Papernas

… the party, among them Wimar Witoelar, the former spokesman for President Abdurrachman "Gus Dur" Wahid, sociologist George Aditjondro, Sukardi Rinakit from the Indonesian Survey Institute and Mohammad Sobary, former news chief of Antara. Although Gus Dur has his own party, the PKB, Dominggoes Octavianus still holds out hope that the old man will work with the new party in some form. Papernas also seems to have won the favour of the " indo-marxists ".

A main focus of Papernas is the …

RUU APP Debate

… threats against those who oppose the bill.

June 7th the chairman of the parliament, Hidayat Nur Wahid, said that the content of the proposed law did not represent the views of any particular group or religion.

There are no verses from a certain holy book in the bill. Those who support the bill are also not just from Islamic parties. The chairman of the deliberating committee is also not from an Islamic party.
(Tidak ada ayat-ayat dari kitab suci tertentu yagn dinukil dalam RUU ini. …

Islamic Boarding Schools

Hasyim Muzadi of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) says Islamic boarding schools are not breeding grounds for terrorists.

The accusation that Islamic boarding schools are not breeding grounds for terrorists is without good reason because the western countries don't know about the boarding schools in Indonesia.
(Tuduhan terhadap pondok pesantren banyak melahirkan atau menimbulkan teroris …

Comment by Abu Sulaiman: … Abdurrahman Wahid for the reason of his educational …

Anti-Premanism

… and protect citizens from radical groups.

One of the attendees at the event, Sinta Nuriyah Wahid, the wife of former president Abdurrahman Wahid, and who is currently engaged in her own personal battle with certain radical Islamic groups, said that the prevalance of street thuggery by politicised groups threatened the integrity and unity of the nation. The government had to act, she said :

Don't let people think that the government has already dealt with the problem of premanism …

MP’s Denounce Sharia Laws

… di masyarakat karena bernuansa syariat Islam.)

said the spokesman for the 56, Nusron Wahid, from the Golkar party.

While the Jakarta Post quotes Constant Ponggawa of the PDS as saying:

The deliberation and implementation of bylaws should have been carried out according to the 1945 Constitution and Pancasila, and within the framework of the Unitary State of Indonesia.

Gayus Lumbuun of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said the petition was aimed at …

Gus Dur, Blasphemer

Ex-president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid has been reported to the police for insulting Islam.

Gus Dur had previously stated that the Muslim holy book, the Quran, contained "pornographic" content, in that it dealt frankly with some sexual issues. Now, yesterday, as part of an ongoing feud (see Inter Religious Harmony and FPI, Garda Bangsa, & Gus Dur ), conservative and hardline Muslim clerics reported the matter to …

Islamic State Fears

… Indonesian Islamic state is imminent.

Speaking to a discussion on pluralism hosted by the Wahid Institute, a group set up to promote religious tolerance by former president Abudurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, institute executive director Ahmad Suaedy said Indonesia was very close to becoming an Islamic state.

He said that Indonesia will turn into a Islamic state if the government does nothing to counter the violence committed by hard-line religious groups or the repressive, …

Radical Groups

… berpikir keras, silakan, asal tidak melanggar hukum.)

Former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, himself (and his wife Sinta Nuriyah ) a recent victim of intimidation, also voiced kompas his support for efforts to combat "anarkisme". He complained that until now the growth of radical and extremist groups had met with almost no action at from the government and police. They broke the law, frightened people, but had gotten away with it. He said these things while visiting the …

Sinta Nuriyah Wahid’s Battle

Sinta Nuriyah Wahid, the wife of former president Abdurrahman Wahid, is suing the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR) for slandering women.

The chairman of the FBR, Forum Betawi Rempug, Fadloli El Muhir had said on television, May 1st, that the women who took part in a demonstration against the RUU APP, the anti-pornography and indecency bill, were "evil, wretched and immoral".

Sinta Nuriyah …

FPI, Garda Bangsa, & Gus Dur

… Ulama are engaged in a running battle.

Hundreds of supporters of Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid rallied on Friday to demand the government disband the militant Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), or the Front Pembela Islam, which disrupted an appearance by the former president at an interfaith meeting a few days ago. Gus Dur's fanatical supporters demonstrated at the National Police Headquarters in South Jakarta and at the FPI's office in Slipi, Central Jakarta. Police kept tight control …

NU Mosques Subverted

… ajaran NU sebagai bid'ah dan menyesatkan.)

Masdar F Mas'udi said this kompas at the Wahid Institute in Jakarta on the 24th May.

The teachings of the NU are indeed heretical, to many an Arab or Saudi type Muslim. Those same teachings are what makes Indonesian Islam relatively relaxed and moderate. What would be even more interesting to know is the amount of money at the disposal of these radical groups and its origin.

16th June 2006. Masdar Farid Mas'udi, again says …

Apostasy in Islam

Gus Dur, Abdurrahman Wahid, writes on the question of apostasy in Islam.

Traditionally apostasy has been punishable by death in Islam, the most recent almost-case of this being that of Abdul Rahman in Afghanistan. Gus Dur writes in FrontPage magazine on why he thinks that Islam does not, in fact, permit the execution or murder of those who choose to leave the religion. Frustratingly, as Robert Spencer at …

Comment by Anonymous_aloy: … not invalidate Wahid’s claim that Islam in reality …

Inter Religious Harmony

… religious and ethnic relations in Purwakarta, west Java, attended by former president Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur), was targeted by militant Islamic groups such as Front Pembela Islam (FPI), Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia (MMI), Forum Umat Islam (FUI) and Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI).

