MUI View on Houses of Worship Law

Interview with the deputy chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Ma'ruf Amin, on the houses of worship law, from the Jakarta Post.

Some doubt the joint ministerial decree will promote tolerance among the followers of different religions.

The decree is an implementation of the 1945 Constitution and Article 22 of the Regional Autonomy Law, which requires local administrations to help maintain national unity. National unity can be achieved if all Indonesians are able to …

Catholic View on Houses of Worship Law

A Catholic scholar in Indonesia explains his objections to the new decree on the building of houses of worship.

Franz Magnis-Suseno, is a professor at Driyarkara Institute of Philosophy in Jakarta and spoke to the Jakarta Post thus:

How do you see the new joint ministerial decree?

The decree goes against the amended 1945 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion. What I regret is that it does not protect human rights and the people's constitutional right to …

Indonesian Houses

Some of the pitfalls in owning an Indonesian house.

Having purchased a new house in Indonesia, I have needlessly brought endless frustration upon myself.

I have no complaints about my neighbours or the locality. On the contrary, the people are friendly and the surroundings comfortable. Those fill one part of my wish list.

However, it becomes a nightmare with regards to two …

Comment by Dragonwall: … If you buy houses in Citra Garden or Taman Surya …

Chinese Muslims

A minority within a minority, organization and numbers of Chinese Muslims in Java and North Sumatra.

Masjid Lautze 1

In Pecinan, Pasar Baru, Jakarta is located the Masjid Lautze (or Lao Tze), the centre of the Chinese Muslim community in the city, built in 1991, and, perhaps not inappropriately, being located within a ruko commercial complex.

The mosque is run by the Yayasan …

Comment by Purba negoro: … Chinese. They can worship Fortuna, Mammon and Plutus from …

Persuasion Techniques

How the Sharia authorities of Aceh persuade citizens to get on with their religious obligations.

Loud Persuasion

In the province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) Natsir Ilyas of the Sharia & Prosperous Families Office explains that efforts to enforce Islamic sharia law continue:

We use various methods of persuasion to encourage people to live by sharia.

Some of the …

Comment by sputjam: … God forbids idol worship, whilst today’s moslem …

Indonesians vs. Jakarta Expats

… you think of any other differences between Indonesians and foreigners? Share them in the comments!

Comment by Odinius: … churchs and worship-houses of some Islam …

Religion & Religiosity

… in Eidl Fitr to celebrate our Ramadan victory with us, and vice versa, we would come to their houses to celebrate Christmas with them. Back then, we were not suspicious with one another, we were all like one big happy family, with real problems, none of which originated from religion. Those were good times.

I also remember being taught that religious people, specifically Muslims, go to heaven (if they're good) and others do not. As kids, our schools taught us communism equals atheism …

Comment by Patrick: … the practice and worship of Christians etc. We wonder …

Shopping Mall Churches

… The GKP is unable to gather the 90 signatures necessary to gain formal permission, as per the houses of worship law.

Only 20% of the churches in this province have an official permit to hold religious services.

Although the lack of a permit probably applies to most mosques, as well, considering that according to an official in Surabaya, East Java, 90% of the houses of worship in that city don't have a permit, irrespective of which religion. tempo

Saipul Abdullah of the …

Comment by djoko: … Muslim places of worship are justified. Though …

Easter Militancy & Mayhem

… and the regency government.

To avoid creating problems:

Obey the rules, only use proper houses of worship.

He advised the Muslim protestors to complain to the local government and not take things into their own hands. tempo

Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI) leader Umar Shihab said the MUI had never instructed that the services of other religions should be broken up and his organisation did not tolerate violence or intimidation. tempo

"Bloody Easter" in Atambua

In …

Comment by tomaculum: … only use proper houses of worship. ” In other words: …

Batak Church Attack

… firmer stand against church burnings and vandalising, foster inter-faith dialogue, and revise the houses of worship law of 2006. detik

Comment by Julita: … their places of worship being attacked for what they …

Bekasi Churches

… to get their paperwork in order.

