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

[Vince Ferrer]

Indonesian Muslims in Afghanistan: An Indonesian Muslim group whose members purportedly traveled to Afghanistan to fight against the United States has said all its fighters are safe and some 150 remain in Kandahar. The Islamic Youth Movement (GPI) claims it sent 300 men to Afghanistan in response to the call of Taliban leaders to wage a jihad, or holy war, against the U.S.

[Ol' Sparky]

Okay, I apologize. I re-read your post and get your point.

[Mat_Helm]

She just didn't mind her friends slaughtering the christians in East Timor last year and she has no recollection of September 11 or opinion about it because she hates politics and just ignores death and carnage as long as christians and western infadels die. Nazi's thought they were the master race and muslims think they are the master religion and both attempted to force their view with violence and islam like the nazi's will soon be extinct beliefs!

[Brian Allen]

This piece is Joe-Goebells-like "Tokyo-Ronin" bullshit and is a bloody insult to the intelligence -- not to mention to the Moral Integrity -- of every AMERICA-LOVING FRee Republican!

Tell it!!! Tell it, my brother from another mother!!!

Thank you.

FReegards

Brian

[wayne_shrugged]

Is she a friend of MoonUnit Zappa? Sounds like a Muslim beauty contestant from "the Valley," i.e., nice girl but not a lot of substance, if you know what I mean...

I think there's just a little more involved than this...

[SierraWasp]

"Your sophomoric sophistry is on display and is obvious. I frankly am not impressed."

Dang! I thought I had that phraseology copywrited and was going to bill you for royalties... NOT!

Guess he likes to be an apologist for the "Murderous Militant Musler's."

[freebilly]

You the man!

[Gracey]

Apologies. I'm not in a arguing mood over locations.

[rockfish59]

wanking gets your keyboard all sticky!

[Gracey]

I must copy and reread you post over and over. It's beautifully written. Did you write this just now??? Thanks :-)

[zeaal]

Wonder if this young lady is aware of this ...

November 1, 2001 – Hundreds of Laskar Jihad warriors stormed into the Christian village of Waimulang on Buru island at 7 am, raided and burned 222 homes, displaced thousands of Christian villagers, destroyed two churches and a dispensary. Four Christians and an Indonesian Army soldier were slain in the attack. Two Christians were seriously wounded. (JP)

Found at International Christian Concern - Indonesia

[snodog]

Man oh man have you pissed me off. To start let me get my rant out of the way, because you not only insulted me as a Freeper, but you insulted me as an American. Who do you think you are to tell me I have to want, or would like nothing more than to see some little child killed. That is pathetic, and sickening. If that is what you think most freepers want to see then you need to go, because you do not know us!

There has never been a more compasionate and loving country on the face of this earth. The United States would be more than happy to go along, and get along with all nations, and all peoples. If you want to preach sadism, or whorship the moon god go ahead. I don't care. But when your belief in your god commands you to kill me or my children we have a problem to say the least. If you doubt me ask the taliban. Did we step in prior to 9/11, even though we knew the horror they were causing on their own people. Did we do that? Did I tell them to kill their own people? Would I like to see every Taliban soldier killed, yes I would, and to paraphrase, 'terminated with extreme prejudice', would be my choice.

The child is innocent, always was been, and always will be, until they are used by adults like yourself. You should be ashamed!

You are no better than the coward that grabs the child to shield himself from the bullets that he should take as a man. You disgust me.

If you want a date with the girl you could probably get it with out all the "anti-freeper", butt kissing I hate america crap.

[pattycake]

Well said, barbarians is the word for it. They kill their own and blame it on us.

[danmar]

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

Looking at this "woman's" statement, one thing comes to mind. Mr. Goebbels propaganda machine...notice how nice and fuzzy this statement ment to be/look about the teachings of Islam and how sooo normal, people of islamic faith are ( not a whole lot of difference next to your regular US Joe Sixpack I might add), but at the same time, conveniently, forgot to mention the WTC mayhem?

Not one single word uttered, condemning the atrocities commited by her fellow muslim brothers(it almost looks that her love for the fellow man does not includes the 5000+ innocent victims of WTC, Pentagon etc., cowardly attacks). If somebody really believes this kind of propaganda bullshit on it's face value, than come and see me, I have a bridge to sell to you...

