Effects of Pornography

Pornography and indecency in Indonesia causes rape and lifetime misery.

The chairman of the Committee Against Pornography and Indecency, (Komite Indonesia untuk Pemberantasan Pornografi, dan Pornoaksi (KIP3)), Juniwati T Masjchun, said in Bandung on 31st August that 90% of rape cases could be attributed to porn and indecency, most of it publicly viewable on the nations' television …

Comment by si ajow: If pornography is the cause of a rape, I …

Against Pornography

Dealing with pornography and protecting children.

Dr Risman Musa, an expert on multi-cultural affairs at the Co-ordinating Ministry of the People's Welfare, says the pornography industry in Indonesia is well organised because pornography was such a profitable business to be in.

Risman Musa.

Speaking at a meeting of the Anti-Pornography & Indecency Movement in Bandarlampung on May 24th …

Comment by Enigmatic: … has no link to pornography…

Repressive Pornography Law

Los Angeles Times' writer Richard C. Paddock produces an interesting article on the pornography law.

Much of the reporting on Indonesia in the western press seems as if it was done from Singapore or a Jakarta hotel room but Paddock, who has previously written on the case of Yusman Roy, usually knows his stuff. He writes in the June 4th LA Times on the subject of " Conservatives in Indonesia Seeking More Repressive Pornography Law ", subtitled "Broad measure would outlaw …

Comment by Anonymous: … Pornoaction nor Pornography. I don’t think our …

Reactions to Pornography Bill

A roundup of some of the current opinions regarding the proposed new law against indecency and pornography.

A senior religious leader of the Nahdlatul Ulama, Mustofa Bisri, warns that those who support the bill have to take into account others' opinions:

The House should accommodate as many people's aspirations as possible.

He added that the bill offered no clear definition of what pornography is and therefore confusion would arise and people would be …

Seeds of Conflict in Papua

… brand of Christianity to the province, and this creates its own problems, he said. ranesi

Comment by dewaratugedeanom: … the UUD APP (anti-pornography law, read sharia inspired …

Religion & Religiosity

… one's self or group, being a bigot, racist and being discriminative.

We are instead fixated in pornography, women's dress codes, dangdut singers' dance and internet as if those are the only things in the world that could and would corrupt the moral of our future generation. We aren't even ashamed of the fact that we are in the top 10 of most corrupt countries in the world, as if money is our new God, yet we are, without a doubt, one of the most religious nations in the world.

As I see …

Comment by barry prima: … about dangdut/pornography is related to the concept …

ML, Mau Lagi

Provocatively titled film "ML" (Mau Lagi) excites protests and has its release postponed.

Starring Olga Syahputra and Ratu Felisha the film ML (Mau Lagi?) ("Do you want more?") had been scheduled for release on 15th May but now appears to have been delayed.

Protests

Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI) leader Amidhan said in Jakarta on 13th May that "ML" should be banned from …

Comment by lampu: … vote for banning pornography. but i vote for banning …

Shopping Mall Churches

Church services in malls, people in West Java are flocking to shopping malls in order to pray.

"Indonesians seek salvation in shops":

Shopping malls in West Java are home to a growing number of Christian congregations. There are 10 in this mall alone.

Few of them want to talk publicly about why they are here, but off the record they admit it comes down to intimidation by Muslim …

Comment by rima: … bad moral equals pornography and pornoaction.

Wag the Dog à la Indonesia

… sure the public is forever misinformed of the truth; a sure fire diversion:

Bill against Pornography and Porno-action (an Indonesian made-up word best translated as pornography acts)

RUU ITE Indonesia's newest law, the infamous Cyber Law ;, and the latest,

The blocking of several websites following the release of the Dutch film " FITNA ".

Media circuses are certainly not against the law. It isn't even all that evil. It is neither, only when it happens in a …

Comment by Cukurungan: … My take is that pornography and indecency and the bill …

Hello Dolly! - In Praise of Lokalisasi

Timdog enthuses over the brothel district of "Dolly" in Surabaya.

Hello Dolly! - In Praise of Lokalisasi

On the high ground among the graveyards and working class kampungs above the Banyu Urip canal is Surabaya's most notorious corner.

Mention the East Java capital to people anywhere in Indonesia and they are likely to rattle off a handful of associations: historical heroism, good …

Comment by timdog: … of women in pornography too incidentally. There is …

Internet Porn Censorship, & Children

… on whether the state or parents have the right and responsibility to prevent children's access to pornography.

Recent legislation to block access to online porn and the government's announcement last week of a "National Action Plan on Anti-Pornography Families" brings Areocam to discuss parental, as opposed to state, responsibility.

The Issue of Censorship or "Think of the children!"

Little Adik sits in the warnet. He's nine or ten years old. He's playing Counter-Strike, …

Comment by areocam: … in favour of child pornography. All steps should be taken …

Blocking Youtube & Myspace

The government and ISP's blocking of video sharing and social sites, and the reasons behind it.

