Wednesday, December 26, 2012

ISLAM OVER THE WORLD : ISLAM IN JAPAN



When asked about religion, they would say that they are Buddhists just because their ancestors belong to one sect of Buddhism. In these days of Shinto, a religion that originated in Japan is almost unnoticed and only known by a few scholars only. Most of Buddhism and Shinto practiced only in a culture such as manners and marriage. A number of minority adheres to Christianity, Shamanism and New religions such as Soka Gakkai.
Most of this new religion related meetings with Buddhism. Islam as a minority religion is also growing in Japan. In this paper will discuss the development of Islam after observing the development of religion and the people of Japan. 2. History of Religion in Japan In Japan the freedom given by the government to the people widely. It is located on the quote: "No religious organization shall receive any privileges from the state nor exercise any political authority. No person shall be compelled to take part in any religious act, celebration, rite, or any other religious activity "(The Japan of Today, 1996:113).
Free translation of the quote above is "no religious organization will receive special treatment from the state, either appearance or religious or political authorities. No society will be forced to take part in a religious act both celebrations, ceremonies, any other religious activities. There is freedom of religion in Japan is shown by the number of followers of religions. In 1994 the number of Buddhist population of 90 million, 1.5 million Christians, and Muslims 100,000, that number includes people not native to Japan. According to Nakata (2006) for the Japanese religion is out of mind (outside the universe of thought). According to the Japanese people, religion is only for people who experience mental illness. It is contrary to the opinion Suriasumantri (in Sumarlam, ed., 2004:124) say that religion serves to provide the foundation of human relationships with the Creator and with each other, based on the belief espoused. 3. The history of Islam in Japan Nakata (2006) explains that there is no direct contact with Islam Japan until the Meiji Restoration (1867). This is a major factor in the Muslim community in Japan at least until now. Muslim Japanese predecessors such as Ahmad Ariga Bunpachiro (w.1946), Yamada Torajiro Hilal (d. 1957), and Nurullah Tanaka Ippei (d. 1934), no children and no Muslim descent, and since then they have no Muslim family but three generations earlier , to the Hajj Abdulkarim Sekihei Saito (w.1998). Besides Japanese society contiguity with Islam diawalai the translation of the Prophet Muhammad SAW activity into Japanese. Relations further established when the Japanese government established trade alliance with the Turkish government. Through this association, more closely interwoven contact between the two civilizations. According Lestari (2007) when the Ottoman Turks sent a messenger in the form of its naval fleet to Japan in 1890, the purpose of the mission was to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries and to get to know one another. Naval fleet is then reversed and ran aground in the trip home. Of the 600 passengers, only 69 survivors. Government and the Japanese people together to try to help the survivors and held a memorial service for the spirits of the passengers who died. Those who survived, eventually able to return to their country thanks to donations collected from all the people of Japan. These events trigger the Turkish government sent an envoy to Japan in 1891. Very good relationship with Turkey, also brought victory for the Japanese in the war with Russia, which began in 1904. It is said, when the Russian imperial fleet across the Baltic Sea, Turkey informed the Japanese, and therefore, Japan won victory. The Japanese were the first to convert to Islam are Mitsutaro Takaoka who became Muslim in 1909 and later renamed Omar Yamaoka after a pilgrimage to Mecca and had also visited Bumpachiro Ariga, where in the city that are part of the country that India had also traded Omar Yamaoka as well acquainted with Islam in more depth. After long enough to interact with the local community, Yamaoka eventually changed his name again to Ahmad Ariga. But the researchers also noted that the Japanese who first embraced Islam was named Torajiro Yamada. Yamada had visited the country Turkey as a form of sympathy on the death of the Turkish naval personnel who had visited Japan. Yamada then converted to Islam and changed its name to Abdul Khalil. To refine Pillars of Islam, Abdul Khalil also perform the pilgrimage to Mecca. 4. The Muslim community in Japan In Japan, the Muslim community emerged over the development period and the Japanese public curiosity towards Islam. The emergence of the Muslim community in Japan started since the arrival of hundreds of Muslim refugees from Turkey, Uzbekistan, Tadjikistan, Kirghiztan, Kazakhs and other refugees from Central Asia and Russia as the rise of the Bolshevik Revolution during World War I. The Muslims were given the Asylum (right of asylum) by the Japanese lived in several major cities in Japan and then form a small Muslim community.

