Mosque Loudspeaker Noise

Parvita writes on the topic: Loudspeaker Abuse in the Mosques: should mosques be disciplined?

If you live in Jakarta and look around some of the housing pockets in the area, how many mosques do you find in 5 kilometer radius? Have you ever seen a mosque without a loudspeaker? Have you ever had trouble sleeping because the mosque(s) was/were so loud, not only during adzan?

I stayed for …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … am away from home.

Headscarf Ban

A hospital in Bandung that banned nurses from wearing headscarves is confronted by a radical Muslim group.

The Kebon Jati, or Kebonjati, hospital in Bandung, West Java, appears to have been forced to abandon its policy of forbidding female nurses from wearing the jilbab , or Muslim headscarf , due to pressure from the Muslim hardline group, Islam Defenders' Front (Front Pembela Islam …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … women in uniform!

Bethel Church, Bandung

A Christian group in Bandung is forced to stop services.

Dozens of people in the Warung Satangkal area of Majalaya, Bandung, claiming to belong to a group called the Anti-Apostasy Movement of the Indonesian Ulema Congregation Forum, demonstrated in front of a house belonging to a Christian family on the 11th, says the Jakarta Post, demanding that it no longer be used for religious …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … warn, as you said earlier.

Densus 88

The name of Densus 88 should be changed to Densus 5000, says Abu Bakar Ba'asyir.

Densus 88, or "Special Detachment 88", of the Indonesian police force charged with anti-terror duties, Detasemen Khusus (Densus) 88 Anti Terror , has aroused the ire of some Muslims recently because of its increasing success in capturing terrorists and militants.

The head of the Mujahidin Council, (Majelis …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … Peace

Jakarta Floods

Jakarta is awash with water.

Large parts of the capital city are flooded with many thousands having to be evacuated and much of the business life of Jakarta and its satellite cities coming to a halt. Floods have hit at least 33 districts in Jakarta, 16 in Bekasi and 7 in Tangerang.

Five people are reported to have died, three in Jakarta and two in Bekasi.

___________

Twenty people …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … last exodus. Peace

Foreign Radio & Television

Foreign radio and television broadcasts should be censored, say some leaders.

Joko Susilo, a member of the Information Commission of the Indonesian parliament from the National Mandate Party (Partai Amanat Nasional (PAN)) from East Java, says that relayed foreign broadcasts, whether radio or television, such as Voice of America (VOA), have to be stopped immediately.

Joko Susilo. …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … changed? Peace

Pamekasan Protest

Artists in Pamekasan, Madura protest a law against the staging of theatrical and other entertainment shows.

On the 19th dozens of artists in Pamekasan, on the island of Madura in East Java, marched against a planned law that would place restrictions on the staging of theatrical and other entertainment shows. Protesters complain that the law is unpopular and represents the interests of a …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … given to us? That Khafi, defied my logic. His pure …

Sharia Wimps

Regional branches of the Ulema Council are urged not to be limp-wristed about encouraging local sharia laws.

Chairman of the Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI), Indonesian Clerics' Council, Ma'ruf Amin, says that leaders of regional branches of the MUI must support local governments in developing laws based on Islamic sharia law. Those who fail to do so he calls banci , wimpish or …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … a lot of children. Peace

Yusuf Lakaseng

PBR leader Yusuf Lakaseng has been reported to the police for blasphemy against Islam by Zaenal Ma'arif.

Zaenal Ma'arif, the one of the chairman of the Indonesian parliament, was expelled from the Partai Bintang Reformasi (PBR) on 8th January 2007 due to the fact that he had, in late December 2006, took a second wife and thereby become polygamous (see Zaenal Maarif ). The expulsion of …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … Our friends Khafi is good in writing. I am glad …

Bird Flu

About half the regions of Indonesia have endemic bird flu.

It is claimed by Memed Z.H., the Head of Public Communications for the Bird Flu Campaign Management of the Department of Agriculture, that up to 223 out of 444 regencies and cities in Indonesia are Avian influenza endemic areas, that is, areas that have had cases of the virus and in which there is a possiblility that new outbreaks …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … again. Peace

US Interference in Poso

The recent violence in Poso is caused by America, says Abu Bakar Ba'asyir.

