Interview with Indonesia Matters

… in their purpose...you know, the lifeblood in what could otherwise be arid terrain. Our own Mohammed Khafi is an example of a water poster.

As for Animal/Vegetable/Mineral.....Posts can be made up of anything really. I get posts made of lead, posts made of raindrops, or smiles...for example. Then there's the posts made from the dust of a long journey, oh, and the linoleum posts! You should see some of the linoleum posts! Ross is a linoleum lover. Stuck in the times when …

Persecuted Church

Why there are so many attacks on churches in western Java.

Persecuted Churches Nationally

On 14th January members of the Himpunan Warga Gereja Indonesia (HAGAI), Indonesian Churchgoers Association, visited the offices of the National Human Rights Commission, (Komnas HAM) in Jakarta to complain about attacks against churches and Christian congregations around the country.

Pastor …

Comment by joO: … But just like M. Khafi above said about the corruption …

Insults & Comebacks

Achmad's Christmas Tips on Insulting People.

Achmad's Christmas Tips on Insulting People

Dear Friends,

For this twin season of Idul Adha and Christmas, I thought I'd share with you a few secrets of the ancient art of insults.

We all need to let of steam every now and then.

What better way than insulting a complete stranger? What better forum than the internet?

After …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Religious Intolerance

It's the season for attacks on mosques and Islamic schools in West Java.

Recent news of persecution of the Ahmadiyah sect.

Padang

In Padang, West Sumatra, 30th November, dozens of people from the Front Masyarakat Pembela Islam attacked premises belonging to an Ahmadiyah congregation and tore down signs.

In Padang.

One Irfiandi of the FMPI said his members were fed up …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … involved. Peace

Picking Up Girls

Achmad's Tips on Picking Up Babes in Malls: Part 1.

Achmad's Tips on Picking Up Babes in Malls: Part 1.

Not all of you can expect to achieve the nation-wide fame and sex appeal of Achmad overnight. It takes class, effort, and mastery of an elusive art such as hoola-hoop dancing or playing the Ukuele. But with dilligent study of Achmad's timeworn techniques, most of you gentlemen …

Comment by Lairedion: … - dragonwall - Mohammed Khafi (one comment last week …

Majelis Ulama

The MUI rides the anti-heretic wave to more money and influence.

Continued from the stories Al Qiyadah Al Islamiyah and Muslim Beliefs .

Banning

The Attorney General formally declared the sect Al Qiyadah Al Islamiyah to be heretical and illegal throughout Indonesia on 7th November, after a meeting with representatives of the Clerics' Council (MUI), the Department of Religion, …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … enlighten us! Peace

Bahai

… leaders. Four others refused to change back to Islam, while the seventh did not turn up. antara

Comment by Shloka: … before Prophet Mohammed(PBUH) birth who clearly …

Sunday School

A Sunday school/church in Bandung was raided, the pastor's wife beaten and images of Jesus smashed.

Robby Elisa, a Christian pastor, in the Gading Tutukan housing estate, Katapang, Bandung, West Java, was playing host to a few people, mainly children, on 3rd June when a number of people came to the house and accused Elisa of holding an illegal religious service.

The visitors then broke …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … Gods path! Peace

Feminism and Islam

Feminism is not suitable for Indonesian women.

Eny Dwiningsih, a professor at the Islam State University in Jakarta (UIJ), said in a seminar called "Developing Intellectual Interest in Womens' Issues" at the North Sumatra University in Medan on 18th May that Islam rejected feminism.

Feminism was dangerous to Islam because it was infused with the spirit of secularism, opposed to sharia …

Comment by Julita: Thank you M. Khafi for pitching in, if my posting …

Handphone 3gp Sex

A 3gp sex movie in Madura has clerics calling for tighter laws against pornography.

In the town of Sumenep, in Madura, East Java, an amateur 3gp sex video in circulation on the handphones of sex curious residents has religious leaders upset and calling for action. The 3 minute long video is set in a Sumenep hotel room. okezone

On 16th May the head of the Sumenep branch of …

Comment by Niamh Piperman: Mohammed Khafi Says: May 20th, 2007 at …

Rough Justice

Beating and shaming young lovers.

