampai keputusannya berjihad di Afghanistan pada usia sekitar 20 tahun. Berbagai keunikan sisi hidup Samudra bisa disimak di situ. Sedangkan yang membuat otak berpikir, misalnya, soal paham ke-Islam-an dia.

    Bukunya tersebut, menurut Samudra, dibuat secara halal. "Yang cukup penting dan bermakna bagi saya, naskah aslinya ditulis halal, yakni menggunakan tinta dan kertas pemberian Tim Pengacara Muslim (TPM), bukan tinta atau kertas milik polisi atau negara," tulisnya. Sebenarnya, Samudra tak terlalu percaya diri menuliskan sosok dirinya itu. Hal tersebut diketahui dalam penjelasannya di halaman 21. Menurut dia, biografi tersebut adalah biografi setengah hati. "Menulis biografi adalah pekerjaan yang sangat tidak aku suka. Ketika SD, aku paling tidak suka mengisi diary yang biasanya meminta semacam biodata atau kata mutiara dan sejenisnya," jelas pria kelahiran Serang, Banten, berusia 34 tahun, tersebut.Dia melanjutkan, apalagi setelah dewasa dan mulai mengerti makna perjuangan serta pentingnya menjaga rahasia, biografi adalah perkara yang paling dihindarinya. Lalu, mengapa akhirnya menulis juga? "Sebab, Amerika dan sekutunya telanjur mengetahui masa kecil dan sebagian masa laluku. Meski begitu, akan aku hindari hal-hal yang membatalkan pahala di sisi Allah kelak," ungkapnya. Karena itu, menurut terpidana yang dituntut hukuman mati tersebut, bukunya adalah biografi setengah hati.

    Dalam buku itu, soal pilihan kata yang digunakan Samudra memang bervariasi. Hal tersebut menunjukkan pemahaman yang baik mengenai suatu hal. Penggunaan kosakata dalam bahasa Inggris juga menjadi pilihan. Misalnya, untuk subbab Mengenal Pribadi Imam Samudra (bab I), dia menggunakan kata childhood (masa anak-anak) dan teenager untuk remaja. Hal lain yang muncul kuat dalam buku tersebut adalah terkait kemampuan Samudra dalam ilmu komputer. Bahasa komputer dipahaminya secara baik. Itu terlihat dalam subjudul Hacking;Kenapa Tidak. Berikut petikan tulisannya dalam halaman 259, Hacker sejati pada umumnya menguasai beberapa bahasa pemrograman seperti Linux, Unix, Perl, Delphi, Pascal, hinggga CGI (Common Gateway Interface). Dia melanjutkan, Ini jamannya iptek, bukan gaptek. Soal chatting? Samudra ternyata juga paham, terutama yang masih terkait belajar untuk menjadi hacker. Terutama di server dalnet di chat room indohacking atau hackerlink," jelasnya. Dia menulis dengan gaya bertutur, reflektif, gaul, dan kadang jenaka.

    Samudra menyatakan, buku tersebut merupakan buku yang dibingkiskan buat ayah dan bunda tercinta yang telah sekian lama tak bersua serta mertua yang dihormatinya. "Juga, bidadariku dan sekalian cahaya mataku yang kucintai serta kukasihi," ungkapnya.Sementara itu, saat dihubungi tadi malam, Bambang Sukirno menyatakan bahwa dirinya mengedit naskah milik Samudra itu selama sebulan sejak Agustus silam. "Tak banyak bagian yang diubah, termasuk pilihan kata yang digunakannya," jelasnya. Dia juga menyatakan, buku tersebut baru bisa didapatkan di pasar selambatnya awal Oktober mendatang. (naz)Sumber : www.jawapos.co.id (7 September 2004)

  • Terpidana Bom Bali Pun Menulis Buku
  • Friday, September 17, 2004

    Women's Liberation In Islam

    Today people think that women are liberated in the West and that thewomen's liberation movement began in the 20th century. Actually, thewomen's liberation movement was not begun by women but was revealed by Godto a man in the seventh century by the name of Muhammad (peace be uponhim), who is known as the last Prophet of Islam. The Qur'an and theTraditions of the Prophet (Hadith or Sunnah) are the sources from whichevery Muslim woman derives her rights and duties.

    I. HUMAN RIGHTS

    Islam, fourteen centuries ago, made women equally accountable to God inglorifying and worshipping Him - setting no limits on her moral progress. Also, Islam established a woman's equality in her humanity with men.