As per a 2006 mayoral ruling and the national law on houses of worship the Forum Kerukunan Umat Beragama (FKUB) of Bekasi has urged all religious congregations that currently operate out of shops ( ruko ) or in housing estates to apply for formal permission to exist.

Once the application is made the currently illegal congregations, most likely primarily Christian ones, will be granted a two-year temporary permit. After the two year period they …

Sunday School

… vandalised the house, and assaulted Elisa.

The damaged house.

A witness, Lidya, says no worship services are normally held in the house, instead the children attend Sunday school lessons there. metrotv

The Gading Tutukan housing estate has in the past been the scene of some sectarian disturbances. In July 2005 two churches in the area were forcibly closed, an Assemblies of God church (Gereja Sidang Jemaat Allah (GSJA)) and a Batak Protestant church (Huria Kristen Batak …

Comment by Ross: … sent to prison for worshipping as she saw fit. SBY should …

Pentecostal Church

… the Department of Religion urged those of minority faiths not to be too aggressive in building houses of worship if the number of worshippers nearby was small. antara

Usman Fathan of the Ulema Council, MUI, in Bangka Belitung, said on the 24th of April 2007 that the rules for building houses of worship have to be obeyed. However he said he did not agree with people taking the law into their own hands.

The government of Bangka has already disallowed the conversion of the …

Comment by Julita: … of place of worship, if there are already twelve …

Biblical Law

… are said to be ranesi proposed laws against alcohol and prostitution, regulations on dress and worship, including bans on the display of symbols of a "certain religion", and bans on the building of houses of worship of another religion near a church.

For non-Christians who wish to build, say, a mosque, a congregation of 150 people must exist first. This would appear to violate the national Houses of Worship Act, which stipulates 90 people as the minimum number.

Pastor Sherli …

Causes of the Crusades

Possible causes of the Crusades in the middle ages.

Comments split off from beheadings trial …

Comment by Aluang anak Bayang: … each religion to worship at their holy places within the …

Mosques

… paperwork properly in order while in the cities most did. He said it was unfair to expect the houses of worship of other religions to have permission while mosques could be built without it. Even though nobody objected to the building of mosques, he said, formal authorisation should still be sought.

Kalla reckoned that there were about 70-80,000 mosques in Indonesia but because so many were not registered it was difficult to know the number for sure. tempo

Comment by Dimp: … to shops / houses. Churches are just buildings, …

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 by Robert: … Their houses of worship must be …

Repent or Reform

… Islamic New Year. Additionally NU followers should repent their sins, be honest, increase their worship activities, do good works and help disaster victims, and also avoid frowned-on behaviour. antara

Tsunami Disaster in Indonesia, 2004 .

A foreign observer, Andre Vltchek, author of Conversations With Pramoedya Ananta Toer, in a lengthy and worthwhile read, "Indonesia: Natural Disasters or Mass Murder?" japanfocus , puts the blame for all the deaths caused by disasters …

Comment by 1ndra: … construction of houses and buildings are the culprits, …

Ninih Muthmainnah Muhsin

Aa Gym 's first wife Ninih Muthmainnah Muhsin discusses her situation.

Ninih Muthmainnah Muhsin, the head of the Muslimah Center at the Yayasan Daarut Tauhid in Bandung, and normally called Teteh Ninih, said in Batam on the 6th that being a madu , or co-wife, was not a sad thing but beautiful, because she was able to look at things from more than just the physical side.

Ninih …

Comment by JKS: … ladies, you worship a boss with four wives, it is …

Minahasa Nationalism

… Freedom from economic inequality and exploitation.
Freedom from restrictions on religious worship.