The government, through the Information ministry, has required Internet Service Providers to block the following websites, where the anti-Islam short film Fitna can be viewed:

Youtube.com
Myspace.com
Liveleak.com
Rapidshare.com
Multiply.com
Video.Google.com
…

Comment by Jakartass: … Plan on Anti-Pornography Families (see Jkt. Post …

Battle of the Islam Movies

The battle of the Islam movies, Ayat-Ayat Cinta and Fitna , and which gives a better picture of Islam.

True Islam - Love

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono watched the Islamic soap-opera-romance movie Ayat-Ayat Cinta on 28th March and said he was moved to tears several times.

Tearful.

He said the film was a good example of how Indonesians should struggle to show the …

Comment by Robert: … war on online pornography as an excuse to take action …

Internet Blocking & Regulation

… such as prostitution, liquor drinking, and VCD porn films, and done in support of the the Pornography Law ( UU Pornografi ), and to make sure the situation was conducive for the coming gubernatorial election in West Java. republika

And in Bojonegoro, East Java, the police and the regency government intend to coordinate efforts to deal with internet cafes that provide folders of pornographic images on their computers. There are said to be 17 warnets in Bojonegoro, and so far one …

Comment by Murphy: … right to enjoy pornography”. But they are not …

Carissa Putri & Melanie Putria

Beautiful young actresses Carissa Putri and Melanie Putria discuss their readiness for polygamy.

Party girl Carissa Putri, left.

One of the stars of the film Ayat-Ayat Cinta , which at least one wit has dubbed "Ayat Ayat Poligami " detik , the lovely Miss Carissa Putri, who plays Maria the Copt-turned-Muslim in the movie, says being in a polygamous marriage would be …

Comment by Agusto: … to the core, it is pornography, we should go jihad on …

Is the Internet for Porn?

… Java, on 9th March that the government intended to set up a special agency to deal with internet pornography and porn sites.

The new agency was especially needed now because his ministry was busy extending internet access services into rural and village areas, and it was worried that village folk would misuse the new technology to look at dirty pictures and movies. republika

Film Ayat Ayat Cinta

… and crew of the film. Hidayat said he hadn't seen the film, and he hoped there was no violence or pornography in it, but he had read the book and liked it.

Ayat Ayat Cinta novel.

Hidayat said the book's author, Habiburrahman El-Shiraz, was a good example of a new generation of writers who had attended Islamic boarding schools ( pesantren ) and who could bring Islamic teachings to the masses. l6

Separately Habiburrahman himself, usually called Kang Abik, 32 years old, says …

Fitna by Geert Wilders

… could be a possible date. For anyone interested bookmark www.fitnathemovie.com in your favorites.

Comment by William: … of ‘civilised’ pornography - let’s call it …

Female Genital Mutilation

Foreign efforts to eradicate female genital mutilation.

United Nations

On February 27th ten United Nations agencies pledged to engage in a renewed effort to eliminate female genital mutilation (FGM), or female circumcision , within a generation.

UN Deputy Secretary General Asha-Rose Migiro said:

If we can come together for a sustained push, female genital mutilation can vanish …

Comment by Purba Negoro: … I include some pornography for you to see proof women …

Treason of the Intellectuals

Ross continues to be infuriated by the lovely Julia Suryakusuma, and other intellectuals.

The chattering classes in Jakarta are starting to make themselves comfortable with the worst elements of Islam.

It has to be said that "intellectuals" are at best self-important bores and at worst a social cancer. I make a clear distinction between them and intelligent people, who are useful …

Comment by djoko: … (ie the whole anti pornography/pornoaksi thing) you hit a …

Miss Indonesia

… it will bring disaster.

Indonesia was already known as the number two country in the world for pornography and immorality, he said:

Let's keep South Sumatra out of it if possible.

Other parts of Indonesia were more suitable:

Just move the contest to another area.

However Drs KH Sodikun was careful to point out that the MUI's opposition to the Miss Indonesia contest did not mean the MUI "hated" the province's government: republika

Muslim clerics love South Sumatra …

Comment by Ivada: … very hypocrite if pornography is forbidden. I think the …

Cultural Diversity

… to show that despite being known as a strictly Islamic party, and the main sponsor of the anti-pornography and indecency law (RUU APP), the PKS is not hostile to traditional Balinese culture at all, and in fact is no longer a purely Islamic party, but a party based on the slogan:

Rise up Indonesia, there is still hope.

And a party which is primarily focused on increasing general prosperity, creating jobs, and ensuring security, all in the interests of attaining a 20% share in the …

Comment by Bogalakon: … by Golkar except pornography

Strange & Interesting Sex Facts

… pesugihan in Kemukus mountain.
Another place like it is in Jepon village, 30 minutes South Rembang.

Comment by iamisaid: … dollar sex CD/VCD pornography industry! LOL !

Sex Crazy

Indonesians go sex mad abroad, says Dragonwall.

Moderation

In our daily life we see of many people from all walks of life. Sex has been one that is omnipresent and had in many ways affected our life for the better and for worse.

One should never over indulge in this activity, as for people with married life should refrain in extra curricular and extramarital affairs.

My …

Comment by dewaratugedeanom: … the West - where pornography is rampant are those …

Morality Police

Some fear the rise of a morality police.

