kraton jogja and the caricature

Two weeks ago, I visited Pantau . I met Kang Agus, Mbak Eva, Imam, and Mas Andreas. Within our discussion, we talked about Kraton Jogja which describes many simbols and cult in the Kraton’s tradition.

Suddenly, Mas Andreas said to me, “Come on,... even Indonesian moslem still put Mohammed’s figure as a cult. Isn’t right, Rif?”

I hadn’t given comment yet for Kang Agus slightly changed the topic. He seemed to prefer discussing another topic beside that.

But now, I’m going to comment Mas Andreas’ question to me, as a moslem and a journalist in one integrated body and soul.

Firstly, I believed Muhammad won’t be angry just to see his figure is wildy described in Jyllands-Posten. The only reason is that, he got much worse than that by Quraish. He was thrown with shit, cursed as crazy, witch, etc.

In the first phase of Islam teaching, Muhammad and his follower had to hide from the physical and psychological terror by polytheistic Quraish. The Quraish used to torturing anyone who was found learning Islam by burying them alive, or leaving them dehydrated in the hot sand, or broke their legs and arms for fun.

Even Muhammad was once struck by a rock that made him loosing several of his teeth.

When Muhammad’s follower ask him to ask God for doom upon polytheistic Quraish, Muhammad refused, and said, “If I destroy them, then why God send me as the last prophet to deliver the meaning of peace and bless to this world? They just don’t know what they do,” he said.

Hadist—the second book of law in Islam, contains Muhammad’s speech and act—said that Muhammad was with Gabriel (Allah’s angel) who were preparing to throw Mountain Jabbal Annur to polytheistic Quraish’s settlement.

So, according to me, nowadays Muhammad’s follower has to follow him in reacting Jyllands-Posten. They don’t know what they do, therefore we don’t have to act by doing something that against Muhammad’s taught.

I think moslem should find out, why they describe our holy book deliverer that way. We should blame ourselves too, for being fail in practicing Islam teaching. Blame ourselves for not being able to spread peace and rahmat for the sake of The Earth!

And as a journalist, I think it is not right to publish a caricature based on wild opinion. The differences between mass media and diary, is that media has a responsibility for what they deliver, while diaries writer don’t have to.

It is no longer the problem of freedom only, but also responsibility. The information contained in their media must be a fact, and reponsible one.

While the caricature in Jyllands Posten, well... most of them are based on wild, dirty irresponsible opinion.

That caricature is saying “I’m free to paint your prophet.” And moslem heart’s responding, “Your freedom is breaking my faith, then I’m free to respond your freedom as my faith,”

Imagine that it is the strict moslem as Usamah bin Ladin who said it. Thousand of desperated moslem as Usamah.

In this plural world, we should fight for freedom, and preserve it not to take other’s freedom.


I remember a slide of movie starred by Antonio Banderas, Once upon A Time in Mexico (2003). He was asked by his lover (Salma Hayek), “what do you want most in life,”

“Freedom,” he said.

And the girl responded, “it's so simple,”

“No, it is not,” he replied, smiling.

Yes, dear Banderas, freedom is not a simple thing to fight for, and to control from suppressing other’s.