The head of the Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia (MMI) said at the Darussalam mosque in Lamong, Pare, Kediri, East Java, on the 14th that as long as America continued to pursue its nefarious agenda of creating sectarian strife in Central Sulawesi there would not be peace.

He said that the troubles in Poso between …

Comment by Cukurungan: Mohammed Khafi Says: I wanted to …

Islamic Political Unity

Islamic parties must form coalitions in order to ensure success for ideological Islam, it is argued.

House (DPR) chairman of the Partai Persatuan Pembangunan, United Development Party (PPP), Endin A.J. Soefihara, says the recent victory of the independent candidates Irwandi Yusuf and Muhammad Nazar in the Aceh governor's election should teach Islamic parties a valuable lesson - they had …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … know nothing about me.

Porn Sites

Internet porn sites should be blocked by the government, say religious leaders.

Former Muhammadiyah leader Syafi'i Maarif, generally considered to be more relaxed in his understanding of Islam than the current Muhammadiyah boss, Din Syamsuddin, urges the government to take action against web porn sites.

Syafi'i Maarif.

Indonesia was lagging behind its neighbours Singapore and …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Hizbut Tahrir

Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) champions polygamy and rails against gender equality and domestic violence laws.

Aminah Yunus Rasyid of the Medan, North Sumatra branch of HTI said on the 19th of December during a demonstration outside the mayor's office that the ideology of gender equality was a part of the trend towards liberalisation originating in the west that was being forced on …

Comment by Julita: Mohammed Khafi: Thanks for your …

UnIslamic Behaviour

The sharia police of Aceh have begun a month long campaign against unIslamic behaviour.

Unmarried couples being together without a chaperone or an acceptable reason are the main targets of the campaign, says sharia police ( Wilayatul Hisbah , WH) spokesman Wirzaini Usman. Some success has already been met with:

Since the launch of the operation on the 20th we have arrested nine people …

Comment by Hassan: Mohammed khafi: I would suggest that …

Natural Disasters

President Yudhoyono advises the people not to be superstitious about natural disasters.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, putting some distance between himself and some of his rather superstitious predecessors, namely presidents Suharto and Gus Dur, said on the 20th of December that natural disasters were inevitable in Indonesia, for geological and other environmental reasons, and that …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … the report of …

Shinta Nuriyah

Shinta Nuriyah Wahid says Islam teaches monogamy.

Shinta Nuriyah, the wife of former president Abdurrahman Wahid, says that since the time of Muhammad Islam has always taught that monogamy is ideal.

In the Quran it is said that man cannot be fair, so it's clear that the verses in question show that Islam teaches monogamy not polygamy.
(Dalam Al-Quran disebutkan manusia tidak akan …

Comment by sgn: … other post. Mohammed Khafi Says: January 18th, …

Beware America

Indonesia should avoid being too close to the United States, say Zaenal Maarif and Amien Rais.

Zaenal Maarif , who is one of the chairmen of the Indonesian parliament and the leader of the Islamic party Partai Bintang Reformasi (PBR), Reform Star Party, says that the American economy is heading towards recession, and the dollar keeps weakening. As Indonesia's second biggest non oil and …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Pamekasan Polygamy

Clerics in Pamekasan, Madura, want the mayor to allow public servants to be polygamous.

At the monthly meeting between senior clerics in Pamekasan and the mayor of the town, Ahmad Syafi'l, the Muslim leaders asked that male public servants, who are currently not allowed to have more than one wife, be allowed to practise their rights according to Islam.

One cleric, Mas'ud, explained that …

Comment by looking for Sally: Agree with ya Khafi, I am just dramatizing. I believe …

Ustad Dipo

Azhari Dipo Kusumo, or Ustad Dipo, is a free man after serving time for terrorism convictions.

