Hezbollah-owned TV begins broadcasts
The Hezbollah-owned Lebanese television channel Al Manar has begun broadcasts in Indonesia, the country with the world’s largest Sunni Muslim population.
The transmissions are broadcast via the Palapa C2 satellite owned by the Indonesia Telkom company, in which the Indonesian government holds a majority shareholding, BBC Monitoring reported. It quoted information published by Lyngsat Satellite website.
Al Manar, Arabic for "The Beacon", has been broadcasting from Beirut since 1991. The self-proclaimed "Station of the Resistance" is a key player in what Hezbollah – a Shia Muslim militia organisation - calls its "psychological warfare against the Zionist enemy’.
It is also considered an integral part of Hezbollah's plan to spread its message to the entire Arab world.
According to Al Manar's news director, Hassan Fadlallah, Al Manar does not aim to be neutral in its broadcasting.
"Neutrality like that of Al Jazeera is out of the question for us," Fadlallah said, quoted in a 2007 article in The New Yorker magazine.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Hezbollah-owned TV begins broadcasts
Showing posts with label indonesia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label indonesia. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
DAR AL HARB-GERMANY/INDONESIA/U.S.A.: DHIMMIS & APOLOGISTS WORKING HAND IN HAND TO CONTINUE ISLAMIZING THE WEST
Media should promote Islam and democracy: Discussion
by Tony Hotland
The media should not highlight Muslim hardliners who take the law into their hands in the name of religion, academics said Tuesday during a discussion organized by the German Embassy called Islam, Democracy and Media Freedom.
The two-day discussion started Tuesday and is set to include scholars, philosophers and members of the media.
Tuesday's speakers included scholars who said controversial or saturated media coverage of hardline groups would tarnish the mostly democratic Muslim population in Indonesia.
The discussion Tuesday also found Islam and democracy had proven their compatibility in the republic, where they said multiculturalism was well preserved.
Speakers at the discussion said democracy in Indonesia was supported by the fact it constitutionally upheld freedom of religion.
Eighty per cent of Indonesia's population is Muslim.
Franz Magnis-Suseno, a reputed scholar from the Driyarkara School of Philosophy said, "Unlike Malaysia, Muslims (here) are legally allowed to embrace a new faith".
"We are seeing unprecedented relations between Muslim organizations and those of other faiths, and it shows democracy survives in a land of Muslims."
...
Hans-Ludwig Frese, a German Islam observer at Kleio Humanities in Bremen, said Muslims in Germany, who were mostly from Turkey, also played an important role in sustaining democracy in Germany.
"The difference is they don't claim allegiance to a specific Muslim organization like many here do," he said.
They said because Indonesia was displaying good relations between Islam and democracy, the media here should contribute by not portraying extremism or fueling controversy.
The latest incident around the media and Islam was the publication of caricatures of Prophet Muhammad in European newspapers, inciting worldwide protests by Muslims.
"What the media need to remember is that Muslims here are committed to democracy, so don't mind the hardliners," Azyumardi said.
"Thus the media should take responsibility for having promoted such radical figures."
and
Media to blame for Islamic misconceptions
By Alan Blank
The managing editor of one of the country’s biggest newspapers thinks news organizations ought to hire more Muslim reporters.
Philip Bennett, the Washington Post’s managing editor, said reporters often struggle with understanding Islam during a speech Monday at UCI about the difficulties of covering the religion.
Bennett’s speech focused on the media’s need to cover issues concerning Islam in an in-depth, long-term manner.
To illustrate this point he drew mainly from quotes of notable colleagues and statistical polls, rarely giving his own opinion directly.
“Six of 10 Americans, according to a 2007 ABC Poll, don’t understand the basic tenets of Islam,” Bennett said.
He attributed this to the lack of Muslims working in American newsrooms.
“At the Post I want more Muslim readers and I want more Muslim journalists,” he said.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Media should promote Islam and democracy: Discussion
2) Media to blame for Islamic misconceptions
by Tony Hotland
The media should not highlight Muslim hardliners who take the law into their hands in the name of religion, academics said Tuesday during a discussion organized by the German Embassy called Islam, Democracy and Media Freedom.
The two-day discussion started Tuesday and is set to include scholars, philosophers and members of the media.
Tuesday's speakers included scholars who said controversial or saturated media coverage of hardline groups would tarnish the mostly democratic Muslim population in Indonesia.
The discussion Tuesday also found Islam and democracy had proven their compatibility in the republic, where they said multiculturalism was well preserved.
Speakers at the discussion said democracy in Indonesia was supported by the fact it constitutionally upheld freedom of religion.
Eighty per cent of Indonesia's population is Muslim.
Franz Magnis-Suseno, a reputed scholar from the Driyarkara School of Philosophy said, "Unlike Malaysia, Muslims (here) are legally allowed to embrace a new faith".
"We are seeing unprecedented relations between Muslim organizations and those of other faiths, and it shows democracy survives in a land of Muslims."
...
Hans-Ludwig Frese, a German Islam observer at Kleio Humanities in Bremen, said Muslims in Germany, who were mostly from Turkey, also played an important role in sustaining democracy in Germany.
"The difference is they don't claim allegiance to a specific Muslim organization like many here do," he said.
They said because Indonesia was displaying good relations between Islam and democracy, the media here should contribute by not portraying extremism or fueling controversy.
The latest incident around the media and Islam was the publication of caricatures of Prophet Muhammad in European newspapers, inciting worldwide protests by Muslims.
"What the media need to remember is that Muslims here are committed to democracy, so don't mind the hardliners," Azyumardi said.
"Thus the media should take responsibility for having promoted such radical figures."
and
Media to blame for Islamic misconceptions
By Alan Blank
The managing editor of one of the country’s biggest newspapers thinks news organizations ought to hire more Muslim reporters.
Philip Bennett, the Washington Post’s managing editor, said reporters often struggle with understanding Islam during a speech Monday at UCI about the difficulties of covering the religion.
Bennett’s speech focused on the media’s need to cover issues concerning Islam in an in-depth, long-term manner.
To illustrate this point he drew mainly from quotes of notable colleagues and statistical polls, rarely giving his own opinion directly.
“Six of 10 Americans, according to a 2007 ABC Poll, don’t understand the basic tenets of Islam,” Bennett said.
He attributed this to the lack of Muslims working in American newsrooms.
“At the Post I want more Muslim readers and I want more Muslim journalists,” he said.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Media should promote Islam and democracy: Discussion
2) Media to blame for Islamic misconceptions
Thursday, February 14, 2008
DAR AL ISLAM-INDONESIA: "MODERATE" MOSLEMS OUT IN FORCE...MAKING SURE THAT ST. VALENTINE'S DAY IS NOT CELEBRATED
Hardliners frown on Valentine's Day celebrations
Banda Aceh, 14 Feb.(AKI) – Young Muslims in some parts of Indonesia will be finding it tricky to say ‘I love you’ with a Valentines Day card on Thursday. Conservative Muslims are out in force against the celebration, which they are labelling as sinful.
