Terrorism, School, and Morale

Part of this post was also published  in The Jakarta Post national newspaper page 8 on Readers' Forum with title "Terrorism, school, and morals"

On Thursday, January 14th 2016 the All-Girls High School Santa Ursula located in Jln. Pos no. 02 Central Jakarta had all its students of 10th and 11th grade day off because the 12th grade students would have to be defending their scientific paper as their final assignment.

My little sister is an eleventh grader studying in All-Girls High School Santa Ursula. She lives nearby in a dormitory of Santa Maria located in Jln. Batu Tulis Raya no. 30 Central Jakarta. Although it was a day off for her, her friends and she had to attend choir practice in school for an upcoming school event.

On that very Thursday, January 14th 2016 morning, her other two friends and she decided to go to Sarinah to hang out instead of having the choir practice in the morning, and would attend the practice later in the afternoon. However, the plan was cancelled because it was difficult for them to be excused by the teacher.

Sarinah is the nearest cool hanging out place for some schools located in Central Jakarta. My little brother and I also went to a school in Jakarta, an All-Boys High School Canisius College, 20 minutes walking from Santa Ursula, which means it is also close to Sarinah. I still remember the days when my friends (from Canisius College and Santa Ursula) and I often visited Sarinah for watching movies, or having some meals and beverages in some stores there. No wonder that now it’s my little sister’s turn to enjoy what I used to feel as a high school student around there.

In the other universe, my little sister along with her friends might have decided to play truant from their duty in school, and I couldn’t imagine what would have happened to my family in that other universe. Neither of us could be sure of what things would have happened to my little sister should have she been in Sarinah by then. Maybe she would have been fine, or maybe she would have been crying because of being terrified and psychologically shaken, or maybe she would be no longer here right now.

After my sister and I talked about the tragedy (although it turns out to be a mockery for the terrorists, still it’s a tragedy that took lives), I told her that the lesson of this all is to always choose school and education instead of hanging out, or especially instead of playing truant from her duty.

This event has taught both of us that by holding firmly to our integrity and sense of responsibility, we will be salvaged. If only she had decided to ignore her duty, she might have been no more. We both have ended up agree that it’s the morale that will save us, people.

After all, isn’t terrorism all about immoral action? Isn’t it all about ignoring humanity and our responsibility to keep harmony and peace in society? Isn’t it all about selfishness that consumes one’s conscience?

I don’t know if the bombing attack was about religion at all; none of us can see the religious part of the action anyway. Anyhow, one thing is sure from this event: ego and ignorance can become the cause of destruction for our civilization.

Sometimes I am flummoxed to see how people are so devoured into their own desire and personal gain without taking into account what other party may be impacted by. Lives, psychological sides of the victims and family, economic impact, and even the religion they claim to be the reason of their action are all harmed. My little brother’s high school friend, who also studied in the same high school as we did, is a victim of the incidence in Sarinah. Fortunately he’s still alive, but unfortunately his ears were impacted by the bomb.

Malala Yousafzai once said “with guns you can kill terrorists; with education you can kill terrorism”. Seeing what has nearly happened to my family, I cannot agree with her more. That’s why I believe it’s highly important for our minister of religion to revise soon the curriculum of Islamic education in Indonesia.

Indonesian Muslims must understand what Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) really has taught. They need to see that terrorism and killing innocents have never been the teaching of Islam. Our next Muslim generations need to learn that Islam is instead a peaceful religion that truly upholds human dignity, that it is a religion that protects lives instead.

I have many Muslim friends, and some of them are very religious. I know they are not hardliners, though. They are, instead, very opened about diversity. They profoundly understand that the more they learn Islam, the more they are obliged to disseminate peace, because Islam is supposed to be the grace for the whole world regardless of anyone’s background, just like how Prophet Muhammad showed through his attitude in his lifetime, e.g. taking care of a Jewish blind old woman despite knowing she kept badmouthing him while he was spoon-feeding her.

By integrating moral examples and altruism with our curriculum in school, teaching our younglings that integrity and act of responsibility are pivotal, that is how we will combat terrorism. That is how we will save the future of our nation. At least I know that it is exactly what has saved my beloved little sister.