Ustad Dipo, now 38 years old, a physics teacher, was sentenced to six years, or 72 months, prison for helping to hide Ali Imron, one of the 2002 Bali bombers, and for having possession of 9mm handguns as well as bomb-making materials. He had been arrested after his erstwhile friend Imron had …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Zaenal Ma’arif

Polygamy is all the rage, as Zaenal Ma'arif marries Yenni Natalia Lodewijk. Some are now demanding his expulsion from the Partai Bintang Reformasi (PBR).

Zaenal Ma'arif, 51, one of the chairmen of the Indonesian parliament and the leader of the Islamic party Partai Bintang Reformasi (PBR), Reform Star Party, met Yanni, or Yenni, Natalia Lodewijk, 48, a divorced mother of three, at …

Comment by damien: … Mr. Khafi playing God (He - khafi - knows …

Bashir Innocent

Abu Bakar Baasyir has been cleared on appeal of all involvement with the Bali and Marriot bombings.

The High Court, Mahkamah Agung, on 21st December found that the charges against Bashir, that he had ordered or encouraged the first Bali terrorist bombings in 2002 and the J. W Marriot attack in 2003, were unproven. Said the chief judge reviewing the case of Bashir, after that latter had …

Comment by bradlymail: … in this forum, Mohammed Khafi, Miss Indo, Molisan …

Pareidolia

The fires of the Lapindo gas explosion in Sidoarjo spell out the name of Allah, or a seahorse.

Detik on the 14th informs us that the explosion at the Lapindo gas field in East Java last November, which caused thirteen people to make an early exit from the world, spewed fires that spelled out the Arabic word for God, "Allah".

The other worldly fires of Lapindo.

"Allah" in …

Comment by Hassan: … such a polemic. Mohammed Khafi: Honestly, i never saw …

Bekasi PNS Scandal

Bekasi is hot and bothered by a mini-sex scandal.

Thirteen photos circulating since early December in Bekasi show a female public servant (PNS), named Dini, employed in the housing section of the city administration of the satellite city of Jakarta, in various states of undress and seductive posing. In some of the photos she is accompanied by a male employee of the same office, Aditya.

…

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … machine of corrupt politicians.

Poligami Award

An Islamic court in West Sumatra puts on trial Aa Gym and Yahya Zaini .

The Majelis Tinggi Kerapatan Adat Alam Minangkabau , or the Minangkabau Traditional Culture High Council, in cooperation with the Komite Penegak Syariat Islam Sumatra Barat , the West Sumatra Committee for the Application of Islamic Sharia Law, held a mock trial of polygamist Abdullah Gymnastiar and adulterer …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … Selamat Idul Adah, My Brother.

Independent Candidates

Independent candidates should not be allowed to participate in elections, say some.

In the wake of the victory of Irwandi Yusuf & Muhammad Nazar in the Aceh elections, men who do not belong to any formally established political party but are considered to be "former" members of the Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM), voices have been raised in Jakarta that independent non-party candidates …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … ? Five Percenters ? ?

Toyota Rush, Daihatsu Terios

The Toyota Rush and Daihatsu Terios will soon be launched.

Both PT Toyota Astra Motor (TAM) and PT Astra Daihatsu Motor are hoping to sell one thousand units of the Toyota Rush/Daihatsu Terios per month in 2007, a 1500cc car that seats up to seven people.

Johnny Darmawan, the President Director of PT TAM hopes sales of the Rush will push Toyota's market share up a few points to 35%. He …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Irwandi Yusuf & Muhammad Nazar

Former separatists Irwandi Yusuf & Muhammad Nazar of GAM have won Aceh's gubernatorial election.

Irwandi Yusuf and running mate Muhammad Nazar continue to lead in the preliminary vote count for the gubernatorial election of Aceh province in northern Sumatra, representing the former armed separastist group, Free Aceh Movement, GAM.

The vote count by the Aceh Independent Elections …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Erwin Arnada

… was like a first birthday gift for Playboy Indonesia, because the magazine was one year old. detik

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … and admired.

Hand Amputation

It is proposed that thieves in Aceh have their hands amputated.

According to international reports iht a draft law in circulation proposes that thieves found guilty of stealing goods worth more than the market price of 94 grams (3 ounces) of gold should have a hand amputated, a punishment which is said to be stipulated in the Koran, and is carried out in a few Islamic countries.