In Banda Aceh, the capital of Muslim-devout Aceh, the only province where the Islamic Sharia legal code is in place, young people say they will celebrate quietly, as their parents disapprove.
“I will exchange a card with my boyfriend and I probably receive some chocolates. But that is as far as the celebration will go as my parents are against it,” 19-year old Ari told Adnkronos International (AKI).
Ari, who like most Indonesians are just one name, said her parents “were listening to the local religious leaders who labelled Valentines Day as haram,” or forbidden under Islam.
“It is difficult to make them change their minds,” she added, while her friends nodded in agreement.
Aceh is not the only province where conservative Muslims have taken a hard-line against the day of lovers.
The chairman of the West Sumatra branch of the Indonesian Clerics Council (MUI) Haj Mas'oed Abidin, for example, told local Muslims to boycott Valentine’s Day because it has nothing to do with the Islamic religion.
"Such tradition should be stopped, because it doesn't correspond with our tradition," said Abidin, as quoted by Indonesia daily ‘Republika.’
Meanwhile, in the normally sleepy town of Sukabumi, West Java, the MUI's branch was stormed by Muslim Students Union (MHI) who demanded that the organisation forbid local youths to celebrate Valentine's Day.
MHI coordinator, Ferry Gustaman, reiterated that the celebration is incompatible with Sharia law and even suggested that it promotes premarital sex and drug use.
"Valentine's day is nothing more than masquerade for youth to do things which are forbidden by Islam," he said.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Hardliners frown on Valentine's Day celebrations
Banda Aceh, 14 Feb.(AKI) – Young Muslims in some parts of Indonesia will be finding it tricky to say ‘I love you’ with a Valentines Day card on Thursday. Conservative Muslims are out in force against the celebration, which they are labelling as sinful.
In Banda Aceh, the capital of Muslim-devout Aceh, the only province where the Islamic Sharia legal code is in place, young people say they will celebrate quietly, as their parents disapprove.
“I will exchange a card with my boyfriend and I probably receive some chocolates. But that is as far as the celebration will go as my parents are against it,” 19-year old Ari told Adnkronos International (AKI).
Ari, who like most Indonesians are just one name, said her parents “were listening to the local religious leaders who labelled Valentines Day as haram,” or forbidden under Islam.
“It is difficult to make them change their minds,” she added, while her friends nodded in agreement.
Aceh is not the only province where conservative Muslims have taken a hard-line against the day of lovers.
The chairman of the West Sumatra branch of the Indonesian Clerics Council (MUI) Haj Mas'oed Abidin, for example, told local Muslims to boycott Valentine’s Day because it has nothing to do with the Islamic religion.
"Such tradition should be stopped, because it doesn't correspond with our tradition," said Abidin, as quoted by Indonesia daily ‘Republika.’
Meanwhile, in the normally sleepy town of Sukabumi, West Java, the MUI's branch was stormed by Muslim Students Union (MHI) who demanded that the organisation forbid local youths to celebrate Valentine's Day.
MHI coordinator, Ferry Gustaman, reiterated that the celebration is incompatible with Sharia law and even suggested that it promotes premarital sex and drug use.
"Valentine's day is nothing more than masquerade for youth to do things which are forbidden by Islam," he said.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Hardliners frown on Valentine's Day celebrations
Friday, November 30, 2007
INDONESIA: MODERATE MOSLEMS RAMPAGE & DESTROY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Indonesia Church Destroyed By Muslim Militants In West Java, Christians say
By Eric Leijenaar, BosNewsLife Senior Special Correspondent in the Netherlands with reporting from Iraq
Hundreds of Muslim militants stormed and destroyed a Protestant church in Indonesia’s province of West Java amid growing religious tensions in the region, a Netherlands-based Christian rights group reported Tuesday, November 27.
Open Doors said "about 250 radical muslims" of the 'Anti Apostasy Movement Alliance' (AAMA) forced their way into the Pasundan Christian Church in the South Bandung area of West Java on November 18, "destroying the locked doors."
The building was empty at the time and Pastor Cristine Yohanes was away, but her husband and children were forced to hide nearby, Open Doors said, citing sources in the volatile region.
After holding an Islamic prayer service in the church, the militants began "to destroy the interior with sticks and knifes," reportedly said Pastor Simon Timorason, who leads the West Java branch of Christian Communication Forum, an umbrella group of Indonesian churches.
DESTRUCTION
The sound installation, as well as glass works and chairs were destroyed and taken outside, the pastor added. This was not the first time AAMA activists attacked the church, which claims to have over 300 members and has operated for more than half a century, BosNewsLife monitored.
There were similar reports in 2005 when the believers were forced to close their building by local authorities who accused them of lacking proper documents.
Timorason has accused police of reluctance to intervene, although two suspects have reportedly been detained. "We urge the government to take this case seriously because we have heard that a dozen other churches have been nominated [by extremists] for attacks in the coming weeks."
In recent years at least more than 100 churches were closed in West Java, amid increased concern over what Christians described as "an increased radicalization of Islam in Indonesia." Throughout 2007, at least 25 Christian worship places were forced to close, or attacked and destroyed by militants, Open Doors added. The suspects remain at large. Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim nation. (With BosNewsLife Research).
Pertinent Links:
1) Indonesia Church Destroyed By Muslim Militants In West Java, Christians say
By Eric Leijenaar, BosNewsLife Senior Special Correspondent in the Netherlands with reporting from Iraq
Hundreds of Muslim militants stormed and destroyed a Protestant church in Indonesia’s province of West Java amid growing religious tensions in the region, a Netherlands-based Christian rights group reported Tuesday, November 27.
Open Doors said "about 250 radical muslims" of the 'Anti Apostasy Movement Alliance' (AAMA) forced their way into the Pasundan Christian Church in the South Bandung area of West Java on November 18, "destroying the locked doors."
The building was empty at the time and Pastor Cristine Yohanes was away, but her husband and children were forced to hide nearby, Open Doors said, citing sources in the volatile region.
After holding an Islamic prayer service in the church, the militants began "to destroy the interior with sticks and knifes," reportedly said Pastor Simon Timorason, who leads the West Java branch of Christian Communication Forum, an umbrella group of Indonesian churches.
DESTRUCTION
The sound installation, as well as glass works and chairs were destroyed and taken outside, the pastor added. This was not the first time AAMA activists attacked the church, which claims to have over 300 members and has operated for more than half a century, BosNewsLife monitored.
There were similar reports in 2005 when the believers were forced to close their building by local authorities who accused them of lacking proper documents.
Timorason has accused police of reluctance to intervene, although two suspects have reportedly been detained. "We urge the government to take this case seriously because we have heard that a dozen other churches have been nominated [by extremists] for attacks in the coming weeks."
In recent years at least more than 100 churches were closed in West Java, amid increased concern over what Christians described as "an increased radicalization of Islam in Indonesia." Throughout 2007, at least 25 Christian worship places were forced to close, or attacked and destroyed by militants, Open Doors added. The suspects remain at large. Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim nation. (With BosNewsLife Research).
