Blogger-Indonesia A. Fatih Syuhud

he’s smart and media savvy. he knows precisely how to behave in the world stage.

I read his book the clash of fundamentalism which is very well thought and nicely and independently written.

This intro is taken from http://fatihsyuhud.com/about/
Soon After I started actively blogging, I realised that (a) blog is a powerful tools for everybody to communicate one’s ideas the easiest way; (b) most Indonesian are blogging in Bahasa Indonesia, their native language.

The choice to use one’s own language is natural. However, for those who have a little bit mastery in English I keep encouraging them to use it as their blog lingua franca..

Not only will it benefit them one way or another, but also it would open the window for other cultures to know us–Indonesia as a a people, a nation as well as a country–a lot better.

It is on this regard that I started making a regular review on English speaking blog written by Blogger Indonesia when I was actually a beginner blogger myself back then.

The idea in question–blogging in English–seems to attract some conventional media to interview me or to write about me which makes this campaign even more known and encourage more Blogger Indonesia to do the same. On personal level, non-Indonesian readers who visit this blog frequently email me–I am sure other English-speaking blogger Indonesia got many emails as well– if they have some questions to ask relative to Indonesia. This, among others, is the purpose, the raison d’etre why we, Indonesian, should blog in English.

On Blogrolling

As a part of blogging spirit, I also offer blogrolling to support and promote each other. You can put my URL address in your blog/website, I’d blogroll you back once your linkback’s identified through technorati or my dashboard or you may tell me about it in the comment box below or in the shoutbox.

Please note, any linkback will be reciprocated in kind if (a) it’s put on the frontpage i.e. on the sidebar, header or footer; NOT in the sub-page or posting; (b) it should be visible, wordpress blogging platform enables us to make the blogroll or a particular link invisible; (c) it should be a live-link, a dead link such as blogroll in pull-down or drop-down menu is not considered as a blogroll.

Soon after putting fatihsyuhud.com link in your frontpage blog, you may check your own blog URL in the footer of this blog. The list, in alphabetical order, is based on one’s blog title.

On Blogger of the Week

Roughly every week, I review Indonesia English-speaking blog which I think good enough to be shown to the world. Many Indonesian bloggers blog in English who are not yet known. If you have an English-speaking blog with original content, please drop the line here in the comment box below or here (recommended) informing me your URL address or email me. Your blog may get reviewed sooner than expected. To know what the advantage for you and your blog after being reviewed, see here.

On Me, Myself

Well, I am a sort of reticent person; an introvert one especially regarding private matter. That’s why I would rather not to talk about myself. I would prefer someone else talk about me, if any. I feel it’s not comfy to speak of oneself too much. Blowing oneself horn is not my cup of tea. For the sake of clear identity, however, particularly with regard to my writing here in this blog, I need to tell readers something that may be of interests:

First, I am a Muslim, a moderate one. A good Muslim is always a moderate, Islam never allows its followers towards any path of extremity (Quran 2:143). Hatred, fanaticism or diehardism towards anything or anyone, therefore, is unislamic (Quran 4:135; 4:103).

Second, I am NOT affiliated to any polical party both secular or the so-called Islamist. Yet I use my voting right and therefore I have my personal preference. The party which is close to my ideals on justice, prosperity, integrity and honesty (of its workers and the elites) may own my single insignificant vote.

Third, I work with neither companies nor any institution, government or private. I run my own institution which I hope would represent my ideals which I start implementing one at a time.

On My Dream

I have a dream to see Indonesian people prosper, educated and personally independent in its strictest sense of the term; to see them one day as the trend setter, not as a negative trend stupid follower. For this, I start making a sort of mass mobilisation on grass root level giving awareness to the unpriveleged on their potential and their dignity (more on this later).

I have also a dream of seeing many more academician of Master or PhD level to go back to the rural area where 80 percent of the country population reside. To enlighten them, giving them hope and knowledge they mostly need. For I strongly believe that Indonesia will never go to the level of developed country if the 80 percent is not nurtured, nourished and educated by those few academicians and intellectuals.

On Islam ’rendezvous’ with Others

Many far right non-Muslims think Islam is against living in diversity with others. Consequently they also think or led to believe that Muslim don’t want to live side by side with them and therefore, they argue, to be tolerant a Muslim has to break away from Islamic teaching.

Quran says the opposite. Islam does not believe in homogeneity as it’s unrealistic and is against human nature. It acknowledges the diversity not only of religions but also of cultures, of races and ethnicities (Ar Rum 30:22). Quran even further says that diversity is deliberately ”stage-managed” by Him as a trial and as a way to see humans fairly competing each other for the best achievement possible (Al Maidah 5:48), something impossible in a homogeneous world. Thus, a good Muslim is by default a good member of the world. A Muslim, indeed everyone, who thinks otherwise should take a closer look at the Quran once more to have a closer and more real understanding to Islam through its primary source.

For a closer look at some particular controversial issues repeatedly talked about by some far right wingers. reading Juan Cole good pieces here and here is recommended for further insight .

Lastly, to you, my honorable readers, I’m grateful for taking interest and wasting your time to read all this.

For any queries, email me at fatih-at-alkhoirot-dot-com or fatihsyuhud-at-gmail-dot-com

Oh one more thing, you can consider this page as my personal intro and make the comment box below as an intro for you and your blog URL. It’s ok just to say “Hi!” along with the link of your blog.