Assalamu'alaikum wr wb, "Maka karena itu serulah (mereka kepada agama ini) dan tetaplah sebagai mana diperintahkan kepadamu dan janganlah mengikuti hawa nafsu mereka dan katakanlah: "Aku beriman kepada semua Kitab yang diturunkan Allah dan aku diperintahkan supaya berlaku adil diantara kamu. Allah-lah Tuhan kami dan Tuhan kamu. Bagi kami amal-amal kami dan bagi kamu amal-amal kamu. Tidak ada pertengkaran antara kami dan kamu, Allah mengumpulkan antara kita dan kepada-Nyalah kembali (kita)." [Asy Syuraa:15]
Ummat Islam diperintahkan berdakwah oleh Allah SWT, namun hanya segelintir orang (yang biasa disebut da'i/muballigh) yang melakukannya. Itu pun banyak yang berjuang sendiri-sendiri/tidak terorganisir. Seharusnya dengan dana yang ada di Timur Tengah, Brunei, dan sebagainya selain dapat menyantuni fakir miskin juga bisa untuk meningkatkan dakwah kepada Islam. Kita perlu pemersatu yang bisa menyatukan berbagai kekuatan ummat. Yang mampu menepis upaya pecah-belah/adu domba yang dilakukan oleh orang-orang kafir. Para jurnalis, netters bisa menginformasikan keadaan ummat Islam ke rekan2nya dari negara lain sehingga bisa saling kenal, terjalin silaturrahim, dan kerjasama. Momen Haji seharusnya bisa jadi satu tempat eksibisi atau berkenalan satu dengan yang lainnya. "Sesungguhnya Allah menyukai orang yang berperang dijalan-Nya dalam barisan yang teratur seakan-akan mereka seperti suatu bangunan yang tersusun kokoh." [Ash Shaff:4] Wassalam --- A_Dharmawan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > http://www.atimes.com > > Heavens, Asia's going Christian > By Michael Vatikiotis > > SINGAPORE - The official guide to churches and > Christian organizations in > Singapore runs to more than 390 pages. With names > like [EMAIL PROTECTED], Great > Shepherd Assembly and City Impact, there are 44 > registered churches from the > US-based Assemblies of God alone in Singapore. A > Christian from Myanmar, a > Korean Christian, even a Thai Christian can find > services in their own > language - though for the most part Chinese is the > language of the Christian > faith here. > > Singapore is one of the fastest-growing Christian > communities in Asia, along > with Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China. In fact, > > Asia is projected to become one of the largest > Christian populations in the > world, on pace to eclipse Europe in the next 30 > years. The US State > Department estimates there could already be as many > as 100 million > Christians in China, even though the official tally > of believers is below 50 > million. > > The US-led "war on terror" has focused worldwide > concern on the rise of > Islamic fundamentalism as a precursor to violent > militancy. Moderate or > secular behavior among Asia's Muslims is considered > the long-term antidote > to religious fervor. But in the wider context > encompassing Hinduism, > Buddhism and Christianity, the trend in Asia is > anything but moderate or > secular. Across the region, charismatic sects are > springing up and drawing > young people to religious faith. And new Asian > converts to Christianity are > arguably outpacing the spread of Islam. > > The new believers are often Asia's upwardly mobile, > although the dirt-poor > and desperate still flock to Christianity's promise > of eternal salvation. > Far from embracing materialist and consumer values > and completely abandoning > religion, middle-class Chinese residents of > Singapore, Taipei and Hong Kong > all regularly flock to Pentecostal or charismatic > churches. > > The houses of worship offer relief from the stress > of modern existence to > the accompaniment of pop music - and some throw in > fresh coffee and > broadband Internet for good measure. They are active > in social welfare, and > sometimes in politics - the Pentecostal Church of > Taiwan has advocated > independence from China for the island, which > Beijing still claims is a > renegade province. In Hong Kong, the church backs > the movement for > democracy. > > The trend toward religiosity in Asian societies is > plain, if not > predictable. As Asia's economies have grown, many at > a breakneck pace, so > too have social inequalities and uncertainties. In > urban areas, the > resulting hardships are felt even more because > migration deprives people of > family or community support and breeds alienation. > The church, the temple or > the mosque is often the only place people facing > hardship can turn to. > > Every Sunday as many 12,000 people, in shifts of > several thousand, cram into > the Rock auditorium at the Suntech Convention Center > in the heart of > Singapore's business district. They are members of > the New Creation Church > founded in 1983, and its pastors tell their > followers what they want to > hear. The church's website boasts "many miraculous > healings of cancers, > tumors, kidney conditions and much more". The site > also mentions "God's > supernatural provision in the area of finances". > > Not far away in Jurong district, the Reverend Kong > Hee, accompanied by his > pop-singer wife Ho Yeow Sun, packs in a similar > number at the City Harvest > Church. With a backing band belting out soft pop > music in the background, > the US-trained evangelist croons: "We enter the > presence of God in worship, > receive his spoken word that strengthens, > encourages, nurtures and > transforms us ..." The youthful congregation, > dressed mainly in T-shirts and > jeans, is ecstatic. > > Charismatic pastors like Kong Hee are bringing Jesus > into the marketplace of > ideas and finding a pent-up demand for faith. The > trend is creating a surge > in Christian missionary activities, and with it > spirited competition with > activist Islam. Singaporean church organizations > were very active in > providing relief for victims of the December 2004 > tsunami in strictly > Islamic Aceh, prompting some Indonesian concerns > about quid pro quo > proselytization. > > Like many Christian evangelists, Indonesian Islamic > preachers such as A A > Gymnastiar hog prime-time television spots during > the Ramadan holy month, > crooning their own brand of charismatic Islam. Their > zany style is harmless > enough, although without a doubt the growing appeal > of strict Islamic > adherence is breeding intolerance among some > sections of Indonesian society. > > There was a measurable increase in the number of > hours given over to > religious broadcasting during Ramadan last year. > Nearly all restaurants > serving alcohol were forced to close in line with > the tradition of fasting. > Supermarkets had withdrawn hard liquor from their > shelves and foreign food > brands are reacting by highlighting their halal > compliance on packaging. > > Some years ago, American scholar Samuel Huntington > predicted a clash of > civilizations along religious lines. Even with the > growth of religiosity, in > Asia that clash is yet to come to pass. Anger over > the publication of > cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed in a Danish > newspaper has been > deeply felt in Asia's Muslim communities - but the > anger was directed at > irreverent Europeans, not local Christians. > > In much of Asia, strong traditions of pluralism and > accommodation have > allowed Islam and Christianity to blossom side by > side. Governments in > Malaysia and Indonesia are promoting inter-faith > dialogue to help shore up > these traditions. Even nominally atheist China has > recently loosened up on > its hordes of Christian devotees. As Christianity > takes deeper root in Asia, > it is just as likely to spread without fear and > resentment: a vibrant > collage rather than clash of civilizations. > > Michael Vatikiotis is former editor of the Far > Eastern Economic Review. He > is currently a visiting research fellow at > Singapore's Institute of > Southeast Asian Studies. > > > Troops' families call Blair a 'coward' > > --- > Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. > Checked by AVG anti-virus system > (http://www.grisoft.com). > Version: 6.0.859 / Virus Database: 585 - Release > Date: 2/14/2005 > > > _______________________________________________ > is-lam mailing list > [email protected] > http://milis.isnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/is-lam > Tertarik masalah Ekonomi? Mari bergabung ke milis Ekonomi Nasional Kirim email ke: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------ Yahoo! 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