The two key men behind the declaration are Dolfie Maringka and Revly Pesak, the former of whom said:

We no longer believe in the unitary republic of Indonesia. The ultimate goal of our movement is total independence/freedom for the Minahasa people. I'm ready to go to jail for this.
(Kami sudah tidak percaya lagi dengan NKRI. Tujuan akhir dari berdirinya gerakan ini adalah …

Comment by Quazi: … and build new houses of worship). There can be a …

Freedom of Religion Report

… 2006, quite a high quality report.

The constitution provides for "all persons the right to worship according to his or her own religion or belief" and states that "the nation is based upon belief in one supreme God". While the Government generally respected freedom of religion, restrictions continued on some types of religious activity and on unrecognized religions. The Government sometimes tolerated discrimination against and the abuse of religious groups by private actors, and often …

Blora Church Closing

… 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 worship must have at least 90 prospective members before permission can be granted for their construction.

Additionally the church did not have formal permission to operate. It appears that the pastor, Yoshua, had once attempted to fool local people into …

Comment by Alan: … open a center of worship in any country, it should fall …

Atheism

… attempts to disturb the holding of religious events or services, and destruction of places of worship.

Ifdhal Kasim, the Director of the "Program Hukum dan Legislasi Reform Institute", the Legal Reform Institute, speaking at the Wahid Institute Wahid Institute , as reported Hukum Online by Hukum Online, on the 6th, said that the revisions represented an over-criminalisation of religious life and belief, and that this was aimed at protecting only certain religions, those …

Comment by Robert: … the religious and houses of worship need protection …

Pluralism on the Wane

… in Indonesia today.

An editorial in the Jakarta Post, entitled "Goodbye Pluralism":

Houses of worship are an important topic of discussion for many people, as the recent debate over them showed. The impression was that people put more importance on the buildings themselves than on practicing the good deeds taught inside them.

The heated debate revolved around drawing up new rules on church or mosque construction to replace an antiquated joint ministerial decree. If any issue …

West Java’s Tolerance Problem

… in the predominantly Muslim area. Protestors demanded to see the church's building permit for worship services.

The church does not have a permit. Pastor Mathias says:

We have been trying to get a permit since the church was established in 1998.

Mathias claims that local government officials "were afraid to trigger social unrest within the community" by granting a permit. Officials, however, did give the church verbal approval to operate.

The church is said to be involved in …

Love Thy Neighbour

Forty-two percent of people do not want those of other faiths to build houses of worship in their neighbourhoods, says a survey.

Detik reports that a survey carried out by the LSI found, among other things, that 42.3% of respondents would be bothered by another religion's place of worship being built near them, while 38.1% have no such objections. In a related question the survey found that 87.6% of people did not have trust in others while only 7% did. …

Religious Freedom Report

… Commission remains concerned about ongoing communal violence, the forcible closures of places of worship belonging to religious minorities, the growing political power and influence of religious extremists, and the lack of civilian control over the military. Religiously motivated violence in Central Sulawesi, the Malukus, Papua, and parts of West Java continued in the past year, including murders, bombings, and mob violence. In some of these regions, militant Islamist groups appear …

Mosque Building in Papua

… member of parliament.

MP Agung Sasongko blames the situation on the controversial law on houses of worship :

The law on houses of worship has become the seed of conflict to the point where the government needs to re-evaluate it.
(SKB dua menteri itu merupakan bibit-bibit konflik sehingga pemerintah perlu mengevaluasi kembali SKB tersebut.)

and

The law disrupts the unity [of the nation] and needs to annulled.
(SKB dua menteri itu mengganggu persatuan sehingga perlu …

Partai Damai Sejahtera, PDS

… Jusuf Kalla, an Islamist from the Golkar party. Denny also said that the controversial law on houses of worship and the spate of forced church closings would be important items on the general meeting's agenda.

The PDS gains most of its support in areas where there is a sharp division between Muslims and Christians, such as Ambon and central Sulawesi, and in these places it generally goes head to head with the radical Islamic party, PKS. It also has respectable support in Jakarta …

Bogor Church Closed

… church, Fekky Tatulus, said :

If it's closed where will the congregation and children have to worship?
(Kalau ditutup, ke mana jemaat dan anak- anak harus beribadah.)