Pertinent Links:
1) Indonesia Church Destroyed By Muslim Militants In West Java, Christians say
Thursday, August 09, 2007
DAR AL ISLAM - INDONESIA: A NEW GOVERNOR FOR JAKARTA IN THE 'MODERATE' ISLAMIC NATION OF INDONESIA
Elections in Jakarta, Catholic’s fear an “Islamic Governor”
by Mathias Hariyadi
Tomorrow citizens in the capital will choose a new governor. On the eve of the vote, the Archdiocese’ Commission for Apostolate to the lay writes a letter warning of the risks of a victory of candidates linked to the PKS: “Although it has not openly declared its intent, the party aims to introduce sharia and uproot the principals of the Constitution”.
...
[and]
Moderate Fauzi is the new governor of Jakarta
Exit polls from the capital’s election for governor award victory to the nationalist candidate and seal defeat for the PKS, an Islamic rooted party, whose policies concerned ethnic and religious minorities. Official results are due next week.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Elections in Jakarta, Catholic’s fear an “Islamic Governor”
2) Moderate Fauzi is the new governor of Jakarta
by Mathias Hariyadi
Tomorrow citizens in the capital will choose a new governor. On the eve of the vote, the Archdiocese’ Commission for Apostolate to the lay writes a letter warning of the risks of a victory of candidates linked to the PKS: “Although it has not openly declared its intent, the party aims to introduce sharia and uproot the principals of the Constitution”.
...
[and]
Moderate Fauzi is the new governor of Jakarta
Exit polls from the capital’s election for governor award victory to the nationalist candidate and seal defeat for the PKS, an Islamic rooted party, whose policies concerned ethnic and religious minorities. Official results are due next week.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Elections in Jakarta, Catholic’s fear an “Islamic Governor”
2) Moderate Fauzi is the new governor of Jakarta
Friday, July 27, 2007
DAR AL ISLAM - INDONESIA: SHAR'IAH LAW IN ACEH - - - LIFE JUST GOT THAT MUCH HARDER FOR DHIMMIS & CONVERTS IN INDONESIA
Sharia to replace corrupt judiciary
by Mohamad Rayan, Banda Aceh, Aceh
Abdullahi Ahmed An-Naim, a professor at the School of Law at Emory University in Atlanta, the U.S., contended during a seminar in Banda Aceh recently there was no space for the government in sharia implementation.
The argument quickly sparked a debate at the International Conference on Islamic Sharia and the Challenge of a Global World, organized last week by Ar-Raniry State Islamic University. The academic forum was expected to result in the best possible framework for the implementation of sharia in the province.
An-Naim said the experiences of his country of origin, Sudan, in the past 20 years should teach other countries not to let the government get involved in sharia. He argued sharia was a private domain.
At the same conference Philip Buckley from the School of Philosophy at McGill University in Canada argued that the nation-state is the reality of the modern world. This nation-state can separate church from state, as happens in France and Canada. But at the same time a nation-state can also traverse into the territory of churches, as is happening in the United States now. The Bush administration has involved itself in the issues of abortion, family planning and gay lifestyle.
Buckley suggested the Aceh government choose its own approach in the context of sharia.
Different from some writers who question the implementation of sharia in Indonesia, whose opinions have appeared in The Jakarta Post, I would argue it is time for sharia to take effect, especially Aceh-style sharia.
Sharia experts like Anver M. Emon (the Post, July 13, 2007) argue that while in a democratic country like Indonesia voices calling for sharia should be accommodated, its application raises questions, such as whose sharia interpretations should be used, and whether it is necessary for the people as a whole or should just be implemented for narrow political purposes.
Those against the formalization of sharia are worried due to the endless disputes over the concept of sharia. There is no single and united perception among Muslims about what sharia is, what its contents are and how it should be applied. They are also afraid that sharia would be used by certain politicians or groups just to get votes in regional and national elections.
The Aceh conference on sharia concluded that Islamic law can work democratically in the framework of a modern global village. The Aceh framework could set a model for the rest of Indonesia or other countries seeking to formalize sharia. The Aceh framework could also serve as a model for sharia-based ordinances.
In Aceh, the law on Aceh government stipulates sharia covers aqidah (belief), syariat (law) and akhlak (morals). Sharia also covers family law (ahwal alsyakhshiyah), business law (muamalah), criminal law (jinayah), judicial system (qadha), education (tarbiyah), propagation (dakwah), preaching (syiar) and the upholding of Islamic values.
And the beauty of the law is that the sharia court's verdicts can be appealed at the Supreme Court. Article 131 of the law virtually binds Aceh sharia to the country's law. Furthermore, the judges in the sharia court are appointed and dismissed by the president. The law acknowledges the Supreme Court as the main and final umpire in any disputes, be they heard at the sharia court or other courts.
Another beauty of sharia in Aceh is the law exempts non-Muslims from complying with it when it comes to criminal cases. This answers Emon's appeal that the application of sharia also take into account the interests of non-Muslims, so that it will not deprive them of their basic rights and spark social disharmony.
Emon argues that since the aims of sharia are to uphold justice, promote equality and bring about public well-being, there is no need to adopt sharia if secular or national legislation already advances these goals.
In response, I would quote both Hikmahanto Juwana and Math Noortmann in their articles (the Post, June 21 and July 7, respectively). They concluded that Indonesia's judicial system is so corrupt that it needs radical reform. Now that money speaks louder than justice, it is time for sharia such as in Aceh to be implemented.
Pertinent Links:
1) Sharia to replace corrupt judiciary
by Mohamad Rayan, Banda Aceh, Aceh
Abdullahi Ahmed An-Naim, a professor at the School of Law at Emory University in Atlanta, the U.S., contended during a seminar in Banda Aceh recently there was no space for the government in sharia implementation.
The argument quickly sparked a debate at the International Conference on Islamic Sharia and the Challenge of a Global World, organized last week by Ar-Raniry State Islamic University. The academic forum was expected to result in the best possible framework for the implementation of sharia in the province.
An-Naim said the experiences of his country of origin, Sudan, in the past 20 years should teach other countries not to let the government get involved in sharia. He argued sharia was a private domain.
At the same conference Philip Buckley from the School of Philosophy at McGill University in Canada argued that the nation-state is the reality of the modern world. This nation-state can separate church from state, as happens in France and Canada. But at the same time a nation-state can also traverse into the territory of churches, as is happening in the United States now. The Bush administration has involved itself in the issues of abortion, family planning and gay lifestyle.
Buckley suggested the Aceh government choose its own approach in the context of sharia.
Different from some writers who question the implementation of sharia in Indonesia, whose opinions have appeared in The Jakarta Post, I would argue it is time for sharia to take effect, especially Aceh-style sharia.
Sharia experts like Anver M. Emon (the Post, July 13, 2007) argue that while in a democratic country like Indonesia voices calling for sharia should be accommodated, its application raises questions, such as whose sharia interpretations should be used, and whether it is necessary for the people as a whole or should just be implemented for narrow political purposes.
