To be professional is the key to get position in today’s interaction, inter-relation and inter-dependence in all fields of life. At least, that is I believe to from noticing how someone possibly can be a star.
I’ve just watched “classico” between FC Barcelona and FC Real Madrid. It was great to see how Ronaldinho, Eto’o or Messi bewitch football’s lovers by their excellent performance. A few days before, top women tennis players like Emilie Mauresmo, Mary Pierce, Lindsay Davenport, Maria Sharapova etc showed their amazing performances in WTA Championship 2005, Los Angeles USA.
If we make the list longer we’ll find Mohamed Baradei, Director General of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) who achieve peace noble prize for this year. This man has been devoting big effort to make a more peaceful world by avoiding nuclear weapons proliferation; or 2003 peace noble prize winner, Shirin Ebadi, a brave women who has been struggling for justice and democracy in Iran.
These men and women know well what to do and how valuable to become professional in their field of works. They know their potentialities, how to make them grow and the way to use them in proper momentum. They can create “something impossible” or “miracle” achievements in their lives. And our era (as we are in the third wave of globalisation), I think, is the era for professional individuals.
I think, every one of us knows where they can be professional. The first important thing then is searching, deciding and improving continuously our ability in our works. Professionalism will make us happier and feeling more perfect in our lives. Isn’t that?.
I've read a great book: The Spirit of Islamic Civilisation (Ruh al-Hadharah al-Islamiyah) written by Seikh Mohammad Fadhil ibn Asyur, son of Seikh Thahir ibn Asyur, a prominent scholar from Tunisia. This book, as noted by The Director of International Institute of Islamic Thougt, Dr. Taha Jabir al-Ulwan, is the preface of big project: the study about Islamic movement (al-Harakah al-Islamiyah) around the world, its achievements and its failures held by the institute whose headquarters is in Washington DC.
This book --in spite of its small size-- is a comprehensive reviews on the history of Islamic movement, the mistake reading of its leaders to the fact that islamic world's has been fallen behind the West and the right solution to build once more awakening of Islamic movement.
The essence of Seikh Fadhil's anwers, i think, is what he called by the spirit of islamic civilisation. If you refer the history of islamic civilisation to its core, you will not focus so seriously to its peripheral area. Focusing to peripheral area, according to Seikh, is the mistake reading where most of islamic movements leaders and thinkers have been falling in.
Seikh Fadhil sees that the tranformation from the chaliph model to the kingdom model of the islamic regime --for example-- was not the core of the problem. The problem was the tranformation from the religion fanatism to the material fanatism, or say it, if you like: from moral commitment to the power or economic commitment. When the moslem community were in one commitment to their religion, they could spread Islam and built civilisation in very large area and at very short time.
So, there is no certain and obliged model of political, economic or civilisation in Islam as far as moslem community in strong faith and fidelity to their religion. The focus, then, is to the essence not to the form. The reference of Seikh in this point of view is Abdrurrahman ibn Khaldun, the writter of great book: Muqaddimah, who explained impressingly the driver of the History of Islamic Civilisation. The only first thing that Islamic community need at present is how they can come back to the basic and the key point of Islam's glory in the past: the true and dinamic IMAN that create and drive their life from private area to the public area.
And that is big challenge to the thinkers and leaders of Islam especially in this recent secular circumstance around the world...
It was really greatfull when I got phone from Mrs. Meutia Farida Hatta, Minister of Women Empowerment, last Wednesday, Nov 9, 2005. She has been in Morrocco for several days attending ministerial meeting on child issues held by OIC (Organisation of Islamic Conference) in Rabat.
Three days before, in the meeting with Indonesian community in Morrocco, She talked about children and women empowerment in Indonesia. I just noted one important thing related to islamic studies: more intensif koranic studies about children and women to show that Islam --with its values-- supports children and women empowerment.
The Minister talked very smart, fluently and logically entertaining about her works, her point of views on women empowerment in Indonesia and about important role that will be taken by Indonesian scholars in future. According to her, Indonesian students abroad must not take all things from the country where they study and transfer them to Indonesia, but they must exercise them critically wheter they appropriate to Indonesian context or not. She made his father, Mohammad Hatta, one of Indonesian Independence Proclamator, as a model when he created a concept about economy based on people as reflected by 'koperasi' institution. This concept was born after critical examination on capitalism, sosialism and real condition of Indonesian people.
Her background as lecturer in Indonesia University, i think, has strong influence to her performance as minister. One thing that impressed me was her kindness and willing to communicate friendly with us, Indonesian students in Morrocco. Thank you Mrs. Meutia.