Article 22 of the revised draft for the anti pornography law ( Rancangan Undang Undang Anti Pornografi dan Pornoaksi ( RUU APP )) states:

Everyone has a role in preventing the production, distribution, and consumption of pornography.

Some groups, such as:

International Conference for Religion and Peace (ICRP)
Aliansi Nasional Bhinneka Tunggal Ika
Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace
Aliansi Bhinneka …

Comment by iamisaid: … ends and pornography begins,” I agree and it …

Tourist Attractions

The morality drive in parts of Indonesia is scaring off foreign tourists.

The Immorality of Morality

Owing to the manner this essay is titled, "The Immorality of Morality", it is not intended to elicit religious fervour.

This is simply a bread and butter issue and it comes from my personal observation.

I am no expert. I do not pretend that I have solutions to offer. Even …

Comment by Patung: …

Majelis Ulama

… things: alternative medicine and mysticism, sexual immorality, gambling, alcohol, drugs, pornography, corruption, violence against women and children, copyright violations, and all sort of crime generally. antara

Repenting

Seven former Al Qiyadah Al Islamiah followers in Makassar, South Sulawesi were publicly "re-Islamized" on 2nd November. The city's Chief of Police observed the proceedings, wherein the seven men were required to say the Muslim confession of …

Comment by Rambutan: … alcohol, drugs, pornography, copyright, and - most …

Sex Cinemas

Sex cinemas, and how non-Muslims should behave during Ramadan.

The leader of the North Sumatra Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI), Lahmuddin Nasution, outlined on 12th September in Medan some basic rules for Ramadan observance for both Muslims and non-Muslims. antara

Cinemas should stop showing movies or advertisements of a sexual nature, because they would arouse sinful passions …

Comment by prof.rupi: … also in the arts. Pornography was strictly forbidden and …

Priyo Budi Santoso

… accordance with its rules.

He also hoped the government could get busy with enacting the anti-pornography law, and a new marriage law. mediaindo

Later that day the roadshow moved on to Muhammadiyah headquarters, where Din Syamsuddin said he was chuffed to meet representatives of his former employers, and Priyo Budi Santoso again hoped that Muhammadiyah was an organisation that could struggle for moderation in religion. republika

Porn Videos

The young people of Indonesia are industrious porn video makers.

According to thorough, in-depth research carried out by the author of the book "500+ Gelombang Video Porno Indonesia" (The 500+ Wave of Indonesian Porn Videos), Seno Set, two homemade sex videos are produced in Indonesia every day.

There are currently over 500 homemade porn videos in circulation, 90% of them made by …

Comment by JImmy: … people who againts pornography just a hypocrite liar… …

Siti, Susmiyati, & Donald

Indonesians are often ill-treated abroad, by cruel Saudis and arrogant Malaysians.

Five workers' rights activists, and family members of Indonesian overseas workers who have been abused in Saudi Arabia, have staged a hunger strike outside the Saudi embassy in Jakarta for the past week. Specifically the protesters are calling for the Saudi authorities to deal with the cases of Siti …

Comment by Asmira Batali Mahmoud: … of drug and pornography possession and then …

Labor Unions

Indonesian labor unions are too militant.

Jusuf Kalla, whose job as vice president seems to consist in him going about the country opening conferences, is rarely lost for words on any subject, and in contrast to the platitudes of president Yudhoyono, nearly always manages to say something interesting. He did so again on 9th August after meeting leaders of the Confederation of the SPSI …

Comment by Pena Budaya: … bill like Anti Pornography Action, and of course: …

Transnational Islam

Nahdlatul Ulama continues to feel under threat, from politicians, other Muslim groups, and transnational Islamic movements.

Nahdlatul Ulama leader Hasyim Muzadi said on 22nd July that all sections of his organisation, the largest Muslim body in the country, must be on alert against the continual attacks upon it. Speaking to a gathering of 1400 people in Madiun, East Java, he said:

…

Comment by Djoko: … supported the anti-pornography laws… What the NU is …

Heretic Outreach

The government reaches out to heretics.

The head of the Bengkulu office of the Department of Religion (Depag), Mukhtaridi Baidjuri, has invited any members of non-orthodox Islamic groups to give up their strange beliefs and return to the fold of government approved Islam .

We are inviting them to return to the correct teachings, ie., those based on the Quran and hadiths of Muhammad. …

Comment by dewaratugedeanom: … Hindu Scripture ? Pornography in Ramayana Dr. Charles …

Visit Indonesia Year 2008

The government is to hold a "Visit Indonesia Year" in 2008.

As part of the effort to improve visitor numbers, says the Jakarta Post, improvements will be made to basic infrastructure in some of the country's top tourist destinations as part of "Visit Indonesia Year 2008".

The official announcement of the campaign, the second that will be held by the country after an earlier one in 1992, …

Comment by Buruh Migran: … places, anti-pornography bills, etc., etc., have …

Alternative Medicine

… the four topics which television stations are required not to delve into, they being horror, sex, pornography, and violence. Specifically, talk of alternative medicine violates Article 10 of the Broadcasting Code, which requires television content of a "mysterious" nature to be based on empirically proven facts.