Those against the formalization of sharia are worried due to the endless disputes over the concept of sharia. There is no single and united perception among Muslims about what sharia is, what its contents are and how it should be applied. They are also afraid that sharia would be used by certain politicians or groups just to get votes in regional and national elections.
The Aceh conference on sharia concluded that Islamic law can work democratically in the framework of a modern global village. The Aceh framework could set a model for the rest of Indonesia or other countries seeking to formalize sharia. The Aceh framework could also serve as a model for sharia-based ordinances.
In Aceh, the law on Aceh government stipulates sharia covers aqidah (belief), syariat (law) and akhlak (morals). Sharia also covers family law (ahwal alsyakhshiyah), business law (muamalah), criminal law (jinayah), judicial system (qadha), education (tarbiyah), propagation (dakwah), preaching (syiar) and the upholding of Islamic values.
And the beauty of the law is that the sharia court's verdicts can be appealed at the Supreme Court. Article 131 of the law virtually binds Aceh sharia to the country's law. Furthermore, the judges in the sharia court are appointed and dismissed by the president. The law acknowledges the Supreme Court as the main and final umpire in any disputes, be they heard at the sharia court or other courts.
Another beauty of sharia in Aceh is the law exempts non-Muslims from complying with it when it comes to criminal cases. This answers Emon's appeal that the application of sharia also take into account the interests of non-Muslims, so that it will not deprive them of their basic rights and spark social disharmony.
Emon argues that since the aims of sharia are to uphold justice, promote equality and bring about public well-being, there is no need to adopt sharia if secular or national legislation already advances these goals.
In response, I would quote both Hikmahanto Juwana and Math Noortmann in their articles (the Post, June 21 and July 7, respectively). They concluded that Indonesia's judicial system is so corrupt that it needs radical reform. Now that money speaks louder than justice, it is time for sharia such as in Aceh to be implemented.
Pertinent Links:
1) Sharia to replace corrupt judiciary
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
DAR AL ISLAM - INDONESIA: THE MODERATE ISLAMIC NATION IS GOING AFTER BLOGGERS
Action against 'flaming' blogs: Belittle the king or Islam and you face the music
By : V. Vasudevan
KUALA LUMPUR: "The time for talk is over, now is the time to act." With this warning shot, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said the government would be taking legal action against bloggers who flagrantly belittled Islam or the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
He told the Dewan Negara yesterday that three laws could be used against the bloggers: The Internal Security Act (ISA), Sedition Act and Section 121b of the Penal Code.
Section 121b deals with offences against the authority of the king, ruler or Yang DiPertua Negeri and carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Speaking at the Malaysian Press Institute Press Awards Night here yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the government was deeply troubled by the growth of "irresponsible" alternative media.
"In the name of freedom, these websites allow the broadcast of slander, lies and swearing, the use of harsh, degrading language and racial slurs without regard for the reader or those concerned," he said.
"Even though the government has been tolerant of anti-government positions and criticisms on the Internet, we are very concerned about statements that insult religion and reek of racism."
Najib said webmasters and web journalists were not exempted from the laws of the country and the government was duty-bound to protect the peace.
"We will not permit any party to disturb the nation’s harmony and cause unease among the community," he said.
Nazri said the government was looking at formulating new laws allowing it to monitor and act against offending bloggers.
"This is in areas not provided for by the ISA, Sedition Act or Section 121b of the Penal Code," he said.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Action against 'flaming' blogs: Belittle the king or Islam and you face the music
By : V. Vasudevan
KUALA LUMPUR: "The time for talk is over, now is the time to act." With this warning shot, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said the government would be taking legal action against bloggers who flagrantly belittled Islam or the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
He told the Dewan Negara yesterday that three laws could be used against the bloggers: The Internal Security Act (ISA), Sedition Act and Section 121b of the Penal Code.
Section 121b deals with offences against the authority of the king, ruler or Yang DiPertua Negeri and carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Speaking at the Malaysian Press Institute Press Awards Night here yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the government was deeply troubled by the growth of "irresponsible" alternative media.
"In the name of freedom, these websites allow the broadcast of slander, lies and swearing, the use of harsh, degrading language and racial slurs without regard for the reader or those concerned," he said.
"Even though the government has been tolerant of anti-government positions and criticisms on the Internet, we are very concerned about statements that insult religion and reek of racism."
Najib said webmasters and web journalists were not exempted from the laws of the country and the government was duty-bound to protect the peace.
"We will not permit any party to disturb the nation’s harmony and cause unease among the community," he said.
Nazri said the government was looking at formulating new laws allowing it to monitor and act against offending bloggers.
"This is in areas not provided for by the ISA, Sedition Act or Section 121b of the Penal Code," he said.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Action against 'flaming' blogs: Belittle the king or Islam and you face the music
DAR AL ISLAM - INDONESIA: AHHHH ISLAMIC TOLERANCE ON DISPLAY IN INDONESIA - AGAIN
Radical Muslims block conference at Carmelite Prayer Centre
by Benteng Reges
The Lembah Karmel Cikanyere had applied for a police permit, but the real reason for protests against it lies in a desire to shut it down after local Muslims claimed it had “caused controversies among people.”
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Radical Muslims block conference at Carmelite Prayer Centre
by Benteng Reges
The Lembah Karmel Cikanyere had applied for a police permit, but the real reason for protests against it lies in a desire to shut it down after local Muslims claimed it had “caused controversies among people.”
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Radical Muslims block conference at Carmelite Prayer Centre
Sunday, July 08, 2007
DAR AL HARB - AUSTRALIA: STAY AWAY FROM INDONESIA, AN IMMINENT TERRORIST ATTACK IN BALI OR JAKARTA IS FORESEEN
Downer sounds terrorism alert
by Ian McPhedran
AUSTRALIANS have been told to stay away from Indonesia because of an imminent terrorist attack against Western interests in Bali or Jakarta.
Security agencies detected a sudden rise in "chatter" between known terrorist groups late on Saturday night.
The chatter, picked up by Australian electronic intercepts, indicated an attack - linked to the recent arrest of Jemaah Islamiah leader Abu Dujana - was to take place.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Downer sounds terrorism alert
by Ian McPhedran
AUSTRALIANS have been told to stay away from Indonesia because of an imminent terrorist attack against Western interests in Bali or Jakarta.
Security agencies detected a sudden rise in "chatter" between known terrorist groups late on Saturday night.
The chatter, picked up by Australian electronic intercepts, indicated an attack - linked to the recent arrest of Jemaah Islamiah leader Abu Dujana - was to take place.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Downer sounds terrorism alert
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
DAR AL ISLAM - INDONESIA: THERE ARE NO TERRORISTS IN INDONESIA, ONLY COUNTER-TERRORISTS & MOSLEM ROLE MODELS
Bombers are Muslim role models: cleric
JAKARTA: Hardline Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir said yesterday that extremists blamed for Indonesian bombings were role models for other Muslims and feted them as “counter-terrorists”.
