Every year, approaching Chrismas celebration, a polemic always emerges on whether wishing someone a merry Chrismas for Muslim is lawful. Basically, there are two points of controversy; namely the law of wishing someone a Merry Chrismas and involving in a Chrismas celebration. The ulama do not have any contradicted opinion on wishing someone a merry Chrismas except that there are reasoning sharih or qathi in nature on unlawfulness. Should any verse or shahi hadits clearly ban on wishing a Merry Chrismas the ulama would have agreed and there would not be any disagreement on it.

The development of a region is determined mainly by the quality of its human resources besides its natural ones. Both resources are the two sides of a coin, thus are equally important for the development. The human resource in Bolaang Mongondow is no longer far behind its neighboring regions. Scholars with various expertise are growing in number. The growing number of college graduates even creates new problem; unemployment, for it is not anticipated with jobs availability and technology mastering. This paper will expose how people of Bolaang Mongondow enhance their development through their cultural approaches such as Mototompiaan, Mototabian Bo, Mototonoban. Through an ethnographic investigation, this paper also explains many aspects of the culture of Bolaang Mongondow people.

Islam as a comprehensive and wholesome system of living and a wisdom foundation is a religion that directs human beings toward a complete life, since the beginning of its introduction (forteen centuries) Islam does not only teach a one dimensional life but also teach a multidimensional one including theology, Worship, muamalah, moral, philosophy, law and many others. Islam is a complete wholly and perfect teachings that directs a Muslim both in worshipping and in social interaction. All teachings are encapsulated in Alquran and hadits both in a form of general and technical concept. During an interaction, a Muslim and a Non-Muslim have restrictions that are arranged and assigned values and concepts of tolerance (al-samahah) in Islam are resourced from Alquran and hadits. Rules on tolerance in islam is restricted to alBaqarah (2): 256. One frequently occured problem on the interreligion tolerance is a friction between tolerance and aqidah norms. Some people think that it is not a problem to wish someone Merry Chrismas or even to participate in the celebration believing that it is part of the interreligion tolerance. As a matter of fact in Islam, the concept of tolerance is cleraly stated that aqidah and ibadah are not to be compromised. Thus no matter of how small it is, a friction should be avoided.

The collapse of Communism in the 1990s, marked the raise of the Global era; the era when nations are liberated from the essence and existence of local ethnics, language, culture and religion. This means local and national identities will be degraded by globalisation processes and replaced by global identity which contains transnational ideas. They consists of views, ideas, suggestions, topics, concepts, and values which are contracted on the basis of new paradigms, dogmas, doctrines for a global community that has no identity, open, and freeto take choices. This community focusses on attitudes that put forward to respect values and idolised money as the center of life dinamies. NU with its archipelagoic Islam tries to protect Islamic communities (ummah) from the globalisation bombardment. NU realizes the extent of responsibility to preserve and mantain the continuity of national culture as heritage from the thread of globalisation. This article aims to discuss the archipelagoc islam which becomes NU’s ultimate weapon in the cultural strategy.

Islam as a religion of dakwah. In the call for God’s pathway, one not only needs strategies but also knowledge as a long process that must be followed. Various ways are followed with full of wisdom, gentleness, and consistence (bil himah wa mauizhotil hasanah). A strategy and media are required to maintain the holiness of the message that bless the whole world and its nature (rahmatan lilalamin), in order that message is received wholly (kaffah), impartially, to give effect to attitude and behavior of Islamic communities. As a religion of dakwah, Islam is easily penetrated and accepted by various peoples, when it is inclusive, open to social cultural and social political. Due to the openness social cultural value and the holy message merge without significant obstacles or friction. The two way attention and movement of dakwah actually enable Islam inscribe golden lines along human civilisation and spread through different continents and countries including Indonesia. This is because the message of Islam contains piety which transcendental, and scaral as well as humanism which profane and worldly in the society. The transformation of sacred values has inhuman spirit that can go beyond human barrier and partition and make the person full of faith and beliefs. Moreover, dakwah shows historical social reality. The massive sympathy people show to the transformation of the value often produce ideas and movement supported by the transcendental power.