Ahmadiyah As A New Religion?

Can it really all be that simple?

Can it really be as simple as the Ahmadis standing up and saying, "OK, we are a new religion", and "please leave us alone"?

If you were prepared to accept the word of Priyo Budi Santoso, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and member of Golkar, then it is. It would seem that the Democrat Party of SBY is also suggesting that the establishment of a new religion will resolve the violence, the murder, and the mayhem. Well, at least, this is what Imran Muchtar is saying.

However, if the recent attacks on churches in Temanggung is anything to go by, then declaring a new religion is hardly going to be a cure for the violence being perpetrated against the Ahmadis. If mobs can go on the rampage and burn churches because a Christian man does not get the death sentence for blaspheming Islam, then this clearly does not bode well for the Ahmadis.

The Ahmadis are a sect of Islam. Perhaps not a sect that is accepted as being mainstream, but a sect all the same. If they were to branch off and call themselves a new religion this hardly resolves the issue. The core beliefs of the Ahmad remain Islamic in nature. The reality is that even if the Ahmadis were to spin themselves off from mainstream Islam, they remain Islamic in nature. For example, when King Henry VIII decided that the Catholic Church was becoming less agreeable and accepting of his needs, he decided to create a spin-off of the Roman Catholic Church and call it the Church of England.

Now, the Church of England is Christian in its orientation and beliefs. There are a few Virgin Mary issues as I understand it, but to all intents and purposes it is a Christian belief system, a Christian church. So, it does not really matter whether you are Catholic, Roman Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian, Church of England, Protestant, Mormon or Quaker there is an argument to be made that these are all sects of the Christian faith. It would also seem reasonable to me that even if the Ahmadis were to separate from mainstream Islam and declare themselves a new religion that they would remain in a technical sense a sect of Islam.

The answer to the Ahmadi issue is for Indonesia and her citizens to live by that creed that is encompassed in Bhinneka Tunggal Ika or the idea of having unity in diversity rather than continue down the road of intolerance and indifference to human life and existence.

Once again, the Ahmadis spinning themselves off from Islam will not resolve the violence.

Ho hum...

Violence in the Name of Religion: Indonesia Burns...

I have been sitting here in front of the laptop and pondering whether or not to wind-up and go off on another rant about religious intolerance in Indonesia and the mockery that a small number of supposed followers of Islam are making of claims that Islam is a religion of peace and that the Prophet Mohammad was a man of mercy. The reason I sat here for hours on end is a simple one. Indonesia is a wonderful country, it is a country populated in the great majority by men and women of moderate beliefs and who are truly accepting of difference.

My dilemma was, do I write another piece slamming the ineptitude and spin-doctoring that the government perpetuates in order to make the victims of heinous crimes the guilty parties while the perpetrators of the crimes are given a free pass, presumably to paradise.

However, that has passed. The reality for me is that half of my family is Indonesian. My son is Indonesian. So, in all ways that I can figure I have a vested interest in seeing Indonesia become a nation where the state motto of unity in diversity is not just a motto but rather a creed that all Indonesians believe in and are prepared to practice. A creed that sees those that violate the tenets of the concept of unity in diversity punished, and punished severely.

Indonesia is at a crossroads. These are crossroads that require resolute leadership. The question is whether vested interests will allow for the unitary state that is the Republic of Indonesia to prevail in the image that it has been envisaged to be over the best parts of the 20th and 21st Centuries. The choice that faces Indonesia is one of truly accepting the unity in diversity principle or an increasingly rapid descent into fracture and, for want of a better word, "Balkanization" and ethnic cleansing as warring factions struggle to establish supremacy over their parts of what was once Indonesia.

The choice is a stark one for SBY and his minions if he is indeed to be the leader that so many had hoped he would be. But, perhaps, an even starker reality for SBY is that critical mass will have to come for the vast majority of Indonesians who profess to being moderate and tolerant. This critical mass will say "enough is enough", this is not what we signed up for, we are a peace-loving people who just want to go on about our lives and business free from persecution and fear.

That day is coming!

If your interested in what triggered this particular musing...

here, here, and here.

Just as an aside, I am wondering how President Obama feels now after having been so pronounced in his praise of Indonesia's religious tolerance being an example to the whole world?

Ho hum...

RIM Blocks Porn on BlackBerry Smartphones in Indonesia...