“There are no terrorists in Indonesia. What there are, are counter-terrorists,” Bashir told journalists.
“The aims and sacrifices of the bombers, in their efforts to defend Islam and Muslims in making war against the real terrorist — that is, the United States of America and its allies — need to be taken as a model,” Bashir said.
The firebrand 68-year-old bearded cleric gained notoriety after the 2002 bombings on the resort island of Bali, which killed 202 people.
He was jailed for nearly 26 months for a role in the attacks, but his conviction was overturned in December, to the outrage of victims’ families.“I agree with their (the bombers’) aims to defend Islam and Muslims, I agree with their hopes of enforcing Shariah — but I do not agree with the methods they used,” he said.
Bashir said militants erred by using “bombs in areas of peace, not in areas of armed conflict”, repeating a position he has taken in the past.
But he called on Indonesian Muslims to refrain from accusing people of terrorism, saying it would be tantamount to assisting the United States.
Bashir spoke at a press conference to announce plans, together with 13 lawyers from the “Team for the Defence of Muslims”, to file a suit demanding that Indonesia’s counter-terrorism police unit be disbanded.
The team of lawyers has provided defence counsel for several militant suspects.
Lawyer Munarman alleged that the counter-terrorism squad was financed opaquely by the United States, sought to make war against Islam and used torture to secure admissions from suspects.
He also said that the squad was discriminatory as it only acted against Muslims, adding the team planned to file the suit on Wednesday at the South Jakarta district court.
Bashir has redoubled his efforts to get Shariah law enforced in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, since his release from prison.
He was named as the former amir of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a regional extremist network blamed for a string of bombings including the Bali attacks, by Abu Dujana, the head of JI’s military wing.
Dujana was caught by police earlier this month, but Bashir has denied his claim.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Bombers are Muslim role models: cleric
JAKARTA: Hardline Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir said yesterday that extremists blamed for Indonesian bombings were role models for other Muslims and feted them as “counter-terrorists”.
“There are no terrorists in Indonesia. What there are, are counter-terrorists,” Bashir told journalists.
“The aims and sacrifices of the bombers, in their efforts to defend Islam and Muslims in making war against the real terrorist — that is, the United States of America and its allies — need to be taken as a model,” Bashir said.
The firebrand 68-year-old bearded cleric gained notoriety after the 2002 bombings on the resort island of Bali, which killed 202 people.
He was jailed for nearly 26 months for a role in the attacks, but his conviction was overturned in December, to the outrage of victims’ families.“I agree with their (the bombers’) aims to defend Islam and Muslims, I agree with their hopes of enforcing Shariah — but I do not agree with the methods they used,” he said.
Bashir said militants erred by using “bombs in areas of peace, not in areas of armed conflict”, repeating a position he has taken in the past.
But he called on Indonesian Muslims to refrain from accusing people of terrorism, saying it would be tantamount to assisting the United States.
Bashir spoke at a press conference to announce plans, together with 13 lawyers from the “Team for the Defence of Muslims”, to file a suit demanding that Indonesia’s counter-terrorism police unit be disbanded.
The team of lawyers has provided defence counsel for several militant suspects.
Lawyer Munarman alleged that the counter-terrorism squad was financed opaquely by the United States, sought to make war against Islam and used torture to secure admissions from suspects.
He also said that the squad was discriminatory as it only acted against Muslims, adding the team planned to file the suit on Wednesday at the South Jakarta district court.
Bashir has redoubled his efforts to get Shariah law enforced in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, since his release from prison.
He was named as the former amir of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a regional extremist network blamed for a string of bombings including the Bali attacks, by Abu Dujana, the head of JI’s military wing.
Dujana was caught by police earlier this month, but Bashir has denied his claim.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Bombers are Muslim role models: cleric
DAR AL ISLAM - INDONESIA: BASHIR FILES LAWSUIT, DEMANDS THAT THE ANTI-TERRORISM UNIT BE DISBANDED...AFTER ALL TERROR IS PART & PARCEL OF ISLAM
Cleric files suit against anti-terror squad
From correspondents in Jakarta
LAWYERS for hardline Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir today filed a class action suit demanding the disbanding of the police's anti-terror unit, accusing it of rights violations.
Lawyers from the Team for the Defence of Muslims, a group that has provided defence counsel for Bashir and several bombers in the past, filed the suit against the national police chief in the South Jakarta district court.
It called on the police chief to immediately disband the US- and Australian-trained and funded squad Detachment 88.
Mr Munarman, one of the lawyers, said the class action suit was filed by Bashir for those who had been victims of arbitrary arrest by the anti-terror unit.
The suit, copies of which were distributed by the lawyers, demanded that the court "declare the actions of the anti-terror unit Detachment 88 in violation of the laws ... and as gross human rights violations.''
At a news conference yesterday announcing the plan to file the suit, another lawyer, Achmad Michdan, said that the number of victims numbered around 500, about 300 of whom were released without trial and the remainder processed through the courts.
Mr Munarman said today that the squad's work also violated the constitution which forbids the use of torture to obtain confessions from suspects.
The suit also alleges discrimination as the unit's actions were only directed at Muslims.
Bashir, 68, was released from jail in June last year after serving nearly 26 months for his role in a "sinister conspiracy'' that led to the nightclub attacks in Bali in October 2002.
The Supreme Court in December 2006 overturned his conviction and cleared Bashir of involvement in the blasts which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.
Detachment 88, formed after that bombing, was named for the number of Australians killed.
Foreign governments say Bashir was the spiritual leader of the Jemaah Islamiah regional terrorist group blamed for the Bali blasts and numerous other deadly attacks, including on Jakarta's Marriott hotel and the city's Australian embassy.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Cleric files suit against anti-terror squad
From correspondents in Jakarta
LAWYERS for hardline Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir today filed a class action suit demanding the disbanding of the police's anti-terror unit, accusing it of rights violations.
Lawyers from the Team for the Defence of Muslims, a group that has provided defence counsel for Bashir and several bombers in the past, filed the suit against the national police chief in the South Jakarta district court.
It called on the police chief to immediately disband the US- and Australian-trained and funded squad Detachment 88.
Mr Munarman, one of the lawyers, said the class action suit was filed by Bashir for those who had been victims of arbitrary arrest by the anti-terror unit.
The suit, copies of which were distributed by the lawyers, demanded that the court "declare the actions of the anti-terror unit Detachment 88 in violation of the laws ... and as gross human rights violations.''
At a news conference yesterday announcing the plan to file the suit, another lawyer, Achmad Michdan, said that the number of victims numbered around 500, about 300 of whom were released without trial and the remainder processed through the courts.
Mr Munarman said today that the squad's work also violated the constitution which forbids the use of torture to obtain confessions from suspects.
The suit also alleges discrimination as the unit's actions were only directed at Muslims.
Bashir, 68, was released from jail in June last year after serving nearly 26 months for his role in a "sinister conspiracy'' that led to the nightclub attacks in Bali in October 2002.
