International Warwick Islamic Education Summer School...

Dr. Maila Dinia Husni Rahiem 16-07-2018 Lecturer Faculty of Education Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN) Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta Jalan IR. H. Juanda No. 95, Ciputat, Tangerang Selatan, Jakarta, Indonesia http://fitk.uinjkt.ac.id/

Dear Dr. Maila Dinia Husni Rahiem,

I am pleased to invite you to participate as a guest speaker in the 3rd International Warwick Islamic Education Summer School that will take place between 03-05 September 2018 at the Center for Education Studies, University of Warwick, UK. The Summer School will explore the ‘Formation of Muslim Female Faith & Educational Leadership’ in contemporary Muslim majority and minority societies. We would be delighted to have a scholarly perspective discussing the issue within the context of Indonesia. You will have the opportunity of sharing your expertise and experience with the delegates and meeting colleagues within Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit and wider Center for Education Studies. Your visit will further enhance the developing research and teaching collaboration between Warwick and UIN Syarif Hidayatullah University. We do hope that you will be able to accept this invitation and we look forward to welcoming you to Warwick. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any inquiries regarding the invitation. Yours Sincerely

Dr Abdullah Sahin Reader in Islamic Education Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit Centre for Education Studies Social Sciences (Room B1.26) phone:+442476523022 Email:[email protected] www.warwick.ac.uk/go/wreru University of Warwick Coventry CV4 7AL UK https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/ces/news/islamiceducationsummerschool2018/

CES/WRERU3rd

Warwick Islamic Education Summer School

Formation of Muslim Female Faith & Educational

Leadership within the European Muslim Diaspora:

engaging traditions of embodied spirituality with transformative pedagogy

03-05 September 2018

Arden House,University of WarwickConveners: Fatimah Asharif, Elif Medeni & Dr A. Sahin

September 3rd Welcome & Introduction

11.30 - 12.30 Registration

13.00 - 13.30

Welcome & ‘Taaruf’

Prof Leslie Francis, Director, WRERU, University of Warwick

Dr Abdullah Sahin, WRERU, University of Warwick

Introducing the Programme (Fatimah Asharif, Elif Medeni & Dr A. Sahin)

Session I

13.30 – 13. 50An Overview of Warwick Islamic Education Graduate Programme Dr Abdullah Sahin

13.50 – 14.00 Break

14.00 - 14.45 Muslim female faith & educational Leadership in the European Muslim diaspora:Theological, Cultural, Political and Pedagogic Framings Dr Abdullah Sahin

14.45 – 15.15 Break

Session IIShort

Presentations15.15 – 17.30

Diverse Muslim Female Experiences in the British Muslim Diaspora:community, education & faith

‘Sisters Inc.’: formation of a grassroots Muslim female educational

leadership initiative. Ruweyda AliMuslim female head teachers in Islamic-ethos schools in UK: ‘an endangered species’

Hadia MalikExperiences of Muslim pupils in school under the Prevent strategy

Anna Lockley-Scott (PhD student, University of Warwick)Response by Shahnaz Akhter (PhD student, University of Warwick)

18.00 - 19.00 Dinner (residential delegates only)

EveningSession

19.00 - 21.30

‘Qur’anic Hermeneutics & Psychological Type’:

A Practical Workshop led by Prof Leslie Francis, Director, WRERU

September 4th Muslim Female Voice, Leadership & ActivismSpirituality, Creative Arts, Education and Community Development

Session I9.00 – 9.30

9.30 - 10.30

Reflections/Prayer & Recap on 1st Day

Feminine Wisdom: exploring the gift of female spiritual teachers

Fatimah Ashrif (Rumi’s Circle)

10.30 – 10.40 Break

10.40 - 11.30On being an Arab Muslim female story-teller: an experience from the UAE

Mariam Al-SaediNovelist, Writer based in Abu Dhabi, UAE

11.30 - 12.30Women’s Education, Vulnerability and Resilience after Disaster: a case study in Indonesia

Dr Maila Dinia Husni RahiemUniversitas Islam Negeri (UIN)Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, Indonesia

12.30-13.30 Lunch & Prayers (optional)Session II

13.30 - 14.00

14.00 - 14.45

Book Launch‘Muslim Supplementary Classes and their place within the wider learning community’by Dr Bill Gent, Associate Fellow, WRERU.

The Relationship Between Islamic Education & Education About Religious &Worldview DiversityProf Robert Jackson, WRERU

The significance of Qur'anic memorisation and recitation in the context of New Literacy Studies.Dr Bill Gent, University of Warwick

14.45 – 5.30 Break

Session III15.00 - 16.30

Celebrating the art of female story-telling in Islam

‘Story of Hijrah to Abyssinia as told by Umm Salama’A Performance by ‘Khayaal’ Theatre Group

Eleanor Martin & Luqman Ali

16.30 – 16.45 Break

Short Presentations16.45 - 17.30

Islamic Education curriculum development in Muslim primary schools: a practical case study

Sanel AbudrRahman Haskic (Apex Primary School, London)

Exploring nature of female scholarship in Muslim intellectual traditions:

the case of Hadith (the study of prophetic traditions)

Shaykh M Ziad Tekleh (PhD Student, University of Warwick)

Responses & Reflections

18.00 – 19.00 pm Dinner (residential delegates only)

Evening Session19.00 – 20.45

Exploring the Educational Legacy of RE ‘Greats’An evening with Professor Emeritus Eleanor Nesbitt (WRERU, University ofWarwick)

‘Researching Religious Nurture through Ethnography’

September 5th Female Scholarship, Faith leadership and Training inContemporary Muslim minority and majority contexts

Session I9.00 –9.15

9.15 - 10.15

Reflections/Prayer & Recap on 2nd Day

The Various Manifestations of Islamic Education in Austria: a synopsis

Elif Medeni, Director, Institute for Islamic Religion, KPH Vienna/Austria.