The dialogue was arranged by the youth wing of the Nahdlatul Ulama, GP Ansor, and was attended by Catholic, Protestant, Confucian, Hindu, and Muslim representatives.

A number of demonstrators managed to …

Debate on Morality Bill

… have however advocated that its consideration be postponed pending a total revision.

Shinta Wahid, the wife of former PKB leader and president Gus Dur, is an opponent of the law and sees it as an attack on women's rights.

Artists and performers, such as WS Rendra from the high culture end, have been forthright in their opposition. Rendra believes that the RUU APP is an attempt to force an anti-sexual or asexual view onto Indonesia and that this is unhealthy for society. For him, …

Political Disappearances

… headquarters and government offices and had a personal dialogue with former President Abdurrahman Wahid and Armed Forces Chief Wiranto, but still with no results.

Tuti Koko, mother of Yani Afri.

"I got assistance from KontraS but I cry every time I went there and saw the street singers. I always remember my son. He was poor but he was an artist. He liked to play guitar and sing for me. While my son was still around, he would assist me financially by working as a driver while …

Nahdlatul Ulama Moving Rightwards

… own hands.

Previously the NU, especially when under the leadership of Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, had been known as a guardian of freedom and democracy in the face of the authoritarian New Order regime.

Expressing his concern about changes in NU behavior, American Indonesianist Robert Hefner cited the phenomena as an indication of an emerging uncivilized society in Indonesia, which does not respect plurality.

Other analysts speculate that NU has transformed itself into a communal …

Religious Freedom Report

… restrictive than the previous one. However, the Chairman of the National Assembly, Hidayat Nur Wahid, pointed out that "restrictive regulation"¦is needed to avoid sectarian conflicts among religious communities." The Commission will continue to monitor the implementation of the new decree in the coming year.

The Catholic church, in a dismal display, formally accepted the new law although some dissent was heard. See also the MUI view.

Sulawesi & Maluku

Although the …

Azyumardi Azra on Mob Rule

… about moral issues, while in the era of (former presidents) BJ Habibie and Abdurrahman Wahid, they were connected more with politics.

Are some Indonesians hypocritical on moral questions?

Yes, there are many Indonesians who are hypocritical about morals or apply double standards. This should be the challenge for religious leaders - to focus public attention on relevant and important moral issues.

Currently, there is a gap in people's perceptions about morality - a …

Dating Indonesian Girls

Dating Indonesian women may not be for everyone.

Indonesian women, particularly on the island of Java, are exceptionally beautiful. They tend towards the very feminine side, with lovely skin, are not too tall, and have knock-out smiles. There's plenty of plus on that side of things.

If wer'e to be honest we have to recognise that many men are interested in a woman who will take care of …

Comment by Tony: … in Kota-North of Wahid Hashim. So you have the right …

Mystical Islam in Medan

… Masalah itu akan dilakukan penyelidikan dan pertemuan terlebih dulu.)

said Ramli Abdul Wahid of the MUI.

He added that the school, which is led by one Muhammad Irfii Nuzlan, followed the Naqsabandi Jabal Hindi mystical strain of Islam. There also appear to be disputes over the land that is claimed by the school and over whether Muhammad Irfii Nuzlan is fit to lead it. The man himself says:

I'm aware I'm not fit to lead but [my leadership] comes from a divine order.
(Saya …

Porn Wars

… there are those who claim that the bill has nothing to do with Islam, such as Hidayat Nur Wahid, the chairman of the People`s Consultative Assembly (MPR) and former leader of the Islamist Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

Do not interpret the bill as something serving the interest of a particular religious group but instead let us think of its virtues for the state and nation.

The assumption that the bill is intended to make Indonesia a Muslim country is totally incorrect. …

Gus Dur Rejects Anti Porn Bill

… In an Indonesian language piece published on his site Gus Dur, real name Abdurrahman Wahid, asked legislators to reject the bill and claimed that those who supported it did so out of fear of hardline Muslim groups.

It's a politicisation of religion. They are afraid of hardline Islam, those who view religion in a formalised way.

If members of parliament are not brave enough to change the draft bill the people will change it for them. And I will struggle for such change. …

Comment by Karlira Kanakahuko: … I agreed with Wahid..This anti-porn law is just …

2004 Election Results

… 26.6 %

3.
General Wiranto (Golkar) - Solahuddin Wahid

26,286,788

22.2 %

4.
Amien Rais (PAN) - Siswono Yudho Husodo

17,392,931

14.6 %

5.
Hamzah Haz (PPP) - Agum Gumelar

3,569,861

3.0 %

Presidential Election, Second Round
September 20, 2004. Registered …

Ahmadiyah Lombok

… the events in Lombok came from the tireless defender of freedom of religion, Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, who said:

The problem is the government is afraid. It doesn't have the courage to uphold the Constitution. How can we be a great (nation) without upholding the Constitution?

Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsuddin also chimed in with his usual blathering about how true Muslims never commit violence:

It was an un-Islamic act. No religion justifies violence as a means to resolve …