Dadang worries about the effect of such programs on people:

People [who watch] could be encouraged to practise these magical [medical] techniques. Their influence has to be …

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 Nahdlatul Ulama, Abdullah Cholil, demanded that the city government crack down …

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … erotica or even pornography, even though just as much …

Baywatch Bikini Party

… and complains that bikini contests are not in accordance with local culture and Islam and reek of pornography and pornoaksi. He invited other Muslim organisations to join in the rejection of the event and to

wage war on sin.

The Event Programmer for Caesar Café, Ambarukmo Fajar, however claims that the "babes" at the party will be relatively conservatively clad in short (red) skirts (white) tops. He explained:

So it's not like on the Baywatch tv show, the use of the word …

IPDN

Violence and sex at the Institut Pemerintahan Dalam Negeri.

The Institute of Public Administration (IPDN) campus in Jatinangor, Sumedang, West Java, the training ground for the civil servants of the internal affairs ministry, has been rocked by two scandals of late, one serious and the other frivolous.

On April 3rd Cliff Muntu , a junior student from North Sulawesi, died after …

Comment by Suhada: … propose the term pornography within coherent and logical …

Economy Update

The World Bank's report card and predictions for the Indonesian economy.

The World Bank in its "East Asia & Pacific Update" says a strong pickup in economic growth occurred at the end of 2006 and into early 2007, but recent natural disasters such as the Jakarta floods , the Sumatra earthquake , as well as transport accidents such as the Adam Air crash and the Garuda crash , …

Comment by Marie Antoinette: … the Anti-Pornography law. Which goes to show a …

Sex Curious

Indonesia ranks highly for internet sex searches.

According to Google Trends these are the top ten countries for searches on the word "sex": google

1. Pakistan

2. Egypt

3. India

4. Turkey

5. Vietnam

6. Morocco

7. Iran

8. Saudi Arabia

9. Indonesia

10. Croatia

In …

Comment by Angie: … was mentioned that pornography’s an issue in the USA. …

Dinesh D’Souza

… pregnancy, divorce, and social fracturing and loss of community cohesion, easy availability of pornography, militant homosexual pride, and much more. For D'Souza America has become a disgrace, a:

a shining beacon of global depravity, a kind of Gomorrah on a Hill.

The alternative, traditional morality, means that one accepts that what is right and wrong has already been determined, by God, and one must simply accept it and try to live by it - this doctrine has been called …

Popular Maj

… 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 of the February 2007 edition of Playboy.

Popular:

Front cover of August 2006 edition of Popular Maj.

A Popular maj spread:

Sasa TJ, looking bewildered but …

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 by Niamh Piperman: … your definition of Pornography? Sorry, that should be …

Student Sex Videos

The provincial backwaters of Java are awash with homemade student sex videos.

Kediri - A sex video in circulation in the East Java town of Kediri, entitled "Reality Show Cah Uniska", reportedly features students from the Law faculty of the Islamic University of Kediri, (Universitas Islam Kadiri (Uniska)). The 3gp file lasting five minutes and 35 seconds is said to be in hot demand at VCD …

Comment by Bas: … is crazy about pornography! Don’t try to tell me …

Anti-Chinese Violence

Anti-Chinese feeling in Indonesia, 1996-1999.

Jemma Purdey, in Anti-Chinese Violence in Indonesia, 1996-1999 , suggests that the anti-Chinese violence which periodically occurred prior to May 1998 had its origins in the policy of the Suharto government of marginalising the ethnic Chinese population, restricting them to certain, mainly business, roles, and portraying them as uncaring and …

Comment by Rob: … deal with the Pornography and Indecency bill! …

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 by Rambutan: … focuses on pornography and immoral themes” …

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 by Rob: … Does sex or pornography really corrupt the mind of …

Erwin Arnada

… co-chairman of the FPI. He testified on the 14th in court that Playboy was "the world's icon of pornography" and that it "violated norms of morality and politeness". He also pointed out that the publication of such material was in violation of a Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI) fatwa of 2001. metrotv

Baharuzaman, or Bahar, went on: republika

I reported the magazine to the police because it did dirt on society, especially children.
(Saya laporkan pada polisi bahwa majalah ini …

Comment by Dragonwall: … prositutiton and pornography like the US. There is an …

Flawed Democracy

Indonesia ranks 65th in the 2006 Democracy Index, a flawed democracy.

Put out annually by the Economist magazine this year's "Economist Intelligence Unit democracy index" ranks 167 countries, dividing them into four categories:
Full democracies
Flawed democracies
Hybrid regimes
Authoritarian regimes

Indonesia is grouped in the "flawed democracies" list and ranks 65th …

Comment by Sjahrir: … of law regulating pornography and religious law is an …

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 by buruh migran: … right to interfere pornography action because this is …

Abdullah Aa Gym Gymnastiar

… wife. He says he has already discussed political issues, like the RUU Pornografi debate, because pornography is something which damages the nation, he feels bound to discuss it.