10.15 – 10.30 Break

Short Presentations10.30 - 12.45

Lea Taragin-Zeller, (Cambridge University)Comparing female leadership among Jewish and Muslim women in the UK

Basma ElShayyel (University of Warwick)Being a Muslim female RE teacher: reflections of a personal journey

Humeyra Guleryuz Erken (PhD Student, University of Warwick)Samsudin Bin Abd Hamid (PhD Student, University of Warwick )Value formation among Muslim female students: does gender make a difference?


Short Break

A I Ashraf (EdD Student, University of Warwick)Challenges of School Leadership in Islamic Schools in the UK

Arwa AlAzzaz (PhD Candidate University of Warwick)Moral dimension of adult child relationship: a historical inquiry into IslamicEducational Ethics.

Dr Kamal HoqueReimagining Positive Psychology with of Imam Ghazali: a critical realignment of

psychological interventions in the British Muslim Diaspora

Jameel AlbeshriExploring impact of culture and identity on ‘pragmatic competence’ (ability to use

language effectively) among Muslim students in UK universities


13.00 – 14.00 Lunch & Prayers (optional)

Session II

Reflections on thepresentations, discussions toformulate new researchprojects

14.00 - 15.00

Exercise in Framing Possible Research Project:

Female art and spiritual education in formal/informal Islamic Schooling context

Understanding formation of female religiosity and spirituality through empirical research

The impact of intergenerational change on identity and faith-formation of young Muslim

women in the European Muslim diaspora

…….

15.00 – 15.15 Break

Session III

Roundtable Discussion

15.15 - 16.30

‘International Islamic Education Research Network’

Collaborative Research.An edited book project based on the Summer School Papers.Theme and possible joint organisation and delivery of the WarwickIslamic Education Summer School 2019

16.30 – 17.00 Concluding remarks, presenting certificates of attendance & feedback

Departure & Safe Journeys Back Home

Women’s Education, Vulnerability and Resilience after Disaster: a case study in Indonesia

Maila Dinia Husni Rahiem

UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta

Presented in 3rd CES/WRERU Islamic Education Summer School “Formation of Muslim Female Faith & Educational Leadership within

European Muslim Diaspora: Engaging Traditions of Embodied Spirituality with Transformative Pedagogy

University of Warwick, United Kingdom

03-05 September 2018

“So, at the time of the earthquake, the time was around… hmmm… morning yes... at

about 9 o'clock. At that time, I was playing at a friend's house... she was a relative of mine….

Then I returned home. When I arrived home, I saw Mom was calm and sitting down. Then...

about 15 minutes later, I heard so many people shouting and screaming. I tried to close my

ears, because there was this huge noise, like an explosion. We all capped our ears. Fifteen

minutes later, people were running around, shouting about the rising water! At that moment, I

saw my brother had run away, but I was still at home. Then my mum said, “Lia take this outfit

and off you run. I must wait for your dad,” So, I stood confused in front of the alley (their house

has an alley/narrow street in front). I stood there confused, while my brother yelled, “Lia run!”

My mom stayed at home. So, I ran. But, I got separated from my brother, and then I was hit by

the water; I don’t know what happened after that.” (Lia/8 years old at the time of tsunami)

The story above is an excerpt from an interview with Lia (pseudonym), child survivor

from the 2004 Aceh tsunami. At the time of the disaster, Lia was still an 8-year-old girl. Lia

lost her mother, father and two sisters. The only family that survived was his brother. Described

in the story was how Lia's mother chose to remain waiting for her husband at home. The same

story was also revealed by other research participants. How their mothers chose to remain at

home when the earthquake occurred and when people ran to save themselves from the tsunami.

They chose to remain at home waiting for their husbands.

Aceh is the northernmost province of Indonesia. This province is one of two special

provinces in Indonesia. Because of this privilege, the Aceh province, led by a governor, was

given special authority to regulate and manage government affairs and the interests of the local

community in accordance with the laws and regulations in the system and principles of the

Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia based on the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of

Indonesia. The majority of Aceh's population is Muslim and Aceh is the only province in

Indonesia that imposes Islamic sharia on its Muslim citizens (Law No.18 / 2001).