    In the Qur'an, in the first verse of the chapter entitled "Women," Godsays, "O mankind! Be careful of your duty to your Lord Who created youfrom a single soul and from it its mate and from them both have spreadabroad a multitude of men and women. Be careful of your duty toward Allahin Whom you claim (your rights) of one another, and towards the wombs (that bore you). Lo! Allah has been a Watcher over you." (4:1)

    Since men and women both came from the same essence, they are equal in their humanity. Women cannot be by nature evil (as some religious believe) or then men would be evil also. Similarly, neither gender can be superior because it would be a contradiction of equality.

    II. CIVIL RIGHTS

    In Islam, a woman has the basic freedom of choice and expression based on recognition of her individual personality. First, she is free to choose her religion. The Qur'an states: "There is no compulsion in religion. Right has been made distinct from error." (2:256)

    Women are encouraged in Islam to contribute their opinions and ideas. There are many traditions of the Prophet (pbuh) which indicate women would pose questions directly to him and offer their opinions concerning religion, economics and social matters.

    A Muslim woman chooses her husband and keeps her name after marriage. A Muslim woman's testimony is valid in legal disputes. In fact, in areas in which women are more familiar, their evidence is conclusive.

    III. SOCIAL RIGHTS

    The Prophet (pbuh) said: "Seeking knowledge is a mandate for every Muslim (male and female)." This includes knowledge of the Qur'an and the Hadith as well as other knowledge. Men and women both have the capacity for learning and understanding. Since it is also their obligation to promote good behavior and condemn bad behavior in all spheres of life, Muslim women must acquire the appropriate education to perform this duty in accordance with their own natural talents and interests.

    While maintenance of a home, providing support to her husband, and bearing, raising and teaching of children are among the first and very highly regarded roles for a woman, if she has the skills to work outside the home for the good of the community, she may do so as long as her family obligations are met.

    Islam recognizes and fosters the natural differences between men and women despite their equality. Some types of work are more suitable for men and other types for women. This in no way diminishes either's effort nor its benefit. God will reward both sexes equally for the value of their work, though it may not necessarily be the same activity.

    Concerning motherhood, the Prophet (pbuh) said: "Heaven lies under the feet of mothers." This implies that the success of a society can be traced to the mothers that raised it. The first and greatest influence on a person comes from the sense of security, affection, and training received from the mother. Therefore, a woman having children must be educated and conscientious in order to be a skillful parent.

    IV. POLITICAL RIGHTS

    A right given to Muslim women by God 1400 years ago is the right to vote. On any public matter, a woman may voice her opinion and participate in politics. One example, narrated in the Qur'an (60:12), is that Muhammad (pbuh) is told that when the believing women come to him and swear their allegiance to Islam, he must accept their oath. This established the right of women to select their leader and publicly declare so. Finally, Islam does not forbid a woman from holding important positions in government. Abdur-Rahman Ibn Auf consulted many women before he recommended Uthman Ibn Affan to be the Caliph.

    V. ECONOMIC RIGHTS

    The Qur'an states: "By the creation of the male and female; Verily, (the ends) ye strive for are diverse." (92:3-4)

    In these verses, God declares that He created men and women to be different, with unique roles, functions and skills. As in society, where there is a division of labor, so too in a family; each member has different responsibilities. Generally, Islam upholds that women are entrusted with the nurturing role, and men, with the guardian role. Therefore, women are given the right of financial support.

    The Qur'an states: "Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend of their wealth (for the support of women)." (4:34)

    This guardianship and greater financial responsibility is given to men, requires that they provide women with not only monetary support but also physical protection and kind and respectful treatment.

    The Muslim woman has the privilege to earn money, the right to own property, to enter into legal contracts and to manage all of her assets in any way she pleases. She can run her own business and no one has any claim on her earnings including her husband. The Qur'an states:

    "And in no wise covet those things in which Allah hath bestowed His gifts more freely on some of you than on others; to men is allotted what they earn, and to women, what they earn; but ask Allah of His bounty, for Allah hath full knowledge of all things." (4:32)

    A woman inherits from her relatives. The Qur'an states: "For men there is a share in what parents and relatives leave, and for women there is a share of what parents and relatives leave, whether it be little or much - an ordained share." (4:7)

    VI. RIGHTS OF A WIFE

    The Qur'an states: "And among His signs is that He created for you mates from among yourselves that you may live in tranquillity with them, and He has put love and mercy between you; Verily, in that are signs for people who reflect." (30:21)

    Marriage is therefore not just a physical or emotional necessity, but in fact, a sign from God! It is a relationship of mutual rights and obligations based on divine guidance. God created men and women with complimentary natures, and in the Qur'an, He laid out a system of laws to support harmonious interaction between the sexes.