For polygamy he says that many people in Indonesia regard it as an always negative thing. Most women are not able to accept the matter, it hurts them, he says, but there is a small group of women who can. Those who criticise polygamy, he says, should remember that it is God's law. mediaindo

Comment by Janma: … APP laws against pornography, which if you consider is …

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 by choco: … mean that RUU Anti Pornography n Porn Act? Well…you can …

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 kolhi: The anti-pornography bill is a perfect way of …

RUU Pornografi

… Kaplale on the 28th: detik

There's no "anti" in the name. So it's just the indecency and pornography bill. All the submissions to the committee have been accomodated, including on the question of punishments.
(Nama RUU ini tidak ada 'anti'-nya. Jadi langsung RUU Pornografi dan Pornoaksi. Semua sudah mengakomodir masukan yang ada, termasuk sanksi-sanksinya.)

Additionally, the ten parties represented on the special committee, from the Islamist PKS to the secular PDIP, have all …

Comment by Ihaknt: … and others, yes, pornography is in the mind of the …

Miss Muslimah

… competition with the Miss Indonesia contest (Putri Indonesia). The reason, says Din, is that pornography has to be tackled not just in an intellectual, critical way, but also in a practical way. The Miss Muslimah competition will be one means of going head to head with the porn purveyors of Puteri Indonesia.

Din went on to say that pornography had to be dealt with using political and economic means, but, sadly, Muslims were in no position to wield either power. Fatwas were no use, he …

Comment by O. Bule: … pagents to be pornography is seriously deranged. O. …

Quantity, Quality & Power

… defeated. As an example of defeat, he mentioned that it had been promised that the RUU APP, anti-pornography law, would be passed into law by June, but, as of October, there was no sign of it. Muslims couldn't even manage to force that law onto the statute books, he said.

Gays & Sharia

… with the response they received. Arus Pelangi also campaigns against the RUU APP, the anti-pornography and indecency law.

Dodo says that there are some parliamentarians, mainly from the PDI-P and the PKB, that are supportive of the efforts of Arus Pelangi. One Arus Pelangi proposal that has won a little support from MP's is to include the matter of sexual orientation in a new minority rights, or anti-discrimination, law being considered by parliament presently. But, the dark forces …

Minahasa Nationalism

The Gerakan Kemerdekaan Minahasa in North Sulawesi have hopes of independence from Indonesia.

The region of Minahasa occupies the northern part of North Sulawesi province and contains the regencies of Minahasa, North Minahasa, South Minahasa, Bitung, Manado, Tomohon, and Bolaang Mongondow, see map . The people speak their own language, Manado Malay, and were generally pro-Dutch during …

Comment by Karlira Kanakahuko: … are against anti-pornography law? It is because …

RUU AP or RUU PP

The RUU APP is again being debated in the parliament, but may have now been reduced to just the RUU Pornography.

The RUU APP is the controversial anti -pornography and pornaksi bill. As mentioned in " RUU APP Stalled " it was believed that there were two competing bills in circulation, one with the original strict provisions against public indecency (pornoaksi) and one without. It seems that the latter draft may have won the day, at least in part, with the Jakarta Post claiming that …

Comment by Ade Dungga: … name! Because pornography makes us arosed it has been …

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 by Jack Hawkins: … example, violent pornography, and publishing cartoons of …

Expats

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

Comment by Tuan: … clothing, anti-pornography and -pornoaksi laws, women …

Terror Against Muslims

The Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia views the Atambua protests in a dim light.

The protests over the execution of Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus Da Silva and Marianus Riwu, which have seen the destruction of some state property by Christian mobs, are viewed by Fauzan Al-Anshari of the MMI as a form of terrorism.

Acts like that are only done by terrorists.
(Tindakan seperti itu hanya …

Comment by Daniel: … A place where pornography is freely available on …

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 committee charged with the …

Comment by Mohammed Khafi: … is already an Anti Pornography Law in place in this …

Inul Turns Off Mataram

Sexy dancer Inul Daratista is not welcome in the righteous town of Mataram, in Lombok.

Inul, she of dangdut singing and dancing fame, was turned away by the city government of Mataram for a planned concert celebrating Indonesian independence day. The organisers of the concert explained :

The city government told us to replace her, whether we liked it or not.
(Ya, karena Pemda …

Comment by Tomaculum: … belly dance was pornography.

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 by tony montana: … the world is not a pornography and surely no crime at all …

Mohamad Guntur Romli

… Gus Dur. The former president was responding to a listener's question about the controversial anti-pornography bill, RUU APP, when, according to Baidlowi, he described the Quran as "the most pornographic scripture".

I don't understand why was I reported to the police, because I was only the host. I know very well that what Baidlowi claimed was untrue.

Guntur added that Baidlowi, who is a teacher at Islamic boarding school Al Wadah in Rembang, Central Java, had taken Gus Dur's …

RUU APP Debate

A round-up of recent news on the RUU APP, the anti-pornography bill.