Interpretations of Islamic religious rules vary greatly. Some Muslims interpret the

teachings of their religion literally while others are more flexible. For example, rules that limit

women to leave the house and only leave the house with the permission of her husband and

accompanied by his mahram (a person whom she is never permitted to marry because of their

close blood relationship—father, son, grandfather etc.). The basic rule when a woman travels

is that she is accompanied by a mahram as attested to by the hadith narrated by Ibn 'Abbas who

said: "A woman must not travel unless she is accompanied by a mahram, and no man is to enter

into her company unless she is accompanied by a mahram." [Muslim and Bukhari]. However,

some jurists allow a woman to travel alone if the way and the destination are secure. Another

hadith, "The husband's right to his wife is that his wife does not leave the house except with

his permission; if she stays out of the house then Allah, the angel of grace, and the angel of

wrath will curse him until she repents and returns home.” (Narrated by Ibn Abu Syaibah)

Data from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNBP) states that women have

a 14 times higher risk of becoming a victim of disasters than adult men. In the 2004 tsunami in

Aceh, data showed that 55-70 percent of the dead were women (National Geographic, 2019).

The reason may be that some Muslims translate religious rules literally; that forbid women to

leave the house without permission and without mahram, another reason women are having a

higher risk of becoming victims of disaster is because women have an instinct to want to protect

their families and children, thus often making them neglect their own safety. Many women also

do not have access to disaster preparedness and risk reduction education.

Women in patriarchal society are disadvantaged socially, economically and politically,

especially women who come from low social class. It is very surprising if these adverse

conditions do not occur in a natural disaster situation (Fordham, 2003). Existing patriarchal

culture and weak gender institutions are the cause of gender vulnerability (Yumarni et al,

2014).

This research illustrates how child survivors of the 2004 Aceh tsunami explained how

their mothers or sisters were victims of the disaster. In their stories, they explain the reason

they did not survive. Twenty-seven child survivors of the 2004 Aceh tsunami were interviewed.

The results of the interviews were then transcribed. Researchers analyzed the transcripts and

then grouped thematic findings that explained the patriarchal culture and women's vulnerability

in disaster situations. Next, the researcher discussed these findings using feminist theories and

disaster theories.

WOM

EN’S EDUCATION, VULNERABILITY AND

RESILIENCE AFTER DISASTER: A CASE STUDY IN INDONESIA

MA

ILA

DIN

IA H

US

NI R

AH

IEM M

inistry of Religious A

ffairs R

epublic of Indonesia

NATURAL DISASTERS DISTRIBUTION: THE W

ORLD & OIC COUNTRIES

CULTURE –RELIGION = PERSPECTIVES•

it is important to acknow

ledge the comm

unity’s vulnerabilityand

resilience.

•T

he victims are not passive in responding to the calam

ities. They

attempt to m

ake sense of the events and try to understand how the

world w

orks. They use the know

ledge and skills they already have, to deal w

ith the situation as best they can (Pelupessy&

Bretherton, 2015).

•G

aillard et al. (2008) explained that people's behavior in the face of natural disasters is strongly influenced by the context of cultural, social, econom

ic and political.

•Support services provided for victim

s should take into consideration the victim

s’ interpretation of what has happened, is happening, and w

ill happen, so that the support w

ill match the needs of the people.

•https://w

ww

.springer.com/us/book/9783319544656

•T

hischapter

isbased

onthe

observationsand

explanationsof

thebeneficiaries’experiences

ayear

afterthe

tragedy.

•Interview

edseven

survivorsof

thetsunam

iin

Meulaboh,W

estA

ceh.The

participants’ageranged

between

17and

40years

old.

•T

heindividual

interviews

were

conductedin

orderto

findout

what

programs

were

neededand

relevantto

thevictim

s.

•T

hequestions

posedw

eredesigned

touncover

howthe

victims

viewed

thedisaster,how

theym

adesense

ofthelives

lost,andw

hathelped

themcope

andrecover

fromthe

aftermath

DATA COLLECTION

•T

heinterview

dataw

asanalyzed

usingthem

aticanalysis.T

hethem

esexplain

what

isim

portantin

thedata

inrelation

tothe

researchquestion

andthey

describesom

elevelofpatterned

responseor

meaning

DATA ANALYSIS

•T

heanalyzed

interviewresults

were

thencom

paredto

theview

sof

thethree

scholars:Aidh

ibnA

bdullahal-Q

arni,Komaruddin

Hidayat

andQ

uraishSyihab.

•T

hethree

scholarsw

erechosen

becausetheir

bookson

theissues

ofdeath

andloss

area

main

referencefor

many

Indonesiansw

hosuffer

orexperience

traumatic

experiencesin

theirlives.

•T

hew

orksof

thesethree

scholarsare

usedto

betterunderstand

them

eaningsoffered

bythe

survivorsin

theiroraland

written

accountsofthe

tsunamiof2004.

•T

heproceeding

discussionof

theperspectives

ofthe

survivorsis

explainedin

lightof

thew

orkpresented

inthese

authors’books.

DATA ANALYSIS

•T

hebelieve

thateverything

thathappened

hasbeen

preordainedfrom

God;

•T

heydid

notsee

thedisaster

asa

cursefrom

God,but

ratherthey

seeit

asa

reminder

fromG

odand

believethat

God

will

notgive

pressurem

orethat

theycan

bareand

therew

illbe

easeafter

thehardship;

RESEARCH FINDINGS: SURVIVORS PERSPECTIVES AND SCHOLARS’ INTERPRETATIONS

•First, program

developers and implem

enters need to understand that the victim

s accept the event as their destiny, so they choose not forget it and use it to find healing. T

his is because they believe that what com

es from

God should be accepted. In counseling sessions,

psychologists and paraprofessionals need to respect these perspectives. T

heir trauma and how

they see the events m

ight seem heartless, but is m

ore faith-based.