[Ronin]

This is the only response I am going to make on this thread. I have stopped reading the replies.

I have known Ms. Rini for more than a year. I met her online in an Internet chat room. The fact that she is a Muslim is the least important thing about her.

I saw her online on Sept. 11. She, and every member of her family was devastated. She apologized over and over again. She was worried that I would hate her because of the actions of the fanatics -- fanatics that she hates just a bitterly.

She knows all about the forced conversions of Christians and the massacres in East Timor. She deplores them with every fiber in her being.

She knows nothing of Free Republic, and frankly, given the level of bitterness on this thread, I am not going to tell her about it.

I asked her to write this. I asked her to just give me a three page essay about what it means to be a Muslim woman in Indonesia. Yes, she can be a bit of an airhead at times -- but that was part of the reason I wanted her throughts.

I wanted my fellow FReepers to see the words of a young girl who happens to be Muslim. So that maybe that they would understand that Jakarta is not Kabul and that not all Muslims were raving members of the Taleban or supported the terrorists.

I can hate the bastards that are. I can loathe bin Laden. I can despise the bigotry and fanatism of Wahabi Islam.

But I don't have it in me to hate every Muslim.

Like others on this thread, I think that Islam is a disgusting religion. I know all about Mohhamed's nine-year-old wife. I know all about the ways that Islam backstabs other religions, and YES I know about how women are treated in Arabic and African countries.

Ms. Rini is lucky to be born in Indonsia, where the majority of Muslims are pretty laid back -- yes I know that they have their share of fanatics too -- but so what?

Maybe in the future, Ms. Rini will travel to a western culture where she will meet a Christian and be converted. I will even say a prayer that it happens. But am I supposed to hate her in the meantime?

FREE REPUBLIC has always been a place where I thought free discussion of issues was encouraged. So, I thought I would interject another opinion under the theory that blind hatred of any one group of people, is not really something to be encouraged.

This is not an opus. I am not going anywhere. Nor do I apologize for posting her essay. I am a bit saddened, however. This was not the reaction I was expecting from most FReepers.

[sweetliberty]

Very well stated.

[rightofrush]

My name is Furi Setio Rini and I am a Muslim woman.

Get well soon.

[danmar]

. I am a bit saddened, however. This was not the reaction I was expecting from most FReepers.

Well my friend, I understand your position fully, but in retrospect, try to imagine this whole situation in reverse.Imagine some christian fundemantalists got all bent out of shape and decided to do just the same, except flying the planes in to some very important vestiges of muslim pride(you name it).Do you really think that a letter of a school girl in the states with the same content would make the muslims think about what a peacefull our religion is?
I bet you dollars against nails, they won't. They will demand eye for an eye, tooth for tooth and you know it. We live in different times since 9/11 and it is too bad, that it has come to this.

They, the muslims good or bad, have declared war on western civilization(wich we are the epitome of it)and therefore we have to take apropriate measures to protect our way of life.Innocent people will suffer because of this, yes, but defending our freedom and way of life we fought so hard to maintain/enjoy throughout history has to be defended at any price, period. Nobody but nobody has the right to take that away from us, no matter what.

[KanghaRue]

Harley: Relgious practices that encourage theft from non-practitioners and the murder of non-practitioners are quite frankly, UNAMERICAN. Kangha: The Quran doesn't advocate the murder of non-practicioners. All those passages that people have been quoting out of context...are referring to something that was happening between the Muslims and the PAGAN Arabs of 6th century Arabia. Also, the Muslims were on the defense...not the offense. People need to actually read, and study a little before they make comments.

[KanghaRue]

OTTO: Not one single word uttered, condemning the atrocities commited by her fellow muslim brothers(it almost looks that her love for the fellow man does not includes the 5000+ innocent victims of WTC, Pentagon etc., cowardly attacks). Kangha: Why does she HAVE to say anything about the WTC attacks? Why does she have to beg for your forgiveness when her world, and understanding of Islam is not that of the terrorists? After all, she didn't hijack four planes... Also, if this were propaganda, there WOULD have been a statement denouncing the attacks of 9/11.