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

[gcraig]

"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."

You can't ignore the truth. You can hide but the fact still remains that Muslims crashed airplanes into our buildings and killed Americans. For that they must be punished.

[califordubya]

Muslims in Indonesia are killing Christians...... what is she doing in behalf of them? It will say a lot about the person who wants to be a doctor in order to help people, to see some of it now.

[Cicero]

I doubt whether many Freepers worry much about whether Indonesian women wear veils. We're a lot more worried about the prospect of Indonesian men slaughtering more innocent Christians, as they do on a fairly regular basis.

And by the way, Ronin, it's good to hear from you.

[Fighting Irish]

.....woops.....there I go using big words I know not how to spell.....

[jlogajan]

Well, as a practicing Atheist I can inform her that not only do I find Islam a bit nutty, I find all the religions a bit nutty. Hope that helps. :-)

[Stentor]

Are you kidding? Bad joke.

[hinckley buzzard]

A lot of Indonesian Christians who used to be alive say, you're full of sh*t, as usual. Oh. Just so you are sure to get the point, let me spell it out with a red crayon on wide-lined tablet paper:

They were slaughtered by this chick's brothers.

[Eowyn-of-Rohan]

I want to remind you that not all Indonesians' impressions of American women are accurate either, and while I appreciate what you are saying, I have a few questions for you:

QUESTION #1: What are the differences between the Koran that the Terrorists are reading, and the Koran that the "peaceful" Muslim world is reading?

QUESTION #2: Why is there such an effort to convince non-Muslims in America that Islam is a peaceful, tolerant religion, but no such direct effort to convey the same into the Mosques in the US or the rest of the Muslim world?

QUESTION#3: Why are Christian churches, Christian worship and Christian preaching banned in so many Islamic nations if Islam is tolerant of all faiths?

QUESTION#4: Your religious leaders put a price (FATWA) on the head of Salman Rushdie and all he did was write a book that broke Islamic Law. Why don't you put a price on Osama Bin Laden directly and condemn him and other terrorist organizations as apostates for blaspheming your Allah?

[keithtoo]

If she excercised her free will and converted to another religion would her Muslim friends sentence her to death?

I know the answer, but what would she say?

[Tree of Liberty]

Here's just a few of the passages from the koran that call for the destruction of the West.  Any one of which, I believe, is justification for any animosity towards Islam that has been shown here on FR.

 

005.033
YUSUFALI The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter;
PICKTHAL The only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger and strive after corruption in the land will be that they will be killed or crucified, or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off, or will be expelled out of the land. Such will be their degradation in the world, and in the Hereafter theirs will be an awful doom;
SHAKIR The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His messenger and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement,

005.049
YUSUFALI And this (He commands) Judge thou between them by what Allah hath revealed, and follow not their vain desires, but beware of them lest they beguile thee from any of that (teaching) which Allah hath sent down to thee. And if they turn away, be assured that for some of their crime it is Allah's purpose to punish them. And truly most men are rebellious.
PICKTHAL So judge between them by that which Allah hath revealed, and follow not their desires, but beware of them lest they seduce thee from some part of that which Allah hath revealed unto thee. And if they turn away, then know that Allah's Will is to smite them for some sin of theirs. Lo! many of mankind are evil-livers.
SHAKIR And that you should judge between them by what Allah has revealed, and do not follow their low desires, and be cautious of them, lest they seduce you from part of what Allah has revealed to you; but if they turn back, then know that Allah desires to afflict them on account of some of their faults; and most surely many of the people are transgressors.

008.059
YUSUFALI Let not the unbelievers think that they can get the better (of the godly) they will never frustrate (them).
PICKTHAL And let not those who disbelieve suppose that they can outstrip (Allah's Purpose). Lo! they cannot escape.
SHAKIR And let not those who disbelieve think that they shall come in first; surely they will not escape.

009.005
YUSUFALI But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, an seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.
PICKTHAL Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
SHAKIR So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

009.073
YUSUFALI O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the Hypocrites, and be firm against them. Their abode is Hell,- an evil refuge indeed.
PICKTHAL O Prophet! Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites! Be harsh with them. Their ultimate abode is hell, a hapless journey's end.
SHAKIR O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and be unyielding to them; and their abode is hell, and evil is the destination. 009.073 YUSUFALI: O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the Hypocrites, and be firm against them. Their abode is Hell,- an evil refuge indeed. PICKTHAL: O Prophet! Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites! Be harsh with them. Their ultimate abode is hell, a hapless journey's end. SHAKIR: O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and be unyielding to them; and their abode is hell, and evil is the destination.