The Supreme Court in December 2006 overturned his conviction and cleared Bashir of involvement in the blasts which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.
Detachment 88, formed after that bombing, was named for the number of Australians killed.
Foreign governments say Bashir was the spiritual leader of the Jemaah Islamiah regional terrorist group blamed for the Bali blasts and numerous other deadly attacks, including on Jakarta's Marriott hotel and the city's Australian embassy.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Cleric files suit against anti-terror squad
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
DAR AL ISLAM - INDONESIA: JIHAD IS AN RELIGIOUS OBLIGATIONS, DEMANDED BY ISLAM, THEREFORE UNITS THAT FIGHT AGAINST THE JIHAD SHOULD BE DISBANDED
Hardliners demand Indonesia disband anti-terror unit
By Telly Nathalia
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian Muslim hardliners demanded on Tuesday the government disband an American trained special anti-terror unit, saying it was a tool of the United States to fight Islam.
Indonesia has been hit by a spate of deadly bombings in recent years mostly blamed on Islamic militants from the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) militant group.
Hundreds of Muslim militants allegedly linked to JI have been arrested since the 2002 nightclub bombings in the resort island of Bali that killed 202 people mostly foreigners.
In the latest anti-terror crackdown this month, Detachment 88, a police unit funded and trained by the United States and Australia, arrested two top leaders, including the head of its military wing, Abu Dujana.
An umbrella group representing various Indonesian Muslim organizations said Detachment 88 was an American tool to "stigmatize Islam".
"We call on the Indonesian government to stop cooperation with the United States and its allies in the global war on terror," Kholil Ridwan, a spokesman for the Islamic Community Forum, told a news conference.
"The United States war on terror, with the help of its sheriff, Australia, and deputy sheriff, Singapore, is a war against Islam," Ridwan said.
Indonesia is a key regional ally in the U.S.-led "war on terror" and looks to America for trade and investment.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Hardliners demand Indonesia disband anti-terror unit
By Telly Nathalia
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian Muslim hardliners demanded on Tuesday the government disband an American trained special anti-terror unit, saying it was a tool of the United States to fight Islam.
Indonesia has been hit by a spate of deadly bombings in recent years mostly blamed on Islamic militants from the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) militant group.
Hundreds of Muslim militants allegedly linked to JI have been arrested since the 2002 nightclub bombings in the resort island of Bali that killed 202 people mostly foreigners.
In the latest anti-terror crackdown this month, Detachment 88, a police unit funded and trained by the United States and Australia, arrested two top leaders, including the head of its military wing, Abu Dujana.
An umbrella group representing various Indonesian Muslim organizations said Detachment 88 was an American tool to "stigmatize Islam".
"We call on the Indonesian government to stop cooperation with the United States and its allies in the global war on terror," Kholil Ridwan, a spokesman for the Islamic Community Forum, told a news conference.
"The United States war on terror, with the help of its sheriff, Australia, and deputy sheriff, Singapore, is a war against Islam," Ridwan said.
Indonesia is a key regional ally in the U.S.-led "war on terror" and looks to America for trade and investment.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Hardliners demand Indonesia disband anti-terror unit
Monday, June 18, 2007
DAR AL HARB - INDONESIA: "I WILL NOT RENOUNCE JIHAD"
JI leader will not relinquish "jihad" commitment
In Indonesia, the captured Jemaah Islamiya leader Abu Dujana says he will not give up his commitment to "jihad" despite his recent arrest.
Our Indonesia correspondent Geoff Thompson reports from Jakarta that in a new interview with Indonesia's ANTV Abu Dujana said that "jihad" is a war and that long ago when he was fighting in Afghanistan against Soviet forces he met Osama Bin Laden.
Abu Dujana said he became involved in the conflict in Poso in Central Sulawesi to defend and uphold the dignity of Muslims.
He went on to say that despite being caught by police, his commitment to jihad was undiminished.
On Monday, an academic named Agung Setyiadi was sentenced to six years in prison for providing the Bali Bomber Samudra with a laptop and internet access while he was in jail.
Pertinent Links:
1) JI leader will not relinquish "jihad" commitment
In Indonesia, the captured Jemaah Islamiya leader Abu Dujana says he will not give up his commitment to "jihad" despite his recent arrest.
Our Indonesia correspondent Geoff Thompson reports from Jakarta that in a new interview with Indonesia's ANTV Abu Dujana said that "jihad" is a war and that long ago when he was fighting in Afghanistan against Soviet forces he met Osama Bin Laden.
Abu Dujana said he became involved in the conflict in Poso in Central Sulawesi to defend and uphold the dignity of Muslims.
He went on to say that despite being caught by police, his commitment to jihad was undiminished.
On Monday, an academic named Agung Setyiadi was sentenced to six years in prison for providing the Bali Bomber Samudra with a laptop and internet access while he was in jail.
Pertinent Links:
1) JI leader will not relinquish "jihad" commitment
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
DAR AL ISLAM - INDONESIA: ABU BAKR BASHIR IS CONSIDERING A RUN FOR THE PRESIDENCY OF INDONESIA
Presidential Run by Indonesian Cleric Would Be Referendum on Shariah Law
DENPASAR, Indonesia -- When, in May 1998, former President Suharto's 32-year rule came to an end, Indonesia, a secular nation with the world's largest Muslim population, started a democratization process that has been praised worldwide.
However, democracy has also opened the door for a previously dormant wing of radical Islam that wants to turn the country into an Islamic state.
The clash between the two could soon be played out in the voting booth if, as suggested late last month by Indonesian Mujahedin Council (MMI) spokesman Fauzan al-Anshori, radical Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir decides to run for president in the country's next election, slated for 2009.
"Bashir is considering the possibility," al-Anshori told Italian news agency AdnKronos International May 30. "He said that he wants to see what the people say first."
Bashir is a controversial figure. Accused of being the ideological leader of terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, the cleric is a firm believer that Indonesia should be ruled by the Islamic code of Shariah. He also heads the MMI, an umbrella group campaigning for the establishment of Islamic law.
Over the past few years, Bashir has been taken to court and accused of terrorist crimes twice. Yet he has never been convicted of anything more than immigration offenses and conspiracy.
He last left prison in June 2006, after serving 26 months for giving his blessing to the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings, which killed 202 people, most of them foreign tourists. His conviction has since been overturned by Indonesia's High Court.
On the day of his release, a smiling Bashir told reporters: "I thank Allah that I am free today. I call on all Muslims to unite behind one goal, which is the implementation of Shariah law."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Presidential Run by Indonesian Cleric Would Be Referendum on Shariah Law
DENPASAR, Indonesia -- When, in May 1998, former President Suharto's 32-year rule came to an end, Indonesia, a secular nation with the world's largest Muslim population, started a democratization process that has been praised worldwide.
However, democracy has also opened the door for a previously dormant wing of radical Islam that wants to turn the country into an Islamic state.
The clash between the two could soon be played out in the voting booth if, as suggested late last month by Indonesian Mujahedin Council (MMI) spokesman Fauzan al-Anshori, radical Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir decides to run for president in the country's next election, slated for 2009.
