Ayat-Ayat Cinta (Verses of Love)

Ayat-ayat Cinta (Verses of Love) become a spectacular Indonesian movies after hit more than 3 million viewers among the Indonesian Movies Network, 21 Cineplex and Blitzmegaplex. In fact the movies has been seen by several important person from Indonesian such as a former Indonesian President B.J. Habibie, who arrange a special visit back to Indonesia that matching with the film schedule.

The film also has been seen by Indonesian Vice President, Jusuf Kalla and recently last Friday as reported by Jakarta (ANTARA News) seen by President of Republic Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. He said that the Indonesian film "Ayat-ayat Cinta" (Verses of Love) can be a medium to promote a better understanding of Islam.

He made the statement after watching the film directed by Hanung Bramantyo at Studio XXI at EX Plaza here on Friday night. "The film can be a good medium for getting the right message of Islam across," said Yudhoyono, who was accompanied by his family, including his sons Agus Harimurti and Edi baskoro as well as his daughter-in-law Annisa Pohan.

He also claimed that he wiped tears from his eyes several times when watching the film, said Islam was frequently misunderstood by the public. He added that all Indonesian Muslims who had watched the film should be able to explain to the rest of the world that Islam is a peace-loving religion full of tolerance and harmony. According to him, the film directed by Hanung Bramantyo was a reflection of Islam, its ability to rise above mere symbols enabling the world community to coexist despite its diversity.

In fact the film can be more effected if Hanung has not reduced or change the film from the book. On the book, Fachri was described as a young Muslim who would like to become Muhammad SAW, the Muslim Prophet. As a male Muslim, he should not see a female directly or in purpose. He also never had an intimacy meeting with Maria by the river of Nil’s as described on the film.

I also never read on the book, that Fachri more loving Maria rather than to Aisha or Nurul. In fact, the book is written that he expected to marry Nurul, but since he understand that he is not as rich as Nurul’s family, he never ask her to marry him. On the day, he decided that he accept the Aisha’s family request to marry her, he got Nurul’s mail that express her love to him, of which he expected that Nurul said about her feeling before he accepted to marry Aisha.

The books is also never express that the three of them, Fachri, Maria and Aisha has living together in a harmony after Fachri is being released from the jail. In fact the books is describe that after the judge read the statement to release Fachri, Maria is fall-off from her wheelchair and become more ill and make her back to the hospital.

Maria is passed away a few days after she is brought back to the hospital. She passed away after she become a Muslim and read the Surat Maryam. She passed away in a peace with a smile on her chick since she expected to reunited again with Fachri in the Heaven forever.

For all who never read the book, please do read the book first prior seeing the movie. In fact, Hanung should not taking this risk in the future by changing the film from the book. Since usually a film that adopted from a famous book has a great expectation from the books readers. This is also happened with Harry Potter the movie a last few years.

-Dian-

West's Lie Day

April 1, 2008 as well known as April Fool's Day, will be a few hours away and many Jakarta's youngsters does not have knowledge about the history as reported by Antara News on March 30, 2008.

In Indonesia, most of the people known that April 1, 2008 is popular is as "April Mop". Mop is a Dutch Word, means joke. In English, this days is known as April's Fools Day. Usually we all know that day is a day to tell a lies, no matter how serious they sound. But the history about it is quite a tragic ones especially for Muslim of which it caused barbaric slaughter of Muslims in Spain on April 1, 1487.

Unfortunately, not many Muslims in Indonesia know about the history of April Fool`s Day (April Mop) and then preferred to celebrate by lying the public through the media or personal contact.

A Muslim intellectual, Ir H Asmara Dharma, as contacted by phone at his home in Medan said the celebration of April Mop was preceded by a big attack by western troops in Spain which was at that time under the rule of a Moslem's caliph in March, 1487.

According to him, cities in Spain like Saragossa and Leon in North, Vigo and Forto in East and Valencia in West, Lisbon and Cordoba in South as well as Madrid in Central City and Granada as a port were occupied by the attackers.

The Muslim community who survived in the attack were promised not to be harmed if they wished to abandon Spain by ships already made available at the port of Granada. Western troops pledged to let Muslims go free by ship if they surrendered their weapons.