In a village in Cianjur, West Java, on 13th May two young lovers, Midah (18) and Asep (23) were discovered in a rice field, up to no good it seems. Villagers had known about the relationship of the two for some time and had gathered together on the night of the 13th and gone looking for them.

After they were found Midah and Asep were each given a …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … us? Peace

Islamic Leaders

People trust religious leaders the most and view religion as the basis of nationality.

A survey of 1,173 people carried out by the Islamic and Sociological Research Center (PPIM), Pusat Pengkajian Islam dan Masyarakat, at the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University in Jakarta (IAIN) asked respondents who they trusted the most detik :

religious leaders - 41%.
the …

Comment by Julita: M. Khafi, still looking forward to that …

Bursah Zarnubi

The Reform Star Party is undergoing religious training, while its women members wear sexy clothing, says Bursah Zarnubi.

The leader of the Reform Star Party, Partai Bintang Reformasi (PBR), Bursah Zarnubi, says his party, which won 2.4% in the 2004 elections , is currently deepening its knowledge of Islam:

At the moment we are studying Islamic religious teachings.

Bursah …

Comment by Aluang Anak Bayang: Mas Khafi, We are looking at islam at …

The Journey of Prophet Muhammad

Cirebon is rocked by a Muhammad photo scandal.

On 9th May police in Cirebon, West Java raided a number of movie stalls in search of a VCD entitled "The Journey of Prophet Muhammad" on the cover of which was a picture of a bearded Arab man. The police managed to find one copy of the tale.

Although the contents of the video did not show any pictures or representations of Muhammad a leader …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … heaven! Peace

Anti Islam Website

An anti Islam website run by a Christian political party.

Dozens of people from the "Forum Remaja Islam" (FRI), Islamic Youth Forum, descended on the offices of the Partai Damai Sejahtera (PDS), Prosperous Peace Party, on 11th May in Solo, Central Java, to complain about the existence of a PDS website which insulted Islam, specifically by casting aspersions on the character of Muhammad …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Marriage Laws

The 1974 Marriage Law violates religious freedom.

About five months after the Aa Gym polygamy controversy, the government's (non-) response to it, and the Zainal Ma'arif case, a man in Jakarta, M. Insa, has filed for a judicial review of both the 1974 Marriage Act and Law No. 10 of 1983 on Marriage & Divorce for Public Servants. M. Insa of Bintaro, South Jakarta says that the …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … compulsion in religion.” 2:256 Peace

Holy Books Mix Up

Insertion of pages of the Bible into copies of the Quran.

In Jombang, East Java early last month two copies of the Quran were discovered at a Muslim school that had had pages of the Bible inserted into them.

Warsito Hadi of the Jombang department of religion says it must have been done deliberately.

It's impossible it wasn't deliberate.

The Jombang department of religion has …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … all are. Peace

Nationalization

On nationalizing foreign businesses.

One of the four deputy heads of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), AM Fatwa, on 4th May called for the nationalization of vital industries in Indonesia such as the oil, gas, and mining industries.

A.M. Fatwa, who has a professional background in the religious organisations of Muhammadiyah and Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI), echoed the oft-heard …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Tukul Arwana

Tukul Arwana is spreading an immoral virus throughout the country.

Tukul Arwana, the host of Trans 7's Empat Mata (Four Eyes) talk show program, has aroused the ire of the ever-vigilant guardians of national morality, the students of Muhammadiyah 4 primary school in Pucang, Surabaya (see also Valentine's Day ).

Tukul Arwana and his dancers.

Marking the occasion of National …

Comment by Robert: … an early age. Mohammed Khafi, The teachers must be …

Illegitimate Children

There are no more "haram" children in Surabaya.

The head of the civil registry office in Surabaya, East Java, says illegitimate children will no longer by called "haram" ("forbidden", in Islam) by his office and will be able to obtain birth certificates that say:

....a child from a woman....

Imam Sugondo says the measure has been taken to prevent illegitimate children suffering …

Comment by Aluang anak Bayang: Hi Khafi, ….. because you have based …

TV Advertising

TV advertisements must be all Indonesian content.

Minister of Communications and Information Technology (Menkominfo) Sofyan Djalil announced recently a new regulation on the use of domestic resources in the making of advertisements broadcast on television. The regulation stipulates that advertising agencies must use only domestic actors/actress, locations, and everything else that goes …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … race? Peace

Zarima Mirafsur

Zarima Mirafsur enlists the help of the FPI.