All hail to the Anti-Pornography King, TitS!

TitS (aka Tifatul Sembiring) has seemingly won the battle with RIM. RIM have not only agreed to block pornography from their BlackBerry Smartphones, but they have gone even further by simply adopting the filtering system developed by the Nawala Project.

This filtering system blocks out all content that is considered to be not only pornographic, but that content that is considered to be related to gambling, phishing / malware, and SARA (this is a term that relates to anything involving religion, ethnicity, race, or inter-group relations). The filter is very broad, which means that many Indonesians will not be able to access sites through their BlackBerry devices that are harmless.

It must be pointed out that the Nawala project is an Indonesia created open-source filtering service that has been in operation since 2009. It is the filtering service of choice for all of Indonesia's telecommunications providers, and it is the one that is being touted by the Ministry of Communication and Information.

The use of the Nawala Project filtering system by RIM is a cost-effective way of meeting the demands for a porn filter from the Minister for [Mis]Communication and [Mis]Information. It is cost effective because it is open-source and it is free. Although, it would seem that Irwin Day, Deputy Head of Public Relations at the Nawala Project, is contemplating that RIM might make some financial contribution to the ongoing development of the technology.

What's next? Well, the porn filter issue was really only a pre-cursor to a much larger battle in TitS' war against RIM. The Minister wants a server, or at least an aggregator, to be built in Indonesia. The rationale is a simple one; Indonesia is the biggest user of RIM BlackBerry devices in Southeast Asia and has earned the right to have the server / aggregator built in Indonesia. For Indonesian subscribers, the belief is that a server here will reduce BlackBerry tariffs. In contrast, the Minister wants the RIM server here because he believes that it will make it easier for his Ministry to track corruption and terrorism suspects and their communications.

If RIM stands true to form then it would be reasonable to expect them to fold on that demand as well. I wonder how long it will be before RIM and its Managing Director for this part of the world, Gregory Wade, are announcing their plans to build a server in Jakarta?

If TitS is giving all his praise to Allah for allowing him a victory in the filter battles, then one can only imagine how much beside himself he will be when RIM announces that it is building a server in Indonesia. It might just be enough to send him into the arms of Vicky Vette and another happy ending!

Then again, one day, and perhaps one day soon, TitS will realise that for all his small victories in battles on the war on porn that he is fighting a losing fight. Internet pornography will always be there as will those with an appetite for it and the desire to develop mechanisms to access it. The porn industry is very much like Medusa's head in that for every snake you cut off, another one grows back in its place (I am sure someone is going to want to argue the point about severing Medusa's head altogether, right?).

Was the "Big Bang" God's Work?

I have always wondered why the Catholic Church felt threatened by science supposedly undermining religion. After all, how much simpler could it be than to say that science exists because God wants it to and then place God one step in front of anything that should be 'discovered'. So, in that sense I am wondering why the recent declaration by Pope Benedict XVI that God was responsible for the "Big Bang" is even news at all?

Yep, the "big bang" happened. But, nothing in the universe that God has created happens by chance. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that God is responsible for the big bang. Simply, what might look like chaos for most of us is in fact a well-thought out and planned act of God.

I will definitely sleep better tonight knowing this, particularly after I watch "The Big Bang Theory" on television. Will you?

Separation of Mosque and State...

One of the fundamental principles that make a democracy is that there needs to be separation between the state and the predominant religion of that state. In the Western context this is referred to as the separation of Church and State. In essence, religion plays no role in the affairs of state. This is sometime problematic as the US has found out with things like the pledge of allegiance and the display of the ten commandments at a court house.

In the Indonesian context, perhaps the terminology is the separation of Mosque and State. Indonesia is a democracy but sometimes there is a questionable separation between Mosque and State, particularly in terms of the recent drive to enact religious bylaws that may not be constitutionally valid. However, the Ministry of Religious Affairs has placed the issue firmly back in the spotlight by providing awards to Provincial Governors and District Heads for their efforts to enact and implement Syariah-inspired regional regulations.

The first issue is whether a Ministry that is supposed to represent all religions in Indonesia has acted responsibly in recognising just one of those religions, Islam. Is this indicative of favouritism or discrimination? The reality is that within the Ministry of Religious Affairs each religion is represented by its own directorate. These directorates are responsible for the administration of their own affairs. So, in this regard there is no reason why these directorates could not initiate similar awards. However, the real question is whether the Ministry would back these awards.