At the time when thousands of Muslims without any weapon gathered at the port of Granada to wait for their turn to leave Spain as promised by the troops, they were slaughtered viciously and their ships set on fire.

Asmara further said the genocide of Muslims and the breaking of the promise happened on April 1, 1487 which was then known as April Fool`s Day. Furthermore, this incident was a ritual popularized as "April Mop" (this term became popular in Indonesia during the Dutch colonial times, mop is a Dutch word meaning joke). It was later used to criminalize other people by the news and action.

I am personally, never heard about this history and all I know is that, on that day I can make a fool to anybody, even to my lovely ones. After I read this news from Antara, I think we should use this day as a momentum to look back on the relationship between us in eastern country or developing country with our "fellow" from western country. We should take a look again our relationship with them. Do we have a good deal or not. So far what I can see, there is no indication from the Western to have a partner from any of developing country. In fact, they will use us as their place to sell their products.

-Dian-

Source : Antara News

"Fitna" - A contra Moslem Film

As reported on Indonesian interactive website of DetikiNet (It was reported in Indonesia Language, there is a film created by Dutch Parliament Member, Geert Wilders, that hurts all Muslim feeling. The copy of the filmed can be accessed on the You Tube and Live Leak. The film has a duration of 17th minutes of which in global tell a story on Terrorist Attack in New York and Madrid. This terrorism attack, according to the film, was inspired by one of the Surat in the Holy Al-Qur'an.

I would see again the western who does not fully understand about Al-Qur'an has made their own interpretation about Islam. Maybe they should see the Indonesian Movie "Ayat-Ayat Cinta" of which describe a bit about Islam.

When I was abroad, most of my colleague has their perception that Muslim is against feminism since in Muslim, every women should wear a special uniform that they think it cut-off the freedom of the women to express their beauties. This is just one example, they see Islam with their own perspective and make their own interpretation about the Surat of the Al-Qur'an. They did not know that everything that has written in the holy Al-Qur'an is just giving a basic or even global about how a Muslim should be. In fact, in the Holy Al-Qur'an often says that every Muslim should be a Rachmatan Lil Alamin. Which is mean every Muslim should bring the goods for him/herself and their surrounding. With this small Surat of Al-Qur'an, as Muslim we are not allowed to kill somebody else just because they are not Muslim.

Islam should bring and spread the goodness all over the world to both Muslim and Non-Muslim. Muhammad SAW has also teach us to working together hand-in-hand with Muslim and non-Muslim and we should respect each other. On a Muslim country once everybody has entering the country legally, they have the same right as the Muslim. One of the right is protected by the country as according to the Law. Actually in Muslim, most of western feel peaces and found they are looking for facing the life.

I do understand that Netherlands is consider as a free country among the European but they have the freedom in express their taught or perspective about anything. But what do they does not aware, that every human freedom is boundaries by others. Which is means we should respect each others.

Hopefully, by more and more Muslim become open and showing the truly Muslim, their think about Muslim and Islam will change and we can live hand-in-hand, side-by-side in Harmony.

One last thing, "Fitna" or "Fitnah" in Indonesian actually means that "A statement that tells a negative thing about something, and this statement is not the right statement." If I use this interpretation to this film, so it will means that this film is telling us the wrong story, and of course we should not bother about it.

-Dian-

Latest Friday of March 2008

Adam Air and Indonesian Air Transport Industry

Last night, I read on the newspaper that finally Indonesian Government has indicating that the Adam Air accident was caused by not readiness of the Pilots on handling an unsual situation. This statement is really interesting for me since base on my experience, it should not be happened.

As per standard, a new or upgrading Pilot Crew, before they are released to fly an aeroplane, they need to pass a series of training and test. The training are ground training/type rating training, flight simulator and flight training. On the ground training, the crew is being trained about that type of aircraft that they will handle and a lot of stuff correlated to that. Then they need to pass the Flight Simulator training, and if I am not mistaken, each of the them has to pass minimum of ten hours in a Full Flight Simulator. Then they need to pass the training with the real aircraft. This last one usually done on an empty space around Madura Straits if they base in Surabaya or around the north of Jakarta.