The …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Papuan Mission

The men of the 521 battalion from Kediri are marching off to Papua bringing guns, condoms, seeds, and religious tracts.

The 650 members of the 521/Dadaha Yodha infantry battalion based in Kediri, East Java, are shortly to begin a tour of duty of Papua, to patrol the border with Papua New Guinea. Major General Bambang Darmono, while carrying out an inspection of the men on the 14th, asked …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … forget the Rinso!

I Love Islam

What Islam is and why people love it.

In the discussion on Alfarini Eridani Agnes says , likely as a self-defensive reflex against the "cloud" which Islam may have been put under by the polygamy issue, always a difficult issue for Muslim women to deal with:

I LOVE ISLAM!!!!!

Loving a religion? A certain type of Christian might say "I love God" or "I love Jesus" but "I love …

Comment by 1ndra: To Mohammed Khafi : The lack that keeps …

Indonesians & Arabs

Indonesians are better than Arabs, says Jusuf Kalla.

Vice president Jusuf Kalla, who is rarely short of words on any subject, says Indonesians have a lot to be proud about when comparing themselves to Arabs, should they want to do this. For example, in Indonesia there were many religions, cultures, skin shades, etc, but everyone was united. The Arabs had the same religion, same culture, …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … over business link

Polygamy

Aa Gym's polygamous marriage, and the sour reaction to it from many, has caused the government to toughen its anti-polygamy stance.

The, for many, bizarre scenes shown on television screens ad nauseum recently of Aa Gym 's two wives strolling about in consort with their husband, first wife Teteh Nini (Ninih Muthmainah Muhsin) by his side, second wife Alfarini Eridani dutifully trailing …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Gamawan Fauzi

Combating sin is the top priority for West Sumatra governor Gamawan Fauzi in 2007.

Gamawan Fauzi said on the 29th of November that his provincial administration had set out eight priorities for 2007, and at the top of the list was the implementation of traditional and religious teachings and norms, and the combating of immorality among the populace. The plan for 2007 had already been …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … of our own problems.

Abdullah Aa Gym Gymnastiar

Charismatic Muslim preacher Abdullah "Aa Gym" Gymnastiar has taken a second wife.

Abdullah Gymnastiar, commonly referred to as Aa Gym, a hugely popular preacher and holy man, has shocked the nation, particularly its women, by choosing to exercise his right to take more than one wife. Not satisfied with long-term spouse Teteh Nini Gym three months ago married a former model from Bandung, …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … in Al Quran. Peace

Maria Eva

Maria Eva, deeply religious woman and star of the Golkar porn flick, a hive of contradictions.

Maria Eva, or Maria Ireva, 29, usually called Merry, from Sidoarjo in East Java, is the dangdut singer and sometime sinetron actress who appeared in the raunchy sex recording with Golkar parliamentarian Yahya Zaini.

Her name has cropped up here once before, when she was reported to have …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … less than six months.

Yahya Zaini Sex Scandal

A sex scandal involving a Golkar politician and a dangdut singer.

A video recording has been circulating which purports to show a member of parliament from the Golkar party, with the initials Y.Z., and a lady dangdut singer, with the initials M.E., in a hotel room, frolicking about in a fashion thought by many only permissible within the bounds of holy matrimony. The man, Y.Z., may or may …

Comment by Bovary: KhafI said : You ask us not to …

RUU Pornografi

[Updated] The long, tortuous journey of the RUU Anti Pornoaksi Pornografi is approaching its end.

The name of the bill has been changed, dropping the "anti" part ( RUU AP or RUU PP ), and a revised copy of the draft has been finalised and handed over to a vice-chairman of the parliament, Zaenal Maarif.

Balkan Kaplale.

Although the changes that have been agreed upon by the …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Mall Heaven

By 2008 there will be about eighty or ninety malls in Jakarta, up from sixty odd now, even while shoppers often prefer to go to Singapore.