On 5th June the Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan (PDI-P) threaten to walk out of deliberations on the bill, the Rancangan Undang-Undang Anti Pornografi dan Pornoaksi (RUU APP), in parliament. The reason for the possible walk out, says Agung Sasongko of the PDI, is that the PDI-P wants the bill to be totally revised and become the RUU Penyebaran Barang Pornografi, …

Ban Playboy

… , Andara Early ).

The authorities should not doubt that they can be charged with spreading pornography.
(Aparat jangan ragu-ragu mereka bisa dijerat dengan pasal menyebarkan pornografi.)

What was behind the publication of Playboy in Indonesia, he said, was that certain forces sought to destroy the morality of the country.

Meanwhile the issue of Playboy in Indonesia has been occupying the attention of the world's press. In a syndicated article Nathaniel Myers discusses Playboy …

Krisdayanti & Playboy

The legal manouverings of the Islamic Defenders Front become even more bizarre as famous singer Krisdayanti is reported to the police for appearing in an advertisment in the third edition of Playboy .

Krisdayanti's person appeared in the magazine in the form of an advertisement for Bonia watches, on page 5. She, along with various companies that had placed adverts in the magazine, were …

Comment by Molisan Tono: … some issue about pornography, sue a role model actress …

Nadine Chandrawinata

… sad that there are still Indonesians like that, at this time wer'e concerned about the issue of pornography. It's very inappropriate.
(Saya sedih masih ada orang Indonesia yang seperti itu, pada saat kita prihatin dengan pornografi. Ini sangat tidak patut)

The Majelis Ulama Indonesia, MUI, also complained, and went even further, saying that Indonesia should not participate in the contest at all.

The MUI rejects (Miss Universe) primarily because it emphasises beauty and the body. …

Comment by sunny: … FASHIONABLE. PORNOGRAPHY IS DIFFERENT FROM WEARING …

Playboy the Third & FPI Case

As the third edition of Indonesian Playboy comes out two men from the Islamic Defenders Front, FPI, go on trial for an instance of their earlier battle with the magazine.

Two of the men from the Front Pembela Islam (FPI), Zainal alias Ali Zaenal, and Agus Irawan alias Ustaz Agus ( picture ), arrested for taking part in a violent attack on the offices of Playboy on 12th April, while it …

Comment by Hassan: … people too), then pornography can ruin the morality of …

MUI On Problematic Local Laws

… explain that the regional laws were simply a means to prevent the destruction of the nation from pornography and public indecency.

He also was moved to complain about the anti-"premanism" campaign claiming that it was an attempt by certain groups to put Islamic groups in conflict with the government. He hoped that the government wouldn't take the bait and said that any attempt to rein in Islamic groups would harm the unity of the nation. But he hoped that the organisations in question …

Joanna Alexandra & Fla Priscilla

… is [our] target because it is an American franchise. Playboy is the symbol of international pornography. If we let it become legitimate then pornography will become accepted.
(Playboy menjadi sasaran karena majalah ini adalah franchise dari Amerika. Playboy lambang porno internasiopnal. Apabila kita biarkan berarti melegitimasi porno menjadi budaya.)

Fla Priscilla.

The move by the FPI constitutes another act in the continuing battle by hardline Muslim groups against Playboy, …

Comment by Ray: … sake. That ain’t pornography! And the whole thing of …

Playboy Prosecutions

… into the magazine in response to a lawsuit filed by a group called the Indonesian Anti-Piracy and Pornography Society (MAPPI) on April 7th. The group reported Erwin, Kartika, Andara, photographer Oke Gani and director Ponti Carolus for indecency. The last two names, however, do not seem to considered as suspects.

The police said they had consulted experts on language, religion, culture and journalism before deciding on the proposed prosecutions.

Bali Hindus & Playboy

… Muda Antimedia Porno". He further explained that although Bali opposed the RUU APP, the anti-pornography bill, this did not mean that pornographic magazines were permitted on the island of the gods. Playboy, he added, was an example of international capitalism's power:

Bali was not built by global capitalism but by the teachings of our forefathers and the Hindu religion.
(Bali dibangun bukan dengan kapitalisme global tapi dibangun dengan ajaran leluhur dan agama Hindu.)

He then …

Gus Dur, Blasphemer

… website which discussed the debate concerning the RUU Anti Pornografi dan Pornoaksi, the anti-pornography and indecency bill. Two other men from the JIL, Guntur Romli and Arief Nurlambang, were also reported.

One of the men who made the complaint, one Ahmad Chamid Baidlowi, the head of the Al Wadah Islamic boarding school in, Rembang, Central Java, said :

What Gus Dur said that time is wrong and it has disturbed Muslims.
(Pernyataan Gus Dur itu salah dan meresahkan umat.)

We …

MUI Claims Discrimination

… intention known that various forms of immorality, such as drinking, prostitution, gambling, and pornography, were not acceptable. He complained of discrimination against Islamic groups:

The violence in Tuban, East Java caused much more damage. Have organisation like the FPI ever burned down regent's offices? Burned down petrol stations? Ban all groups which carry out violence, including the PKB, PDI-P, etc, don't just pick on the Muslim community.
(Kekerasan ormas di Tuban itu …

Islamic State Fears

… have enacted sharia-style by-laws and legislators are presently debating a controversial anti-pornography bill that has met with much opposition from moderates and human rights activists.