The one that I would like to highlight is the second training, of which, done in a Full Flight Simulator. As we all know, the purpose of having a Full Flight Simulator is give the ability to the Pilot Student to be trained in any condition. With a Flight Simulator we can simulate almost anything. As a former FFS Technician, I remember that with this equipment I can simulate that the cockpit was on fire and to give more realistic effect we can produce a smoke come out from the equipments.

With this equipment aswell we can create a series of training scenario that we can simulate whatever we like. Since a FFS is truely a copy of a real aircraft with the 6 DOF - Degree of Freedom that can make the student feels that they are in the real aircraft.

I am pretty sure that as per standard, each of the crew must be trained with this equipment so once they are facing the similar situations during the flight they will be able act to minimize all the negative effects. If it is now stated that the regulator is now encourage every Pilot in Indonesia to be trained to face this emergency situation, then how is the procedure we have so far? I would think that there are quite many crew has not been trained this way. Of which this will be dangerous. As we all know, in the ATI (Air Transport Industry), it was stated that "The Sky is vast, but there is no single room for any error".

What I do hope that all of us that involve within this industry should be eager to stop a bit and take a look inside on how we are doing so far. If we do it not in the right way, starting from now, we should bring it back to the right track. By doing this together from the Airlines, the Human Resources of this Industry, the regulator, the Indonesian Government and anybody, we will be able prove to the outside world that we are making progress to a "Zero Accident".

- Dian -

Jakarta, End of March 2008

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The Adventure of Tintin, The Movie

Hooray……

After long awaited, the Adventures of Tintin will be filmed started this year. Tintin, the intrepid reporter comic-book character created by Hergé in 1929 will begin shooting the 1st Tintin Movie, The Secret of the Unicorn, in September 2008. According to the Daily Mail (not the most reliable newspaper on the world), Thomas Sangster, a teenage who will celebrate his 18th years old this May, will be cast as Tintin. He was seen on the movie “Love Actually” and “Nanny McPhee”. The film will be direct by two great Director Steven Spielberg and the Director of the trilogy “Lord of the Ring”, Peter Jakson. And it seems Tintin the Movie will become a trilogy of The Secret of the Unicorn, Red Rackhams Treasures and Crab with the Golden Claws.

As the huge fans of Tintin, this is great news and hopefully by 2009 we can start watching this film in Indonesia. So far I had collected the entire original cartoon VCD of the adventures of Tintin and now I am starting to collect the English and French version of his Adventure. The Adventures of Tintin classified by publication date are as follows:

1. Tintin in the Land of the Soviet, 1st published in 1930.
2. Tintin in the Congo, 1st published in 1931.
3. Tintin in America, 1st published in 1932.
4. Cigars of the Pharaoh, 1st published in 1934.
5. The Blue Lotus, 1st published in 1936.
6. Tintin and the Broken Ear, 1st published in 1937.
7. The Black Island, 1st published in 1938.
8. King Ottokar’s Sceptre, 1st published in 1942.
9. The Crab with the Golden Claws, 1st published in 1942.
10. The Shooting Star, 1st published in 1942.
11. The Secret of the Unicorn, 1st published in 1943.
12. Red Rackham’s Treasure, 1st published in 1944.
13. The Seven Crystals Balls, 1st published in 1948.
14. Prisoners of the Sun, 1st published in 1949.
15. Land of Black Gold, 1st published in 1951.
16. Destination Moon, 1st published in 1953.
17. Explorers on the Moon, 1st published in 1954.
18. The Calculus Affair, 1st published in 1956.
19. The Red Sea Sharks, 1st published in 1958.
20. Tintin in Tibet, 1st published in 1960.
21. The Castafiore Emerald, 1st published in 1963
22. Flight 714, 1st published in 1968.
23. Tintin and the Picaros, 1st published in 1976.
24. Tintin and the Alphart, 1st published in 1986

Most of the title is already translated into Indonesian of which become my first comic books to read when I was a teenager. His story is very inspiring since he is just a reporter, who has a smell or intuition when there is something is not right. When I was a boy, I had a toy that looks like Snowy his dogs and the toys I kept until I am a teenager. I have a huge expectation about the movie and hopefully Steven and Peter can create the great movie about Tintin.

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