I am a Muslim Woman

November 21, 2001 | Furi Setio Rini

[Ronin]

Hello,

My name is Furi Setio Rini and I am a Muslim woman. I am 20 years old and live in Jakarta, Indonesia. I am attending my third year of medical school at Trisatki University. My friend, Ronin, asked me to write this because he is very disturbed about the hatred of Islam that he is seeing on your board.

What can I say about me? Well, I think I am an average Indonesian girl. I like movies and music. I love to shop for new clothes. Sometimes I eat too much. I do not like the music that is too loud. I don't like politics and I don't understand them.

I have to laugh when I hear western people talk about Muslim women. Somehow they think that all of us are beaten by men and treated like animals. If you had ever seen my father, my brothers and me, running away from my mother when she was angry, you would know how silly that is.

I have never worn a veil. I wear make up and I use lipstick. Except on the days I go to Mosque. On those days I clean myself as much as I can. I do not believe that it makes much difference to God, but I want him to see me with my true face, and heart.

I have two brothers. One of them is older, the other is younger than me. I guess that they are like brothers everywhere. Sometimes I love them. Sometimes I hate them. Sometimes I wish I could kill them. But no, that is a lie. Even when I think I hate them, I love them. They are my brothers, my family. I love and respect my father and my mother. I adore my father and hope to find a husband just like him.

I have not been kissed yet. And I have not been held as a woman wants to be held. Yes, I want it. Yes, I dream about it. But I can wait until I find the man I will marry. And no -- it will not be a marriage arranged by my parents. I will choose my husband, and he will choose me. We will marry because we love each other and want to spend the rest of our lives with each other. God willing.

I am studying to be a doctor. It is my best dream and ambition to be a doctor in a small village where doctors are rare. I want to be able to help the most common people of my country. I want to make life better for them. I want to bring happy and healthy babies to loving mothers and proud fathers. I want to give comfort to the old people who have so much to teach us. I want to share my love with true and real results.

I am not perfect. I am quite lazy sometimes and I have to force myself to studies on days when it is too hot, or at times when there are so many other interesting things to do. But this is a story about Muslim women, so maybe I should talk about that a little. What is Islam to me? This is a question that is very hard for me to answer. Islam is in my blood. I pray to God each day. I ask for health and happiness for my family, my friends and my country. More than that I cannot say. I love God and I pray to Him daily. . Is that any different from you?

I pray to God each day for wisdom. But the newspapers and the television and the radio shows me nothing but images I do not want to see. I can't stand the pictures I see.

I hate war. I hate it! I hate it! I hate it!

I hate it almost as much as I hate pediatrics class. Not because I hate newborn babies, I love them. I want my own babies. But, I hate learning about the illnesses and the horrible conditions that can happen when a baby gets sick.

My heart cries. Sometimes, just opening the textbook is a horror. To see a stillborn baby makes a small death inside me. But I must learn, because if I cannot learn to treat them and make them well, more babies may die. I cannot think of anything worse.

I think that most Indonesian girls are like me. And, most Indonesian boys are like boys everywhere. They like cars and sports. They play music too loud. When they think they are so cool and exciting, they are usually very boring. The television and radio you see is not showing you the proper vision of my country or my people. We live and we love. We go to restaurants, movies, and clubs.

I do not drink alcohol, but I do not find that a hardship. (I did have a glass of red wine once. It did not taste very good.) My father and my brother smoke cigarettes, but I don't. No, we do not eat pork.

Men say that the words of God are in the Holy Quran, the Christian Bible and in the Jewish books. I do not know about that. I read the Holy Quran and try to live my life in the teachings that it contains. But inside my heart I know the only commandment of God is love. I love God. And I know that God is love.

So, this is my testament. It is not very profound.

I am a Muslim woman. I love God. God is love. I love you all.

Furi Setio Reni

[Ronin]

This was written by Ms. Rini. All I have done is correct the spelling and clean up the grammar a bit. The words and thoughts are her own.