The awards in question were for the promotion of Islam through the enactment and implementation of Syariah-inspired regional regulations. On the entirely hypothetical front, if a province was to draft, debate, enact and implement ecclesiastical-inspired regional regulations, would these be recognised by the state and would the Ministry of Religious Affairs be favourable towards an award that recognised these efforts if a recognition initiative came from the relevant directorate? It would seem unlikely.

In the big scheme of things there is nothing wrong with the Ministry of Religious Affairs recognising and rewarding Islam-related achievements provided that these are not recognising initiatives that strip away basic human rights of Indonesian citizens. The reality is that some of those individuals recognised for their efforts to promote Islam have also promoted regional regulations that strip away basic human rights and discriminate against minorities and discriminate against women.

The fact that the Ministry has chosen to recognise Syriah-inspired regional regulations as progress seems to be politically motivated and designed to pander to Islamic political interests rather than the greater interests of the state. If this is the case then there are arguments to be made that the Ministry is crossing that degree of separation that is expected.

Ho hum...

Happy New Year! And, the World Ends on 21 May 2011...

I really do hate to be the one to put a downer on your New Year's celebrations, but it is time to get a does of cold hard reality and understand that you have about six months left to get your life in order. Judgment Day is coming. In fact, it is coming on 21 May 2011. According to Family Radio Worldwide, the Bible guarantees that the End of Days will start on this very date. So, I am guessing that there is no need to be making any plans for 2012, right?

Seriously, though, the end of the world has to happen at some point. That is a scientific fact. As I recall, something about the ever expanding sun that will slowly burn up the earth. Assuming that global warming does not get us first. Or is that what global warming is? Whatever.

Anyways, back to May 2011.

Family Radio Worldwide is a "loose" organisation of believers. The name of the group sort of indicates haw the loose works. It is a hot potch of believers that are mostly kept in contact through radio broadcasts. And, thanks to modern technology, these believers are also keeping in touch with each other through dedicated websites and the like. To be fair, loose might not be quite the right term. They are a well-organised bunch. So much so that there are plans afoot to have groups of believers taking on mission work to spread the end of days message in both Latin America and Africa.

The date is important, 21 May 2011. This is the start of the ""Rapture" or the beginning of judgment of all those on earth. Ultimately, the "good" people will ascend to heaven and the rest of us will remain here on earth. You might be thinking that remaining here on earth is not such a bad gig in comparison to hell. Well, you should then be thinking of hell on earth. The idea is that those of us left behind here on earth will be destined for God-sanctioned torment and torture. This torment and torture will end only with the end of time. Perhaps heaven does not seem like such a bad option after all.

People have been trying to unravel the Bible for an end of days scenario for pretty much as long as the Bible has been around. Fortunately, no one has got it quite right and the world continues on. If I was a betting man, I would be tending to lean towards the probability that this is not going to be the end of days. The world will go on, life will go on. In 2012, I expect that Dyah, Will and I will be in Collarenebri and into the second year of my three-year commitment (it may even be longer).

It seems strange that an all-loving and all-caring God would want to get the Judgment Day happening when there is still so much good that can be achieved. I guess I have never really understood religion or God. It makes no sense to me to just arbitrarily end the world on 21 May 2011 as the Australian footy season would not have finished! Although Arsenal might have just enough time to claim the English Premier League title for the final time.

See you next year?

Too Much Christmas for the MUI?

Can there ever be too much Christmas cheer? Yes!

It would seem that the Indonesian arbiters of all things Islam and Muslim, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), has decided that Indonesian malls have gone overboard this year. The malls have gotten so far into the Christmas spirit that Indonesian Muslims are offended by the constant bombardment of the message of giving and peace. The MUI has a serious problem with this fat white pagan in a red suit with a long-flowing white beard, he is everywhere!

Muhyidin Junaidi of the MUI has said that this constant bombardment of Christmas cheer will lead to a very negative backlash from Indonesia's Muslim majority. According to Junaidi, the logic is obvious, Muslims do not celebrate Christmas and as such having it constantly shoved in their face would be tantamount to proselytising. Ah, Pak Junaidi, the only incitement being promoted here is by you! But, if we were to take Junaidi's logic to a logical conclusion, then all celebrations must be muted in order to not offend those that do not practice a particular faith or celebrate a particular day. Then gain, what I think Junaidi is saying is that it is OK where that celebration is being conducted by the majority. But, when it is being conducted by a minority it is then OK to discriminate against the majority and stifle their constitutional rights to celebrate.

