Mempertegas Posisi Amil

Oleh Ahmad Fathan Aniq
Setiap bulan Ramadhan tiba, umat Islam selalu berlomba-lomba untuk berderma. Tak hanya dengan membayar zakat fitrah, tetapi juga dengan melakukan berbagai bentuk derma yang lain seperti sadaqah, infaq dan waqaf. Zakat al-mal atau zakat harta yang pembayarannya dilakukan tiap kali mencapai masa haul pun biasanya dikeluarkan pada bulan Ramadhan. Hal ini dapat [...]

Menimbang Civil Society dan Masyarakat Madani; Antara Mitos dan Realitas

Oleh Ahmad Fathan Aniq

Pada mulanya, saya sempat bingung ketika mencoba memahami apa yang dimaksud dengan ungkapan “mitos masyarakat madani”. Karena ungkapan ini sepemahaman saya setidaknya mengarahkan kepada dua arti. Yang pertama yaitu mitos mengenai kondisi kewargaan pada zaman Rasulullah Muhammad Saw yang selanjutnya oleh sebagian muslim Indonesia disebut sebagai representasi ideal “masyarakat madani”. Rasulullah [...]

The Tourist Industry; Is It Beneficial to Local People?

By Ahmad Fathan Aniq

Some days ago, I read Iwan Mucipto’s paper on tourist industries in Lombok. The paper itself is entitled “Development for Whom? The Tourism Industry in Lombok, Indonesia” which was presented by Mucipto in the Ninth INFID Conference, “Good Governance in Regional Development” in Paris 1994. I found this paper in a [...]

The Future of Islam

By Ahmad Fathan Aniq
The future of Islam is an interesting issue to be discussed. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and moreover after the attack of 11 September on the twin World Trade Center buildings, Islam has been considered as a threat to the peaceful world and at the same time some people have [...]

The Danish Prophet Cartoons and Freedom Of Expression

By Ahmad Fathan Aniq
On 30 September 2005, Jylland Posten, the biggest Denmark daily newspaper, published 12 cartoons which were claimed to be cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). In Islam, it is taboo to draw the Prophet. However, there were no big reactions in the first two months since the cartoons were published. Nevertheless, in [...]

Memaknai Idul Fitri

Oleh: Ahmad Fathan Aniq
Bulan Ramadhan telah berlalu dan tibalah kini hari raya Idul Fitri. Setiap kali Hari Raya tiba, umat Muslim selalu diliputi dua perasaan. Di satu sisi mereka bersedih karena harus berpisah dengan bulan yang sangat istimewa yaitu bulan Ramadhan. Bulan dimana Allah SWT. dengan ke-Mahapemurahan-Nya memberikan banyak bonus pahala ibadah dan dibukakan-Nya lebar-lebar [...]

Westerners’ Misconceptions About Islam

Written by Ahmad Fathan Aniq
Islam according to its believers, is a perfect religion. Its teachings touch all aspects of life. However, Westerners may look at it from a different perspective. They frequently have misconceptions and stereotypes about Islam. Some stereotypes [...]