"Bashir is considering the possibility," al-Anshori told Italian news agency AdnKronos International May 30. "He said that he wants to see what the people say first."
Bashir is a controversial figure. Accused of being the ideological leader of terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, the cleric is a firm believer that Indonesia should be ruled by the Islamic code of Shariah. He also heads the MMI, an umbrella group campaigning for the establishment of Islamic law.
Over the past few years, Bashir has been taken to court and accused of terrorist crimes twice. Yet he has never been convicted of anything more than immigration offenses and conspiracy.
He last left prison in June 2006, after serving 26 months for giving his blessing to the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings, which killed 202 people, most of them foreign tourists. His conviction has since been overturned by Indonesia's High Court.
On the day of his release, a smiling Bashir told reporters: "I thank Allah that I am free today. I call on all Muslims to unite behind one goal, which is the implementation of Shariah law."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Presidential Run by Indonesian Cleric Would Be Referendum on Shariah Law
Monday, June 04, 2007
DAR AL ISLAM - INDONESIA: THE 'MODERATE' ISLAMIC NATION OF INDONESIA HAS ROAMING MOBS THAT ATTACK CHRISTIAN CHURCHES
Islamist mob hits church
JAKARTA: A crowd of Muslim hardliners stormed a church in Indonesia's West Java region during Sunday service, smashing images of Jesus and demanding the church be closed, the pastor said yesterday.
Dozens of churches have had to be shut in the Muslim-majority country in recent years, and Sunday's attack was the second on the small Protestant church in the WestJava town of Soreang since 2005.
The Reverend Robby Elisa, who heads the church, said about 100 hardliners attacked while Sunday school classes were in session. His wife was beaten and at least four stained-glass depictions of Jesus were smashed.
"They forced their way into the church," he said. "The attackers claimed to be from the Anti-Apostate Movement Alliance. The same group attacked the church in 2005."
The secretary of the church's headquarters in Jakarta, the Reverend Budi Setiawan, said the attack had been reported to the Indonesian Church Association.
West Java, where Islam is strong, has experienced a series of attacks on churches to force their closure.
The Jakarta Post said more than 30 churches had been forced to close in West Java since 2004 because of attacks by Muslim hardliners. Dozens more were shut in other provinces.
Under a decree of the Religious Affairs Ministry, places of worship must obtain the approval of at least 60 per cent of local residents and have at least 90 followers to operate.
Mr Elisa said his church was small, with a congregation of only 20 adults and 40 children and teenagers.
"Where else can we go?" he said. "We are too far from the city, and our congregation needs a place to worship."
Pertinent Links:
1) Islamist mob hits church
JAKARTA: A crowd of Muslim hardliners stormed a church in Indonesia's West Java region during Sunday service, smashing images of Jesus and demanding the church be closed, the pastor said yesterday.
Dozens of churches have had to be shut in the Muslim-majority country in recent years, and Sunday's attack was the second on the small Protestant church in the WestJava town of Soreang since 2005.
The Reverend Robby Elisa, who heads the church, said about 100 hardliners attacked while Sunday school classes were in session. His wife was beaten and at least four stained-glass depictions of Jesus were smashed.
"They forced their way into the church," he said. "The attackers claimed to be from the Anti-Apostate Movement Alliance. The same group attacked the church in 2005."
The secretary of the church's headquarters in Jakarta, the Reverend Budi Setiawan, said the attack had been reported to the Indonesian Church Association.
West Java, where Islam is strong, has experienced a series of attacks on churches to force their closure.
The Jakarta Post said more than 30 churches had been forced to close in West Java since 2004 because of attacks by Muslim hardliners. Dozens more were shut in other provinces.
Under a decree of the Religious Affairs Ministry, places of worship must obtain the approval of at least 60 per cent of local residents and have at least 90 followers to operate.
Mr Elisa said his church was small, with a congregation of only 20 adults and 40 children and teenagers.
"Where else can we go?" he said. "We are too far from the city, and our congregation needs a place to worship."
Pertinent Links:
1) Islamist mob hits church
Thursday, May 24, 2007
DAR AL ISLAM - INDONESIA: SUPPORT OF JIHAD ON THE DECLINE IN INDONESIA?!?
Support falling for Muslim extremism in Indonesia: Australian minister
...
"Over the last two or three years, there has been a significant decline, according to opinion polling, in support for Islamic extremism in Indonesia," Mr Downer said.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Support falling for Muslim extremism in Indonesia: Australian minister
...
"Over the last two or three years, there has been a significant decline, according to opinion polling, in support for Islamic extremism in Indonesia," Mr Downer said.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Support falling for Muslim extremism in Indonesia: Australian minister
Friday, April 06, 2007
DAR AL ISLAM - INDONESIA: THE SECULAR STATE OF INDONESIA UNDER THREAT
Indonesia's Secular State under Threat
By Jürgen Kremb
Indonesia is a nominally secular democracy. But the influence of conservative Islam is gaining in the world's biggest Muslim country. A further step away from tolerance may be just around the corner.
...
Read on...
Pertinent Links:
1) Indonesia's Secular State under Threat
By Jürgen Kremb
Indonesia is a nominally secular democracy. But the influence of conservative Islam is gaining in the world's biggest Muslim country. A further step away from tolerance may be just around the corner.
...
Read on...
Pertinent Links:
1) Indonesia's Secular State under Threat
Thursday, March 01, 2007
DAR AL ISLAM - INDONESIA: THE SHARIA-IZATION OF INDONESIA
Islamic hard-liners chip away at Indonesia's secular traditions
JAKARTA, Indonesia: Women are jailed for being on the street alone after dark in parts of Indonesia, long held up as a beacon of moderate Islam. Gamblers are caned as punishment, Christian schoolchildren are forced to wear headscarves and a proposed law would sentence thieves to amputation of the hands.
Though most people in the world's most populous Muslim nation practice a tolerant form of the faith, a small but determined group of conservatives are chipping away at the sprawling archipelago's secular traditions and trying to reshape it in the image of orthodox Middle Eastern countries.
And they are slowly gaining ground, in part, critics say, because President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, liberal Muslim leaders and society at large have stayed away from loud, public debate on the issue.
Aiding the conservatives is the high level of autonomy given to local and regional legislatures since ex-dictator Suharto's 32-year leadership came to an end in 1998 amid massive, pro-democracy street protests.
More than 50 legislative bodies — from westernmost Sumatra island to Sulawesi further east — have passed laws inspired by the Islamic legal code, or Sharia, to regulate moral behavior.
On a federal level, hard-liners are pushing an anti-pornography bill that calls for prison terms of up to five years for kissing in public and one year for exposure of a woman's "sensual" body parts, though few expect it to pass in its present form.