Zarina Mirafsur alias Zarima is, or was, a television actress, who has had a troubled and somewhat comical past. She has been convicted of drug possession twice, once of 30,000 tablets of Ecstasy and once of a small amount of shabu-shabu, and has served several years in prison. She famously evaded police custody in Jakarta in 1997 by climbing …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Tyranny of the Majority

The tyranny of the majority, and the minority, in Papua.

The Catholic bishop of Jayapura, Leo Laba Ladjar, says Papua needs a legal framework to ensure that harmony between religious groups is maintained, and to prevent both a tyranny of the majority, and a tyranny of the minority, situation. For minorities:

Rules have to protect minorities against a tyranny of the majority, which can …

Comment by Robert: Mohammed Khafi, What we need is …

Islamic Caliphate

Building a new Islamic Caliphate.

The province of East Java has largely been free of the recent trend in the country towards local sharia based laws, likely due to the prevalence of the non-legalistic Sufi form of Islam in the province, and the strength of the Nahdlatul Ulama organisation there, a group which has little interest in formalising Islamic sharia law. Nevertheless the East Java …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … to wear Jilbab. Peace

Maia & Ahmad Dhani

Ahmad Dhani and Maia take their marital problems to the police.

Pop star couple Ahmad Dhani, of Dewa 19 , and Maia, formerly of the band Ratu, have taken their well-publicised marital problems to the police.

Maia, or Mia, born Maya Estianty, was the first to head to the police station on April 23rd, just after she had gotten back from the Haj to Mecca, with claims of husbandly …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Extradition Treaty

Indonesia has signed a defence and extradition treaty with Singapore.

On 28th April president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong witnessed the signing of the treaty by the countries' respective foreign ministers with on the sunny island paradise of Bali.

All smiles.

The treaty allows for the extradition of Indonesian nationals who have fled to …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … Peace Peace

Muhammadiyah

Muhammadiyah comes in for some criticism.

Muhammadiyah is holding its annual conference in Yogyakarta and the organisation, the second largest Muslim social group in the country, has come in for some criticism.

At the opening of the conference (Tanwir Muhammadiyah) on April 26th president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono complained that Muhammadiyah was not doing enough in the economic …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … of Mahatir Mohammed, a man whom he appears to …

Violent Video

A video of the Poso conflict.

This is an old, heavily edited, video clip showing some of the violence during the Central Sulawesi war of 1998-2001. It is said to contain extreme and graphic violence , - your scribe can't say for sure as he is squeamish and has only watched the first 30 seconds.

Some background for those who don't know of the events in question.

Suharto's resignation …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … and money. Peace

Boy & Girl Caned

An amorous young couple in Aceh are given the lash.

Two romancing university students, a boy, Nuriadin bin Ismail (22), and a girl, Devita Citra Putri binti Ismail (21), were caught together in a boarding house room on 6th February 2007, subject to a citizens' arrest by local people, and then handed over to the religious police, Wilayatul Hisbah , and they were then charged with …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … and doing good deeds! Peace

Anti Apostasy

An anti apostasy group in Bandung pays a visit to a church.

Dozens of members of the Anti Apostasy Division (Divisi Anti Pemurtadan (DAP)) of the Forum Ulama Umat Indonesia visited a Christian church (Gereja Kristen Pasundan (GKP)) on Kebon Jati road in Bandung on 4th April to enquire whether the church had broken its agreement not to convert Muslims to Christianity.

Suryana of the DAP …

Comment by Janma: … in his times. Mohammed however became a Muslim and …

Anti Islam Video

Police are hunting down the makers of an anti Islam video.

In Batu, Malang, East Java, a recording was apparently made using a handycam and then copied onto VCD format by a Christian student group called Lembaga Pelayanan Mahasiswa Indonesia (LPMI) at the Hotel Asida between 17-20 December 2006 which is said to contain scenes which insult Islam in some uncertain way.

The Lembaga …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Jimly Asshiddiqie

Constitutional court head Jimly Asshiddiqie on harmonising Islamic law and Indonesian law.

The head of the constitutional court, Mahkamah Konstitusi (MK), Jimly Asshiddiqie, says Islamic law and Indonesian law have to be brought into harmony.

