by Nizar, a member of Inspirez

Dukun, Magelang is a sub-province in Central Java, situated close to the volcano Mount Merapi. It is an area rich in agricultural produce, with a majority of the population being farmers of various crops. Despite its relatively low profile, the administrators of the sub-province have aspirations of making Dukun a model village upon which other villages can base their development upon.

Part of the efforts to improve Dukun included improving the educational facilities of the the village, namely Sekolah Dasar Sewukan, as well as motivating the youth i.e. students of the school towards a common dream of improving the state of the village. It is as part of these efforts that the Inspirez team was able to contribute to the community there.

The Inspirez team comprised of 21 members, who spent a crazy month putting together the itinerary and preparing for the 2-week long expedition. The core aspects of the expedition were three-pronged – education, recreation and construction. Each of these aspects required hours of thoughts and review, as well as physical preparations such as purchase and requisition of logistics for the conduct of the programmes. Fortunately, the team managed to pull everything together the week before the intended departure, and everything was set and ready to go.

Alhamdulillah, the expedition itself went very well, despite the few hiccups that were encountered along the way. The programmes were very well received, especially the carnival which was held at the end of the expedition. The carnival was attended by more than 300 people from the village, and they were entertained with games, and prizes galore! Members of the Ministry of Education and other government bodies were also present to grace the occasion. It was indeed a momentous event for the Inspirez team.

As the expedition approached fruition, it was only when farewells were said that the team realized the bonds that had been formed between them and the school. Tears were shared openly between the Inspirez team, the school administrators and the students alike as the team took their leave. It was very touching that although the work and effort made by the team was simple, there was a sense of deep gratitude that left the team very humbled. In fact the Inspirez team felt that they had gained much more than what they could ever have contributed

And because of that, Dukun will always be a part of them.

Dr. Syed Farid Alatas is an Associate Professor at the Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore where he has been since 1992. A Malaysian national, he had his schooling in Singapore and obtained his PhD in Sociology from the Johns Hopkins University in 1991. He lectured at the University of Malaya in the Department of Southeast Asian Studies prior to his appointment at Singapore.

Islam and the West: A Relationship of Conflict and Harmony

The talk will discuss the history of conflict and harmony between these two civilizations, highlighting the fact that the history of the world since the 7th century has been that of the contact between Islam and the West. The period of war as well as cultural borrowings between Islam and Christian Europe will be discussed as well as later developments in colonialism and the rise of Muslim revival movements in the contemporary world.

21st August - LT1 - 5.30 pm

Dr. Karim Douglas Crow is an Associate Professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, where he researches & teaches on Contemporary Islam. Dr. Crow took his university education in Beirut and Cairo, and his Doctorate from the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University. Dr. Crow also serves as an Advisor for several non-governmental programs and institutions treating Islamic peace issues in North America, Palestine, the Caucasus & Aceh (Indonesia).

Strategic Lessons from Prophet Muhammad’s career

In his historical mission as the Messenger of God, and in his establishing and guiding the original Islamic community, Prophet Muhammad provided humanity an exceptional model of exemplary conduct and practice. Muslims today may re-learn and implement his guidance by following strategic principles employed by Muhammad, and by understanding and cultivating the methods of Peace Building displayed by during his mission.

We briefly review the stages of the Prophet’s mission over his thirteen years in Makkah and ten years of activities in Madinah, indicating lessons that may guide Muslims in effectively responding to the challenges of our age of global confluence.

Movie Screening with special commentary by

Mr. Yousry Mansour

Mr. Mansour is a free-lance Writer/Researcher in Arabian studies: its culture, language and religion. He is also, a film director, scriptwriter, producer and film curator.

He is a graduate with a Bachelor Degree in Arts, majored in Cinema Directing from The Higher Institute of Cinema in Egypt (19881) and he also holds a Certificate in Audio Visual Technology from Japan (1988). His recent works include a short film, “Look at Me!” (2007) and a book, “The Cinema of China- The Dragon Rejuvenates” (2007).

After the screening, Mr. Mansour will give a short commentary, sharing with us a new perspective on the film.

An exhibition will be held throughout the three days of IAP. It features the Muslims in their daily lives, from dawn to dusk. The booths illustrate important concepts in Islam such as the five pillars of faith, ‘Halal’ food and certain celebrations in the Islamic calendar.

Questions about Islam can be posted at the “I ask” corner, or otherwise, they can be voiced out during the Q&A sessions after the talks.