"I call it creeping Sharia-ization of our society," said Syafi'i Anwar, executive director of the Jakarta-based International Center for Islam and Pluralism, noting that because Muslim groups have done poorly in national elections they are pushing their will through the "back door."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Islamic hard-liners chip away at Indonesia's secular traditions
JAKARTA, Indonesia: Women are jailed for being on the street alone after dark in parts of Indonesia, long held up as a beacon of moderate Islam. Gamblers are caned as punishment, Christian schoolchildren are forced to wear headscarves and a proposed law would sentence thieves to amputation of the hands.
Though most people in the world's most populous Muslim nation practice a tolerant form of the faith, a small but determined group of conservatives are chipping away at the sprawling archipelago's secular traditions and trying to reshape it in the image of orthodox Middle Eastern countries.
And they are slowly gaining ground, in part, critics say, because President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, liberal Muslim leaders and society at large have stayed away from loud, public debate on the issue.
Aiding the conservatives is the high level of autonomy given to local and regional legislatures since ex-dictator Suharto's 32-year leadership came to an end in 1998 amid massive, pro-democracy street protests.
More than 50 legislative bodies — from westernmost Sumatra island to Sulawesi further east — have passed laws inspired by the Islamic legal code, or Sharia, to regulate moral behavior.
On a federal level, hard-liners are pushing an anti-pornography bill that calls for prison terms of up to five years for kissing in public and one year for exposure of a woman's "sensual" body parts, though few expect it to pass in its present form.
"I call it creeping Sharia-ization of our society," said Syafi'i Anwar, executive director of the Jakarta-based International Center for Islam and Pluralism, noting that because Muslim groups have done poorly in national elections they are pushing their will through the "back door."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Islamic hard-liners chip away at Indonesia's secular traditions
Friday, February 23, 2007
DAR AL ISLAM - INDONESIA: "WE WANT STRICT SHARI'AH LAW IN INDONESIA" DEMAND THE MOSLEM CLERICS
Clerics press Yudhoyono on Islamic law
JAKARTA: A group of Muslim clerics including Abu Bakar Bashir, who once was jailed for links to the 2002 Bali bombings, were thwarted yesterday in a bid to meet President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono over implementing Islamic law.
The clerics instead left a letter at the presidential palace demanding Yudhoyono introduce strict Islamic sharia laws in Indonesia.
Bashir has been accused by Western and regional intelligence officials of being the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asia militant group blamed for the Bali bombings.
“The president could not see us today. Of course, we are disappointed because it is imperative for us to tell him that this country could perish if we do not return to Islam,” Bashir told reporters. The clerics, who turned up without a scheduled meeting with the president, were met by a junior palace official.
“We warn the president as a Muslim he has the obligation to govern this country and its people using Islamic laws,” he said.
Yudhoyono has sought to tread a delicate path, avoiding offending Muslim sensibilities without angering the West over what some countries perceive as lenient treatment of Bashir.
Bashir’s conviction for conspiracy in the 2002 blasts on the resort island was overturned by the Supreme Court last December months after he was freed after completing his sentence.
Bashir, 68, was released in June after completing 26 months of a 30-month jail sentence for the 2002 Bali bombings.
White-bearded and bespectacled, Bashir has consistently denied any connection to that or other attacks blamed on Jemaah Islamiyah.
He says that Western governments orchestrated his incarceration because of his campaign for Islamic law in predominantly Muslim Indonesia.
The cleric said in an interview weeks after his release that he opposed the use of violence in Indonesia for defending Islam but said that tactic could be used in Iraq and the Palestinian territories.–Reuters
Pertinent Links:
1) Clerics press Yudhoyono on Islamic law
JAKARTA: A group of Muslim clerics including Abu Bakar Bashir, who once was jailed for links to the 2002 Bali bombings, were thwarted yesterday in a bid to meet President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono over implementing Islamic law.
The clerics instead left a letter at the presidential palace demanding Yudhoyono introduce strict Islamic sharia laws in Indonesia.
Bashir has been accused by Western and regional intelligence officials of being the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asia militant group blamed for the Bali bombings.
“The president could not see us today. Of course, we are disappointed because it is imperative for us to tell him that this country could perish if we do not return to Islam,” Bashir told reporters. The clerics, who turned up without a scheduled meeting with the president, were met by a junior palace official.
“We warn the president as a Muslim he has the obligation to govern this country and its people using Islamic laws,” he said.
Yudhoyono has sought to tread a delicate path, avoiding offending Muslim sensibilities without angering the West over what some countries perceive as lenient treatment of Bashir.
Bashir’s conviction for conspiracy in the 2002 blasts on the resort island was overturned by the Supreme Court last December months after he was freed after completing his sentence.
Bashir, 68, was released in June after completing 26 months of a 30-month jail sentence for the 2002 Bali bombings.
White-bearded and bespectacled, Bashir has consistently denied any connection to that or other attacks blamed on Jemaah Islamiyah.
He says that Western governments orchestrated his incarceration because of his campaign for Islamic law in predominantly Muslim Indonesia.
The cleric said in an interview weeks after his release that he opposed the use of violence in Indonesia for defending Islam but said that tactic could be used in Iraq and the Palestinian territories.–Reuters
Pertinent Links:
1) Clerics press Yudhoyono on Islamic law
Thursday, February 01, 2007
DAR AL ISLAM - INDONESIDA: MOSLEM JIHADIST ADMITS TO KILLING CHRISTIANS
INDONESIA: EXTREMIST CONFESSES TO MURDER OF CHRISTIANS
JAKARTA, January 19 (Compass Direct News) – An Islamic extremist on Wednesday (January 17) admitted to taking part in the killing of three Christian high school girls in Poso in 2005. He also confessed to shooting the Rev. Susianty Tinulele to death in Palu in 2004. In a written statement in Central Jakarta District Court, Lilik Purnomo also confessed to participating in other acts of violence in Poso: a bombing at Immanuel Church, beheading a village chief, and shooting Ferry Silalahi, a Christian attorney who had defended the Rev. Rinaldy Damanik, a Christian peace activist. Purnomo confessed to taking part in the murder of the three girls – Theresia Morangke and Yarni Sambue, both 15, and 17-year-old Alfita Poliwo – as they walked to school on October 29, 2005.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) INDONESIA: EXTREMIST CONFESSES TO MURDER OF CHRISTIANS
JAKARTA, January 19 (Compass Direct News) – An Islamic extremist on Wednesday (January 17) admitted to taking part in the killing of three Christian high school girls in Poso in 2005. He also confessed to shooting the Rev. Susianty Tinulele to death in Palu in 2004. In a written statement in Central Jakarta District Court, Lilik Purnomo also confessed to participating in other acts of violence in Poso: a bombing at Immanuel Church, beheading a village chief, and shooting Ferry Silalahi, a Christian attorney who had defended the Rev. Rinaldy Damanik, a Christian peace activist. Purnomo confessed to taking part in the murder of the three girls – Theresia Morangke and Yarni Sambue, both 15, and 17-year-old Alfita Poliwo – as they walked to school on October 29, 2005.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) INDONESIA: EXTREMIST CONFESSES TO MURDER OF CHRISTIANS
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