Or perhaps, Junaidi is simply saying that any money these malls make by capitalising on the Christmas theme at this time of year is haram. Surely, the MUI could issue a fatwa that bans Muslims from putting red sprinkles on their Starbucks coffee or something. Seriously, the great majority of Indonesian Muslims that I have had the pleasure of knowing and calling friends are not offended by this time of year. They do not have to practice or even participate in the rituals that are Christmas, but they are more than happy to tolerate those that do. It is as simple as give and take; it is about mutual respect; it is about focusing on the big issues and not sweating the little stuff. It really is too bad that the MUI cannot get in touch with the vast majority of Indonesians practicing a tolerant and moderate form of the Islamic faith.

But, let's assume for a minute that a Muslim sales promotional girl was forced to wear a "Santa's little helper" outfit. And, let's assume that this is something that she finds offensive. If this young woman was fired for not wanting to wear a Santa's little helper outfit on religious grounds, then I would have a problem with that. She should simply be moved to a position that does not require her to don the Christmas garb for the duration of the festive period. Until, it reaches a stage where people are getting fired for not wearing Christmas outfits as part of their job description, then Junaidi is really only stoking the fire of religious intolerance.

To the MUI, all my Muslim friends, colleagues and acquaintances are good Muslims and good people. They are not disturbed by the fat guy in the red suit.

Ho hum...

Jesus: Wine-Guzzling Vagrant and Precocious Socialist?

Jesus Christ is a "wine-guzzling vagrant precocious socialist"!

Is this one of those things where your first reaction is to smile and have a little chuckle to yourself while thinking "hmmm, this is certainly going to ruffle a few feathers!"?

Perhaps the more pertinent question is "would this insult on Jesus be enough for you to pull your child out of school?" In the US state of New Hampshire, it is and was. Aimee Taylor pulled her son, Jordan Henderson, out of school because he was assigned 'Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America' by his teacher at Bedford High School.

The book was assigned in a class on personal finances. This seems like a pretty good choice considering the book is a first-hand account of how the author, Barbara Ehrenreich, tries to get through life working on the minimum wage. The book is one that seems appropriate for the American context. It would not work in the Australian context nearly as well seeing the concept of minimum wage in Australia is one where an award is set and this is generally significantly higher in comparison to that of the US.

The story seems "tailor-made for Fox News Channel", no pun intended. Fox enjoys the opportunity to "bang on" and bash anything that does not fall within the strict parameters of conservative politics. A school assigning this book to a 16-year-old student is sure to be indicative of a declining America. Ho hum...

To be sure, this is not a book review. I have not read the book. I might look for it next time I am at the book store. This post is merely commentary on the value of "banning" books. There are reasons for reading books that we might find to be "junk" or even offensive. There is nothing stopping this young man writing critically about the content and exploring how the author got it so wrong or how the use of the "offensive" does not add to the tome in any substantial or significant manner.

For all I know, the book may be total crap. Yet, the point was one of critical literacy and to encourage students to explore points of view, even offensive ones, as a means of increasing there awareness of issues and allow them to cast a critical eye over the views of others. This is not a bad thing. I encourage my students to be critical, and critically aware as this allows them to bring their own prior knowledge and experiences into the overall learning experience. Once again, this is not a bad thing.

Admittedly, I am a little green to the world of organised education where there are departmental policies to be considered and followed. That said, it would seem that the relevant school authorities were clued in on this book choice.

In the end, criticism of the American Dream is not something that is out of bounds, is it?

If you are interested, then Amazon has a copy or two.

Ariel Going to Trial on Monday...

The fact that this case is going to trial is symptomatic of the ills of the Indonesian justice system. It is also indicative of why most Indonesians are skeptical of claims that there has been serious reform happen in the legal system or is likely to happen. This is particularly so on the coattails of Gayus Tambunan who has been able to take at least 68 trips outside of his cell by paying off the relevant officials.

