Ramadhan Begins! Sectarian Reminders Issued!

“Based on all the input we received, we decided that the first day of Ramadhan will fall on Monday, June 6,” Lukman Hakim told reporters at a press conference.  http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/05/indonesia-declares-ramadhan-beginsmonday.html

I do wish my Muslim friends and neighbours a Happy Ramadhan.

But off we go again, those silly little curtains erected across the front of street food stalls, like my little warteg where I usually go for a filling two-dollar lunch…

…

….

...a peculiar fanatic folly, as if passing Muslims will forget their fasting if they catch sight of me tucking into perkadel, tempe, tahu pare, etc.

In fact, it will enhance their virtuous self-denial if they see me eating, because what sort of commitment to abstinence is it, what sort of will-power do they need to muster, if alternatives are hidden from their gaze?

The same point arises in respect of Lukman’s further words.

The minister also called on owners of entertainment businesses, especially nightclubs, to temporarily close or adjust the running of their businesses during Ramadhan to respect the fasting month.

Why on earth should they close?

That’s not ‘respect’ but a kow-tow!

Not every Muslim feels like experiencing a month of tedium. And Jakarta has large minorities of Christians, Buddhists etc. who are not fasting at all!

As mentioned in past posts, the late President Gus Dur, a noted Islamic scholar, had a healthier perspective, viz.

———–

• 

‘If we fasting Muslims want respect, let us also respect those who aren’t fasting.’

===

In other words, live and let live!

If you don’t want to eat and drink and have fun, fine, but it’s outrageous to tell others, who do want to carry on as normal, that they may not.

———–

• 

Minister of Religion Lukman

————

• Lukman is a fairly sensible minister, a huge improvement on his predecessor, the notorious Suryadharma Ali, whom we used to report on all too often.

—

 Ali  

Good Indonesians Denounce ArchBigot Ali’s Latest Intolerant Outburst

oooooooooo

But whatever Lukman thinks himself, he has many intolerants to reckon with, not merely the IslamoNazi hoodlum gangs like the FPI…

……

IslamoNazi FPI louts practicing devout introspection at a previous Ramadhan

——–

…but also the state-sponsored self-styled ‘scholars’ of the MUI, whose leaders talk against violence but can then engage in verbal diarrhoea like this. .

Islamist ‘Scholars’ – “Don’t Complain if You’re Attacked!” 

So we just have to put up with the sectarian shut-downs, though not without complaint – I’ll be recording some of the antics in the weeks ahead.

But here’s what’s most disturbing about Lukman’s statement.

“I also remind the media to support the government’s mission to preserve harmony during the holy month,” he added.

Well, some of the media are under year-round censorship here. Even the film ‘Noah’ was outlawed…

‘Noah’ Banned – Who’s Next? State Censors or Sectarian Enforcers? 

… and in the past, the MUI have used the state censor board as a cypher to apply their prudery.

Dimana Bokong2nya? – Where Are Our Buttocks? 

But exactly what does the Minister means about the media’s role?

That merits further study. I’ll be back. 

Get Lost, Goblins! Hallowe’en Ban in US Schools – More Grovelling!

Lazy few days here, no visitors due till the weekend, and no parties at all this week! Oh dear!

===========

• 
• ===================

• So I was having a look at the local events pages on the internet to see what’s happening in Jakarta and was reminded that there are a lot of Hallowe’en party nights coming up, all over town.

This is a 90% Muslim city with an 8% Christian minority and some Buddhists and Hindus, and nobody seems to mind the spooky fun – except Islamist fanatics like Amidhan, an MUI notable we have mentioned all too often on our blog. 

Top Islamic ‘Scholar’ To Kids – Admire Invaders Who Occupied Palestine! 

——————-

•  Amidhan
• Islamist ‘Scholars’ – “Don’t Complain if You’re Attacked!” 
• =========

The top man with the MUI’s self-styled ‘scholars’ made clear his intolerance when he said “Don’t join in the celebrations. It’s not our culture…”    http://www.nahimunkar.com/mui-muslim-jangan-rayakan-halloween/

Hmmm..ain’t that the dread phenomenon that pinkos call ‘xenophobia?’