Islamicness and Indonesianness have to go together harmoniously.

Speaking to a gathering of the Muslimat Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) in Jakarta last …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Zainuddin MZ

Zainuddin MZ, the "cleric of a million followers".

Vice president Jusuf Kalla said on the 2nd in Jakarta that Muslim leader Zainuddin had once again become a preacher for all Muslims in Indonesia.

Kalla said that in the past he had often listened to Zainuddin's sermons but after Zainuddin entered politics and formed the Reform Star Party, Partai Bintang Reformasi (PBR), he didn't listen …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … Believe me Khafi, I know that Islam as the …

Sex Slavery

Sex slavery in Indramayu, West Java and Jakarta.

Teenage girls in the villages of Java are sometimes sold by their parents to brokers who then take them to work in brothels in Jakarta or elsewhere such as Dolly in Surabaya, Saritem in Bandung, or one of the many other red light districts in the towns of the country.

In one village, Bongas, Indramayu, West Java, the going sale …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Partai Keadilan Sejahtera

The Partai Keadilan Sejahtera (PKS) as a nationalist party and the Jakarta governor's election.

The Justice/Welfare Party's leader Tifatul Sembiring said on 26th March that the PKS was a nationalist party, in fact more nationalist than those parties which usually have the label, because the PKS loved the unitary republic of Indonesia and struggled for its advancement. The party …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … all stand up Peace

Permadi & Yuddy Chrisnandi

Parliamentarians fear that foreigners are spreading disease in Indonesia.

Nationalist politicians Yuddy Chrisnandi of the Golkar party and Permadi of PDI Perjuangan party worry that epidemics such as bird flu are being spread by foreign organisations. Permadi, who is a prominent PDI figure from East Java and a practitioner of Javanese mysticism, said on a television show recently:

I …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Tamsil Linrung

A PKS politician is prevented from boarding a flight to Canada.

Tamsil Linrung was prevented from boarding a Cathay Pacific Airways flight to Canada, leaving from Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta international airport on March 21st, because, so it is said antara , airport authorities had been informed by US embassy officials that Tamsil was an undesirable passenger. He was part of a …

Comment by Colson: … be John instead of Mohammed) are examples. The source is …

Popular Maj

Popular magazine, as compared to Playboy.

While the editor of Indonesian Playboy magazine, Erwin Arnada , looks set to be imprisoned for about two years for publishing pornography, the makers of the much older magazine Popular still look safe despite the slightly more raunchy nature of their offering compared to the tame as can be Playboy.

Comparisons:

Playboy:

Front cover …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Causes of the Crusades

Possible causes of the Crusades in the middle ages.

Comments split off from beheadings trial …

Comment by Julita: M. Khafi: I post the positives because I …

Jafar Umar Thalib

Jafar Umar Thalib of Laskar Jihad regrets the use of religion by terrorists.

The former commander of Laskar Jihad (Holy Warriors' Force) says the use of religion as a cover for the activities of terrorists was more of a threat to Indonesia than the Communist Party once had been.

Jafar Umar Thalib

He said Poso and Ambon had become centres for the spreading of radical, violent …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Book Banning

The Attorney General Office's banning of some history books.

On 5th March, the Attorney General's Office banned the further printing and distribution of thirteen history books from the 2004 junior and senior high school curriculums because they play down the role of the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) in the 1948 uprising in Madiun, East Java, and the 1965 coup attempt in …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Halal Certification

Many drug and cosmetic companies do not have halal certification.

The body charged with halal certification of medicine and cosmetics companies, the LPPOM, a division of the Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI), says there are 120 drugs' companies and seven make-up producers that have failed to obtain their halal certificate. Only five of the former and one of the latter have managed to get the …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … the Clear Message? 16:35 Peace

Arastamar School of Theology

The Arastamar Evangelical School of Theology (SETIA) in Jakarta has attracted the attention of Islamic militants.

On March 8th 2007 about 200 members of thuggish groups such as Front Pembela Islam (FPI) and Betawi Rempug Forum (FBR) attacked the Arastamar Evangelical School of Theology in east Jakarta demanding that it close down, according to international sources. ranesi …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … all true Muslims. Peace

Citizens’ Arrest

Citizens of Aceh are starting to enforce sharia laws by themselves.