A new law on houses of worship has just been promulgated but it is unlikely to be of great assistance to Fekky Tatulus and his congregation.

Law on Houses of Worship

The law on building houses of worship.

Since 1969 it is estimated that over 1000 churches have been burned down or forced to close due partly to the existence of a special ministerial decree that made it difficult for churches, and sometimes other religious groups' houses of worship, to gain formal approval and registration for their existence. Without having their paperwork in order they stood as easy …

Comment by Laura: … buildings … even houses of worship …. is part of the …

Bigotry in Bandung

… under a 1969 ministerial decree issued by the Religious Affairs Ministry and the Home Ministry, houses of worship were required to obtain a permit from both the local office of the Religious Affairs Ministry and the head of the local neighborhood unit and that the two churches in question did not have the right to hold services in places of business.

He also threatened that if the case was not properly handled, ie the churches and massage parlor were not closed down, there would be …

Comment by Rob: … any place of worship can be constructed there needs …

Ahmadiyah Lombok

… are reported to have occured. Local police are said to have stood by while the torching of the houses progressed and they made no arrests. After the attack about 120 of the Ahmadiyah faithful were evacuated to shelters in Lombok's capital, Mataram. Some reports have it that several of them were threatening to seek asylum in western countries.

In reference to this last point the Foreign Minister, Hassan Wirajuda, said:

The reason to seek asylum is baseless. The decision made by …

Dorce Gamalama & Imam Samudera

Transsexual television personality Dorce Gamalama pays her last respects to the executed Imam Samudera.

Dorce Gamalama, a "post-op" transsexual, and host of the Dorce Show , a celebrity talk show, was seen at the funeral of executed terrorist Imam Samudera/Samudra, at Serang, Banten on 9th November. okezone

Dorce Gamalama, loudly leading orphans in prayer for president Suharto …

Comment by sputjam: … paganism and idol worship. he was not the victor in …

Wahabi & Wahhabism

The Justice Party-PKS is not a bringer of Saudi Arabian Wahabi Islam to Indonesia, says its leader.

The President of the Justice Party, Partai Keadilan Sejahtera (PKS), Tifatul Sembiring said in Aceh recently that his party was not Wahabi (the extremely strict form of Islam that is dominant in Saudi Arabia), as many accused of it being:

The PKS is clearly not Wahabi.

He said the …

Comment by Cukurungan: … GOD you still can worship behind the curtain

Amrozi Executed by Firing Squad

Amrozi, Muklas, and Imam Samudra are executed by firing squad.

Ali Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, Ali Ghufron aka Muklas/Mukhlas, and Abdul Aziz aka Imam Samudra aka Qudama were executed at Nusakambangan island prison, Cilacap, Central Java, some time after midnight on Sunday 9th November, for their roles in the 2002 Bali …

Comment by Alf Janszoon: … fight you till you worship Allah Alone or give Jizya (i.e. …

Pro The Death Penalty

… to write more on Death as a subject in the future.

[rss]This is a post from the Indonesia Matters website.[/rss]

Comment by Purba Negoro: … infrastructure and houses for the poor. In this way- we …

Barack Hussein Obama Mania!

Indonesia can't get enough of the news that Barack Obama has won the US election.

Some of the reactions to Barack Hussein Obama's election to the US presidency:

Screaming Children

250 students at Obama's former school (SDN 01 Menteng) in Jakarta, shouted with glee:

Obama wins! McCain loses!

while watching television coverage of the results. Here they are:

…

Comment by Aluang Anak Bayang: … hold. Now they worship Bules the like of Bush and …

Single Mothers in Yogya

… to do with Islam; to have an unmarried mother in the community would bring bad luck to forty houses in all directions from the house in which the sinner dwelt. I admit I laughed long and hard at that and ridiculed it for some time before I became aware that maybe this superstition is more potent than any po-faced morality based on a misunderstanding of Islam, or Christianity for that matter; both of which religions are, as far as I can see from their books of instruction, intended to …

Justice & Injustice

… In this month alone we had Islamo-cretins rampaging up in Sleman against a Christian house of worship, and in Jogja too, picking on the kepercayaan/animist believers.