But in fact, spooky stuff, domestic or foreign, is immensely popular here, witness the Haunted House shows that migrate around the capital’s malls.

• Rumah Hantu Jepang, Blok M Plaza, 29th April – 10th May  | 

  Blok M Beware! New Mummy Scare! Starts Tomorrow! 

  When I worked some years ago near Blok M, in South Jakarta, my colleagues and I took a trawl through one of those, much to the amusement of the hundreds of locals milling around waiting to buy their tickets.

  ——-

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Like most children around the world, Indonesian kids delight in fright – there are all kinds of horrors here, unique to this amazing archipelago. Young (and many older) Jakarta residents will enjoy the scary make-believe events.

They all know it’s make-believe, so why not?

Pocong! Kuntilanak! Sundelbolong! Wewegombel…Ghosties and Ghoulies of Indonesia 

Sadly, it’s a different story in Milford, Connecticut, where the school board has banned Hallowe’en, to avoid offending uptights.

...a letter was sent home to parents last week letting them know that the school district’s annual Halloween parades are being called off, due to “numerous incidents of children being excluded from activities due to religion, cultural beliefs, etc.”

——————————

• 

• ————————-
• For pity’s sakes!
• It’s not compulsory to join in, but it’s an annual American fun-fest, and most kids love it. If some don’t, or are ordered not to participate in the fun by sectarian parents, why should all the rest be thus penalised? 

Not only is the parade going, but all signs of Halloween are being prohibited. Students won’t be allowed to wear costumes to class, class activities cannot have a Halloween theme, and giving out food is “not an option.”

http://dailycaller.com/2015/10/12/connecticut-school-bans-halloween-to-avoid-offending-people/#ixzz3oZPaae6z

How pathetic!

What infantile administrators these Milford minions must be!

Hallowe’en is a hugely popular festival in the USA, more so than in the UK, whence it migrated to the Americas a long time ago. I went to school in both hemispheres and while we did ‘do’ Hallowe’en in Britain, in Canada it was a much bigger thing, same as in the United States.

And now, because people migrate there from countries without such a tradition, some arrogant immigrants expect the authorities to pander to them?

When in Rome, bud!

Top Islamic ‘Scholar’ To Kids – Admire Invaders Who Occupied Palestine!

We can’t seem to get away from Amidhan this month, but I guess that’s because he doesn’t often give his gob a rest.

——————-

• 

 

• =========
• For new readers, he’s the top man in the organisation of self-styled ‘scholars’ here, the MUI, and he has at various times got onto this blog for telling people not to complain if they’re attacked by IslamoNazi scumbags during Ramadan…. Islamist ‘Scholars’ – “Don’t Complain if You’re Attacked!”  …and for scenting a ‘new-style communism‘ in the air (because the new electronic ID card system MIGHT not have every citizen branded with sectarian identity)…Top ‘Scholar’ Warns of Red Peril – If ID Cards Omit Your Creed!  … and…oh, just use our little search box and you’ll find him!

—

—

Now he’s urging youngsters to watch a serialised tv drama about Al-Ayyubid Shalahudin  – whom we dreadful Western folk know well from our history lessons as Saladin.  

—

—

Amidhan wants the kids to sit enthralled as Saladin strides forth and rides his stallion majestically across their tv screens.

Why?

..He said that the leadership of Salahuddin in the past had shown the world how powerful Islamic forces were at that time. One of the main factors was that Muslims were united and not split despite having different backgrounds. The series demonstrated how Muslims should unite to put aside differences. At that time, he said –

Muslims were able to come together and dominate the world.

==============

World domination, the dream Amidhan wants to inculcate into young minds.

Yes, it’s my translation, but I’m attaching the original Republika.com report at the bottom of my page so sceptics can see for themselves that I’ve not distorted Amidhan’s nostalgic paean to an era of Islamic imperialism.

ooooooooooooooo

I’ve never seen that Islamic warlord Saladin portrayed ( in ‘infidel’ Western films, BTW) as anything other than a decent gent, but it remains true that his cause was far from just.