People in various villages of Aceh have begun to take upon themselves the job of enforcing Islamic law in a complete way, it is said. For example, in the area of Lampoh Daya in Banda Aceh on the 8th of March dozens of young men surprised two unmarried couples who were thought to be engaged in lustful behaviour in a quiet …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … and if the Ustad tried telling the truth they would …

Religious Tolerance

Even during the Crusades Muslims had religious tolerance.

Former president Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) says during the Third Crusade in the 12th century Muslims and Christians had no hate for each other even while they were fighting, as evidenced in the relationship between the two opposing commanders, Saladin (Salahuddin) and King Richard the Lionheart.

Speaking in Kediri to a …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … over ? Peace

Merry Christmas

A Muhammadiyah university lecturer was fired for recommending the saying of "Merry Christmas".

Radio Netherlands claims that Mohammad Shofan, a lecturer at Muhammadiyah "Gersik" (Gresik, East Java presumably) UMG university was dismissed by the university council because he had written a paper titled "Natal dan Pluralisme" (Christmas and Pluralism) in which he stated that saying "Merry …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … place. Peace

Malayan Arabic

People in Aceh must learn Malayan Arabic.

Professor Muslim Ibrahim of the Aceh clerical council, Majelis Permusyawaratan Ulama (MPU) and a literature lecturer at the Ar-Raniry Islamic university, IAIN, in Banda Aceh, says it is vital that all Muslims in the province learn to read Malayan Arabic (Arab-Melayu), called locally jawoe ( jawi elsewhere in Indonesia). Malayan Arabic/ Jawoe is …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … and Islamic Orthodoxy! Peace

Sunni vs Shia

Hasyim Muzadi plans to cool the Sunni vs Shia conflict in Iraq.

Hasyim Muzadi, the leader of Nahdlatul Ulama, says he wants to be the mediator in the Sunni versus Shia bloodbath in Iraq. In Jakarta in early April 2007 Hasyim will lead a conference which seeks to find the best solution to the conflict, a conference which will include participants from many Muslim countries in the world.

…

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … solution. Peace

Militants

On dealing with militant Islamic preachers.

Maruf Amin, the head of the Fatwa Commission of the Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI), admits there are still a fair number of militant Islamic preachers and fanatics who preach the "war verses" from the Quran and encourage hatred of non-Muslims.

Maruf was speaking in Jakarta on the 9th in respect of statements made by the visiting Islamic Affairs …

Comment by Cukurungan: … moslems (hasan, khafi and 1ndra) have been explaining …

Free Sex

South Kalimantan has a free sex problem.

In the South Kalimantan parliament there is cross-party support for the idea of requiring students to undergo extra religious education classes before or after school in order to tackle the poor morals of the younger generation these days.

Nur Izatil Hasanah of Golkar, the head of Commission IV in the regional parliament, says the example of …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … can we?

Defence Spending

Indonesian defence spending rises by 15%.

Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono recently explained to the parliamentary defence commission that the Indonesian military (TNI) will have to prioritize its major tasks as the recent 15% increase in the defense budget would still not provide enough money for its basic requirements. The small defence budget was a chronic problem that had prevented …

Comment by Robert: … running there. Mohammed Khafi, Maybe this was the …

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Ayaan Hirsi Ali continues her battle against Islam.

Muhammad, according to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, was a sexual pervert and a political-military tyrant. This attitude endears her to neither Muslims, of course, and nor to most westerners, westerners being people who generally feel uncomfortable when religion is brought up at all, but especially when done so in such a forceful way and when the …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Hidayat Nur Wahid

Hidayat Nurwahid on the beauty and ugliness of sharia.

Hidayat Nur Wahid, one of the leaders of the parliament from the Islamist Justice Party, PKS, spoke recently on the topic of the "Beauty of Sharia" at the Islamic Book Fair (IBF) in Jakarta.

He said people had to understand that there were many different kinds of Muslim and that they had different understandings of sharia. Some …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … that they are.

Polygamous Marriage

A man is imprisoned for unlawful polygamy.

Riduwan, otherwise known as Iwan, 31 years old, from Jambi, was sentenced to ten months jail for taking a second wife without his first wife's permission. Riduwan falsified details on his (second) marriage certificate, giving the impression that permission had been given.

