Thursday, 29 August 2013

BEBERAPA PRASANGKA NEGATIF THD ISLAM


1. PRASANGKA PERTAMA : “Sholawat Nabi”

Orang-orang Non-Muslim menyangka bahwasannya Nabi Muhammad SAW (nabinya orang-orang Islam) saja “Belum tentu Selamat”, oleh karenanya harus dido’akan oleh Ummatnya melalui “Sholawat”. Hal ini sama sekali tidak benar dan sangat keliru. Karena pada hakekatnya “Sholawat kepada Nabi Muhammad/Rasulullah” adalah bukan do’a untuk mendo’akan beliau, akan tetapi :

1)    “Pernyataan SALUT”& “Pernyataan HORMAT” kepada Beliau selaku Nabi yang paling cinta dan sangat membela ummatnya. Disamping itu juga karena beliau sebagai Nabi yang paling “SUKSES” diantara para Nabi yang telah diutus oleh Allah SWT, sehingga Beliau dijuluki sebagai “Sayyidul Anbiya” (Pemimpin Para Nabi).

2)   Sholawat merupakan “Perintah dari Allah SWT” kepada orang-orang mukmin yang ditujukan kepada Nabi Muhammad SAW. Sebagaimana Firman Allah SWT didalam Al-Quran: “Innallaha Wa Malaaikatahu Yusholluuna ‘Alan Nabi, Yaa Ayyuhalladziina Aamanu Shollu ‘Alaihi Wasallimuutasliima” (QS. Al-Ahzab ayat 56 Yang Artinya: Sesungguhnya Allah dan Para MalaikatNya bersholawat kepada Nabi, Wahai orang-orang yang beriman bersholawatlah kepadanya (Nabi) serta Ucapkanlah Salam Penghormatan kepadanya).

Bahwasannya Rasulullah SAW, Jika saja mereka (Non-Muslim) tahu, adalah satu-satunya manusia di dunia ini yang “Ma’shum”(terbebas dari dosa). Karena dosa-dosa Beliau yang telah lalu, sekarang, maupun yang akan datang (itupun bila ada) sudah dijamin Ampunannya oleh Allah SWT (QS. Al-Fath : 2). Jadi dengan demikian, maka sebenarnya “tidak perlu lagi dido’akan oleh ummatnya”, karena beliau sudah PASTI SELAMAT dan PASTI MASUK SYURGA FIRDAUS sebagaimana yang dijanjilan oleh Allah SWT.

Ada 4 (empat) Orang di dunia ini yang PASTI akan mendapatkan “sholawat” (RAHMAT) dari Allah SWT, yakni sebagai berikut :

1. Yang pertama, Pastilah : ROSULULLAH.

2. Orang Mu'min yang Bersholawat kepada Rosulullah.

Orang-orang mukmin yang bersholawat kepada Nabi Muhammad SAW akan mendapatkan “Sholawat” dari Allah & Para MalaikatNya sebanyak 10x lipat dari yang ia sholawatkan untuk Nabi. Misalnya, bila ia bersholawat sebanyak 1x maka Allah akan bersholawat untuknya sebanyak 10x begitu juga Para MalaikatNya. Bila ia bersholawat sebanyak 10x maka Allah dan Para MalaikatNya akan bersholawat untuknya sebanyak 100x serta ia akan mendapat “RAHMAT” sebanyak 100x pula dari Allah SWT.
  
3. Orang-orang yang SABAR.

Orang-orang yang SABAR akan selalu didampingi oleh Allah SWT di manapun mereka berada (“Innallaha Ma’ash Shoobiriin” = “Allah bersama orang-orang yang sabar”). Disamping itu juga yang paling dijanjikan oleh Allah SWT bagi orang-orang yang sabar adalah: “Salamun ‘Alaikum Bima Shobartum”. Allah memberi keselamatan kepada orang-orang yang Sabar tersebut dengan mengucapkan: “Selamat bagimu wahai Orang-orang yang Sabar”.

Orang-orang Non-muslim banyak yang mengatakan bahwa: SABAR itu MENYAKITKAN, sehingga ada sebuah PEMEO terkenal diantara mereka yaitu : “SABAR is PAINS”.