    "...They are your garments and you are their garments." (2:187)

    Clothing provides physical protection and covers the beauty and faults of the body. Likewise, a spouse is viewed this way. Each protects the other and hides the faults and compliments the characteristics of the spouse.

    To foster the love and security that comes with marriage, Muslim wives have various rights. The first of the wife's rights is to receive mahr, a gift from the husband which is part of the marriage contract and required for the legality of the marriage.

    The second right of a wife is maintenance. Despite any wealth she may have, her husband is obligated to provide her with food, shelter and clothing. He is not forced, however, to spend beyond his capability and his wife is not entitled to make unreasonable demands. The Qur'an states: "Let the man of means spend according to his means, and the man whose resources are restricted, let him spend according to what Allah has given him. Allah puts no burden on any person beyond what He has given him." (65:7)

    God tells us men are guardians over women and are afforded the leadership in the family. His responsibility for obeying God extends to guiding his family to obey God at all times.

    A wife's rights also extend beyond material needs. She has the right to kind treatment. The Prophet (pbuh) said: "The most perfect believers are the best in conduct. And the best of you are those who are best to their wives." God tells us He created mates and put love, mercy, and tranquillity between them.

    Both men and women have a need for companionship and sexual needs, and marriage is designed to fulfill those needs. For one spouse to deny this satisfaction to the other, temptation exists to seek it elsewhere.

    VIII. CONCLUSION

    The Muslim woman was given a role, duties and rights 1400 years ago that most women do not enjoy today, even in the West. These are from God and are designed to keep balance in society; what may seem unjust or missing in one place is compensated for or explained in another place. Islam is a complete way of life.

    -- Mary Ali and Anjum Ali

    Wednesday, September 15, 2004

    Imam Samudra: 'Demi Allah, Tak Akan Selesai'

    Di Penjara Kerobokan, Denpasar, Bali, sebuah sosok bernama Imam Samudra menjemput kematian seperti sebuah anugerah. Lelaki berusia 33 tahun itu berkata, �Allah telah mencabut semua keraguan dan ketakutan dari hati saya.� Kecuali tubuhnya yang kian ramping, janggutnya yang panjang, kulitnya yang semakin bersih, dan sorot matanya yang dingin, tak ada yang berubah dari Imam Samudra sejak dia tertangkap beberapa bulan silam.

    Di penjara yang jaraknya sekitar seribu kilometer dari kampung halamannya, Serang, Jawa Barat, itu dia mengaku rajin menulis surat untuk sang istri dan empat anaknya. �Saya membuat sejumlah wasiat untuk mereka.�

    Dengan ganjaran hukuman mati dari majelis hakim Pengadilan Negeri Denpasar, Imam Samudra, yang dianggap sebagai arsitek aksi bom Bali, kini menghitung hari sembari menulis sebuah buku memoar.

    Tampaknya, Imam Samudra alias Abdul Aziz siap menerima risiko dari jalan kekerasan yang dipilihnya. �Ini hukum penguasa kafir, harus terus dilawan,� ujarnya dingin. Dia bahkan menyebut vonis mati atas dirinya justru sia-sia. Perjuangan kelompoknya, kata dia, akan terus maju. �Ini cuma setitik debu bagi para mujahid yang sedang berjuang di luar,� ujarnya. Lalu kapan aksi mereka akan berakhir? Berikut ini petikan wawancara TEMPO dengan bekas mahasiswa kimia di Institut Teknologi Malaya itu.

    Mengapa Anda memilih jalan perjuangan seperti sekarang ini?

    Awalnya saya membaca buku Allah Turun di Afganistan. Isinya tentang para syuhada di Afganistan. Ada yang digilas tank, tapi tak mati, mungkin karena memang belum waktunya. Ada juga kisah dari makam para syuhada, setiap Senin dan Kamis, terdengar orang bertakbir. Atau soal pasukan mujahidin yang terkurung di satu bukit, tanpa makanan sama sekali. Tiba-tiba, ada helikopter yang menerjunkan makanan bagi tentara Rusia, yang juga terkurung di bagian bukit yang lain. Tapi, dengan takdir Allah, justru makanan itu jatuh di tempat mujahidin.