Although the ten month sentence was in accordance with the demands of the …

Comment by Niamh Piperman: Mohammed Khafi Says: March 11th, …

Freddie Numberi

Freddie Numberi warns about foreign mafias attempting to destroy Indonesia.

The only Papuan in the cabinet, as minister for maritime affairs and fisheries, Rear Admiral (retired) Freddie Numberi, accused foreign business mafias of trying to deliberately destroy the Indonesian economy and rob it of its natural resources. The mafias were well cashed-up and paid good money to Indonesians to …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … on the deals? Peace

Prison Primitive

Putting criminals in prison is primitive, says ABB.

The head of the Mujahidin Council (Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia (MMI)) Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, said in Pontianak on the 4th that imprisoning criminals, contrary to popular belief, is not a modern (progressive) practice but a primitive one.

Prison sentences were too long, and it cost the government a lot of money to keep people in jail, and …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … creed of Islam.

Women Judges

Women cannot be judges under sharia law, says a senior Egyptian judge.

Yahia Ragheb Daqruri, the president of the Egypt's judges' association, or Judges' Club, says jurist that the appointment of female judges would contradict Islamic sharia law.

He reasoned that it would be unacceptable for women judges to have to deliberate

alone in a room with two or more male judges

and …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Tourism Competitiveness

Indonesia is ranked 60th in the tourism beauty stakes.

Put out by the World Economic Forum the 2007 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index weforum , the first ever report of such a kind, ranks 124 countries in the world on their ability to provide a conducive environment for the tourism and travel industries.

In 2006 five million tourists visited Indonesia providing earnings of …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … working here? Peace

Ambon Bomb

The Ambon bomb blast which injured 14 people and who was behind it.

A bomb packed with nails exploded at the port of Ambon city today, wounding 14 people. The explosion rocked the Yos Sudarso port as passengers were disembarking from a ship, sending nails and other shrapnel into a crowd of motorbike taxi drivers waiting to collect customers, said Ambon police chief Senior Commander …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … really be! Peace

Star of David

The PKS in Madura tries to root out symbols of Judaism.

The head of the organising committee of the Partai Keadilan Sejehtera (PKS), or Welfare/Justice Party, in Sumenep, eastern Madura, East Java, one Ach Ready, has threatened to erase some kind of artwork, perhaps a mural, at the Adipura park in the city, which he says is a six sided star and therefore looks like the Star of David on the …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Yunus Yosfiah

An Australian court issues an arrest warrant for parliament member Yunus Yosfiah.

Yunus Yosfiah, currently a member of the MPR mpr in Jakarta, was summoned to appear at an Australian coronial (death) inquest into the killing 31 years ago of five western journalists at Balibo, East Timor during the Indonesian invasion. As he failed to appear after four letters were written to him a New …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … incompetence! Peace

Communism in Aceh

Aceh is threatened by communism, says the head of the Banda Aceh parliament.

The chairman of the parliament, Muntasir Hamid, says he has information that communists, or communist tendencies, are about to enter Aceh, or are already in the process of doing so. He urged all sections of society to be on their guard and to report any sightings of communists, or communist looking things, to the …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … between Prophet Mohammed and the Monks of St Catherines …

Dating Websites

Dating websites for Indonesians and some of the female profiles.

Some in-English dating site networks with reach in Indonesia.

Cupid Media

Cupid Media seems to be an Australian company that has a network of about 20 dating websites, some of which are relevant here.

Indonesian Cupid , which seems to be mainly aimed at foreigners looking for an Indonesian bride, has many women …

Comment by Sheva: Ok, Khafi I agree with you but I think this …

Aceh Sharia Non-Negotiable

Sharia in Aceh is non-negotiable, says a young cleric.

Faisal Ali, the head of "Rabithah Thaliban", an organisation of Islamic school students in Aceh, says the issue of sharia is not a "political commodity". Speaking in response to criticisms voiced at an international conference in the capital Banda Aceh of the implementation of sharia and whether it was really desired by the people he …

Comment by Dan: … enlightenment. Khafi has a great sense of …

Air Force

Only half of the Indonesian air force is in a serviceable state.

