It is pride of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) that one of the lecturers was selected as a speaker of international event. She is Rahmawati Husein, MCP., Ph.D. a Governmental Study lecturer of UMY. It is an honor for her to be one of the panelists representing Indonesia in ‘High Level Panel Debate’ organized by International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) of United Nations on this coming Wednesday (30/9) in General Assembly Building, United Nations. The theme of the panel debate is ‘Uniting around the Principal of Humanity’. There will be the other four panelists presenting the issue of humanity based on their own perception.
Rahmawati Husein, who is also vice chairwoman of Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Center (MDMC) will discuss humanity principles and present MDMC as a humanity organization concerning with disaster victims. On her paper delivered in Public Relation and Protocol Affairs of UMY on Monday (28/9), Rahmawati elucidated that humanity is the first and basic principle of international humanity aids. Humanity also ought to be considered as human nature that, in Islamic perspective, humans are born and bring innate characteristics encompassing love, affection, intelligence, goodness, and others.
Rahmawati will also talk about Islamic values for creating peace and assisting one another as human nature as Al-Qur’an 107:7 mentions ‘virtue’ that the one who drives denies the Recompense is the one who drives away the orphan, does not encourage the feeding of the poor, makes show (of their deeds), and withholds (simple) assistance. Even though they pray, they are the ones who deny the Recompense,” she explained. From Islamic perspective, the virtue and assisting the poor are attempts to save human to live their life well.
Moreover, Rahmawati will deliver how to reinforce commitment to humanity which can be carried out through three ways. The first way is raising awareness of positive values encouraged by any religion and the increasing number of ‘militants for peace’, not ‘militants for violence’. Militants for violence refer to religious fanatics who scarify themselves for reconciliation. It should be omitted,” she state.
The second way is elevating interfaith dialog to promote understanding of conviction principles of each religion. It also entails partnerships of various humanity principles and establishment of positive values to create partnership model and collaborative work without questioning distinction and looking for general similarities.
The third way is advocating humanity principles by requiring commitment of each country and international system to cooperate and not to politicizing humanity. Besides, lifting local and national performance to enhance responsibility and willingness to help, care, and admit national entity since most of disasters and conflicts (communal) ensues in local level,” she asserted.
He inserted that the eagerness of the virtue has been adapted by Muhammadiyah as the oldest Islamic organization in Indonesia. Muhammadiyah has carried out humanity performance more intensively and entirely after the establishment of Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Center (MDMC). The institution has been assisting disaster and conflict victims apart from tribes, races, or religion like conducted in Indonesia, a multicultural country.
“Each year MDCD undertake emergent aids to more than 15 disasters in cities and rural areas that the citizens were Muslims, Christian like in Rokatenda, Wasior, and others,” she informed. MDMC began working internationally through sending medical team to assist victims of Haiyan Typhoon in the Philippines and an earthquake in Nepal as well as collecting funds for conflict victims of Myanmar, Palestine, and Syria.
Furthermore, the humanity panel debate is organized to commemorating the 70th anniversary of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and United Nations. The debate will be led by President of ICRC Peter Maurer, and the opening remark will be delivered by Deputy Secretary General of United Nations H.E. Mr. Jan Eliasson. The five selected panelists are representatives of a humanity organization of Switzerland, Kuwait, Indonesia, Congo, and Thailand. The panel debate aimed at raising awareness of humanity values applied in various cultural diversities and reinforcing humanity principles as the fundamental humanity action of contemporary armed conflicts and international humanity law.