 

–

 Jerusalem in days of old

–

Jerusalem, and Palestine as a whole, were for centuries part of the Roman, later Byzantine, Empire, and its people were overwhelmingly Jews and Christians – and pagans, worshipping Jupiter etc.

They did not suddenly convert to Islam. The Muslim conquest of the area was an act of brazen sectarian imperialism.

That’s why I tend to find criticism of Israel as some sort of colonialist occupation state so ludicrous. The post-war Jewish settlers merely took away from the Arabs what the Arabs had taken from the people who’d lived there for ages under Rome and Constantinople. 

It is tempting to review the UK report on the English moron who wanted to ban England’s St. George’s flag   – Radstock Rocks – Total Victory for England’s Flag!  – because it resembled Crusader banners. A subservient mentality, exactly the opposite to Amidhan’s triumphalism.

By rights, looking at the facts of history, the Crusaders were a liberation army. They succeeded in pushing out the Saracens for a while from the lands those Saracens had seized by force of arms, but then they lost to Saladin’s determination and strategic skills.  

In modern times, Saladin’s heirs have similarly lost out to the Israelis – again and again.

—

 Islamc conquests

—–

So serious students of history should be aware that there was no question of Islamic incursions into Palestine, nor, later, Europe, being exercises in peaceful persuasion. Their armed aggression is a matter of record, and only heroic resistance by valiants in Iberia and on the Danube saved all our countries from such jihadist expansionism.

—-

Had Saladin, and those who came after him, indeed, as Amidhan fondly puts it ‘dominated the world,‘ London might well be full of drabs in burkas, its citizens ordered to comply with shariah law.

–\

Another no–go area in Londonistan

Oooops!

 

———————-

Dia mengatakan, kepemimpinan Salahuddin pada masa lalu telah menunjukkan kepada dunia betapa dahsyatnya kekuatan Islam saat itu. Salah satu faktor utamanya adalah umat Muslim bisa bersatu dan tidak tercerai berai kendati memiliki latar belakang berbeda-beda. Lewat serial itu ditunjukkan bagaimana seharusnya umat Islam bersatu dengan mengesampingkan perbedaan-perbedaan.
Pada saat itu, kata dia, umat Islam dapat bersatu dan menguasai dunia. MUI: Salahuddin Al-ayyubi Bisa Satukan Umat Islam …

‘Rise Against This Grand Design!’ Islamist Raves At ‘Red Threat!’

 

=======================

Good old Hidayatullah. com, a fanatical Indonesian website, reports, no doubt approvingly, a call from thug-gang leader Muhsin for a ‘Muslim rising.’

And the spread of jihadist paranoia in this country may be measured by the fact the IslamoNazi FPI leader was sharing a platfom with leading lights from, among others, the two largest ‘moderate’ Islamic organisations in the archipelago, the NU and Muhammadiyah. ( Shohibul Faroji Azmatkhan (NU), Dr. Amirsyah Tambunan (Muhammadiyah), 

—————

•  Muhsin

Muhsin, who’s no stranger to our reports, is all a-fret due to a combination of issues, one of them being the dreary drone about women denied the ‘right’ to don the scarf of subjugation at work.

Since there’s no religious obligation on Muslim women to do so….‘An Archaic Tribal Rag’ – Wise UK Muslim Imam Says ‘Ban the Burqa!’     It’s on the BBC! Bag-Head Bans Do Not Infringe Religious Liberty!    Fiery Islamists – ‘Head-Scarves NOT a Big Issue!’ 

 …we’ll ignore that as a mere token yap, but there’s more to his indignation.