Ya, betul !  Dalam hal ini penulis sangat setuju dengan “definisi” sabar yang mereka kemukakan dalam PEMEO tersebut, TETAPI bagi Penulis Kata “P-A-I-N-S”  tersebut adalah berarti sebagai berikut :

P
-
Positive

“PERILAKU yang POSITIF dalam SITUASI NEGATIF bagaimanapun"
A
-
Attitude
I
-
In
N
-
Negative
S
-
Situations






Maka dalam hal ini kemudian Penulis punya “definisi” tersendiri yang LEBIH MENGENA & LEBIH PAS tentang SABAR tersebut, yakni : “SABAR is PATIENTS”. (SABAR itu KESABARAN)

P
-
Positive
“Perilaku, Pikiran, Tindakan & Emosi yang POSITIF dalam setiap Situasi COBAAN yang bagaimanapun NEGATIFnya."
A
-
Attitude,
T
-
Thinking,
I
-
Implementation, and
E
-
Emotion, in
N
-
Negative
T
-
Test
S
-
Situations










Perintah supaya Ber-SABAR terdapat di dalam Al-Qur’an Surat Ali-Imron Ayat 200 sebagai berikut : “Wahai Orang-orang yang Beriman, Bersabarlah dan Perkuatlah Kesabaran diantara Kalian, Bersiap-siagalah serta Bertaqwalah kepada Allah agar Kalian memperoleh Keberuntungan”.

Macam-macam SABAR yang SANGAT dianjurkan oleh Rosulullah kepada Orang-orang yang Beriman :

1). SABAR dalam Ibadah (Ash-Shobru fil ‘Ibadah)
2). SABAR ketika Tertimpah Musibah (Ash-Shobru ‘indal Mushibah)
3). SABAR terhadap Kehidupan Dunia (Ash-Shobru ‘anid Dunya)
4). SABAR untuk Tidak Melakukan Maksiat (Ash-Shobru ‘anil Ma’shiyah)
5). SABAR dalam Perjuangan/Perang (Ash-Shobru fil Jihad)  


4. Orang-orang yang Ber-DZIKIR kepada Allah SWT.

Dzikir kepada Allah itu lebih baik daripada menginfakan emas, perak dan berperang di jalan Allah, sebagaimana yang telah disabdakan oleh Nabi di dalam Haditsnya : "Maukah aku beritahukan kepada kalian amalan yang paling baik dan paling suci di mata Raja (=Allah) kalian, dan lebih baik daripada menginfakkan emas dan perak serta lebih baik daripada berperang di Jalan Allah ?" Yaitu : Dzikir kepada Allah SWT".

Allah ber-Firman di dalam Surat Al-Ahzab 41-42 : "Wahai orang-orang yang beriman, ingatlah kepada Allah dengan Dzikir yang sebanyak-banyaknya. Dan bertasbihlah kepadaNya setiap pagi dan petang".

Dan juga Allah ber-Firman : “…Ketahuilah, hanya dengan mengingat kepada Allah (Dzikir) sajalah maka Hatimu akan menjadi Tenang/Damai”


2. PRASANGKA KEDUA : “Di dalam ISLAM juga terdapat BANYAK TUHAN”

Pernyataan ini banyak dikemukakan oleh orang-orang Non-Muslim yang mendefinisikan beberapa Ayat Al-Qur’an secara SALAH karena “ketidakpahaman” mereka tentang Islam. Diantaranya Ayat : “Inna Nahnu Nazzalna Dzikro, Wa Inna Lahu Lahaafidjuun.” (Artinya: Sesungguhnya KAMI yang menurunkan Al-Qur’an, dan KAMI pula yang akan Menjaganya).

Ayat tersebut berisikan kata ”KAMI” yang menandakan lebih dari satu yang berarti “BANYAK”. Dengan demikian, mereka (Non-Muslim) menganggap bahwa Tuhannya orang Islam juga “banyak”, BUKAN SATU SAJA. Hal ini merupakan “MISUNDERSTANDING” (salah kaprah) yang SANGAT JAUH. Padahal kata “KAMI” pada ayat tersebut mengacu kepada “ALLAH & APARATNYA”. Siapa aparatNya tersebut ? Tak lain dan tak bukan adalah MALAIKATNYA yaitu JIBRIL (dalam hal ini).

Malaikat Jibril adalah Malaikat yang diutus oleh Allah SWT sebagai perantara diturunkannya Al-Qur’an kepada Nabi Muhammad SAW. Jadi Jibril ini juga diakui oleh Allah SWT eksistensinya dan atas usaha dan bantuannya menurunkan Al-Qur’an kepada Nabi SAW ayat demi ayat hingga memakan waktu 22 tahun 2 bulan 22 hari.

Justru apabila Allah SWT tidak menyebut kata “KAMI” maka “TIDAK REALISTIS” atas kejadian turunnya Al-Qur’an (yang disebut Nuzulul Qur’an) tersebut. Disini, justru terbuktikan bahwa Tuhannya orang Islam tidak SEMENA-MENA dengan Kehendak Nya sendiri… Padahal kalau Allah mau, Dia bisa saja melakukan hal itu karena Dia-lah yang PALING BERKUASA atas semua CiptaanNya.