•Second, they are very positive in their outlook follow

ing the events, since they believe that there is alw

ays a lesson and w

isdom behind a disaster.In talking about

disaster, loss and death because of disaster, they, as many

Indonesians, see that there is always fortune behind

unfortunate events.

•T

hird, the survived victims are also still grateful w

ith w

hat they still have and take ease on what they have lost.

Helping the victim

s by rebuilding their lives, for example,

through a mental health

program that is integrated w

ith a livelihood

program could be an effective option.

CONCLUSIONS

•Fourth, they cope w

ith the psychological trauma by

remem

bering and praying to God. M

ental health team

s that involve comm

unities, comm

unityleaders

and religious figures, which in the case of A

cehis

Tengkuin a m

osque, will be m

ore effective at engaging m

ore people. Prayer is also considered as one of the w

ays to cope and heal. The religious figures can assist

the victims to pray and find solitude.

•Lastly, they accept the death of their loved ones as fate and they believe that those w

ho died are martyrs

who w

ill be rewarded w

ith heaven. This is also to

show that to involve religious figures in m

ental healthprogram

s is plausible.

CONCLUSIONS

•T

heyrem

ainoptim

isticand

arestillgratefulw

ithw

hatthey

haveeven

thoughthey

lostfam

ilym

embers

andpossessions;

•T

heyfind

peaceby

remem

beringand

prayingto

God;

•T

heyaccept

thedeath

oftheirloved

onesas

fateand

theybelieve

thatthose

who

diedbecause

ofthe

tsunamiare

martyrs

andthey

willbe

rewarded

with

heaven.

RESEARCH FINDINGS: SURVIVORS PERSPECTIVES AND SCHOLARS’ INTERPRETATIONS

https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/1E6FEF2E5F453F676A

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EB834C37275BB892E16232A

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E

•D

isasters, regardless of the type or scale, have the potential to cause distress, or even severe distress. C

hildren are usually the most

affected by disaster, due to their physical, psychological and social vulnerabilities. C

hildren are also the most vulnerable to face post -

disaster challenges from psychological stress due to the lim

ited availability of special care, protection and support. In this study, w

e explore the experiences of A

cehnese children survivors of the 2004 tsunam

i. We set out to understand how

these young people survived the tsunam

i, coped with the afterm

ath, and progressed with their lives

following the tragedy. O

ur focus was on uncovering the m

ultitude of trajectories, or pathw

ays, that comprise the collective experiences of

young people’s post-disaster lives. We em

ployed a narrative, qualitative research approach, and conducted in-depth interview

s with tw

enty-seven survivors. By giving a voice to their lives, w

e aimed to capture

the successes and challenges that these young people face in attem

pting to live normal lives follow

ing a major disaster. A

t the time

of the study, the participants had either lost one or both parents because of the tsunam

i. All of the respondents are now

teenagers or young adults betw

een the ages of 17 to 24 years old.

•

•T

he findings from the in-depth interview

s revealed that all of the survivors have both shared and unique experiences. T

hey all stated that in the im

mediate afterm

ath of the tsunami, they felt that there

was a dearth of people to talk to and discuss their feelings. T

hey also still feel the sadness, horror and traum

a of the tsunami, yet they often

keep their feelings to themselves. Lastly, they all accept the tragedy as

their destiny from G

od. A variety of responses show

differences in how

they see their future. Some are very optim

istic and still believe that they have a role in society, w

hile others are confused, jobless and lost, to the extent that they feel uncertainty as to w

here their next m

eal will com

e from. T

he survivors also explained about the different types of support that they received im

mediately after the disaster

including continuation support, long term support, and current

support. How

the young survivors coped with the im

mediate

aftermath of the tsunam

i depended on the support received from

their comm

unities and the extent of their own inner strength and w

ill to survive. C

ombined, these internal and external resources form

ed a personal resilience in surviving the tsunam

i, both in the short and long term

.

•By studying the children of A

ceh, aid workers, and support agencies --

especially those that work in the field of m

ental health/psychosocial program

s --can learn better w

ays to assist, help, and support children follow

ing natural disasters. Moreover, by understanding the children’s

sources of resilience, we w

ill be better informed about how

families

and schools should prepare and teach children, so that the victims are

able to cope better with m

ajor disasters.

Theory/C

alculation

•C

hildren are capable of overcoming adversity, of m

eeting life challenges (D

inkmeyer

& D

reikurs, 1979). This research show

ed that the children survived in various w

ays, which resulted in different

problems connected w

ith facing the aftermath of the tsunam

i. They

used their inner strength, family, and com

munity in dealing w

ith the situation. A

ll of the respondents have lost one or both of their parents, yet they still have their ow

n capacity to survive.

•In this study, w

e explored further through the eyes of the child victim

s; how they survived the adversity and how

their lives are now.

We looked at w

hat factors have brought them to the point they are

now.

•A

nother factor, which is also im

portant in helping support children’s survival and subsequent ability to thrive, is the role of com

munity. A

ll of the child victim

s that we interview

ed returned back to their original com

munities. D

uring our visit, we found som

e villages where

the majority of survivors are children, the village is nam

ed; kampung

yatimpiatu

–the orphans’ village. T

hese children live within the

comm

unity, some are fighting for their lives alone, w

ith none of their other fam

ily mem

bers left. The com

munity could be the source of

strength for these children; and comm

unities have the potential to function in an effective w

ay and to help the mem

bers to adapt successfully in the afterm

ath of a disaster (Norris et al., 2008).

Com

munities can use their resources to build collective resilience by

reducing risk, engaging its mem

bers in mitigation, creating links w

ith organizations w

ithin and outside, protecting social support, and being flexible. (ibid)

•R

eligion is also a source of comfort that can help foster resilience

during difficult times, helping victim

s to survive and cope. Haglund

et al. (2007) highlighted that possibly the best exam

ination of the macro

systems in studies of adult resilience show

ed religion and spirituality w

ere linked to culture. Craw

ford et al. (2006) added that religions provide exam

ples of other forms of protective system

s that bring resilience to those in adversity, as hum

ans appear to create an attachm

ent-like relationship to spiritual figures or religious leaders. R

eligious beliefs and practices also help people to adapt through prayer or m

editation, or social support and regulation through rituals, cerem

onies, and rules for living (Craw

ford et al., 2006). Prayer helps people m

anage emotion (Sharp, 2010); those w

ho engage in prayers and hold positive attitudes tow

ard religion are empirically associated

with personal w

ellbeing, health, and the ability to handle stress (Levine, 2009); w

hile a calm and focused prayer is recognized as

appropriate counseling for individuals struggling with traum

atic experiences (H

arris, et.al, 2010).

FINDINGSD

ealing with the Tragedy

Reluctant to Share Feelings and Experiences

•Lia explained that she had shared her stories to som

e people, but not in detail. She said she rarely opened her heart and retold her experiences like she eventually did w

ith the interviewer. She added that this w

as her first experience to share such a great am

ount of her feelings. She felt m

ore positive after telling her story. She said she was norm

ally a closed person and does not norm

ally openly share her feelings with others. A

t the tim

e of the interview, she w

anted to share her feelings and stories, but found it difficult: “H

mm

... I guess I want to tell people about it, but I

find it difficult to compose the w

ords, to detail the words and explain it

properly.” She only has one brother, all her other family m

embers (m

om,

dad and two siblings) died because of the tsunam

i.

•“it is not easy to share and she struggles to trust others to listen to her, so therefore, she prefers to keep her feelings to herself. “

FINDINGSD


Reluctant to Share Feelings and Experiences

The m

ale participants were m

ore discreet about their feelings. They told the

researchers that they did not know how

to share and with w

hom, so they decided

not to share. Raja explained, “Sharing w

ith others? Hm

m no! I keep everything by

myself. N

o, I don’t want to share m

y feelings with anyone. H

mm

… H

ow to share? It’s

better if I keep it to myself.”

Ardi, one participant w

ho lost all his family m

embers and w

as living alone at the time

of the study said he still remem

bers everything, but he wants to forget the sadness.

He still cries silently w

hen he remem

bers what happened, but he tries his best to

ensure no one knows about his feelings.

•I don’t w

ant to remem

ber what happened. I don’t w

ant to share my story w

ith anyone. I still rem

ember every detail of it. I don’t w

ant anyone else to have to hear those m

emories. (A

RD

I/Interview)

•A

few m

onths after the tsunami, every night I w

as always so sad that I cried, but

never during the daytime. I w

as busy playing in the day. I lived at someone’s house,

a relative. I cried silently. No one should know

. (AR

DI/Interview

)

FINDINGSD


Sadness and Trauma

The participants still feel the sadness. T

hey find it is difficult to overcome

the feeling of sadness and fear that things will happen again. For m

ost of the participants, the feeling of fear is easy to handle and also understand, w

hile the sadness feeling is much harder to m

anage. Lia told the researchers that she w

as no longer so afraid of the earthquake, like before, how

ever the sad feeling still remained.

•Yes, at that tim

e I was afraid, there w

as a feeling of fear, but now it is

reduced. God w

illing I am no longer afraid. In case of an earthquake,

well, I feel norm

al, well, I just stay at hom

e. An earthquake happened

yesterday and I just stayed inside the house alone. So, now I am

not so afraid of an earthquake. (LIA

/Interview)

FINDINGSD


Sadness and Trauma

Udin

felt grateful to spend three years in an Islamic boarding school,

which started tw

o weeks after the tsunam

i. He felt he w

as able to make

friends in there that supported each other. Though, he still feels the

sadness, especially during traditional religious celebrations.

•I am

so sad, I was left alone, only m

e. Because of this, I am sad to see

people gather with their fam

ily… especially on days w

hen our family

would norm

ally gather together, such as during Lebaranon the m

ain Eid day. I am

still sad until now. I alw

ays remem

ber my fam

ily during Eid. (U

DIN

/Interview)

FINDINGSD


Destiny from

God

Ardi and U

din who lost both parents and all their siblings, now

live alone, yet stated that w

hat had happened was G

od’s will and a test. T

hey could find no reasons to get m

ad with G

od.

•T

his is God’s test. W

e accept it. (AR

DI/Inteview

)

•G

od tested us. We should not get m

ad at God. (U

DIN

/Interview)

FINDINGSD


Destiny from

God

Lia said she brushes off the feeling of anger to God. She feels G

od has given them a

test and that there is wisdom

behind it. She feels that she has actually become a

better person after the disaster. She added God is everything and the one w

ho governs people’s lives, H

e knows best for them

. Lia emphasized that w

e should not com

plain to God.

•M

aybe in every human, there is a feeling of anger, but I alw

ays brush it off. Maybe

God gave us, hm

mm

, we do not know

, God gave us a test, surely in the end G

od w

ill give us happiness. There is w

isdom behind all that. So, I take it as it is, hm

mm

, if G

od gave this, or God tested m

e, then yes, I become m

ore resilient, so it’s like that. (LIA

/Interview)

•N

o, this is just the result of my ow

n thinking. I learned from a young age that G

od is everything, the only one. So w

hatever happens, because we've underlined, I

mean, our life has been underlined, w

hat happens to us; it is God w

ho governs it. So, w

hy should we com

plain about this? We becom

e useless, when G

od has made

us, all of us. So, God know

s what is best for us. M

aybe we like som

ething, but that's not good for us, so w

hy do we com

plain? (laughing) (LIA/Interview

)•

I just thought, there is only God. So, w

hat happens to us, God rules this all. So, w

hy should w

e complain? T

hat is a waste. It m

akes us more sinful, after all, isn’t it bad,

to hate something? (LIA

/Interview)

FINDINGSD


Destiny from

God

Misna

found it hard to accept the fact that her mother had died and finally found

peace. She said that what had m

ade her stronger, was that she believes her m

other died as m

artyr and will therefore be granted entrance to heaven by G

od. She felt sad w

hen seeing her friends with their m

others. How

ever, to know her m

other has a good end, she finds it easier to accept.

•T

hey told us that those who had died in the w

ater are martyrs, those w

ho died in the flam

es are martyrs, and those w

ho die defending their religion are martyrs…

W

ell, when I heard that m

other was a m

artyr, she will not get punishm

ent in her grave, G

od will help her, even later at the end of the w

orld, we w

ill all rise up. In her grave, there is help for her, she is free from

any punishments. I accepted it. I

could be sincere and accept that my m

other had died. She was a m

artyr. It calmed

me dow

n. So, I accepted that mum

had died and I would not get jealous anym

ore, w

hen I saw friends w

ith their mother. Som

etimes, I felt so sad w

hen I saw m

y friends w

ere dropped and picked up from school by their parents, their m

om and

dad. I walked alone. But, m

y mother had a beautiful end, a m

artyr. Not everybody

gets the chance to die as a martyr. (M

ISNA

)

FINDINGSD


Destiny from

God

Misna

believes God m

akes things happen for a reason. There is alw

ays wisdom

behind everything. She believes she is a better person now

. She is more independent and

grateful and assumed this w

as the lesson to be learned from the disaster.

•T

here are lots of lessons to be learned. For example, A

llah took my m

other. There

is wisdom

there. I realized, I was a bad, naughty kid. I didn’t listen to m

y parents, I w

as stubborn. It is not only my dad w

ho told me that I w

as stubborn, but also m

any relatives. If mum

was still alive, m

aybe I wouldn’t listen, because w

e still have a perfect com

plete family. I can ask for anything and they w

ill give it to me. N

ow, I

should work very hard and support m

y own life. Even w

hen I am sick, I should go

to the hospital by myself, w

ithout my m

other, everything I should do by myself. If I

want to buy a m

obile phone, I should work to get the m

oney, so I can buy if I have m

oney, if I don’t have the money, it m

eans I cannot buy. So, I become m

ore independent, m

ore grateful. At least, I could support m

y own life. If m

y mother w

as still alive, I m

ay never give thanks to God for w

hatever he bestows to m

e. H

owever, if w

e see the future of Aceh, how

our lives are here; after the tsunami

there is more destruction, m

oral failure. (MISN

A/Interview

)

FINDINGST

he Progress in their Lives

Iqbal has been to two universities but never m

anaged to actually graduate. H

e decided to switch his education to m

aritime school and

dropped his study at the university. He thought it w

as a better opportunity for him

, but is now at som

ewhat of a crossroads in his life.

Although he did gain som

e experience working on a vessel before, he is

now rethinking his career. H

e opened a small beach café in Lhok

Ngah

with his brothers. But, he has also applied for a new

job on the ships, but w

ould prefer something that allow

ed him m

ore freedom.