Muhsin reckons there’s a ‘grand design‘ high up, a conspiracy suggested by the fact that ‘many workers’ are prevented from performing Friday prayers.‘ In fact, that’s the headline in Hidayatullah.  http://www.hidayatullah.com/berita/nasional/read/2015/06/24/72850/fpi-di-indonesia-banyak-karyawan-sulit-shalat-jumat.html

Companies with non-Muslim directors even stoop to scheduling meetings that Muslim staff must attend when they should be toddling off to the mosque!

One thing’s for sure, if you go to certain government offices on Friday mornings, you may find yourself in for a long wait, because they double their usual hour of absence from their desks at lunchtime.

Pray during their own mid-day break? Not a chance! They expect, and get, extra time at the tax-payers’ expense, not so devout that they’ll forego a good guzzle/gossip session to make time for God.

But what IS the gang leader on about?

After our recent post on Amidhan, one of the senior members of the self-styled ‘scholars’ in the MUI, who fears the emergence of a ‘new-style communism..’

—

 Amidhan

Top ‘Scholar’ Warns of Red Peril – If ID Cards Omit Your Creed! 

 

…now the IslamoNazis are getting all het up too, linking the President’s name with the hated PKI, the Indonesian Communist Party, whose attempted kudeta in 1965 led to a nationwide bloodbath.

Thanks to Rimanews.com, we learn that Muhsin’s Front Pembela Islam – a notorious sectarian gang who regularly commit vandalism and violent crimes: Twenty Officers Injured – So Jakarta Cops ‘Negotiate’ With islamist Thug Gang?   – reckons that law enforcement agencies, namely the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), has been trampling the rights of worship of prisoners detained at the detention center KPK KPK Pomdam Guntur branch. 

OMG! Well, we’d best pay attention, because  these fanatics are certainly expert in these matters. They delight in trampling the rights of worship of religious minorities.

FPI in West Java – ‘Let’s Burn Out the Orphans!’  – flashback to when one victim of the FPI’s intolerance toldTempo that ‘none of the Ahmadiyah activities conflict with Islamic law…just like anybody else, we just pray, according to the Koran.” He repeated what he told Kompas, that there had been cries of ‘burn the place,’ from the mob. 

……………..

But let’s not niggle about consistency in matters of religious rights and liberties.

“There are many complaints by prisoners who could not do Friday prayers…this is harassment of the implementation of worship.” .  http://nasional.rimanews.com/politik/read/20150623/220320/FPI-Revolusi-Mental-Jokowi-Gerakan-PKI

As noted, Muhsin is not unknown to RRA readers. But not as a rule because of his interest in people’s rights.

IslamoNazi Christmas Warning – Don’t You Dare Disturb Us Bigots!  flashback- Muhsin said that FPI was at ease with certain groups who might raid Christmas attributes in the shopping centers – FPI would not interfere with the sweeping.

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Oh, yeah, and don’t forget the FPI’s overt urge to murder

————

Muhsin spot-lighted the “Mental Revolution.” That’s the election slogan coined by President Jokowi, but while most of us took it to mean  making the nation more forward-thinking, in terms of economic etc. progress, Muhsin has his own interpretation –

 ‘…the administration of Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Jusuf Kalla echoes the PKI and the communist movement, because it is considered the nation will progress if people break away from the shackles of belief and religious rules and godliness.

I’m more anti-communist than just about anyone else in the world. Jokowi and JK do not conceivably subscribe to that evil ideology.

But how about that godliness?  

FPI-style? Who’s On Da Booze? Mall Brawl Gangsters “Are An Asset!?!” 

If anything, many of those who supported Jokowi are worried that he has not unsealed churches shut down by bigots like Muhsin, nor repealed the discriminatory anti-Ahmadi decree.

But Muhsin marches to the sound of a very different drum.

“It’s already come to pass that one can get an ID card without one’s religion recorded on it…

Oh, yeah, Amidhan had the same hang-up. But it REALLY stokes Muhsin’s revolutionary fervour.

 “If the Commission is actually doing this, then it is time that Muslims should rise up. Don’t let Muslims in Indonesia become orphans in their own country,” he said.

Unfortunate choice of analogy, maybe, given those Ahmadi orphans mentioned above!