[Sabertooth]

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.

Thank you.

It is precisely the silence and equivocations of Moslems around the world about 9/11 that has turned me and so many others so resolutely agains Islam..

Miss Rini seems like a very nice young woman, who, like most people, grew up with a particular faith and is comfortable with it. But times come when one hast to look at one's faith, and question it's excesses. Islam is infested with excesses. Moslems overwhelmingly fail to do question them, and often justify the evil deeds with the word "but."

And it is that failure of the nice Moslems, not the excesses of the wicked ones, that has lead me to conclude that Islam is something to be vanquished.

[JustAnAmerican]

Doesn't change my view one iota about Muslims. The religion they follow teaches its members that non-Muslims are to be treated as non equal, and that its perfectly ok to lie to non-Muslims if it furthers the Islam goal. Just more of the "Islam is peace" garbage. Remember "Actions speak louder then words", and so far Muslims are lacking in the action department by a very wide margin, in fact I would say its non existant.

God Bless America

[y2k_citizen]

I would advise Ms. Rini and you to read a book by

V.S.Naipaul, 2001 Nobel prize winner titled

"Beyond Belief"

Which describes state of mind of you people -- the non-Arab muslims colonized by foreign faith.

Islam is nothing but a tool of Arab colonization and mind-control

of people like you.

islam and modern society, democracy cannot co-exist.

Only Turkey is a real democratic muslim nation because

Ataturk got rid of most of the islamic garbage and hence Yurkey is really muslim country in name.

[vladog]

I do not believe a word this supposed 'girl' said. Looks like a propaganda post to me. From our pals in Islam.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

"We are not morons, like Ms. Rini thinks we are. "

I'll second that motion.

[Dengar01]

I completely agree with most of the posts here. I know that all Muslims are not evil. Most FReepers know that and don't hate Muslims. But what I find (I won't speak for the majority of FReepers) is that Islam does not seem peaceful. I don't hate the followers of Islam, but serious questions should be answered such as the feeling of the attacks on the WTC and Pentagon. The verses in the Koran that demand the killing of infidels (me). I'm glad that your friend chose to speak out on the so called hatred of Islam but everything she stated I already know. I know that all Muslims are not evil, but your friend doesn't take into consideration the fear many of us have of Islam. I will admit it I fear from Islam. Why? Because almost all of the wars currently being waged in the world involve Muslims trying to take over other countries and or convert unwilling people to Islam.

Jesus said to "Go out and be fishers of men" but Jesus never said to "Go out and be fishers of men and if they don't submit kill them". That is what my point is. I don't hate your friend, infact, I'm glad she spoke out, but it is not her I am worried about it is the religion itself. It is not toleratant of other religions and the whole war aspect is what concerns me the most. It is a fact, Kashmir, Kosovo, Chechnya, Israel, all these wars are between Muslims and non-Muslims.

[Clinton's a rapist]

Your religious leaders put a price (FATWA) on the head of Salman Rushdie and all he did was write a book that broke Islamic Law. Why don't you put a price on Osama Bin Laden directly and condemn him and other terrorist organizations as apostates for blaspheming your Allah?

Excellent point. What's good for the goose, etc. Maybe it was on the news and I just missed it. Yeah, that must be it, right?

[katze]

This woman probably has never read the Qu'ran.

14 posted on 11/20/01 7:11 PM Pacific by P-Marlowe

Do all Muslims refer to God, instead of Allah?

[stripes1776]

Before you lecture us on how good your Moslem religion is, you need to look inward at the violence of Islam. Moslems crashed big planes into big building to kill many innocent people in the name of Allah and Islam.

Why is it that Moslem like you are in denial about the violence of your religion. Is the truth too painful for you? Until you are able to rid your religion of its terrorism, Islam will remain:
Islam is violence
Islam is murder
Islam is terror
Islam is oppresion

[Joe Hadenuf]

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