3. PRASANGKA KETIGA : “Islam juga mengakui Tuhan yang berbentuk Manusia (cq. Isa A.S.)”

Kesalahpahaman, ketidakmengertian, ataupun kesengajaan ini timbul karena ada ayat di dalam Surat An-Nas yang berbunyi : “Ilaahin Naas” (Tuhan Manusia). Dengan demikian, mereka menganggap bahwa Islam sebenarnya juga mengakui Nabi Isa AS sebagai TUHAN ! Ini sama sekali keliru ! Ayat dalam surat An-Nas tersebut justru mengatakan bahwa : “Allahlah Tuhannya Para Manusia” BUKAN “Tuhan yang berbentuk Manusia”!

Pemahaman yang disampaikan oleh orang-orang Non-Muslim ini bisa saja disengaja (padahal mereka mengetahui) untuk menimbulkan DUKUNGAN MORIL bagi agama mereka yang mengakui Manusia (yakni Isa) sebagai TUHAN MEREKA”. Di samping itu juga sebagai “FAITH ACCOMPLY” (pemaksaan kehendak) mereka tentang Makna “KETUHANAN” (Aqidah) di dalam AGAMA mereka sendiri.


4. PRASANGKA KEEMPAT : “Alam atau Jagat Raya serta Segala Isinya ini terjadi dengan sendirinya secara Acak” –  Teori Evolusi

Untuk menjelaskan hal ini kita harus membahasnya dari segi Ilmu Pengetahuan (IPTEK) karena Pemahaman (Teori) ini timbul dari orang-orang yang sangat mendukung Iptek (Terutama Para Evolusionis) dan para pendukungnya Charles Darwin yang telah menggulirkan TEORI SESAT tersebut.

Kata “Random” (acak) dalam terminologi Iptek adalah : “Suatu kejadian yang Hasilnya tidak bisa diprediksi secara pasti dan tidak akan terjadi “hasil yang sama” secara berulang-ulang. Contohnya, bila kita mengambil satu angka dari 1.000.000 sampel angka dari mulai angka Nol sampai dengan angka 1.000.000 maka kemungkinan yang terjadi adalah “seper-satu juta” kemungkinan angka tersebut keluar. Itu untuk setiap kali pengambilan “sampel acak” tersebut. Sehingga probabilita terpilihnya angka berapapun SANGAT KECIL SEKALI yakni “satu per satu juta kemungkinan”. Maka “tidaklah mungkin” terpilihnya angka 1 (misalnya) pada setiap kali pengambilan sampel acak akan berjumlah 1.000.000 kali frekuensinya. Hal ini bisa dikatakan “IMPOSSIBLE” (SANGAT TIDAK MUNGKIN ­– karena probabilitanya sangat kecil sekali, yakni hanya satu banding satu juta saja). Maka Silahkan Anda buktikan sendiri ! Benarkah demikian “Inkuntum Ta’lamuun” ?

Nah, lalu bagaimana dengan ciptaan Allah SWT “yang bernama MANUSIA” yang bermilyar-milyar jumlahnya JIKA dijadikan sebagai Sampel Acak tersebut. Apakah MASIH WARAS untuk mengatakan bahwa “kejadian bayi di dalam perut ibunya terjadi secara acak/random dengan sendirinya” ?

Padahal kita tahu, bahwa setiap Ibu yang melahirkan PASTI akan melahirkan “BAYI yang berbentuk MANUSIA” → bukan melahirkan “BAYI yang berbentuk SPESIES LAIN”. Apakah hal itu bisa disebut sebagai “Kejadian yang Acak/random” ?
Maka sangatlah tidak masuk AKAL dan BODOH bagi orang-orang yang menganggap dirinya berilmu pengetahuan tetapi mengatakan demikian.

Jadi, dengan demikian setiap ciptaan (makhluk) yang diciptakan (yang terjadi) di dunia ini pasti ada penciptanya, yaitu Allah SWT, sebagaimana FirmanNya di dalam Surat Al-‘Alaq : “Kholaqol insaana min ‘alaq” (Artinya: Aku ciptakan Manusia dari segumpal darah yang membeku).

Kemudian coba lihat, proses penciptaan manusia di dalam rahim seorang ibu. Begitu “sophisticated”(sangat canggih) prosesnya, bahkan tanpa adanya campur tangan serta tanpa disadari sendiri oleh si ibu pemilik rahim tersebut. Jika proses penciptaan dan ciptaan itu sendiri begitu “canggih”, pastilah SANG PENCIPTANYA jauh lebih canggih (The most sophisticated).
Silakan Anda renungkan !

