Only one news compete with the Indonesian electoral news, that is the news about Michael Jackson. His sudden death and all his other following news were on the television without stop. The grief and shock is not comparable to the situation when the world lost Lady Di, but it made the television spare some slot for his remembrance.
The news about Michael Jackson changed his religion (and changed his name to Mikail), and that he parted the world as a Muslim made it more hot news here. Today printed Warta Kota (July 4, 2009) presented a headline "Santri Tahlil untuk Jacko". Hudreds of "santri" (students in an Islamic school) from Pesantren Zainul Hasan Genggong , East Java, prayed for Jackson. A teacher quoted by the newspaper was saying that the prayer was aimed for Jacko as a Muslim, and if he did not converted to Islam then the prayer would not reach his soul, but those who pray will still get the benefit of praying.
Another news airing the voice of Zain Bhikha confirming in an interview that he was the one who sing the song Give Thanks to Allah, not Michael Jackson.
Perhaps it is not only Indonesian muslims who pray for him. The whole world would like to send a prayer for him, the one who had asked people share love to heal the world.
I was just finishing two books from Torey Hayden, "One Child" and "The Tiger's Child" when I heard that Michael has passed away. With his Neverland dream, I couldn't avoid thinking about a gifted child who had lost his youthful happiness.
Michael is not the only person that we are going to miss. My generation missed David Carradine (the one that I'll always remember as the good, humble and patient Kwai Chang Caine), and Farah Fawcett (one of the famous Charlie's Angels).
Let them rest in peace, and hoping that their memories will teach us how to build a better world.
1 comment:
I liked the sentiments of your comments Retty. As you know I sent emails to all my address book after receiving really unkind, appalling jokes about Michael Jackson which were sent to me within hours of his death.
I do have a sense of humour but found these jokes very disrespectful and unkind.
Whatever we think of his somewhat odd behaviour in his latter years, we should also remember that he was probably very disturbed by an unhappy and abusive childhood.
He gave pleasure to millions of people through his music and dancing so please let us remember him this way.
May Allah bless his soul.
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