On TVOne Thursday night, the lovely interviewer tried to maintain balance between Pak Guntur of the pro-tolerance group in their Pulo Gadung studio and an FPI legal twit named Abdurrahman Jelaeni (who apparently thought Hallowe'en had come early and was dressed up as a kind of Rudolf Valentino stage-Arab) in their …

Timor Leste Relations

… be on Australia's sour grapes colonial military aggression in Indonesia sovereign territory and affairs.

Comment by Purba NEgoro: … sleeping people houses and killing armed Russian …

Pujiono Cahyo & Underage Lust

The controversy over a politician-cleric's marriage to an underage girl in Semarang.

43 year old Pujiono Cahyo Widayanto/Widianto, aka Syech/Syekh Puji, the head of an Islamic boarding school (Ponpes Miftahul Jannah) in Bedono, Jambu, Semarang, Central Java, in August 2008 informally married (nikah siri) Lutfiana Ulfa, 11 years and 10 months old, who had just begun studies at a local …

Comment by Czeslaw: … prophets and worship this pervert instead of …

Bali Culture

… if trouble erupts again?
Rayner.

[rss]This is a post from the Indonesia Matters website.[/rss]

Comment by Purba Negoro: … to North Jakarta: Houses that were damaged were in the …

Kidnapping Cases

Investigations into kidnapped and murdered activists of 1997/98, questioning of former generals like president Yudhoyono.

The parliamentary commission (Pansus Orang Hilang) into the disappearances and presumed murders of nine student and other activists opposed to the Suharto presidency in 1997/98 is expected to call some or all of the following former military and intelligence staff to …

Comment by DXP: … shops & houses again on 4th Nov 2008 ? it is …

Interbank Credit Crisis

… indicates a belief that only 8.625 cents on the dollar will be recoverable on assets for Lehman’s bond holders.

Comment by dragonwall: … to build more houses at low interest and selling …

Monarchy-Sultanate Form of Government

Ross defends the monarchical principle and the Sultan of Yogyakarta's authority.

Sultans Rule!

The Jakarta Post on Friday 10th October published an articulate but virulent attack thejakartapost on the monarchical principle, centred on the position of the Sultan of Jogjakarta, HamengkuBuwono X . I took particular notice of this for two reasons, viz., I am a dyed-in-the-wool …

Comment by timdog: … royal houses still in situ (and do bear in …

Atheist Threat

Young atheists on the internet, and eradicating atheism and communism in Indonesia.

Governor of North Sumatra, Syamsul Arifin , said on 8th October at an occasion marking Pancasila Day that all elements of the nation must continually fight against and eradicate atheist beliefs among the people.

Atheism, which seeks to erase Pancasila and which once threatened the nation in the guise …

Comment by Janma: … only god deserving worship). This halfway house towards …

Vitriol & Hate Speech

A vitriolic attack on the presence of foreign experts and smelly expat workers in Jakarta.

"Cheesy Girl", it seems an Indonesian in Jakarta who lives and works among expatriates, and once had a westerner boyfriend who had a rash on his stomach and stank of fish, writes in her blog about bules or westerners/ expats in Indonesia , that they

are not experts in anything
are …

Comment by lomboksurfer: … really blame the worship? I mean come on get real! Ok …

Popular Myths & Madura

… just seemed like a lot of fun.

On a final note however, before anyone asks, I must make it clear that I know nothing about their women…

[rss]This is a post from the Indonesia Matters website.[/rss]

Comment by Berlian Biru: … hung in boarding houses rather than pubs (no self …

What is Racism?

… Just like their Tempo and Jakarta Post- self-serving or self-aggrandising pulp fictions.

