Butuh Perjuangan, Dari Balkan Ke Makkah, Muslim Makedonia Ini Berangkat Haji Dengan Bersepeda

Dua laki-laki muslim dari kota Tetovo, Republik Makedonia, melaksanakan perjalanan haji menuju Makkah, Arab Saudi dengan bersepeda. Kedua laki-laki beretnis Albania tersebut berencana menempuh perjalanan hingga dua pekan lamanya.

Ialah Amir Aslani dan Senad Idrisi, dua laki-laki yang nekat berhaji dengan mengayuh sepeda. Padahal jarak tempuh mereka tidaklah singkat alasannya ialah harus melalui antar benua. Rute yang mereka ambil yakni dari Makedonia, melewati Albania, kemudian ke Yunani. Setelah itu, mereka akan menyeberangi Laut Aegea menuju Republik Turki.

Rute selanjutnya dari benua Eropa menuju Afrika dengan menyeberangi Laut Tengah menuju Mesir. Setelah itu menuju benua Asia dengan melalui Teluk Aqabah. Mereka akan menaiki kapal menuju Hijaz kemudian melanjutkan bersepeda hingga hingga di Makkah dan Madinah.

Saat ini, mereka telah melalui wilayah Albania meski harus mengayuh sepeda di tengah hujan. Pasalnya, ketika itu mereka berangkat di pergantian musim. Sisa perjalanan nanti pun akan di hadapi keduanya di tengah teriknya isu terkini panas.

“Kami telah menghadapi hujan lebat di Albania. Kami sadar bahwa kami akan bersepeda melalui kondisi isu terkini panas yang terik selama sisa rute. Kami siap menghadapi banyak sekali tantangan,” ujar Aslani, dilansir aboutislam.com, Selasa (10/7/2018).

Baik Aslani maupun Idrisi sadar betul akan kesulitan yang akan mereka hadapi. Namun mereka tetap tetapkan pergi dengan bersepeda. Pasalnya, kedua perjaka yang merupakan pesepeda pro tersebut ingin mencicipi kesulitan umat Islam demi menunaikan ibadah haji. “Kami ingin mengalami kesulitan yang dihadapi umat Islam,” ujar mereka.

Namun bersepeda menuju tanah suci ini bukanlah agresi nekat tanpa persiapan. Kedua perjaka muslim tersebut telah melaksanakan persiapan yang sangat matang. Salah satu persiapan keduanya yakni dengan berlatih selama dua tahun lamanya.

“Kami berlatih selama dua tahun untuk melaksanakan perjalanan panjang ini,” tutur Idrisi.

Aslani dan Idrisi pun mempunyai impian lain hingga tetapkan bersepeda menuju tanah haram. Keduanya ingin menjelajahi jejak-jejak Islam di sepanjang perjalanan, terutama di Turki dan Mesir. Selain itu, keduanya pun ingin menunjukkan pola kepada perjaka muslim semoga bersemangat menunaikan ibadah haji.

“Selain Haji, kami juga ingin mengunjungi situs bersejarah di Turki dan Mesir. Kami (juga) ingin memotivasi orang lain dan generasi muda untuk menunaikan Haji,” pungkasnya.

Republik Makedonia merupakan salah satu negara kecil di semenanjung Balkan, Eropa Selatan. Negara ini juga dikenal dengan sebutan Republik Makedonia bekas Yugoslavia (RMBY) atau dalam bahasa Ingris disebut Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

Muslim mengambil presentase lebih dari sepertiga populasi negara yang pernah menjadi wilayah Turki Utsmani tersebut. Sensus di tahun 2010 mencatat populasi muslim mencapai 39,3 persen dari total penduduk. Angka ini bahkan diprediksi akan terus meningkat. Di tahun 2050, jumlah muslim diprediksi akan mencapai lebih dari setengah penduduk Makedonia, dan agama Islam diprediksi akan menjadi agama terbesar di negara Balkan tersebut.

“Dalam 35 tahun mendatang, persentase muslimin di Makedonia akan mencapai 56,2 persen. Menggeser posisi umat Katolik Ortodox yang menjadi kelompok lebih banyak didominasi ketika ini,” ungkap Pew Research Center, dikutip dari Republika.

Saat ini, Islam di Makedonia merupakan agama terbesar kedua sesudah Ortodox. Umat muslim di sana sebagian besar beretnis Albania dengan jumlah lebih dari 500 ribu jiwa. Etnis tersebut bahkan mengambil 25 persen dari total populasi Makedonia. Hal ini tak mengherankan alasannya ialah wilayah Makedonia bertetangga bersahabat dengan Albania yang dikenal sebagai negeri muslim di tanah Eropa.

Adapun etnis orisinil Makedonia yang memeluk Islam diperkirakan jumlahnya antara 40 hingga 100 ribu jiwa. Mereka merupakan keturunan warga yang sebelumnya beragama Ortodox kemudian memeluk Islam di masa kesultanan Turki Utsmani.

Sebagaimana muslim Eropa pada umumnya, muslim Makedonia juga menghadapi tantangan yang sama, yakni islamophobia. Kampanye anti-Islam dan diskriminasi juga dirasakan muslim Makedonia meski jumlah mereka cukup besar di negara tersebut.

Sumber:Muslimdaily

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If you're fortunate enough to have a flexible schedule, you should be sure to consider visiting Paris during the Summer when you can experience the Fête de la Musique (June 21) or the Free Summer Jazz concerts held every weekend in the Parc de Vincennes. If you're time is not so flexible, you can still take advantage of the free concerts that are frequently offered at the Maison de Radio France. Dates and times vary, but a schedule and free tickets can be collected in the office at, 116, avenue du Président Wilson, 75016 Paris. Shop for designer clothes at department store sales and designer outlets - Paris is the capital of fashion and the home of myriad designers and labels. The high priced boutiques along the Rue du Faubourg St Honoré and luxury labels such as Hermes and Louis Vuitton may only be accessible to the few, but savvy shoppers can pick up close outs or seconds of designer outfits for huge discounts at designer outlet stores. 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If you have too much baggage for the Metro, consider the shared airport shuttle which can cost as little as 17EUR per person. Rent a Paris Vacation rental apartment - Hotels in Paris aren't cheap, so if you're planning to stay for an extended period or if you're more than two people in your group, a short-term vacation apartment rental is a good option that will also allow you to cook your own meals and get a better ideal of what it's like to live like the locals do. All things considered, with just a little bit of advance planning, some of the most desirable attractions that Paris has to offer can be available to you absolutely free of charge or for a much more reasonable price than most tourists typically have to pay. www.parisnet.com www.parisnet.com/info_airplane.html Joshua Green lived in Paris for over ten years and writes about travel and tourism. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Joshua_Green/7773 Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2684208

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