FPI: Revolusi Mental Jokowi Gerakan PKI

International Yoga Day – In Jakarta, Be Careful What You Chant!

It has never occurred to me to attempt anything remotely connected to yoga, total relaxation with the benevolent assistance of Mr. Jim Beam or Mr. Johnny Walker having much more appeal.

–

• But I wish them well, those flexible folk who do amazing things with their limbs, whilst emitting strange  ‘om, om, om‘-like noises….
• OM CHANTING – Yoga to relax the body and mind – YouTube  – Om is the name of God. One must start their yoga practices by chanting this mantra.
• ….and note their big day is today!

————-

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But any yoga fans here in Indonesia should beware! The self-styled ‘scholars’ of the MUI could be down on you like a tunnabrix!

…the MUI issued a fatwa related to yoga.

Secretary of the MUI Fatwa Commission,  Asrorun Niam,  conveyed the relevant decision… 

1.  yoga with rituals of other religions, then for Muslims it’s forbidden.

2.  yoga containing spiritual meditation and mantras, connected to other creeds, is haram, as a preventive measure (sadd al-dzari’ah).

3.  yoga breathing exercises, purely for the sake of health. are permissible.

So puff-puff-puff is okay, but none of this ‘om-0m-om‘ stuff, right?

–

–

Even if you simply find it relaxing, no idea of its ‘divine’ connotations ( I didn’t till I looked it up last night!) and even if the rhythm just helps you keep time with your wriggling… 

No chanting!

Why make such a fuss about such a trivial matter?

I was in the Hypermart, shopping for cat-food, the other day, and, it being Ramadan, the muzak was very Islamic, including a rather melodious song, from one of those ‘morally uplifting’ soaps we had on tv a few years ago.

I found myself humming along with it –  no plans to become an ‘apostate’ and join Asrorun’s lot, just liked the sound.

Which I imagine is what the yoga people do, if they do, when bending arms and legs in all directions.

———–——–

•   Asrorun in Fatwa mode! 

Fanatic Stirs JIS Storm – MUI’s Asrorun Demands Sectarian Schooling! 

===========================

When Asrorun, who BTW is a REAL piece of work (check our link above) handed down these diktats, last year, he got a sharp response from a gorgeous sinetron star here, named Kiki Amalia, who sounds like a big yoga fan. 

========================

 Kiki

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“I do not understand, I’ve just been following yoga over the years. I never do spells…I do it for slimming!”   http://www.solopos.com/2014/12/25/yoga-haram-mui-keluarkan-fatwa-haram-yoga-bermantra-562438

Don’t really want her too slim, but I’m sure she wasn’t the only one bemused by the bleating of the ‘scholars,’ who are forever finding new things to whine about, whilst refraining from condemnation of real evils.

They see nothing wrong with female circumcision, but loathe religious liberty for Muslims who dissent from their dogmatic version of theology. 

They want to ban women from travelling on ojeks (motorcycle taxis) while they harbour at their senior levels one of the most bloodthirsty extremists in the archipelago, who wanted a harmless local atheist put to death for his comments critical of religion.… a five-year jail term would not suffice. “He deserves the death penalty, even if he decides to repent. What he has done cannot be tolerated…”  http://directaction.org.au/issue38/indonesian_faces_jail_for_saying_god_does_not_exist_on_facebook_0—

And another top MUI man, Amidhan is on record telling us not to complain if we’re attacked by bone-headed bigots during Ramadan. Islamist ‘Scholars’ – “Don’t Complain if You’re Attacked!” 

———————–

But I do wonder if at least part of their objection to yoga is that a lot of the women who enjoy the exercise do look good. Like Kiki, above, and this unknown beauty…

……..

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And women looking attractive is absolute ANATHEMA to the MUI.

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The Deputy Secretary General, Indonesian Ulema Council ( MUI ) Welya Safitri, added that the Aceh model is a good example…most importantly, wearing the hijab must meet three conditions. That it’s Shariah compliant, conceals the genitals and shows no curves.