A Stefanus Ridwan, a head of the Asosiasi Pengelolaan Pusat Belanja Indonesia (APPBI), the Indonesian Shopping Centres Operators' Association, said that currently there were about sixty malls in Jakarta with another crop shortly to be opening, these …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … Eastern kind. Peace

SmackDown

Calls are growing for the banning of American wrestling shows on television.

Recently nine-year old Reza Ikhsan Fadillah in Bandung died as a result of injuries suffered when some of his young neighbours beat and kicked him, apparently in some sort of imitation of moves seen on an American wrestling show, called "Smackdown" wwe.com , aired by Lativi. The boy's father, Herman Suratman, …

Comment by Tomaculum: M. Khafi, not just the legislators are …

Arabic Only

Conducting Muslim worship services in Indonesian, rather than Arabic, remains invalid, and illegal, says NU boss Hasyim Muzadi.

Likely in reference to the recent release from prison of Yusman Roy in Malang, East Java, who was imprisoned for two years in connection with his use of Indonesian when leading Muslim prayers, Hasyim, the leader of Nahdatul Ulama (NU), urged the authorities to …

Comment by Bradlymail: Mohammed Khafi and Josef thanks for you …

Dual Nationality

Children born of mixed Indonesian and foreign parentage can now obtain dual nationality.

As one of the first examples of the implementation of the new citizenship law , on the 21st of November in Jakarta the Law and Human Rights minister, Hamid Awaluddin, officiated at the granting of dual nationality papers (SK Kewarganegaraan Indonesia) to thirteen children of mixed Indonesian/foreign …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Flag Proud & Cliff Muntu

Not everyone is sure which way the Indonesian flag goes, and one man paid with his life for raising it the wrong way.

A 23-year-old security guard in Banda Aceh died after a policeman beat him because he had raised the national flag the wrong way up, says Antara antara . Mukhtar Razali was beaten and made to perform push-ups by an unnamed policemen, apparently outraged at seeing the …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … child-rearing practices. Peace

Children Sleeping

Carri from Los Angeles wants to know about childrens' sleeping habits in Indonesia.

My name is Carri. I'm a screenwriter in Los Angeles, California doing research for a TV program on the sleeping habits of children all over the world, ages 6 to 12. I'd like to include children from Indonesia. I'm wondering if you could help me. I'm specifically looking for where children sleep (In the …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … are dreaming about! Peace

Israeli Aircraft

The FPI, Islam Defenders' Front, are protesting apparent plans by the Defence department to buy Israeli aircraft.

On the 9th dozens of FPI men protested outside the Defence department office in Jakarta over reports that the ministry of defence plans to buy drone aircraft (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, UAV) from Israel.

We reject it if the Defence department really are going to buy planes …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … men are profiting?

Roots of Indonesian Terrorism

Indonesian terrrorism has different origins to that of its middle-eastern counterpart, says a psychologist.

Sarlito Wirawan Sarwono, chairman of the Asian Psychologists' Association (APA) and someone described as a "terrorism expert at the University of Indonesia", speaking to AFP, said that while terrorism in the Middle East was rooted in nationalism, in Indonesia it has traditionally …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Human Trafficking

Twelve provinces in Indonesia are thought to have a serious problem with trafficking of women and children.

Nani Tuloli, a parliamentary representative from Gorontalo named the twelve as West Java, East Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, North Sumatera, South Sumatera, Riau, East Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, North Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). He said …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … like this? Peace

Ahmad Dhani of Dewa

Rock group Dewa's lead guitarist Ahmad Dhani is featured in the Washington Post.

The tunes of many Dewa songs, particularly "Aku Milikku", which has a really fine opening, and ending, are a familiar sound in the Indonesia Matters bunker and it's pleasing to see the group's main man get some international attention, if not precisely for his music.

Ahmad Dhani of Dewa

The WP writes …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … on the street. Peace

Danish Cartoon Crisis II

Another Muhammad cartoon controversy in Denmark has stirred ill-will among some Indonesian Muslims.