    Kisah seperti itu yang membuat saya tertarik. Banyak riwayat, tentunya yang shahih, fadhilah, atau keutamaan para syuhada. Dikatakan, begitu darah pertama tertumpah ke bumi, segala dosanya diampunkan. Belum lagi jasadnya jatuh, sudah disambut oleh bidadari, yang wanginya itu melebihi dunia dengan segala isinya. Sesaat sebelum dia terluka, telah ditentukan tempatnya di surga. Makanya, dengan keyakinan itu, orang saya itu tak pernah mundur.

    Kapan Anda membaca buku itu?

    Saya membaca buku itu sewaktu duduk di kelas 2 SMP. Saya dapat dari sepupu saya, yang juga syahid di Afganistan. Namanya Ahmad Sobari. Saya pun tertarik untuk ke Afganistan. Doa saya terkabul. Saya ke Afganistan pada 1990.

    Apa yang Anda dapatkan di sana?

    Fikrah. Di sana, saya mendapat banyak perubahan cara berpikir. Dulu, saya sangat senang dengan ajaran Syiah, Mu’tazilah, dan lain-lain yang menggunakan logika sebagai dasar. Dulu, sekalipun hadis itu sahih, jika bertentangan dengan logika, akan saya tolak.

    Itu sebelum ke Afganistan?

    Ya, sebelum ke Afganistan. Saya bahkan masih mengagumi Amien Rais (mantan Ketua Umum Pengurus Pusat Muhammadiyah—Red.) dan lain sebagainya itu. Setelah saya mengerti, itu semua saya masukkan ke tong sampah sekarang.

    Pengalaman apa yang paling membekas?

    Saya bertemu dengan orang yang paling dibenci oleh Amerika Serikat, seperti Syekh Abdurrasul Sayyaf (salah satu panglima mujahidin di Afganistan). Walau paling dibenci Amerika, dia adalah orang nomor wahid di Afganistan. Saya terkesima, tapi bukan tersihir. Saya banyak mendapat kebenaran dari dia. Selain itu, banyak juga kawan yang berasal dari Arab. Mereka mengarahkan saya kepada fikrah yang sebenarnya.

    Pikiran baru itu langsung Anda terima?

    Sebenarnya waktu itu masih ada clash, benturan, di batin saya. Misalnya, waktu itu, saya masih menganggap fikrah (pikiran) jihad itu adalah dakwah. Jadi, ada konflik berat. Tapi, waktu itu, saya membaca sebuah hadis, dan ini juga hadis sahih, bahwa yang terberat itulah yang terbenar. Dan itu pasti dibenci oleh orang-orang kafir. Jadi, saya mulai masuk ke dalam mazhab salafus sholeh (mazhab yang berupaya memurnikan kembali ajaran Quran dan hadis, salah satunya dengan cara mengikuti cara hidup Nabi Muhammad—Red.).

    Di Afganistan, Anda juga latihan militer?

    Secara fisik, katakanlah, memang ada proses militerisasi. Dalam arti dengan jalan Islami, tidak bercampur dengan teori-teori kafir yang lazimnya boleh langsung tampar jika ada yang salah, atau ditelanjangi. Kami tak seperti itu. Jadi, betul-betul dengan metode on to the heart, masuk ke dalam hati betul. Yang salah paling disuruh baca Al-Quran atau baca hadis, atau hukumannya hanya push up dan lari. Kelihatannya itu memang sepele, tapi itu bisa menyentuh hati.

    Kalau jadwal latihan harian?

    Tergantung kondisi. Kalau lagi perang, latihan kan tak bisa. Situasional sekali. Tapi kita selalu waspada, alert. Itu wajib.

    Pasti Anda punya pengalaman bertempur juga.

    Ada. Tapi saya khawatir membatalkan amal saya, jadi tak usah diceritakan.

    Berapa lama di Afganistan?

    Intensifnya berpindah-pindah. Saya berada di sana selama tiga tahun.

    Lalu mengapa sekarang berjuang dengan aksi teror bom?