=====================================

=

‘Scholars’ on Scarfs – ‘Must Be Shariah-Compliant, Hide Genitals, Show No Curves!’ 

NO CURVES?

….om-om-om!

Top ‘Scholar’ Warns of Red Peril – If ID Cards Omit Your Creed!

There are probably few bloggers more anti-communist than I am. And I do focus on the comsymp elements here in Indonesia, notably in the English-language media.  

Jakarta Post – Never Miss a Chance to Re-Hab Reds! 

Jakarta Globe Promotes PKI Sympathiser’s Propaganda! 

But I don’t reckon there’s any clear and present danger, not the way there was in 1965, when the totalitarian hypocrites of the PKI, Communist Party of Indonesia, staged their attempted kudeta.,

————————————————————-

• 
• —————-

That happily failed, but sparked a nationwide blood-bath, many victims of which were poor uneducated workers and peasants gulled into PKI fronts by unscrupulous marxist propaganda.

==============

But I had to laugh out loud when I read the outburst from Amidhan, Chairman of the state-sponsored Islamist ‘scholars’ outfit, the MUI.

• ——————————-
•  Amidhan

——————-

He was addressing a meeting in Bekasi (one of the most fanatic-dominated areas in the country ) and warned his audience that there was a new-style communist threat to the country.

And what signs had he discerned to support his fears?

“It is no exaggeration to say we should be wary of this talk of the elimination of the religion column in the ID card…”

Huh?

Yeah, he actually said that! He’s alarmed that non-religious people, atheists, would also be allowed…”.

Allowed…like, uh, somebody who happens to be atheist or agnostic should not be allowed to have an ID card (which here is essential for many purposes)  or does he recognise that everyone has the right to an ID card but expects that non-religious people should have to lie and pretend they are religious?

In fact, we’ve covered the ID card issue before…

 https://rossrightangle.wordpress.com/2013/11/29/indonesias-religious-liberty-forced-to-id-as-islam-to-get-a-job/

——————-

• —
• ———————————–
• …and while atheists might have problems, there’s a lot more of a problem with the shameful discrimination against Indonesian religions, the old creeds of the archipelago, not the imported ones like Islam, Buddhism or Christianity.
• There was a terrible fuss back in the 1970s when Javanese kepercayaan, traditional mysticism, almost got the status of religion and could have been listed on citizens’ ID cards –  sectarian crackers were scared their flock might desert in droves!
• —–. 
• Sad to say, given previous MUI rants – Indonesia’s Arrogant Islamists – “Non-Denominational Belief Is Not a Religion!”    – it does seem as if the so-called ‘scholars’ believe the ‘godless’ have no right to enjoy any rights of citizenship.
• —————
• Iniquitous, of course, as bizarre as the notion that because some folks are not ‘religious,’ they must be Reds.
• There was much more to Amdihan’s harangue, naturally, but it is even less persuasive than this ID card tripe.
• If you feel like reading it, use Google Translate on this link to the Islamist site – http://www.hidayatullah.com/berita/nasional/read/2015/06/03/70996/kebangkitan-komunis-gaya-baru-dan-aliran-sesat-dinilai-bukan-lelucon.html  – which is about the only one that seems to have covered it.

,

Well Said, Sir! Some Sense on Ramadan Shut-Downs…BUT!

Well, after reminding you all of what could most kindly be described as the careless talk we once heard from the MUI’s Amidhan about Ramadan … 

Islamist ‘Scholars’ – “Don’t Complain if You’re Attacked!” 

…I am delighted to note that he has talked some good sense, according to a Tempo.com report.

Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council, Amidhan Shaberah, said the closure of the food stalls during Ramadan is a tradition….not related to the state. According to him, there should be no controversy over whether food stalls should be opened or closed.

–

 Amidhan

 http://ramadan.tempo.co/read/news/2015/06/11/151674159/mui-buka-tutup-warung-saat-ramadan-itu-tradisi

He recognised that in some areas they will close because that’s what the people, presumably including the stall-holders, want to do. Fair enough, so long as there’s no coercion by bigot bullies, like these IslamoNazis in Makassar.