Muslim hardliners, meanwhile, have carried out many violent attacks on minority Muslim sects in the country and closed down churches in Java that do not have permits to operate. Despite these groups openly acting outside the law, in many cases police have done nothing to apprehend the attackers. …

Press Freedom & Playboy

… (PWI), has "rejected" Playboy as a product of the press and instead regards it as a product of the pornography industry. The PWI further says that laws regulating the press cannot apply to Playboy and the magazine must be hurled out of the happy Indonesian media family and be subject to criminal law, rather than press law.

The chairman of the PWI, Tarman Azzam, explained:

As a product of the sex industry Playboy is not fit to receive the protection of the press law.
(Sebagai produk …

Comment by Laura: … our opposition to pornography, but we suffer in silence. …

Radical Groups

… of these groups.

In some regencies, the enactment of sharia laws and the support the pornography bill has received, reflect the extent to which Islamic beliefs have penetrated the state's legal institutions. The fact that the majority of Indonesian citizens are Muslim has been manipulated by a handful of Muslim leaders to claim that it is thus only natural that sharia laws be implemented in Indonesia.

Imposing an Islamic ideology will only aid in the disintegration of …

Sinta Nuriyah Wahid’s Battle

… 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 Wahid

Not taking this lying down the irrepressible Sinta Nuriyah yesterday (1/6/2006) filed a lawsuit at the Jakarta police headquarters. She was accompanied by sixty-four supporters, says indosiar, seven of whom were from the Legal Aid Institute. Firman Gani, chief of police, received her at the …

Anggun C Sasmi

Expatriate pop singer Anggun visited Jakarta recently and left us with her opinions on the anti-pornography bill.

Anggun Cipta Sasmi, who lives in France now, re-visited Jakarta for a special concert at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) recently and, after belting out a few songs from her albums "Luminescence" and "Snow on the Sahara", including the hits "Saviour" and "In Your Mind", she offered her view, in a roundabout way, on the public morality debate over the RUU APP …

New Fatwas

… of food which originates in food sources that are haram.

Legal Issues

The anti-pornography bill (RUU APP) should be passed immediately.
The anti-discrimination bill (RUU Antidiskriminasi Ras) should not be passed.
Approval for the sharia banking bill (RUU Perbankan Syariah).
Approval for the religious marriage court bill (RUU Hukum Terapan Peradilan Agama Bidang Perkawinan).
There should be revision of the alms law (UU Pengelolaan Zakat).
The health law …

Comment by Patung: … RUU APP, the anti-pornography law, but this appears not …

FPI, Garda Bangsa, & Gus Dur

… a meeting on Tuesday in Purwakarta, West Java. They denounced his opposition to the controversial pornography bill, which is supported by fundamentalist Islamic groups.

Members of several other militant groups, such as the Majelis Mujahidin and the Hizbut Tahrir, also were reportedly involved in the Purwakarta incident. Gus Dur, a controversial leader of Indonesia's largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama, is a steadfast advocate of pluralism and has condemned efforts by hardliners to …

Muhammadiyah Makes Overtures to Islamists

… organisations are no longer dragged into problems of a political nature. Terrorism and the anti-pornography law are issues which political parties should handle, not social groups.
(Perlu kerjasama gerakan kultural dan struktural agar ormas keagamaan tak lagi diseret-seret ke persoalan yang berdimensi politik. Isu terorisme, UU Anti Pornografi dan Pornoaksi semestinya partai yang menangani, bukan ormas.)

This all can be interpreted as an affront to the PAN and its relatively secular …

Front Pembela Islam Raids

… police on the 22nd.

In this action the FPI men were reported to have just returned from an anti-pornography rally and decided to inspect a number of roadside stalls on Jalan Masjid At-Taqwa which were thought to sell music as well as alcohol. Stallholders resisted the "inspections" and some violence broke out. Three policeman who happened to be in the area at the time attempted to prevent the FPI's attack on the stalls but to no avail and about 11 stalls were damaged. A number of …

Debate on Morality Bill

A review of recent news on the pornography and morality bill as thousands of Muslims rallied in Jakarta in support of it yesterday.

The demonstration in favour of the "Rancangan Undang-undang Antipornografi dan Pornoaksi (RUU APP)" was organised and attended by members of the following Islamic groups:

Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI), Muhammadiyah, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Persatuan Islam (Persis), Hizbut Tahrir …

Comment by rayner: … regard most pornography in the West as boring and …

Critiques of Moderate Indonesia

… housewife wears miniskirts.

Keep reading Miniskirts Clash With Islam as Indonesia Drafts Pornography Law.

The Asia Times has a far meatier piece which deals in part with the tennis boycott of Israel and the recent visit by Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad. Both issues reveal the essential weakness of the leadership of Indonesia, its failure to take bold steps, its lack of innovation under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Despite the West's cheerleading rhetoric …

Hasyim Muzadi Interview

… You recommend the implementation of sharia in spirit, not literally. Do you consider the anti-pornography and indecency law (RUU APP) to be an example of implementation of sharia in spirit? It seems there is a lot of fierce opposition to the law.