    (Sebutan teror bom) itu propaganda orang kafir. Mereka paling tahu cara membungkam Islam. Memang, dalam perang seperti itu, selalu ada propaganda melemahkan lawan. Kita sampai menyebut hal itu teroris karena ayat dalam Al-Quran yang berbunyi �sampai mereka merasa takut� diterjemahkan Al-Quran versi Inggris oleh Yusuf Ali sebagai to terrorized, bukan to be afraid. Siapa yang harus dibuat takut? Tak lain musuh Allah, musuh Islam.

    Tampaknya Anda sangat terpengaruh dengan konflik di Afganistan dan juga mungkin di Palestina. Apakah Anda akan berhenti kalau konflik itu selesai?

    Saya menjawab ini dengan mengutip firman Allah Swt., �Dan perangilah mereka sampai tak ada fitnah.� Hanya ada satu jalan, yaitu jihad. Ada tafsir dari Ibnu Katsir soal fitnah itu. Pertama, kemusyrikan. Kedua, tidak menegakkan hukum Allah. Jadi, untuk mengeliminasi fitnah itu, hanya ada satu cara, dengan jihad. Bukan lewat pemilihan umum, bukan dengan demokrasi. Itu konsep Barat dan yang sekarang menjadi dien atau agama baru. Lalu banyak umat Islam sekarang yang pengecut. Mereka menyembunyikan hadis sahih. Dalam satu hadis yang diriwayatkan Bukhari-Muslim disebutkan, �Aku diutus oleh Allah menjelang hari kiamat dengan membawa pedang.� Itu hadis sahih.

    Seandainya persoalan umat Islam lebih mendapat perhatian, apakah akan terus menjalankan jihad?

    Bukan soal perhatian atau simpati. Kami hanya menjalankan kewajiban syar’i, kewajiban syariat, hanya dengan satu jalan: jihad fisabilillah.

    Tapi aksi teror bom itu kan tidak populer?

    Ya, memang seperti itu. Saya beri contoh, ada satu pendakwah Islam yang sangat populer sekarang dan disukai oleh semua agama. Saya tertawa. Itu something wrong. Coba kita lihat Muhammad sebelum mendapatkan kenabiannya. Semua orang suka kepadanya dan dia dijuluki �Al-Amin�. Dari kaum Quraisy sampai Yahudi pun suka dengan dia. Tapi, begitu risalah kenabian datang, namanya berubah menjadi �Al-Majnun�. Dibilang orang gila, dibilang tukang sihir, memecah belah persatuan. Jadi, memang seperti itu. Pasti dicela dan dimaki. Seperti firman Allah Swt., �Dia mengutus kamu Muhammad dengan hidayah, untuk dimenangkan, walaupun orang kafir membenci.� Jadi, kebencian itu adalah satu konstanta. Jadi, kalau tak dibenci orang kafir, ya, artinya belum sampai ke tahap itu.

    Ganjaran aksi terorisme adalah hukuman mati....

    Hukuman mati tak akan menyelesaikan persoalan. Ini cuma setitik debu bagi para mujahid yang masih berjuang di luar. Saya jamin, persoalannya tak akan selesai. Demi Allah, tak akan selesai.

    Anda sama sekali tak takut ancaman mati itu?

    Alhamdulillah, Allah telah mencabut semua keraguan dan ketakutan di hati saya.

    Tempo Interaktif

    Malaysia's Muslims have 'no way out'

    By Ioannis Gatsiounis

    JOHOR BAHRU, Malaysia — In multiethnic Malaysia, where Islam is the official religion but freedom of religion is guaranteed under the constitution, the majority Malays are born Muslim and apostasy is all but impossible for them.

    Cases of aspiring apostates are handled by Shariah courts, rather than civil courts. According to the Koran, apostasy is grounds for death, and no Muslim should assist another out of the religion. So the appeals usually sit, and sit. Many would-be apostates don't live to see their conversion officially recognized.

    Some have been jailed. As one religious scholar put it, "In Malaysia, there's a way into Islam, but no way out."

    Although proselytizing of Muslims by non-Muslims is forbidden, the reverse is permissible. Proselytizers have been sent to jail under the Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows for indefinite detention without trial. Hands off our Muslims, who make up 60 percent of the population, the Malay-led government appears to be saying.

    The government is especially worried about Christian proselytizing, said Shad Salem Faruq, professor of law at the University of Technology MARA. Malaysia is home to substantial Hindu and Buddhist minorities, 6 and 20 percent respectively.