• 

• Even so, said Amidhan, in other areas stalls can still be opened because many people are still in need. “Leave it to the respective areas in accordance with tradition.”

• 

• It turns out that this latest discussion of the topic arose because Lukman Hakim Syaifuddin, whose tenure as Minister of Religion is a welcome change from his bigot predecessor, Suryadharma Ali, has declared that people who are not fasting should be respected.

—————-

 Lukman

——–

Stalls, said Lukman, do not need to be closed for Ramadan.

—

—

The Government, he said, does not need to make rules whether the food stalls should be closed or not. “Leave it to tradition and awareness.”

Excellent, echoing the words of the late Gus Dur on the same issue. 

—-

‘We Muslims should fast with respect for those not fasting.’ -A REAL Muslim scholar, the late President Gus Dur

——–

But even as we read this outbreak of common sense, another Tempo report reminds us that there’s a long way to go before the state takes its sticky-beak nose out of where it shouldn’t be.

…

…

Jakarta’s SatPol PP (civic militia) have launched their annual prudery blitz on people who like to have fun! Their operation was endorsed by the capital’s Vice Governor, Djarot Saiful Hidayat.

He announced that the city would restrict the operating hours of nightclubs during Ramadan. He wouldn’t hesitate to take stern action against the owners of nightclubs that violate these rules.

Why the heck should hours of revelry be restricted? Yes, if disco music is drowning out the sermon at a nearby mosque.

But mosque loud-speakers here can hold their own against any poor DJ.  https://rossrightangle.wordpress.com/2012/05/11/mosques-above-the-law-too-sensitive-to-enforce-noise-control-and-criticism-an-outrage/  Nor do they need to comply with city rules, so we’ve seen.

But the point surely is that if people feel like praying or whatever, they can, and same with the self-denial from terrible fleshly pursuits, like singing, dancing and drinking.

==

===

Nobody rushes out of bars to drag the passing faithful in. Nor does anybody force anyone else, least of all the devout, to stay out late having a good time.

If there’s no alternative to being self-denying, it’s not self-denial, merely sectarian coercion.

 

http://ramadan.tempo.co/read/news/2015/06/12/151674525/satpol-pp-awasi-tempat-hiburan-malam-jakarta

As Ramadan Looms -‘Scholars’ Claim “Only We Can Call Other People Infidels!”

 Self-righteously fatwa-ing since 1975!

————

As Ramadan approaches, a month meant to be devoted to introspection and self-discipline but often marred by fanatic hoodlums who fan out to intimidate innocent people…Convicted IslamoNazi Thug Defies Cops, Promises Routine Ramadan Mayhem .and ‘Respect for Ramadhan?’ Sectarian Louts Spit On Girl, Beat Up Her Brother! ...the MUI, that august body of Indonesian ‘scholars,’ has just arrogated to itself the right to insult others on religious grounds.

…only government-recognized Islamic organizations, such as itself, should be able to call any people or groups kafir, or infidels...: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/12/scholars-and-activists-slam-mui-kafir-edict.html

 This priceless privilege has been proclaimed after what the Jakarta Post daintily describes as the MUI’s ‘Edict Commission‘ held a get-together in Tegal, a city in Central Java more usually noted as being the origin of the word ‘warteg‘ (warung Tegal) which simply means a Tegal eatery.

• ——-
• 
• ===========

• These admirable little places are ubiquitous here, and as regular readers of RRA know, I am an afficionado of their simple but cheap and tasty cuisine.
• But let’s just savour food for thought this fine sunny morning!

So these ‘scholars’ alone may confer ‘infidel’ status upon me? Who gives a monkey’s?

I get called lots of names, usually by yellow-belly pinkos, like the poofter who (pseudonymously, of course! ) urged me to die last year. It probably added ten years to my life, the amount of healthy laughter I enjoyed from sharing that little tantrum-tale with friends over beers!  

