If you think this is another book from ustazah-ustazah's or ustaz-ustaz's about how to be a better Muslim and lecturing you how to conduct your life, then you are wrong.  It's NOT another yawn-worthy full-fact book, in fact, it's a very interesting writing of Dina Zaman that open your eyes about being a Muslim, practicing as a Muslim, and bearing Islam as your identity.

Dina Zaman is a journalist from Malaysiakini website (and it's a paid site if you want to read the articles) who already had her work published in various media, and various countries.  A chinese colleague of mine saw me reading this book and remarked "Eh, Dina Zaman?  She's a very famous writer eh?  I hear that her articles are very good…" Well – indeed.  It's my very first time indulging myself with Dina's work, and truly, it's a great experience.

"I AM MUSLIM" is the collection of Dina Zaman's short articles that receives great attention by internet viewers.  In this book, Dina told her part of story while searching within herself about being a Muslim, and not just being a Muslim – but at the same time understanding Islam itself.  It's a very interesting journey where she meets various people with various ideas about being a Muslim, and at the same time to face with the impact of modernization.

She travels to Indonesia and Europe and getting glimpses of Islamic practice worldwide, and makes us wonder, are we standing on the right lane?

The topic covered is very wide.  She touches various issues related to her search, be it about bomohs or shamans to homosexuality in Islam, and how it links to one another in a Muslim world.  While some might see it as a taboo-untouchable info  – Dina put it in self-enlightening way.

The thing about Dina Zaman is that her writing is very easy to read, and she gives out very interesting perspective about how Islam is interpreted while deep searching about herself and her very own religion.  Reading Dina Zaman's word is like reading another interesting blog – not restricted to the formal Bahasa Malaysia or Bahasa Inggeris – and it is in a good way.

Spoiler:

One guy keep on rocking his body back and forth extremely while doing his zikir.
"As you cleans yourself, your true self comes out.  So if you are like a monkey, you move like one when you zikir," a volunteer smiles when I ask why.

"We can't turn people away because they're not dressed in a hijab or a robe.  Even we don't dress that way because we're normal people, passing tools and life skills to ummah.  Who knows, maybe after being with us, the women will cover up.  But we don't impose that to our clients.  We just help them to realize, to heal."

He tells me that when one prays, have an intention – niat – first, and smile.
"Smile?"
"Iya.  Kenapa mau bengis apabila berhadapan dengan Allah?  Greet Him with happiness, even if your heart is heavy."
How on earth does one recite zikir with pelvic muscles and buttocks tucked in, breathing, imagining the light of God cleansing one's self, asking for forgiveness and rebirth, smiling at the same time?
This is a feat for pious gymnasts.

"Auntie ni bukannya pandai sangat pasal bab ugama, politik.. Indonesia is not perfect.  It's a secular country and it's got all sorts of Muslim.  But the pendakwah here are honest and sincere, and follow the Sunnah.  Look at the Nursyifa boys.  They work with street kids, prostitutes, eh sini ada one you know, junkies, it doesn't matter Muslim or not, this is real dakwah work: helping the community.  In KL….jangan harap."

What was even more odd was how a few of my Malay friends, hijab clad and non, sniffed at the adventure (read : searching Islam) and made snide remarks while my non-Malay friends and non-practising Muslim friends were delighted with my jaunt.

Mas Reno and his band of instructors tell the crowd to wiggle their behinds.
"Depan, depan, mundur, mundur, kwee kwee kwee!"
I know this is cynical of me, but who in Malaysia will do this for free?

At the end of the day, it makes you thinking –how are you doing as a Muslim?

**You can also view her online articles of "I AM MUSLIM" at 'sajakkini' site and judge for yourself.  You can also find some other interesting writers and their part of story.