On the 6th Danish state television aired some amateur video footage showing young members of the anti-immigrant Danish Peoples' Party engaged in a competition to draw humiliating cartoons of Mohammad. The filming of the cartoon drawing was done secretly by an "undercover agent" who was …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … of the Prophet Mohammed which the mainstream Muslims …

Bogor Restaurant Raids

A number of small restaurants were raided by Muslim militants in Bogor and forced to close.

SCTV and Metro TV say that dozens of young men, Islamic boarding school students, it seems, stormed through the Leuwiliang market in, Bogor, West Java, on the 6th, and forced any small restaurants, or "rumah makan", to close. Those places which were already closed were inspected anyway, with …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … over our country?

Terrorism, Poverty & Islam

Poverty is the cause of terrorism, says a former Muhammadiyah chairman, not Islam.

Professor Ahmad Syafii Maarif, former Muhammadiyah chairman, speaking at an interfaith gathering, the "Simposium Antarbudaya dan Antaragama", held under the auspices of APEC, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group, or Organisasi Kerjasama Ekonomi Asia Pasifik, in Yogyakarta on the 5th said that …

Comment by Ismail: … of the ‘prophet mohammed’ please i do believe from …

Infidel Banyan Tree

Outrages to the majesty of God mankind can be found even among tree species, in this case the banyan tree, at least for some zealous Muslim youths in Jakarta.

The banyan tree pictured has stood near Harmoni Central Busway station in central Jakarta, for about 100 years, unbowed, even after some major roads were built around it. Local superstitious types seem to have developed the idea …

Comment by bfy: I agree with Mohammed Khafi, having lived in …

Expats

… Certainly some home truths there, but the "Most of them..." part may not stand up to analysis.

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Fast Food Religiosity

The A&W fast food store in downtown Manado is accused of having attempted to force all female employees to wear headscarfs.

Management at the A&W (Roy Allen & Frank Wright) store in Manado Town Square, North Sulawesi, a Christian majority province, told all female staff, including Christians, to wear a jilbab , or headscarf, during the month of Ramadan, according to Harian …

Comment by Julita: Great Khafi, Roy Allen & Frank Wright, …

Multi and Mono Cultures

Multi-culturalism, or what Indonesians might call pluralism, is often spoken of as key to Indonesia's make-up and stability but this is likely wrong-headed.

Historically multi-cultures, or pluralistic societies, are an aberration, they do not survive for long. The natural tendency is towards mono-culturalism. Sooner or later large polyglot nations, with a rich diversity of religions, …

Comment by Marsel: … As said by Khafi, many of our leaders are bad, so …

Prabowo Subianto Speaks

Conspiracy theories and paranoia from former military commander Prabowo Subianto.

Lieutenant General (retired) Prabowo Subianto, former head of Kopassus, the army special forces unit, from 1995 until the fall of Suharto in 1998, complains that Indonesia, its government and people, is constantly subject to foreign attempts to weaken it.

There are certain world powers who openly say …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

PSK Punishments

The Surakarta/Solo branch of the Mujahidin Council wants tougher penalties for PSK, or prostititues.

A group of Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia (MMI) members, accompanied by their lawyer M Kurniawan, visited the state courthouse in Solo on the 27th to ask judges to impose harsher penalties on prostitutes and presumably their customers.

MMI spokesman Adi Basuki said to a representative …

Comment by Hassan: the best solution khafi is both, the campaigning for …

No Bakso in Ambon (& Padang)

The law in Ambon city enforces respect for Muslim customs, as it does in Padang, West Sumatra.

The city government of Ambon, under mayor Jopie Papilaja, in the province of South Maluku apparently passed an ordinance banning the selling of food on the streets during the fasting hours of the day, out of respect for those people who observe Ramadan.

On the 27th public order officials went …

Comment by Tomaculum: Hello M Khafi, that is not a law, but it is a …

Noviana Malewa

Noviana Malewa is still undergoing treatment after a beheading attempt in Sulawesi last year.

Noviana Malewa, who was 15 at the time, and three of her friends, Theresia Morangke, Alfita Poliwo, Yarni Sambue, were walking along a path on October 29th, 2005, on their way to a private Christian school in Poso, Sulawesi, when they were set upon by a gang of men who may or may not have been …

Comment by Czeslaw: … vs Sunis. Mr. Mohammed Khafi, above, have excellent …

Bandung Church Attack

A house-church near Bandung was attacked by a mob but police stepped in.