•I w

ant to find a job, which doesn’t involve m

e becoming bound to it,

something m

ore flexible, like my brother. H

e is a contractor, which

means that he is still able to lead his ow

n life and socialize. (IQBA

L)

FINDINGST


Nursalim

, lost his mother, tw

o sisters and a brother. His father died

before the tsunami. H

e survived with his other brother, w

ho has made

him so proud, because he is now

taking his doctorate in Turkey. He

wanted to prove that a tsunam

i orphan could still be successful and he is now

a students’ representative at the University’s Student Body at his

campus. H

e said that it was his brother, w

ho directed him to achieve this

much, to be able to continue his school to university. H

e realized many

of his friends had not even managed to graduate from

high school. He

felt lucky to be sent to study at the Islamic Boarding School, in w

hich he w

as able to focus and study.

•W

ell, in my case, that w

as because of my brother. H

e intentionally sent m

e to boarding school since Junior High School, also in Senior H

igh School. H

e wanted m

e to focus on my studies and there w

ere also adults w

ho supervised me because he w

as busy working.

(NU

RSA

LIM/Interview

)

FINDINGST


Misna

has an interesting view on how

she became the person she is today. She has

battled with m

any different adversities. She was severely w

ounded due to the tsunam

i and had to stay for a long time in hospital for surgery on her head injuries.

Her father rem

arried and she has had a difficult relationship with her new

step m

other. She has also had breast cancer and had three previous surgeries. How

ever, she is still optim

istic about her life. Her father w

as unsupportive of her decision to continue her studies at university, because he felt she w

as not capable and also he could not support her financially. H

owever, she m

ade it and is now in the last

semester of her course. She w

ants to be a teacher and a writer. She has had to

struggle to achieve her dream, “W

ith God’s w

ill, I will be able to do it. I told m

y dad, w

hen I walk, I w

ill walk forw

ard till the end of the road, I will not give up.”

Whenever, I feel w

eak, or my m

ood drops; I motivate m

yself, I talk with m

yself. I should get up and be positive. I should be calm

and move on. I encourage m

yself, what happens today

may bring happiness in the future. I lost m

y mum

, but I still have my dad. I should be

grateful for everything I have. I believe God w

ill give me som

ething much better in the

future. When I w

as stuck, I could not do assignments from

my class, because I didn’t have a

laptop, but I didn’t give up and kept my spirit high. I w

ill be successful one day; I will have a

better job and better income. I should struggle now

, to ensure my future.

(MISN

A/Interview

)

FINDINGST


Pessimism

and Confusion

Raja feels so pessim

istic about whether he w

ill ever have a good job. He

has been working since a very young age. H

e graduated from high

school, but similar to som

e other participants interviewed, he has not

found it easy to get a job in Aceh. H

e is working as a daily laborer w

ith a salary of 25,000 R

upiah/day ($2.5) sharpening precious stones for jew

elry.

•I graduated from

high school. It is not easy to find a job. I work w

ith a C

hinese employer, sharpening stones. T

his is not my first job. I have

been working since the tsunam

i. I began by collecting debris, whatever

work I could do. (R

AJA

/Interview)

FINDINGST


Pessimism

and Confusion

Ardiadded that to survive they w

ould sometim

es just eat a meal once a

day. He expressed his concern that it is not easy to get a job in A

ceh. He

should have money to get a job. H

e has a fiancé who is still studying in

university. How

ever, he isn’t keen on the idea of continuing his education. H

e only wants to find a job w

ith a good salary.

•W

e sometim

es eat one time a day. W

e eat at 3 pm. W

e don’t have m

oney. I work. I w

ork doing anything I can, but it is not enough. (A

RD

I/Interview)

•I don’t think I w

ant to continue my studies at university. I don’t w

ant it. I only w

ant to work and have m

oney. (AR

DI/Interview

)

•It is not easy to find a job in A

ceh. Even to be a security guard, you need at least 15 m

illion. I sent an application to work as security guard

in hospital. I was called for interview

. But I didn’t get the job. When I

asked them, they said they did not have m

y file. (AR

DI/Interview

)

FINDINGSB

ecoming R

esilient

Support from Fam

ilies, Relatives, and the C

omm

unity

Udin

and Ardiw

ho lost both parents, are very close with each other.

They live in the sam

e village. They feel blessed w

ith the support they have received from

the people in their neighborhood.

•W

ell, all in this village, especially around my house are still relatives.

They helped m

e. (UD

IN/Interview

)

•W

e support each other; both of us have no imm

ediate family. W

e spend tim

e together. Sometim

es, I stay overnight at his and vice versa. (A

RD

I/Interview)

FINDINGSB

ecoming R

esilient

Support from Fam


omm

unity

Lia had moved to six different houses. Lia felt like a piece of m

erchandise, an item that w

as borrow

ed and traded.