Anyways, Nazriel "Ariel" Irham of Peterpan fame and more recently of Peterporn fame is going to trial on Monday (22 November 2010) for his alleged role in the distribution of a couple of sex tapes starring himself and Luna Maya and Cut Tari. The trial will be in the district court in Bandung because the alleged act, distribution, took place in Bandung. Interestingly enough, the police have not been able to determine where the actual sex tapes were made.

Ariel has been in detention since 22 June 2010. It is time that he is either released of prosecuted. So, in that sense it is a good thing that this is heading towards a resolution with a trial date set. It is sad that it is going to trial at all.

Unfortunately, the trial is to be closed. According to the Acting Attorney General (well, an anonymous source), pornography trials are closed-door affairs. The rationale, presumably, is that the titillating details would be too much for most Indonesians and they would be influenced in a negative way by all the "perversion" that will come out as evidence in the course of the trial. The only real problem with that is that most people who would be watching the trial have already watched the 'offending' sex tapes either online or on their mobile phones.

There is no reason for this to be a closed trial. This case does not involve minors. The fact that it is closed gives rise to claims that the trial will be unfair. To ensure fairness, the appropriate course of action is to have this hearing as a public one. This is particular so considering that the prosecutors have backed away from pursuing charges for the production of the sex tapes and will be proceeding exclusively on the distribution charges as they are described in the 2008 Anti-Pornography Law.

If Babul Khoir Harahap is to be believed, then the whole prosecution case rests on what Ariel did not do. If this is true, then why is it that Luna Maya and Cut Tari are not being prosecuted at the same time? Simply, they also new about the sex tapes and did nothing to prevent their distribution.

When it is all said and done this is just a couple of sex tapes. There are millions of them out there in cyber space. Yes, there may be some morality questions to be argued here. Maybe there are even some religious concerns about pre-marital and adulterous sex. Yet, the law does not criminalise people for filming themselves in the throes of sexual gratification or orgasmic climax. The law does criminalise distribution if the perpetrator of that distribution is pro-active and consciously doing so. However, the law does not criminalise the failure to prevent distribution of a sex tape where you were unaware of the intended distribution.

Therefore, it would seem that the prosecution really needs to be able to prove that Ariel handed off the sex tapes to Redjoy, and that he knew Redjoy (Reza) was going to upload them to the internet. As far as I recall, Ariel and his amateur porn colleagues have always maintained that they were the victim of a crime, theft. On face value, it would seem that the prosecution is between a rock and a hard place in terms of proving this. Perhaps, there is a need for this to be a closed hearing!

Ho hum...

Pregnant Nuns, Ice-Cream and Catholic Outrage...

Truth be told, I am not a really religious person. I do have my moments of Zen and other spirituality from time-to-time though. However, the fact that a pregnant nun advertising an ice cream product so outraged Catholics that they complained to the British Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) seems a little over-the-top at first look.

The ad is clearly satire, some might even say it is taking the piss out of the religious concept of the immaculate conception, but when it is all said and done it is best described as an ad of questionable taste (no pun intended considering it is for ice-cream).

The ad campaign was using a slogan "ice-cream is our religion". The ad itself, shows a heavily pregnant nun with the words "immaculately conceived". The beef that those that complained have is that the ad makes a mockery of Roman Catholic beliefs. Maybe it does, but I wonder if these same complainants are so similarly outraged by the excesses of Roman Catholic priests that rape and abuse little boys, and who have done so for centuries. These men parading as priests have ensured that the mockery begins from within the Roman Catholic church itself.

Nevertheless, the ASA decided that even the light-hearted use of such an image was likely to cause serious offense to some, and then banned the image. The advertising agency had argued that its use of religious imagery was legitimate. Unfortunately, the ASA did not buy into that argument. It is not the first time that Ad Agency Antonio Federici has come into conflict with Catholics and the ASA. An ad from last year suggesting a kiss between a nun and a priest was also banned. \

As I said, a nun and a priest getting down to it in a full-on lip lock is hardly offensive compared to some of the things the Catholic Church has been complicit in allowing to occur and then go unpunished for decades upon decades. It is time to take stock and seek out a little perspective. If you are Roman Catholic and you are offended, then that is your right. Express that displeasure through boycotting the product, writing letters to the editors of magazines and newspapers, get your priests to preach from the pulpit. But to seek to ban all expression that runs counter to your beliefs is no different from any other religious group that seeks to control freedom of thought and expression in order to achieve some kind of world domination plan. It is ultimately destined to fail.

