Editorial

The term “ghazwul fikri” is very popular in Islamic circles. This term originated from the Arabic language and literally means “battle of thought” though who used it for the first time is not known. The works of Sayyid Qutb, Muhammad Qutb, Said Hawwa, and the ideologists of the Muslim Brethren often used this term with a “crusader’s” spirit.

Many people object if Islam is assumed not to regulate politics. They argue that Islam is not merely “divine teaching” which does not touch real life of human. Islam as a religion is comprehensive regulating all human’s matters, from waking up until going to bed again. Since Islam regulates everything –according to this totalistic approach upon Islam—hence, politic is included. Therefore, a slogan developed –especially among the Muslim revivalists—that “Islam is religion and state” (al-islâm din wa daulah).

The terms of al-tsabit dan al-mutahawwil came from a modern Arab poet and cultural observer, Adonis. He used this term for the title of his book discussed widely in the Arabic world in the ‘80s, Al-Tsabit wa-Al Mutahawwil: Bahts fil al-Ittiba’ wa al-Ibda’ ’inda al-’Arab”(the permanent and the changing: Study about Epigonism and Innovation in the Arabic World). The book consists of three volumes analyzing the intellectual, political and cultural roots causing stagnancy of Arabic creativity.

My question is this: is it true that the source of evil is out of God? Isn’t it possible that evil lay within God himself? If evil is absolutely out of God, wouldn’t it lead to polytheism since there will be two gods: a god of goodness (the hero) and a god of evil (the villain)?

Caliph Harun was fond of Bahloul, a naïve young man who was a little bit silly but who often conveyed wisdom that stunned the Caliph into silent pondering. Bahloul also had the usual function for every king: that of being an entertainer.

“But the most amazing thing that makes me grateful is that I am there” Kiai Majdub said, wiping his wet eyes.

I guess that the Islamic teaching declaring that it annuls the previous religions comes later and formulated far after the revelation of Koran. There is no affirmation about it in Koran.

Enlightenment requires adulthood and maturity. One who uses to consider another superior and more authoritative, will never be adult and mature. New things are discovered not by repeating the old opinion, but by creatively producing new opinion. Repeating the opinion of others will not lead him anywhere, except to the past he refers.

he history of democracy in America is the history of religious people’s endeavor to live properly with their faith and belief. Freedom of religion cannot live in a country like England in the 17th century, where it is only the monarch’s church (Anglican Church) acknowledged as the legal religion. In America, the puritans were free to express their religious doctrines.

The question is this, how did religion resist the continuous attack of secularism since the past two centuries? The answer is not because religion has “supernatural power” or “real truth” just like the claims of religionists that “the truth will defeat the evil.”