The NU board already has a position on the RUU APP. We need the RUU APP to be passed with care taken over articles of the law and with provisions that take into account the diversity of the country. This is important. Without rules it's …

Madura as a Province

… as a province. This consisted of the desire to make Madura a place free of narcotics, gambling, pornography and immodesty.

There have been several attempts previously to make Madura a province on its own, and these attempts usually emanated from, or were coordinated by, Islamic boarding schools and their leadership. The last such try was in 1993 and began at the premises of the Al Amin school in Sumenep.

These previous attempts all ran out of steam but the current one seems to be of a …

Comment by Jessica Morman: … outlaw gambling, pornography, immodesty and narcotics, I …

Nahdlatul Ulama Moving Rightwards

… announced its support along with Muslim hardliners and political parties for the enactment of the pornography bill, which many aver will restrict freedom of expression and justify state intervention in the private lives of individuals.

Zuhairi Misrawi, a young NU activist, says:

NU has really moved to the right.

Later again the NU expressed support for sharia based bylaws adopted by some regencies across the country. The bylaws have given rise to a "morality police" in the …

Mosque Building in Papua

… carried out a visit to the area.

Agung Sasongko went on to say that the proposed law against pornography and indecency also had the potential to cause conflict in Papua.

If the law on houses of worship and the law against indecency are gone ahead with the people of Papua will feel heavy-hearted.
(Jika SKB dua menteri dan RUU Anti Pornografi dan Pornoaksi terus dilaksanakan, rakyat Papua akan merasa sakit hati.)

He suggested that more Papuans would flee the province, to New …

Human Trash & Dangdut Singers

… Ghodri, said

Inul is forbidden to enter Depok, Annisa [Bahar] as well. They are symbols of pornography!
(Inul haram masuk Depok, Annisa juga. Mereka adalah simbol pornografi!)

while speaking at a rally in front of the mayor's office in Depok, attended by about 200 Front loyalists. He added that Depok is a devoutly religious city and could not be befouled by the presence of sexy singers and dancers, swaying and jiggling around to the sound of dangdut music, a type of Indonesian …

Sin Reduction in Jakarta

… sinful activities that Jakartans are prone to indulging in. These include prostitution, gambling, pornography, and drinking.

The rules we are proposing are more comprehensive.
(Aturan yang kami usulkan lebih komprehensif.)

All forms of immorality, not just prostitution and liquor.
(Segala bentuk kemaksiatan, tak hanya pelacuran dan miras.)

said Hamdan Rasyid.

Another leader of the MUI in Jakarta, Munzir Tamam, said the draft regulations would be based on those of Tangerang, …

Islamic Mob Rule

… ordinances being adopted by an increasing number of local administrations and the controversial pornography bill represented a danger to national unity.

The seminar featured young intellectuals from the Indonesian Youth Circle, which brings together pro-democracy activists from the country's two largest Muslim organizations, Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, as well as from NGO's and academia.

Speakers said Islamic hardliners were increasingly gaining sway over mainstream society, as …

Kartika Oktavini Gunawan

Kartika Oktavini Gunawan in Playboy magazine.

Kartika Oktavini Gunawan was the playmate in the first , and likely last , edition of Indonesian Playboy. This is her story.

Although she was "Miss April" the photos of her were actually quite restrained and inoffensive. She said, in an interview with the Jawa Pos newspaper, that the editorial staff of the magazine had made it clear …

Comment by Tommy: … concerns reqarding pornography. A display of beautiful …

Traditions Clash

… the drafters of the Rancangan Undang-Undang Anti Pornografi dan Pornoaksi (RUU APP), the anti-pornography and indecency law.

A number of celebrities took part including Franky Sahilatua, Ratna Sarumpaet, Adi Kurdi, Butet Kertaredjasa, Jose Rizal Manua, Rike Diah Pitaloka, Miss Indonesia 2005 Nadine Candrawinata, Rima Melati, and Inul Daratista.

Inul Daratista, who I had cast aspersions on for caving into a Muslim mob recently, was back in good form and is seen in the …

Playboy Jihad

… report the owners, editors, and models of the Playboy first edition for the crime of distributing pornography. Their leader, the overfed Habib Rizieq, also threatened the twenty-six companies which had placed adverts in Playboy. He left with the parting words :

The FPI is at war with Playboy and other pornographic media.
(FPI perang terhadap Playboy dan media pornografi lainnnya.)

After that the same group of holy warriors proceeded to the office building of Playboy in Indonesia …

No Nudes Playboy Out

… the magazine, he said, the first edition was a trick and later editions would be full of sex and pornography.

Meanwhile the Minister for Youth and Sport, continuing the stream of thick-as-two-planks commentary, said that Playboy had to be rejected because it had connotations of pornography and nudity.

And in the city of Makassar in south Sulawesi province about 30 morally motivated university students demonstrated against the sale of Playboy in their fair town, saying it was …

Comment by AJ: … no way, advocate pornography or the disrespect of local …