The report of the attack was to be found in the Jakarta Post newspaper which began the story:

The suppression of religious freedom in this predominantly Muslim nation continues in West Java , where dozens of churches and places of worship have been forcibly closed by Muslim extremists over the past year.

The …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … than the other way around. Peace

Atambua Protests

There has been some rioting in Atambua, West Timor, over the execution of Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus Da Silva and Marianus Riwu.

Thousands of people in Atambua, Belu, West Timor, Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT), have come out onto the streets to protest the execution of the three Catholic men. The offices of the Attorney General have been burned down and one report says that the homes of …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Quota for Women

Jusuf Kalla says that it remains difficult for women to fulfil the 30% quota suggested for them in the parliament.

Kalla , the chairman of the Golkar party and the current vice-president of Indonesia, said that not enough women were able or willing to take up a role in politics, while speaking on the 19th at a meeting discussing the role of women in the Golkar party, accompanied by …

Comment by Miss Indo 07: … with Parvita and Khafi and you, this country needs …

Blora Church Closing

A Protestant house-church was forcibly shut down in Blora, Central Java.

In Tlogowaru village, Japah district, Blora, Central Java, a Northern Central Java Christian church was closed by police and local residents, Tempo says , because the number of worshippers, at 38 people, was insufficient to satisfy the requirments of the law for the establishment of houses of worship. Houses of …

Comment by Hassan: … God. if Mohamed khafi is a big fan of human rights, …

Rebekka Zakaria, Eti Pangesti & Ratna Bangun

Rebekka Zakaria, Eti Pangesti & Ratna Bangun have completed sixteen months of their three-year prison sentence for running a Christian kindergarten in which some Muslim children attended.

The three women were jailed for, according to the charges, attempting to convert Muslim children to Christianity while they worked as teachers at a kindergarten in Haurgeulis, Indramayu, West Java, in …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … Independence.

Javanese Language

Javanese language and script are dying and president Yudhoyono is one who is concerned.

In Semarang from the 10th to 14th of this month is being held the Fourth Javanese Language Congress, attended by about 800 people, at the Hotel Patra Jasa, with the congress having the goal of "Pemberdayaan Bahasa dan Sastra Jawa Melalui Pendidikan Dalam Rangka Penguatan Bhineka Tunggal Ika", or …

Comment by Ismael: … I must say mr Khafi you really got some knowlege. …

Radical Islam & Women

Maria Anshor of the Fatayat Nahdlatul Ulama says radical Islamic groups in Indonesia are an insignificant minority but that they threaten womens' rights.

Speaking at a conference in Helsinki, Finland, entitled Religion, Fundamentalism, and Gender under the auspices of an organisation called the International Peace Bureau (IPB), Maria Ulfah Anshor, a senior figure in the womens' wing of …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … men? Salaam

Quran & Hadith

The validity or otherwise of the hadith tradition and its relationship to the Quran and how Muslims understand their faith.

This post has been created due to the female circumcision thread having gone substantially off-topic. Hopefully, within the spirit of the site, commenters can make some reference to the situation in Indonesia and within Indonesian Muslim organisations such as NU, …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Islam is Bad for Tourism

Attempting to forbid sinful activities, such as drinking, harms the growth of tourism in Muslim areas.

Luthfi Assyaukanie mentions the success of Hindu dominated Bali in developing a thriving tourist industry, and compares it with the lack of such success of the Muslim dominated Ternate and Tidore islands in North Maluku, and also Lombok, both places being able to lay claim to having …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … Quran to Prophet Mohammed to combat and release the …

TV Temptation During Ramadan

The Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI) advises what should not appear on television screens during the upcoming "holy month" of Ramadan.

Chairman of the Ulema Council, Ma'ruf Amin, warned television stations recently not to show any programs that would be offensive to the soon approaching celebration of the fasting month of Ramadhan.