Demikianlah beberapa Prasangka Negatif yang dikemukakan oleh Orang-orang Non-Muslim kepada Agama Allah SWT (Islam) ini. Semoga mereka-mereka yang memiliki Stigma Negatif tersebut diberi Hidayah oleh Allah SWT untuk dapat mengerti akan HAKEKAT ISLAM yang Sebenarnya sebagai AGAMA yang RAHMATAN LIL ‘ALAMIN (Agama Kasih Sayang bagi Seluruh Makhluq Allah di Jagat Raya ini).

Amieen…Ya Robbal ‘Alamin…
Wabillahit Taufiq Wal-Hidayah
Wassalamu’alaikum Warohmatullahi Wabarokaatuh

Who are the all-round top students?

by Marilyn Achiron
Editor, Directorate for Education and Skills

Summer in the northern hemisphere is barely over and we’re already talking about doing well in school? Not only are we talking about doing well in school, we’re talking about doing verywell in school – and in all of the three subjects that PISA assesses: reading, mathematics and science. 

As this month’s PISA in Focus explains, all-rounders – students who attain proficiency Level 5 or 6 in all three assessment subjects – are rare: only 4.1% of 15-year-old students meet this high standard. Why do – or should – countries care about the number of all-rounders they produce? Knowing the proportion of students who excel in these three subjects helps countries to determine the depth of their future talent pool, which has significant implications for a country’s ability to compete and grow in an increasingly information-based global economy.

On average across OECD countries, 16.3% of students are top performers in at least one of the subject areas of science, mathematics or reading. But just because a student is a top performer in one subject does not necessarily mean that the student excels in all subjects. In Switzerland, for example, nearly one in four students is a top performer in mathematics, but only about one in 12 is a top performer in reading and one in ten is a top performer in science. The same is true for many Southeast Asian countries and economies, notably Hong Kong-China, Korea, Macao-China, Shanghai-China, Singapore and Chinese Taipei, where the likelihood of finding students who score at Level 5 or 6 in mathematics is considerably greater than that of finding students who score at that level in reading or science.

All-rounders are found in many countries and economies, but the proportion of these students varies considerably across school systems. For example, Shanghai-China has the largest share of all-rounders – 14.6% of 15-year-old students – followed by Singapore (12.3%); but fewer than 1% of students in Chile, Mexico, Turkey and 21 other countries and economies meet the criteria for being “all-rounders”. Yet all-rounders are found nearly equally among boys (3.8%) as among girls (4.4%).

What is somewhat surprising is that, among countries with similar mean scores in PISA, there are notable differences in the percentage of academic all-rounders. For example, Korea and Singapore score about the same in mathematics, reading and science; but while 12% of students in Singapore are all-rounders, only 7% of students in Korea are. This means that even the best-performing school systems are not equally capable of producing top performers in all subjects.

But it’s something to aspire to, even in late August.

Tuesday, 13 August 2013

How did the smartest kids in the world get that way?

by Marilyn Achiron
Editor, Directorate for Education and Skills

Last week, students, teachers and parents in New York State were stunned to learn that not even one in three third-through-eighth graders passed the new, state-wide English and math exams – tests aligned with the effort now underway in the United States to foster deep analytical and problem-solving skills and introduce more rigorous standards, known as the Common Core, into the country’s education system. While most US states have adopted the Common Core, disappointing first results are dampening enthusiasm for the reform: some states have already stopped rolling out the new exams, citing cost concerns.

I can think of one person who probably isn’t surprised by either the test scores or the resultant sulky foot-dragging to implement reforms: journalist and author Amanda Ripley.  In her new book, The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way, published today in the United States by Simon and Schuster, Ripley sets the scene for what is turning out to be a battle for the soul of US education. Using PISA 2009 results as the backbone of her story, Ripley sets out to find out why it is that American students are falling behind their contemporaries in countries that aren’t as wealthy or innovative as the United States. “PISA could not tell me how those countries got so smart, or what life was like for kids in those countries, day in and day out, compared to life in America,” she acknowledges. So with three American teenagers as her guides, she explores the human dimension of PISA results: what school is really like for students in Finland, Korea (two PISA top performers) and Poland (a rapidly improving PISA participant).

She follows 15-year-old Kim from rural Oklahoma to Pietarsaari, Finland, where the American exchange student learns first-hand what the Finnish word sisu (roughly translated: strength in the face of great odds, and then some) really means; she follows 18-year-old Eric, a high school graduate who also completed the demanding International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, from suburban Minnesota to Korea, where he planned to spend a year experiencing the “pressure-cooker” of that country’s education system; and she follows Tom, 17, a voracious reader from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to Poland (“[he wanted] to live somewhere where people knew the names Dostoyevsky and Nabokov”) to discover how one country could come so far so fast.

In lively, accessible prose, Ripley paints a warts-and-all picture of both the “education superpowers” and the failing American education system, and discovers the solution to the “mystery” of effective education. It involves rigor (“The problem with rigorous education was that it was hard”), learning how to learn – and recover – from failure (“’Success,’ as Winston Churchill once said, ‘is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm’”), and parents who are involved in their children’s education, not so much by being active in parent-teacher associations or coaching a sports team, but by reading to their young children every day and talking with their older children about their day or about what’s going on in the world. “They let their children make mistakes and then get right back to work. They teach them good habits and give them autonomy,” Ripley observes.

Regular readers of the educationtoday blog, PISA in Focus, or the PISA initial reports will be familiar with most of the data and some of the conclusions in The Smartest Kids in the World. But Ripley’s book looks at the data from a new perspective: that of the students who are the beneficiaries -- or victims -- of their countries’ education systems. Those stunned parents and teachers in New York State and elsewhere would do well to read this book first if they are inclined to blame their children’s/students’ poor results on a new test.

Links:   
OECD PISA for Parents
Videos on Finland and Korea as part of the Strong Performers, Successful Reformers video series
 Photo credit: Evaluation symbol  / @Shutterstock

Tuesday, 6 August 2013

Learning hard and “soft” skills through Internships


Ben Lyons Co-Director of Intern Aware, a British-based campaigning organization that promotes the rights and interests of young people entering the professional world, answers questions posed by Cassandra Davis educationtoday’s editor during his visit to the OECD 2013 Forum.

educationtoday: What kinds of skills do today’s graduates need to succeed in the labour market? Should students acquire skills to meet labour-market demands or to fulfill their own aspirations?

As well as theoretical knowledge, most employers require the strong soft skills such as commercial awareness, communication, teamwork, problem-solving and organisation that can be gained through work-related learning. The crisis has exposed the fact that students are worse off in countries where education is overly academic and institutions are failing to equip students with the skills they need for the labour market. With a greater focus on the hard and soft skills developed through individually tailored apprenticeships and internships, meeting labour market demands and fulfilling a young person’s aspirations need not be mutually exclusive.

educationtoday: Do you see greater opportunities for interns who have advanced technology-based skills?

It is evident today that in every sector a good knowledge of technology is needed and young people who don’t have these skills are going lose out. Skills are often referred to as being “generic”; however, there is a need for specialisation across all sectors, from arts to accountancy.

educationtoday: What is your take on the MOOC revolution? Do you think online virtual training could eventually reduce internships?

I’m skeptical of the MOOC revolution in relation to internships. Whilst some work can be done virtually, many of the soft skills from an internship – whether it’s meeting new people who might help with future job opportunities, or learning office conduct – are not going to be developed  if the intern is working hundreds of miles away. Embedding interns into a team is also beneficial for both parties, potentially bringing new ideas to the group, and helping employers judge if the intern would make a good “fit” with the organisation’s work culture.

educationtoday: How would you counter the claim that internships are just a way for businesses to get free labour? What can be done to reduce or eliminate this perception of exploitation?

Exploitation is a genuine problem that has been exacerbated by the economic crisis.  In Germany a survey has shown 81% of trainees are doing tasks done by regular staff, while the European Youth Forum estimates three-quarters of European interns receive insufficient payment to cover the cost of the internship. High-quality internships that are remunerated are shown to be extremely beneficial to both the intern and organisation. As internships represent the bridge between education and work; a diverse pool of interns is needed to ensure that employers are getting the best people, and this requires payment and recruitment based on merit.

educationtoday: University education is becoming prohibitively expensive in the US; in other places, students choose not to go to university because they feel they are not academically equipped.  What, then, can these students do to improve their chances in the labour market? Is vocational education now a viable alternative?

In today’s world we can only compete at the highest level if both tertiary education and vocational training are accessible and if they receive sufficient investment to be high quality. Vocational education is a viable alternative; however, in many countries such as the UK there has been a snobbish attitude towards VET and a consequence is a shortage of skills in sectors like manufacturing and engineering. In Germany, where VET is considered a credible path, many students go on to well paid, highly skilled jobs. Governments, businesses and educational institutions all need to raise their game and work more closely together. For example, businesses should have more input into vocational courses and funding for training colleges should be partially dependent on the institutions achieving high levels of employment.

Links:
Photo credit: Young people waiting for job interview / @Shutterstock