Comment by janma: … of Roman spaghetti houses all around Italy.” Maybe …

Indonesian Art Market, Paintings, Artists

…

Comment by Achmad Sudarsono: … Gunarsa worship. Do the artists lack …

Porn Laws in English

… or objects pertaining to that as defined by any single one or combination of Sections 4-6, 8-10.

Comment by Purba NEgoro: … who lives in glass houses dares throw stones at us. And …

Socially Inclusive

Two religion based political parties deciding to become more diverse and inclusive, or not.

PDS

The Partai Damai Sejahtera (PDS), Prosperous Peace Party, a Christian party with a small number of seats in the national parliament, recently decided to formally open itself up to non-Christian members and candidates.

Party chairman Denny Tewu announced last month that 20% of …

Comment by Purba Negoro: … Aussies renting houses Bona Indah and Pondok Labuh …

Kevin Bloody Wilson

… Alan Bond. "Living" alleges that the aboriginals used welfare payments to purchase luxury cars, houses, and even rent a warship from the Australian navy. Critics claim such welfare payments were inadequate to buy such goods.

Kev maintained he was the people's poet, telling Brisbane's Courier Mail: couriermail

I'm just voicing the sort of thing people want to hear. I don't want to sound as if I am on a crusade, but I just write what most of us are thinking. It involves lampooning …

Key to Success

… Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Master of the Day of Judgment.

You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help

Guide us to the straight path;

The path of those whom You have favoured, not of those who have deserved Your anger, nor of those who stray.

This could be formulated or summarised into the following, by some uncertain process:

vision
potential
opportunity
motivation
mission
strategy
action

Reading the above …

Comment by Andy: … largest place of worship is a buddhist temple. Where …

Dutch War Crimes

… from survivors (Dutch-Indonesian-Sundanese). Streaming media, requires broadband internet access.

Comment by Robert: … plenty of houses in Semarang left as vacant …

Beach Parties & Riding Pillion

Religious leaders in Aceh worry about what young people are getting up to before, during, and probably after, Ramadan.

Beach Parties

In late August leader of the Himpunan Ulama Dayah Aceh (HUDA), Tgk Faisal Aly, said he was very worried about the popular pre-Ramadan tradition of visiting the beach and other sites of interest, called minggu abeh .

He said it was a custom in Aceh, …

Comment by Purba Negoro: … bodies from their houses. They refuse and expect to be …

City Cost of Living Comparisons

Comparing cost of living in Indonesian cities, most expensive, Balikpapan to cheapest, Mataram.

According to the 2008 Living Costs Survey (Survei Biaya Hidup 2008) put out by Mercer Indonesia and carried out in July 2008 Balikpapan in East Kalimantan is the most expensive city to live in.

Cost of living estimates are based on prices of food and basic goods, transportation, utilities, …

Comment by Farah: … cheap in Jogja Houses/room for rent are cheap in …

Presidential Debates

… to address on the issues, he formed a political platform called: Partai Masa Depan Indonesia Mandiri. This political party is still in its early stage of formation and it has not yet been registered or certified by the Government of Indonesia.

Comment by Chris Komari: … targeting ordinary houses or buildings. Why? Because they …

Signs That Your Son is Gay

Ahmad Dhani's theories on how rock music can prevent your son becoming gay.

Rock musician Ahmad Dhani , or Dhani Ahmad, ex-husband of Maia , recently said that he was very concerned that his sons would one day become gay, particularly with the mass murderer Ryan case still on his mind, and because in Jakarta these days there were a lot of gays around, and:

Being gay is like being …

Comment by perseus: … on in gay bath houses as representative of gay men …

Islam vs Liberal Democracy

Perseus on Francis Fukuyama and whether Islamism will derail Indonesia's new democracy.