Some Japanese people embraced Islam after interacting with the Muslim community. With the small Muslim community that some mosques were built. Kobe Mosque, built in 1935 and the Tokyo Mosque built in 1938 is the most important mosques in Japan. One thing that should be emphasized here that few Japanese Muslims were involved in the construction of mosques as well as none of the Japanese Muslim Imam in every mosque. During World War II that took place in Japan. This trend brought about by the military government through various organizations and research centers around the concern to the study of Islam and the Muslim World. In other words, during World War II, there were more than 100 books and journals that published studies on Islam in Japan. But unfortunately a wide range of organizations and research center that thrives is not under control or managed by Muslims so that students of Islam can use the name of Islam for any purpose. Whereas students of Islamic goal is simply to make the Japanese military gain deep knowledge and broad insight about Islam and Muslims in the countries occupied Japan in China and Southeast Asia. Consequently, after World War II ended in 1945, many organizations and research centers disappeared rapidly. For others the result of the 1973 oil shock events. At that time King Faisal raise the price of oil so that Western countries especially the United States and its economy suffered a dither decline (decline).

Japanese media doing massive coverage of the Muslim World in general and the Arab World in particular after realizing the importance of the Arab countries for the Japanese economy. With the news of this massive Japanese people who previously did not know anything about Islam got a chance to know Islam through the atmosphere display organizing Hajj in Mecca and to hear the call to prayer and reading the Koran. In addition to the many serious efforts to study Islam and many converted to Islam. However, with the end effect of oil shock, the end was all this nostalgia. Japanese people's interest in Islam disappeared quickly. In Japan there is no single organization for Muslim Japan. Also no exact figure how many actual number of Muslims in Japan. But the number of estimates in 2002 about 70,000. The largest number are Muslims from Indonesia, about 20,000 people. Muslim native Japan alone is estimated only 7,000 people most of them converted to Islam through marriage with Muslim couples from outside Japan. Of that amount, only about 500 people were organized under the Japan Muslim Association, the largest and oldest Islamic organization in Japan.

Thus, Japan's Muslim minority totally absolute. Its presence in the midst of the Japanese people barely unnoticed and ignored. The situation is the same when we talk about Islamic studies in Japan. Scholars are still very few. The presence of Islam in Japan breathed fresh air for living. Japanese society lifestyle dried spiritual values ​​makes them easy stress. This can be evidenced by the 30,000 suicides per year. Though the life of prosperous people with income per capita GNP of 30,000 U.S. dollars. The biggest problem is the fact that the Japanese people are mentally defeated the West and become their slave. They are very work-oriented and materialistic. The concept of traditional Japanese families increasingly weak over the modern world that refers to the social and economic factors. Modernity interest in Western-style fashion, lifestyle, and a series of other triggers in addition to economic reasons has been the main locomotive of social and cultural changes in Japanese society. Unfortunately, this fact is not recognized. Thus the Japanese people with their well-being can not live happily.

There are several reasons cited Japanese people embraced Islam;

First, Islam is the most comprehensive system of life, most rational and consistent. This is evident from the teachings of other religions in Japan do not have a clear concept.

Second, Islam is used as a guide for the individual to live a life in Japanese society matrealistis. Life matrealistis just divinize objects. Related to the concept of divinity assumption ruled out. Yet human beings consist of two elements of the physical and spiritual. Indeed, the physical needs of the Japanese people met well with the level of well-being, but their spiritual needs dry. Aware of the nature of human desire for balance between the physical and the spiritual.

Third, there are Japanese people who marry Muslims. Most Muslims who came to Japan from the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Intermarriage is a big impact for the development of Islam in Japan.

Fourth, the Japanese decided to embrace Islam after they compared the concept of God with other religions. Their interest is evidenced by examining Islam in Islamic studies in Japan, such as Tokyo University. In addition, many Japanese students who study Islam at universities in the Middle East, such as Umm Al-Qura University in Saudi Arabia, Qatar University, and a leading Islamic universities. Thus they embraced Islam on the premise that strong arguments didasai a satisfactory reason. These reasons never disclosed Michiko. He called Islam as a carrier of peace. Michiko even describe the message of peace in Islam is almost close to the message of peace who brought Buddhism followed by nearly 80 percent of Japanese. Japanese people who want to know more about Islam in a while is not too difficult. In Japan, there have been several groups that provide a place to discuss and get to know Islam. Islamic study group formed by the Muslim community there. For example, the Muslim Association of Japan, 50 Islamic center to center of missionary activity in Tokyo, and several groups formed Islamic studies Muslims who come from outside Japan. In addition to the group of Islamic Studies, also stood several mosques located in the heart of the city. For example, Tokyo mosque, Kobe Mosque, mosque Nagoya, Toda mosque, mosque Asakusa, Makki mosque, and the mosque Ebina. Thus Islam will be able to evolve as the development of Japan's path to modernity. The existence of Islam will bring change to Japanese modernity that is compiled with civilization. Missionary activity in Japan will assert that Islam as a religion of peace spreader

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