    "But Hinduism and Buddhism historically have had less of a tradition of proselytizing than Christianity," he said.

    It is illegal to print the Bible and other Christian materials in the national language, Bahasa Malay. Some states restrict the use of certain religious terms by Christians in the Malay language, lest Muslims be confused.

    Yet, despite the obstacles, some Christian proselytizers are busy.

    The Rev. Kumar — not his real name — recalls the religious police rattling his front gate in the middle of the night. The warning was clear.

    "But I am not afraid," Mr. Kumar said. "My work is God's will and I have a worthy cause to fight for. [Malays] have a right to find Jesus."

    His evangelical church has 12 branches throughout Malaysia and 30 affiliates, and Mr. Kumar estimates that 100 Muslims are converting to Christianity every month in the country. He said there has been a marked increase in interest in the past three years, since the September 11 attacks in the United States. A royal family and the daughter of a former prime minister are among his list of converts.

    Christian groups estimate that there are 30,000 Malay converts in the country. Some Muslim groups say the figure is much lower. However, nondenominational observers say most converts live in secrecy for fear of harassment from the government, family and fellow Malays.

    One Malay convert and former ustaza, a Muslim religious teacher, reports that she and her family are harassed regularly by the authorities. Because she is Malay, her son was born a Muslim and forced to adopt a Muslim name. In school, despite his protests of being a Christian, he has to sit through Islamic studies, a requirement for all Muslims.

    Last year, the religious police demanded that she stop her "activities," which included helping drug addicts and battered women.

    She conceded, though, that part of the assistance involved introducing Malays to Christian doctrine. She recalled parking herself at a McDonald's wearing a Muslim head scarf to more effectively introduce Muslim schoolgirls to the Bible.

    In Kuala Lumpur, boys who are a part of Mr. Kumar's proselytizing movement frequent mosques.

    Christians reputedly also have resorted to sponsoring picnics for Malay children and offering them gifts.

    In the cramped lobby of Mr. Kumar's headquarters, a magazine headline reads: "Storming the Enemy's Stronghold."

    The first paragraph explains, "Within the 10/40 window," referring to the area stretching roughly from the Middle East through India, China and into Southeast Asia, "lie 62 of the least evangelized nations on this planet." The area is viewed by some zealots as the last stronghold preventing Christian global dominance.

    One is left to wonder, is the government rightfully fearful or just plain paranoid? What is seen by some as an issue of freedom of religion is viewed by others as an abuse of freedom.

    "You can talk about your religion freely, just don't try to convert," said Azizuddin Ahmad, secretary-general of the Muslim Youth Group of Malaysia (ABIM).

    He said many apostates were led astray from Islam not by the virtue of the faith they were converting to but the concept of freedom. In Malaysia, Muslims are bound by certain laws, such as on alcohol consumption, sexual relations and marriage, that non-Muslims are not. Certain states are known to enforce these laws more than others.

    Muslims also get preferential treatment.

    The U.S. government's International Religious Freedom Report for 2003 said, "It is official policy to 'infuse Islamic values' into the administration of the country."

    Indeed, the new Islamic-themed administrative capital houses a prominent mosque but no other place of worship. And non-Muslims report difficulties in obtaining licensing and state funding for their places of worship.

    Malaysia has become increasingly Islamized since the early 80s — inspired first by the Iranian Revolution and by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's charismatic deputy Anwar Ibrahim, who founded ABIM and joined the country's most powerful political party, the United Malays National Organization, in the 1980s. Malaysia was further Islamized by government attempts to out-Islamize the hard-line Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS). PAS made substantial progress in 1999 parliamentary elections but suffered in its rematch with the National Front in March.

    The tide of these developments may pose challenges for non-Muslims and apostates, "but they are not paralyzing," said lawyer Lee Min Choon, adding that the government's religion policy generally is conducted with the best of intentions.

    "The government doesn't have a program to create difficulties for other religions. They want peace for all religions," he said.

    This is not an easy task. Non-Muslims grumble of "Malay/Muslim bias." But the government can't afford to be seen as anti-Muslim.

    The government has appeased the various communities enough to prevent large-scale race- and religion-fueled violence — though at the expense of respect, interest and meaningful interaction among the communities. Race and religion are taboo subjects, and there's a lot of pent-up rage.