•M

aybe six months. I don’t really rem

ember, because I w

as still so young. My brother w

as still in school, in junior high school, so m

y uncle said I was too sm

all to just stay with m

y brother, just the tw

o of us. But, my uncle also had no parents, and had m

any younger siblings, so he could not accom

modate m

e, because maybe there w

as no money. So, I stayed

with other relatives. T

hey brought me to southern A

ceh. There, I stayed for one year, then I

came here (back to the village), but only stayed for a m

onth before I moved to another

place. But, in the new place I stayed for less than a w

eek, because this person could not afford to look after m

e; they had no money. So, then I m

oved somew

here else with a

relatives family from

my father’s side. It w

as called Pekanbada. I stayed there for a year. Then

that family then m

oved out of town, to Jakarta. So, I w

as handed over to another mem

ber of father's fam

ily. Overall, I lived in Pekanbada

for four years. But, then, after four years, due to their econom

ic circumstances, they said they could not afford to pay for m

y schooling, so I finally m

oved again; back to this village. At that tim

e, I was in the third grade of junior high

school, just starting to study at that level. It was 2010, but because m

y brother wasn’t

working yet, so he could not afford to pay the living costs for m

e. He asked m

e to stay with

another relative, but still in this village too. I lived there, from grade 3 junior high, up to

grade 2 senior high school. But, then I decided to stay alone; I did not want to stay in

someone else’s house anym

ore. Enough! I want to live, hm

mm

, that’s what drove m

e to com

e back here, I want to live independently, w

ithout depending on other people, without

moving from

one house to another, being escorted and picked up, I felt like a piece of m

erchandise, an item that w

as borrowed and traded (laughing). (LIA

/Interview)

FINDINGSB

ecoming R

esilient

Support from Fam


omm

unity

Iqbal felt lucky his dad had not remarried after his m

other’s death. He

criticized some tsunam

i widow

s who rem

arried, as he believed it led to them

neglecting their kids. He added that his father w

ould not do that.

•A

ctually maybe he thinks, even though there is no w

ife, but he is still able to be and feel happy, w

hy should he find a replacement for our m

other? D

ad could have remarried, but he does not. M

any men, w

hose wives died

from the tsunam

i, remarried. But, som

etimes the kids are forgotten, or

maybe they w

ill be well looked after and they are m

ore happy. (IQ

BAL/Interview

)

FINDINGSB

ecoming R

esilient

Support from Fam


omm

unity

Raja explained he got a great deal of support from

wom

en in the comm

unity and also the foreign aid w

orkers.

•If I cried, those w

omen w

ill come to cheer m

e up. They knew

I had no m

other anymore. T

hose who helped m

e to be strong, my fam

ily, the com

munity and the aid w

orkers, those from Singapore relief helped m

e, they also cured m

y wounds. (R

AJA

/Interview)

Nursalim

and Udin

were sent to Islam

ic boarding school. Udin

said he had lots of friends and felt supported by them

. Nursalim

thought living in a boarding school w

as not as hard, because he had friends.

•W

ell because it was not easy to stay in the village. In the boarding school

we did everything together. So it w

as less hard. (NU

RSA

LIM/Interview

)

•I w

as in Islamic boarding school for three years, then I returned back to the

village and lived alone until now. (U

DIN

/Interview)

FINDINGSB

ecoming R

esilient

Feeling alone

Lia felt that people’s affection is different from w

hat she used to get from her

parents. She had experience of being rejected, to have different treatment

from that w

hich her cousins received from her uncle and aunty.

•I w

as staying with m

y uncle's family. I w

as only a small child and I did not

get any affection. At that tim

e, I saw m

y uncle's daughter was playing w

ith him

. I was in grade 4 elem

entary school, they were playing, joking. I could

only watch, even though I w

anted that also. I saw m

y cousin being picked up and carried by m

y uncle. I wanted it too –

I was used to, or expected

attention, so I asked to be picked up. But, I was told, "W

hy do you ask to be picked up by som

eone else's father? You're grown up, you should not ask

for attention by asking to be picked up like that. You've grown up; m

y daughter is picked up by her ow

n father, while you are not his daughter!”

Well, from

then I.... (Sobbing). I understood. I was alone. I realized that

people's affection was different. (LIA

/Interview)

FINDINGSB

ecoming R

esilient

Feeling alone

Misna

felt so alone after her father remarried; she called herself, ‘the broken

home kid’. She said she spent lots of tim

e with friends and had bad social

interaction, she became out of control.

•Yes, I w

as 12 years old. Well, he w

as still looking after me. H

owever, after he

had remarried, I thought that he w

anted to spend lots of time w

ith his new

wife. H

e did not care for me anym

ore. I felt so alone. Maybe I hung out w

ith the w

rong friends. Well, you can call m

e a broken home kid. I can say, after the

tsunami, m

any of us had a wrong social interaction, very bad, w

e were torn

apart, kids like me, they have no m

om, no dad, very bad social interaction, and

they hung out with the w

rong friends. There w

ere some girls w

earing very short hot pants, short tight shirts. T

hey rode motorcycles w

ith that kind of outfit and also joined m

otorcycle races. After the tsunam

i, many people tried

different illegal substances, like metham

phetamine and m

arijuana. Well, w

e had very bad social interaction. W

hen I was in the seventh and eighth grade m

y social interaction w

as out of control, I did not want to listen to m

y dad. I only w

anted to have fun. I was so egoist and self-centered. (M

ISNA

/Interview)

THE IMPACT OF DISASTERS ON

CHILDREN IN SOUTH EAST ASIA•

RESISTA

NC

E, RESILIEN

CE, A

ND

REC

OV

ERY FRO

M D

ISAST

ERS:

Perspectives from Southeast A

sia to be published by Emerald

Publishing in 2019

International Warwick Islamic Education Summer School...

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Transcript of International Warwick Islamic Education Summer School...