When it is all said and done, if you truly believe in an all-powerful omniscient God, then s/he is likely to ensure on the coming judgment day that Antonio Federici and his cohorts get their comeuppance for their poor sense of humour. I am sure that one of the main lessons of religion was something about letting those that are free of sin cast the first stone. And, there was that other one about people who live in glass houses not throwing stones.

Final point, perhaps some of these complainants and those that get to rule on these complaints need to do a couple of Sunday Schools sessions and get back in touch with what Roman Catholicism says about the immaculate conception, it is enlightening; it is not about virgin births but rather it is about freedom from original sin (feel free to correct me if I am wrong).

Ho hum...

Is SBY Fit to be President of Indonesia?

This is a short post. It is not a analysis. It is a question!

The president is supposed to declare a commitment to upholding the provisions of the Constitution. The president is supposed to acknowledge that the Republic of Indonesia respects the tenets of Pancasila as the state ideology. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is clearly failing to do this.

The 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia guarantees religious freedom. In simple terms, Indonesia is a secular state.

A statement from the president encouraging tolerance is not commensurate with his responsibility in upholding and defending the Constitution. He must make specific reference to the recent attacks on Christians practicing their faith in Bekasi. He must publicly rebuke the Islamic Defenders' Front (FPI) and any others that violate the basic tenets of the Constitution.

Finally, the president must take responsibility for the governance of the Republic. If he is not up to that task then he should step aside and let someone willing to fight for freedom and democracy have an opportunity to ensure that all Indonesians enjoy the freedoms guaranteed to them!

Indonesia is for all Indonesians, and not just a lucky few.

Mr. President, do you have the courage to step up and do what you were elected to do?

Shame, shame, shame!

Government of Jakarta, huh?

I have read some stupid things today, but this takes the cake. What is the Government of Jakarta thinking when it states that it thinks working cooperatively with the Islamic Defenders' Front (FPI) during the holy month of Ramadan to "secure" entertainment venues. Secure in this context must mean compliance as opposed to safeguard. Unfortunately, this news story I read in Indonesian (here, so if you can read it...if not, then you will have to take my word for it).

At this stage it is supposedly only a plan, but the fact that it has been suggested shows some serious lack of foresight by the government and a real lack of understanding. The Government of Jakarta has sufficient law enforcement resources at its disposal that it just does not need to make use of the thugs at the FPI to do quasi police work.

As I said, this is the stupidest thing I read today. The FPI is the same bunch of goons that go round each Ramadan and forcibly close entertainment venues irrespective of whether the venue is operating pursuant to the rules and regulations.

These closures are done using extreme violence and are designed to damage as much property as possible, they are designed to inflict physical harm on patrons at these venues, and they are designed to strike fear into the general populace. So, I ask again, what is the government thinking by seemingly granting the FPI legitimacy to break the law and harm the citizens of Jakarta?

The Governor of Jakarta, Fauzi Bowo, really needs to think again on this one. If he stays this course it only serves to provide ammunition to his critics who have already nicknamed him Fuzzy Bodoh (bodoh in Indonesian means stupid).

The plan to use the FPI is just a stupid, stupid, stupid idea!

Religion -- A Warning...

From here.

Science vs. Faith...

Something that I uncovered on my daily jaunt into the cyber-world. It is truly amazing what can be uncovered without even trying to find stuff.

Why the World can do without the Taliban...

If you want to read about the genesis of this article in Time Magazine, and the article itself follow this link.

Otherwise, the picture can do the talking on this one.

The Buddha Bar -- More Protests...

Some things come and go, and this is one of those; protests against the Buddha Bar in Jakarta. This really is making a mountain out of a molehill. The idea that it is in some way threatening interfaith relations and national unity do not bear out.

The only relationships that it seems to be threatening are those of the protesters who cannot seem to cope with the concept of a Buddha theme for a resto, cafe, and bar.

The current argument is that the name of the bar is an insult to Buddha and Buddhism. My guess is that Buddha would probably be telling the protesters to chill out and meditate a little, you know search for a little enlightenment, devote their human energies to something that is important and worthwhile.

The protesters have decided that if the governments of Jakarta and Indonesia are not going to revoke the business permits of the franchise holder, then the next best course of action is to congregate outside the French Embassy and demand that the French government do something about it because the trademark name is owned by a French company.