Stop programs which are offensive to the Islamic holy …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … that Prophet Mohammed came to release the people …

RUU APP Stalled

The controversial anti-pornography bill has run into problems in the parliament.

The Rancangan Undang-Undang Anti-Pornografi dan Pornoaksi ( RUU APP ), or proposed law against pornography and indecency, was expected to have been passed into law by June or July of this year but it seems that there is no end in sight for deliberations on the bill. Agung Sasongko, vice chairman of the …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Preaching Moderation

The Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) is assembling the troops to combat the proselytizing activity of hardline Islamic groups, and also liberal ones.

In a meeting of about 150 NU proselytizers, or preachers, ( dai ) from Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi at the Asrama Haji Pondokgede, in Jakarta on the 2nd, Ma'ruf Amin, who is also the chairman of the Fatwa Commission of the Majelis Ulama …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … the NU kind! Hah!

Female Circumcision

The Ulema Council, Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI), says female circumcision is necessary for Muslims.

H. Amidhan of the MUI, speaking in Banjarmasin, said that his august organisation had no problems with female circumcision, because it was a duty for Muslims, was safe and did not cause any health problems for those who underwent it.

Circumcision is especially meant to be done for …

Comment by tomaculum: … what is? ” M. Khafi: then Allah or God would have …

NU TV Boycott & Monitoring

Members of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) are threatening to boycott television, unless they get their way on the gossip show issue.

At their last national conference the NU issued a fatwa forbidding their members, or nahdliyin, from watching a certain kind of television gossip show, or infotainment . Now the leader of the Central Java branch of the NU, Muhammad Adnan, is threatening …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … a close friend.” 41:34

Salafiyah

Lombok Muslims keep up the pressure on deviant Islamic sects as the homes of Salafiyah members are attacked in the west of the island.

Hot on the heels of an attack on another fundamentalist congregation in Lombok, a Wahabi mosque last week, on the 27th in the village of Gelogor, West Lombok, hundreds of people attacked the home of Haji Sahabudin, the head of the Salafiyah group in the …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … it is blasphemous”

Blasphemy For Some

While the law against blasphemy is intended to protect all the main religions of Indonesia it is selectively enforced.

The Jakarta Post on the 19th published an opinion piece entitled "The gospel of Judas: Heresy or revelation?" in which Liem Khiem Yang tells us about the discovery of the gnostic gospel of Judas, which was condemned by bishop Irenaeus in 180 AD as heresy. In it we find …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … of “Inabah” magazine, p. 5

Salaried Holy Men

Muslim clerics in West Sumatra are to be provided with a salary by the provincial government.

At least 150 Muslim clerics in West Sumatra will receive a monthly pay cheque of 750,000 rupiah, or about $80, from next year, as well as free medical treatment and a pension allowance 100,000 rupiah ($11) a month.

West Sumatra Governor Gamawan Fauzi says:

We'll propose funding for the …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … as they are told!

Protecting Lebanon

President Yudhoyono remains extremely enthusiastic about sending peacekeepers to Lebanon.

On the 16th president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono reaffirmed Indonesia's commitment to "protect" the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples from Israel. In his State of the Nation address the president said:

...we have stated our readiness to join with the U.N. Peacekeeping force, in order to protect the …

Comment by Hassan: Mohammed Khafi: believe me, no gun …

Nadine Chandra

Putri Indonesia Nadine Chandra says she is ready to be questioned by police over the bikini scandal.

Nadine wore a bikini at the Miss Universe contest in America last month and was reported to the police by the womens' wing of the Islam Defenders' Front, the Mujahidah FPI, see Nadine Chandrawinata . However in a press conference in Jakarta on the 15th Nadine said that if called to the …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … terribly high percentage.

Sex Segregation in Schools

A regency in the west of Java has ordered that boys and girls be taught in separate classrooms, in co-ed schools.

The regency of Pandeglang , at the westernmost tip of Java in the province of Banten, issued a decree at the start of the school year declaring that boys and girls were to be separated in school in order to guard against moral degradation . Regent Dimyati Natakusumah's decree …

Comment author: Mohammed Khafi

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … cure the patient?