I have a photo of Ms. Rini on my computer, but I do not know how to post it to the article. If anyone can help with that, please FReep Mail me.

[crazykatz]

Got those air islam pictures ready???

[Cool Guy]

BUMP!

[Hildy]

Very nice. But to post this here, in my opinion, is an insult. I think I speak for most of the people at FR when I say that we are quite aware that not all Muslim women wear veils, are beaten, etc. etc. We are not morons, like Ms. Rini thinks we are.

[NetValue]

Bravo Sierra.

[crazykatz]

I prefer open pit roasted myself...Serbian style....the whole piglet....apple in the mouth...hmmmmmmmmm.

[yazd]

To see a stillborn baby makes a small death inside me. But I must learn, because if I cannot learn to treat them and make them well, more babies may die. I cannot think of anything worse.

Please ask her if she has any thoughts she can share with us about Al-Qaeda and the 5,000 WTC dead. She did not mention that matter at all.

[RobbyS]

Does she know about East Timor, or that westerners are fleeing from her country because they fear her co-religionists?

[OK]

Nobody said there are not a lot of good people in Islam. The problem is that the Koran advises some things that are incompatible with freedom of religion, and advises attacking or killing "infidels".

By the way, the author said nothing condemning the attack on the WTC, or repudiating these repugnant verses in the Koran.

[Joe Hadenuf]

-- --- .-. . / -... ...

[Libertarian_4_eva]

We don't hate all muslems for christs sake. We hate the bullshit that is being played out in the middle east. The sponsoring of terrorists by rich arab states who then clame they know nothing. If your too dumb to understand that most muslems in SOME of the arab states would like to dominate the world with their religion then your way past reason. Take a look at how they treat women in their own nation. They would love to export their domination of Islam to your nation. Not only killing all christians and jews but also those muslems who do not support their views.

[illbenice]

Just remember its not good people that we hate its people that hate us that we have no patience for.

[P-Marlowe]

This woman probably has never read the Qu'ran.

[Aedammair]

Excellent post; keep them coming if you can!

[IronJack]

I would suggest to Ms. Reni that she is an atypical Muslim woman. Most of her sisters are NOT studying to be doctors. You might want to look at the Revolutionary Association of Afghan Women (RAWA) site for a completely different perspective.

I'm glad your life is good, and that you share certain values with us in the West. But I assure you, there ARE Muslims who don't. If you want true horror, put down your pediatrics text and look at the pictures of the World Trade Center. That's horror. Unleashed by practitioners of YOUR religion on innocent men, women, and CHILDREN in a pair of office buildings in downtown Manhattan.

Pardon us if we're inclined to think of you as barbarians.

[freebilly]

Yes, there are many good Muslims, but we've heard precious few tell how disgusted the attacks on the WTC and Pentagon made them. Nor have I heard any state how ashamed they are that madmen have committed these acts in the name of Allah.

The silence has been both thunderous and deafening.

[Shermy]

I have not been kissed yet. And I have not been held as a woman wants to be held. Yes, I want it. Yes, I dream about it.

Hmmmm... Sounds a little Manga-ish, but let's get that picture posted!!!

Men (!) say that the words of God are in the Holy Quran, the Christian Bible and in the Jewish books. I do not know about that. I read the Holy Quran and try to live my life in the teachings that it contains. But inside my heart I know the only commandment of God is love. I love God. And I know that God is love.

What's that, Gospel of John? Get her e-mail, I bet many can send her some helpful info. Warn her to stay away from East Timor, Irian Jaya, Moluccas, etc.

[RobbyS]

There were foreigners who lived quite comfortably in Nazi Germany before the war, and since they looked upon the Nazi activities as colorful pageants and had no interest in politics, they regarded outside criticism to be exaggerated.

[crystalk]

How does she feel about the current ongoing campaign of mass murder against Timorese and other Christians in Indonesia? Sudan? Pakistan?

Does she feel any sympathy at all for the 5000+ Americans and others killed in Islam's brutal assault upon the United States?

What have she and her boy friend personally done to curb the excesses of Islamic madmen worldwide?