In a recent article, writing in reaction to Russia's recent "clobbering" of Georgia, the noted American political theorist Francis Fukuyama, best known for his work The End of History , tells us smh that

US dominance is slipping.

and the

Russian and Chinese model of authoritarianism …

Comment by Oigal: … yea, Feel free to worship which ever particular imaginary …

Learning Javanese Words & Phrases

Purba Negoro on the future of Javanese language, and learning some easy words and phrases.

Hello all,

Being a foreigner in Indonesia is indeed hard - but new friends are made instantly when you speak to them in their language - Indonesian. To an Indonesian it means a highly respected white values them enough to bother learning, what many Indonesians truly believe is a backward, …

Comment by Purba Negoro: … ancestor-worship, expert seamanship and …

Care for Elderly Jobs, Japan

Purba Negoro on Indonesian nurses for Japan, and the Japanese contribution to Indonesian development.

Good News for a Change

Today - I try and correct some perceptions of Indonesia being a source of bad news.

Anyway good news:

Indonesia has sent 208 nurses and caregivers for the elderly to Japan on Wednesday Aug 6 as part of bilateral economic partnership agreement between the …

Comment by Purba Negoro: … lease two houses to Japanese families near JIS …

Ki Gendeng Pamungkas

Paranormal figure Ki Gendeng Pamungkas enters the world of politics in Bogor.

Ki Gendeng Pamungkas, most famous for casting a voodoo spell on president George Bush during the latter's visit to Indonesia in 2006, is running for the office of mayor of Bogor, West Java, as an independent.

Ki Gendeng Pamungkas, sorcery has its rewards.

Ki Gendeng Pamungkas, real name Iman …

Comment by Rob: … have as many cars, houses, and possessions as he …

Old Traditions & Customs

… for the future of the island’s culture if fanaticism continues to rise unchecked. Will Java to itself be true?

Comment by barry prima: … the area of Saint worship and Mystical practise that the …

Independence Day

Purba Negoro celebrates Indonesia's national independence day.

Our nation's birthday, 17th August, has just passed - a brief respite in our work-a-day lives. The Day of Proclamation, however, is not solely time for grandeur, pomp and ceremony, celebration and light-hearted games.

Chairil Anwar of the Angkatan Empatpuluh Lima:

"Better destruction than slavery
Better extermination …

Comment by Andy: … right to worship but can’t they respect that …

Maid Abuse

Discussion on abuse of Indonesian maids in Singapore and Malaysia, and elsewhere.

Comments split off from Dedi Mulyadi …

Comment by Enigmatic: … been out of their houses for years or spoken to anyone …

Oil Exploration, Production & Consumption

… eventually run out and Indonesia needs to start transitioning its economy for that inevitability.

Comment by Achmad Sudarsono: … and living in good houses. But the control of a large and …

Indigenous Flag Raising

More flag raising deaths and controversy, this time in Papua.

On 9th August to celebrate "International Day of the World's Indigenous People" (Hari Internasional Bangsa Pribumi) a rally was staged in Wamena at which the "Bintang Kejora" (morning star) flag of the West Papuan independence movement was raised, side by side with the with the United Nations and Indonesian flags in Sinabuk …

Comment by Purba Negoro: … politicians’ houses are bigger than in inner Jakarta …

Spiritual Discipline & Fasting

Ramadan approaches, again, and Ross complains that religious leaders are intent on spoiling others' fun and livelihoods.

Ramadan Ranting Underway

The silly season is under way again, as fanatical twits show utter indifference to those for whose welfare their religion might presumably dispose them to care.

I refer to the Clerics' Council, MUI, whose Riau chapter in Batam has …

Comment by sputjam: … some form of idol worship. Abandon ideologies too, such …

How to Catch Ms Bule

Perseus on white girls not going for Asian guys, and differences between white women and Indonesian women.

How to Catch Ms Bule

White girls (e.g. Australian girls) have a reluctance to date/marry Asian men. It is quite common to see a white guy with an Asian girl but less common to see a white girl with an Asian guy.

Why?