    At the same time, the government's policy — including banning a procession in at least one instance because it conflicted with Muslim prayer time — is prompting anger.

    "These gestures are causing some hard feelings," said an assistant to Mr. Kumar.

    Proselytizers of any stripe tend to feel justified in their actions, rationalizing them as a form of salvation, leading the astray from darkness.

    But Mr. Kumar will be hard-pressed to convince most Muslims here of the superiority of his faith, just as most Muslims here find little success in converting Christians.

    Yet, it's an undertaking that the zealous don't tire of, even though it rarely leads anywhere, other than to trigger fear and resentment.

    Dzulkifli Achmad, director of the research center of PAS, is concerned about the net effect.

    "I used to seek to convert, but I no longer have the drive," Mr. Achmad said. "When you think of the unique fabric of this society, it is in our interest to enhance mutual respect ... proselytizing is a form of disrespect. It is the beginning of the conflict."

    Some Muslim and non-Muslim leaders say the government could be doing more to improve dialogue and understanding among the faiths.

    It has, for instance, denied permits for several interfaith dialogues. And when Mel Gibson's film "The Passion of the Christ" arrives here soon, only Christians will be able to view it. Non-Christians will be weeded out in the ticket line on the basis of their national ID cards, which states one's religion.

    Nora Murah, a legal officer with Sisters in Islam, says the decision contradicts the prophet Muhammad's teachings. "The prophet embraced diversity and inclusiveness," she said.

    Washington Times

    AG: This world class news highlight shows how tolerate Malaysian are. Apostasy are legal in Malaysia Boleh land. Believe it.

    MY AUssie

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    Tuesday, September 14, 2004

    Check on your relatives in Iraq: PM

    OFFICIALS had been unable to confirm reports that two Australians were being held hostage under the threat of death in Iraq, Prime Minister John Howard said today.

    Mr Howard said the Australian ambassador in Baghdad and other officials were trying to verify the claims.

    A statement issued overnight and attributed to the Horror Brigades of the Islamic Secret Army gave Australia 24 hours to pull its troops out of Iraq.

    It said it had taken security contractors hostage and they would be executed if the demand was not met.

    Mr Howard said today: "The ambassador and the authorities in Iraq are trying to find out whether this report is accurate.

    "So far we've not had confirmation of that."

    He said Australians should try to contact relatives and friends known to be in Iraq.

    "If they have difficulty getting in touch with them (they should) be in touch with the Department of Foreign Affairs."

    The Horror Brigades is believed to be linked to the Secret Islamic Army, which has claimed responsibility for a number of hostage executions.

    Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer said today all of the 88 Australian civilians registered with the Australian embassy in Baghdad had been accounted for.

    Checks had also been conducted with four companies that employed Australians.

    Three companies were satisfied with their checks, but one company had expressed concerns and was carrying out a re-check, Mr Downer said.

    The statement from the militant group said: "One of our brave brigades ambushed civilian cars belonging to the American army on the motorway from Baghdad to Mosul.

    "It took four prisoners - two Australians and two east Asian nationals who were working as security contractors for important people.

    "We tell the infidels of Australia that they have 24 hours to leave Iraq or the two Australians will be killed without a second chance.

    "The prime minister must announce the withdrawal personally if he is concerned about his two citizens."

    The Australian consular emergency centre can be contacted on 1300 555 135.

    AAP

    Two Australians kidnapped in Iraq: report

    News agency Agence France Presse (AFP) is reporting a claim by Iraqi militants that they have taken two Australians hostage and they are threatening to execute them.

    The statement, allegedly from the Islamic Secret Army, says two Australians and two Asians have been kidnapped.

    The statement was delivered in the Sunni Muslim bastion of Samarra today.

    The statement gives Canberra a 24-hour deadline to end its interests in Iraq or see the hostages executed, but there was no immediate confirmation of the ultimatum's authenticity.

    "One of our brave brigades ambushed civilian cars belonging to the American army on the motorway from Baghdad to (the main northern city of) Mosul," said the statement dated Monday.

    "It took four prisoners, two Australians and two east Asian nationals who were working as security contractors for important people," it said.

    "We tell the infidels of Australia that they have 24 hours to leave Iraq or the two Australians will be killed without a second chance."

    AFP

    AG: "So far we've not had confirmation of that." I'm always to hear that...

    Horror Brigades of the Islamic Secret Army That the first time to hear this.