Fake List: the story of bullying

How would you feel if you were slandered? Do you feel that you were being treated unfairly?

If so, then we feel the same.

This problem originated from a school regulation, when our teacher appointed two students of the sixth grade with a task of writing down the names of students who were noisy in dhikr (short phrases or prayers which are repeatedly recited silently within the mind or aloud) time after the midday prayer in congregation at the school mosque.

Actually, I’ve been making dhikr and solemn like other students.

My mouth was moving and I did not commit violations, like chatting and making a lot of movements.

However, my friend and I who sat side by side were still watched by the note-takers who then wrote our names in the list.

In fact, other students thought that they just wrote down some names, without checking the facts.

Yet, we should think positively right?

Until there was an incident that made me could not stand it anymore.

One time, a friend (let’s call her X) was caught red-handed was telling the note-taker to write down my name, although, I did not make noises.

I already had a hunch though, that I would be noted when the X turned her head to me while staring cynically.

When I finished my dhikr, I approached the note-taker and saw a piece of paper in her hand. And I was right! My name was on it.

I asked her, why did she write my name down? What was the reason?

And again, I was right! She did it only because she was told by X.

I confronted and urged her to remove my name from the list of noisy students.

But she did not want to do it. My other friends came and defended me because I was not noisy and did not break any rules. I should not be included in the list.

After listening to my explanation and the insistence of the other students, the note-taker erased my name out of the paper.

Fake list

I call that list a fake list, meaning a fake note that was deliberately made to accuse certain people who were actually not guilty.

In my opinion, the act was no different from bullying or abusing innocent people.

Although I had experienced this kind of harassment several times, I was still surprised why someone could do such mean act to her friends who had never harmed her. Let alone this case happened in a mosque, the sacred place.

The note-taker should carry out the tasks assigned by the teacher with high integrity, according to the teacher’s instructions.

I think my friend, the note-taker, forgot about the teachings of Islam that slandering is crueller than murder.

The fake list incident really made me sad that I cried as I was grounded again. And this made me miss lunch time.

When I told the story to my parents, I was told to solve the problem myself so that it would not drag on. My parents told me to stand if I was truly right.

Finally, I had time to talk nicely with the fake list-maker. I also told the truth to the teacher.

But if this case continued, my father said: “Make 2P as a helper. They are Patience and Prayer.

I remember the story of Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) who was bullied by his own brothers because they were jealous of him.

Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) was thrown into the well, but he was not revengeful even though he was always hurt.

Because of his patience, Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) was finally appointed to be a nobleman and the king when he grew up.

I hope that people who like to bully, slander or find fault with other innocent people would realize that all these attitudes were wrong, and hurtful for others.

The fake list maker finally became nice to me, and even we remained friends. I hope this would be for good.

I don’t want this such experience to happen again until I graduate from elementary school.

Author: ARadhwa Sagena Hasyim (a 6th grade student; live in Samarinda, East Kalimantan)