According to a blog discussion smh at the Sydney …

Comment by Purba Negoro: … of sport-hero worship As per Communism- what gave …

Kampung Pulo, Pinang Ranti

A violent neighbourhood dispute over a Christian theological college in East Jakarta.

The dispute over the 19 year-old Arastamar Evangelical School of Theology (Kampus Sekolah Tinggi Teologi Injil Arastamar, SETIA) in the Kampung Pulo, Pinang Ranti, Makassar, East Jakarta area flared up again with on July 25th a violent fight breaking out between local Muslim residents and Christian …

Comment by Cukurungan: … roofs for their houses and (silver) stair-ways on which …

Moral Virtue Vigilantes

… from the religious zeal of the men in white robes.

The FPI raided a number of night warungs and houses, places they thought prostitution, gambling and drinking were going on, in the smelly fishing town of Blimbing, Paciran.

Depending on which report is to be trusted, the FPI caught an older couple in some sort of sinful act, either in a warung or in a house, the man being Suparlan or Kusuma Darmawan, aged 60, and the woman, Isa, aged either 34 or 40, opinion is divided on the …

World Peace Forum (WPF)

The World Peace Forum in Jakarta finds out the causes of terrorism and violence in the world.

An important meeting of the World Peace Forum (WPF) has been going on in Jakarta, having been opened by president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on June 24th and involving about 200 representatives of religious and cultural organisations from around the world.

Some of the participants include …

Comment by Nor-Jamal Batugan: … they abhor pagan worship, although they perform it …

Maftuh Basyuni

Maftuh Basyuni on irreligious young Indonesians, and the building of SE Asia's biggest Quran learning centre.

Minister for Religion, Maftuh Basyuni, said recently that he very much misses the sound of young children reading the Quran after evening prayers:

When I was young [in Rembang, Central Java] every evening after Magrib prayers you could hear the sound of children reading the …

Comment by Shloka: … hostility to idol worshipping? It was the preferred mode …

Neighbour Misunderstandings

Visiting Indonesian Muslim leaders discover that Australia seems to be a haven of tolerance and religious freedom.

Mohamad Rapik, said to be prominent in Indonesian Muslim youth organisations, and a lecturer in Islam Studies at Universitas Jambi, says he is struck by the climate of religious freedom in Australia.

Rapik is in Australia along with the head of the Pondok Pesantren Modern …

Comment by Lairedion: … only and places of worship.

My Friend the Fanatic

Sadanand Dhume's My Friend the Fanatic - Travels with an Indonesian Islamist .

My Friend the Fanatic - Travels with an Indonesian Islamist tells the story of Indian journalist Sadanand Dhume's journey across Indonesia and his meetings with political, cultural, and religious figures in 2004, and is written from the standpoint that the country is being torn between two forces, …

Comment by Shloka: … in South India worship Ravan as god, and there are …

SKB Ahmadiyah

… 3" ruling did not forbid Ahmadiyah people from praying in public mosques or holding any kind of worship activity, provided that the words spoken during such prayers and services did not go against Islamic teachings, for example by saying that there was another prophet after Muhammad.

If such things were spoken then those involved would be immediately arrested and charged under Article 156a of the Criminal Code dealing with blasphemy, he said. detik

Comment by ache: … of and practice worship according to religion and …

Good & Bad Citizens

… the MUI (whose chair made a great show of visiting the scumbags in jail) are told not to be seen worshipping as they wish to worship, or else. So if a band of rabid primitives takes offence at something we do that doesn't affect them in any way, WE are told to cool it (or be frozen!)

While oleaginous entertainers like Dangdut King Rhoma Irama (who once - post Bali- told a concert that his was a religion of peace!) also scuttle along to fawn on detained fanatics, the political leaders of …

Comment by Ross: … were forced to worship in their homes because of both …

Chinese & Asian Stereotype

… people as they are? Maybe we will live in a better world if we stop making silly generalisations about others?

Comment by Farah: … to go burn their houses down when you’re feeling a bit …