The biggest beef of the protesters is that using the name and image of the Buddha is an insult. This insult is further exacerbated by the fact that prostitutes hang out their. Now, for them to know that the bar is either frequented by prostitutes or overrun by them would require the protesters to have some intimate knowledge of the joint. Perhaps they are disgruntled customers?

One of the protesters even went so far as to suggest, "What's next? Christ Bar, Islam Bar, Hindu Bar?" Now, there is an idea. I would probably go for Jesus Bar myself. Let's face it, Jesus supposedly turned water into wine. Not just a little bit of wine but a lot of wine. So, the "Jesus Wine Bar" would seem to be aptly named. Now, for the Islam Bar. Why not? Not all bars have to serve alcohol. It could be a coffee bar. Maybe it could serve up coffees from places like Turkey and pastries from the Middle East. A Hindu Bar might need a little more thought...

There are so many important issues that need the dedicated attention of Indonesian citizens, this is not one of them.

Ho hum...

Islam -- Music and Singing, Forbidden?

On first thought, my immediate response is, "No". Having lived in Indonesia for many years I have seen many Muslims playing musical instruments, making music, and singing. In fact, each Ramadan there is a group called 'Debu' who do the rounds of the TV channels playing music and declaring their faith to the masses. Even more compelling is that Yusuf Islam, the former Cat Stevens, has realised that music is a powerful tool in getting out the message and has of more recent times returned to the gift that made him famous.

Nevertheless, it would seem that not all Muslims are on the same page when it comes to whether the faith (or Allah) condones the learning and playing of musical instruments and the making of music.

The Daily Telegraph in the UK has an article that claims Muslim students are being withdrawn from music classes in the UK because learning and making music is un-Islamic. The article claims that it is primarily Somalian  Muslims that are withdrawing their children from classes. Yet, 'primarily' suggests that this is not universally only a Somalian Muslim issue.

Music is a compulsory part of the curriculum. So, there are some issues as to whether students can withdraw from compulsory curriculum subjects on religious grounds. There has to be a mechanism for dealing with this in a mutually acceptable fashion that is respected by all involved.

Personally, I cannot see what the drama is with music. Perhaps any Muslim readers who understand about these things can enlighten me as to what the problem is with music that some Muslims are of the belief that it is forbidden.

A Two-Headed Calf and God...

A farmer in Egypt has declared that the birth of a two-headed calf was a divine miracle. The vet has said that the calf is likely to survive. However, it is being reported that the two heads are a little heavy, in fact too heavy for the calf to stand up at the moment. So, the calf is being hand-reared.

The farmer is apparently going to keep the calf as a reminder that "God is able to do anything".

Personally, I would reckon there are other things that God could be doing to convince the non-believers among us that s/he is real rather than producing two-headed calves.

The Face of Indonesian Islam?

Is this the future face of Indonesian Islam?

Perhaps, it is time the good men and women of Indonesia stood up to this band of thugs and said, "enough is enough!"

If I am not mistaken, Edmund Burke once said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men [and women] to do nothing".

Just a thought...

Mosques Facing the Wrong Way -- Indonesia

The Ministry of Religion has done a survey of Mosques in Indonesia and has determined that at least 20% of them are getting worshipers to face in the wrong direction. Muslims are required to face Mecca when they pray no matter where on the globe (or presumably in the galaxy) they are.

It seems that the majority of the Mosques that are in error are also located in areas that have frequently suffered earthquakes. Nevertheless, the Ministry has suggested that rather than wholesale renovations, or the tearing down of Mosques, that the responsible parties make the necessary corrections by informing worshipers that they need to face in a slightly different direction in order to be facing Mecca.

The Ministry survey team relied on the use of GPS devices to plot the exact location of Mecca relevant to each Mosque.

This "oops" moment follows close on the heels of a statement from Mutoha Arkanuddin, an Islamic scholar, who claimed that as many as 80% of Indonesian mosques and graves (for Muslims) were not facing in the 'right' direction.

I am not a Muslim, so I really do not know how big a deal this is in the big scheme of things. But, I would imagine that if you were the family member of a Muslim whose grave was facing in the wrong direction, the you are like to be a little concerned about what this means for your deceased loved one.

I wonder if there is going to be widespread exhuming and repositioning of loved ones with the use of GPS?