Air Force Chief of Staff Air Marshal Herman Prayitno said in Pontianak, West Kalimantan on the 27th that of the country's 250 war planes only half were fully operational, due to the difficulties Indonesia faces in procuring spare parts for military aircraft. Most of the spare parts shortages are experienced with planes …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … see it as protecting us!

Pre-Marital Sex

Balinese youths and their attitudes to pre-marital sex.

A survey conducted by Udayana University in Bali and the local branch of the Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) has found that 28.6% of young Balinese girls and boys feel that pre-marital sex can be done, with 15.5% saying without any conditions, the dreaded free sex, while 13.1% feel that marriage should follow sometime …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Security Forces

Whose side are the security forces on? asks Ross.

An interesting article appeared in the Jakarta Post on 27th January, written by no less than the former boss of the BIN, the National Intelligence Bureau, Indonesia's answer to MI5.

Mr. A.M. Hendropriyono tells us that he was already familiar with the 29 characters on the 'most wanted list' issued by the security forces in Poso a long …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … the rules”. Peace

The Vespa Lifestyle

Female students at the University of Indonesia no longer ride around on Vespa scooters half naked.

The "Vespa Girls" at the UI of the roaring 70's, who apparently once cruised about on Italian motor scooters between classes, sometimes wearing no underwear under their mini-skirts, are no longer with us. These exponents of the Vespa Lifestyle at the nation's pre-eminent seat of learning have …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … enjoyed the last few days, Peace.

Sidoarjo Mudflow

The mud in Sidoarjo is still flowing while some say nature is to blame.

The mudflow in Sidoarjo, East Java, which started nine months ago and has swallowed five villages and left thousands homeless, shows no signs of stopping. A visiting geology expert from Kyoto University in Japan, James Mori, says he can't be certain when the mud will stop gushing out. Something that would stop it, he …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … for the other links!

True Islam

An Islamic scholar explains about true and false Islam.

In recent months in the areas of Belawan and Marelan, Medan, North Sumatra, a number of disturbances have occured due to the presence of mosques and religious schools thought by some to be practising a deviant or heretical version of Islam.

21st December 2006, hundreds of people protest outside the Sattariyah complex in Belawan. …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Muslim Clothing

An example of a Muslim dress code law from West Sumatra.

The regency of Pesisir Selatan in West Sumatra passed a "Muslim Clothing" Act ( Peraturan Daerah 04 Berpakaian Muslim dan Muslimah ) on 5th September 2005. It begins with the following declarations:
all citizens have the right to hold and practise their religion, and live in accordance with it.
concealing aurat (the part …

Comment by Aluang Anak Bayang: … Mas Khafi re Quran verse 4:34, …

Jakarta Chinese

Governor Sutiyoso of Jakarta wants a fair deal for the city's Chinese.

On the occasion of Chinese New Year, or Imlek, Governor Sutiyoso promised to make it easier for the city's Chinese to obtain official documents, such as birth certificates, family cards, local residency papers, and even citizenship, while visiting the Wihara Dharma Bakti temple in Glodok on the 18th. tempo

"Bang …

Comment by Dragonwall: … IN THESE BLOGS IS MOHAMMED KAFI. He had displayed and …

Farming Technology

Farmers in Indonesia are judged to be far behind their peers in comparable countries.

Agriculture minister Anton Apriyantono said in Jakarta on the 16th that Indonesian farmers were far behind their counterparts in countries like Vietnam and Thailand. New advances in farming technology were taking a long time to reach Indonesian farmers, he said. The world was changing, and foreign farmers …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … you been 1ndra?

Political vs Cultural Differences

Indonesians are dubious as to whether the differences between Islam and the West can be resolved.

A Globescan poll conducted between 3rd November 2006 and 16th January 2007 for the BBC asked 28,389 people in 27 countries whether tensions between Islam and the West arise from ordinary political disputes and interests or from fundamental religious and cultural differences.

The questions, …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Habib Umar

A visiting cleric from Yemen worries about the state of the Indonesian Muslim clerisy, and Abu Bakar Bashir.

The head of a delegation of eleven Muslim clerics from the region of Hadramaut in Yemen, from whence many of those of Arab descent in Indonesia hail from, Habib Umar bin Hafiz bin Sheikh Abu Bakar, said during a meeting with hundreds of his Indonesian counterparts at the Lirboyo …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi