‘Blasphemy’ Traffic Jams, Again? Jakarta’s Latest Fanatic Friday!
Poor Jakarta commuters!
Once more fanatic Islamists are going to quite needlessly screw up the streets of the capital tomorrow, to protest about ‘poetry!’
Seriously.
Our traffic jam conditions here are on most days pretty bad, often absolutely hellish…
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…so it’s bad enough they have chosen to ignore the obvious sensible day to do their thing, Sunday, when disruption to normal people’s lives would be minimised.
But to stage their extremist antics about a poem written and recited by Sukmawati, one of the late President Sukarno’s daughters?
The perpetrators of the parade plan are known as the PA212 , ( 212 alumni brotherhood) and although the route is short – though they will likely insist ludicrously on calling it a ‘long march’ – it runs smack-dab through the heart of the city.
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Istiqlal Mosque
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For local readers, I offer Tempo magazine’s description of the route – from Istiqlal Mosque to Mabes POLRI (National Police HQ)
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Mabes Polri
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One of their spokesmen tried to justify the massive inconvenience to thousands of innocent people.
“This rally aims to support Police investigating the blasphemy case, whoever the doer is.” https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2018/04/04/055917299/212-Alumni-to-Stage-Rally-Against-Sukmawatis-Poetry
Exactly how thousands of sectarians shrilling their hate for ‘blasphemy’ can be interpreted as giving ‘support’ to the police is beyond rational man’s comprehension.
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Western countries got over these ‘blasphemy’ hang-ups a LONG time ago.
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But rationality hardly comes into this.
The so-called ‘blasphemy’ charge arises because the poem mentioned Islamic sharia law, veil, and the sound of adhan [prayer call].
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Sadly, Sukmawati, who is herself a Muslim, has ‘voiced her regret’ for her words, which were read out at Indonesia Fashion Week.
“I am sorry to Muslim communities especially to those feeling offended by the poetry,” she said, weeping…
Millions of Muslims here in Indonesia share normal people everywhere’s disgust at the frequent savageries carried out under Aceh Province’s shariah law…
Aceh’s Mad Mullah – ‘Dancing is EVIL – It Involves Body Movements!’
..with masked brutes publicly flogging little girls…
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The Sharia Hell of Aceh!
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….and millions of Indonesian Muslim women go around like normal women – no scarf, no veil.
BTW, I hear that some uptights got fretty because there was a suggestion that the Javanese hair-bun enhanced girls’ looks more than a head-scarf…
Sukmawati also said that women with bun were pretier than women with veil…
http://www.republika.co.id/berita/en/islam-in-archipelago/18/04/03/p6lshi414-not-knowing-islamic-sharia-mui-its-a-mishap-for-muslim
(that link is to Republika, one of the foremost Islamic media here, and reading it is alarming – and I don’t mean just the spelling and grammar errors!)
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Women in Java never used to be ashamed of their hair!
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…since when has stating the obvious been a cause for offence?
As for the ‘call to prayer’ – here are a few of the reports we’ve posted about that phenomenon.
Turn It Down! Ex VP Urges Volume Control for Noisy Indonesian Mosques
Mosques Above The Law! ‘Too Sensitive’ to Enforce Noise Control! And Criticism? – ‘An Outrage!’
Aceh – Muslim Seeks Quieter Mosques, Bullied Into Silence, after ‘Death Threats!’
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So what’s all the fuss about?
It seems to me that this is just another step in what we used to refer to as ‘Creeping Shariah’ – or Arabisation – a relentless drive to drag Indonesia away from her pluralist traditions…
Kezia, 
Jim in Jakarta, 
Wulan, and 2 others are discussing. 
rossrightangle 
JazPen 10:31 on April 5, 2018 Permalink |
All too true, Ross.
Sometimes I wonder f this is the same country I arrived in years ago.
Indonesia is going downhill fast.
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Santi 10:37 on April 5, 2018 Permalink |
Good Ross! Why must she apologise for anything she wants to say?
Indonesia is still a democratic republic and we must be free to speak
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Wulan 11:30 on April 5, 2018 Permalink |
Java ladies always have looked nice with the hair and the kebaya and we do look more pretty.
Why we must cover up like the poor Iran and Arab Saudi women.
I am sorry my english is not so good but I think it is better than Republika, yes?
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Jim in Jakarta 11:58 on April 5, 2018 Permalink |
My sentiments exactly, Ross.
I would like to discuss it over a beer but it will have to be soon.
If their Prohibition Act gets passed we may both be in prison.
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Kezia 12:18 on April 5, 2018 Permalink |
Thank you Ross for letting the people in other countries know how bad life in Indonesia is becoming.
These jihadist marchers do not believe in the right of other people to free speech.
Like Ahok before, now Sukmawati may be put in jail for her poem,and why?
Because these fanatics do not like what she says.
She is the daughter of our country’s Founding Father.
What chances will there be for little people like me or my friends who like freedom to speak freely if the jihadists can do all this to her and make her offer an apology for telling the truth.
It is all so sad. I hope you never leave us but at the least you as a foreigner can do that.
Where can we go to be free, because this is our home?
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