However, according to the JP,  the edict aka fatwa is meant to prevent individuals from easily calling others kafir, a word that is usually considered highly offensive by the people or groups so labeled.

That’s the trouble, of course, the way uptights here (and elsewhere) get so easily upset about religion, their tiresome whining about ‘hurt feelings’ that often serve as a pretext for disgraceful hooliganism or worse.

–

–

Grown-ups, of course, don’t suffer from the ‘hurt-feelings’ syndrome, or if they do, they just get on with their daily routines, having been brought up on the ‘sticks and stones’ philosophy which characterises a civilised society.

Unfortunately, not all adults in Indonesia can handle normal life, and instead shrill and bleat when others talk without forked tongues.

• ======
• 
• Ahok

Our rather good Governor Ahok, here in Jakarta, is given to telling it like it is, and thus has had quite a few immature individuals waxing incandescent at his audacity in so doing.–

Fanatic Islamist Wails At Christian Governor – “HeCalls People Names!” 

   Salim Alatas, Jakarta FPI Gauleiter –

“He is not a Muslim and he is too arrogant, his words are rude and he calls people names!” 

—————–

But to be fair to the MUI, they claim this fatwa is meant to maintain harmony.   “The edict was issued because there are tendencies in our society to underestimate the word kafir and to easily call a person or a group of people kafir.”

–

MUI’s Zaitun

–

So says Muhammad Zaitun, the MUI spokesman, explaining that “labeling of a kafir is a religious law that individuals or illegitimate organizations cannot do,”  adding that Islamic society should refrain from easily labeling others and should take moderate stances instead.” 

Fair enough, ‘moderate stances‘ sound very nice, but then labelling alternative sources of opinion as ‘illegitimate‘ sounds a tad ‘immoderate,’ if not downright insulting, does it not?

A bit like ‘Papal Infallibility,’  a doctrine which equally offends my Ulster-Scots Protestant soul.  

The FPI or the MUI or the FUI or ISIS can stick as many kafir labels on me as they wish. It’s none of their business what I or anyone else believes…but hey, label away, just so long as they don’t try to prevent me worshipping or thinking or saying or doing anything else I feel like, within the law.  

Those choices, after all, are what God gave us a brain for, to decide for ourselves…

—-

—

…oh, and speaking of which, ‘moderate stances,‘ that is – maybe Zaitun could have a discreet word, prior to the start of Ramadan next week, with another senior MUI figure, namely Amidhan.

—————

• 
• ——————-

• His idea of a ‘moderate stance’ was amply exemplified not that long ago, when he infamously warned people to bow to his intolerant expectations during Ramadan – 

Islamist ‘Scholars’ – “Don’t Complain if You’re Attacked!” 

– or else not complain if sectarian ignoramuses beat them up!

If the MUI is seriously interested in taking a ‘moderate stance,’ let them issue a fatwa telling their fans NOT to shut down other people’s entertainments during Ramadan…

—-

‘We Muslims should fast with respect for those not fasting.’ -A REAL Muslim scholar, the late President Gus Dur ‘

===============

…and, yes, declare an end to the ridiculous insistence that eateries – wartegs or burger joints or whatever – cloak their ‘sin’ behind silly little curtains, so fasters don’t get ‘tempted.’

If a faster can’t walk past somebody having lunch without succumbing, their claim to be devout is threadbare!

‘Creeping Shariah,’ Warns Prof. Muhammed, As Jakarta Dims!

‘Creeping shariah!’ 

That’s how an Indonesian Professor of Islamic Studies, named Muhammed Ali, describes the demented decree against beer sales in minimarts, which we have railed about before.

Bali Beer Ban Looms – Why Pander to Intolerance? 

 ========

• 
• —————————–

Luckily for the Prof, he teaches at the University of California. Otherwise he might be at risk of unwelcome attention from the IslamoNazi thug gangs. The same sectarian louts we’ve shown you before but show you again today.

================

• 
• —————-

• The same bigot hoodlums whose violence taints both the creed they claim to represent and the reputation of this otherwise lovely country. Their hooligan antics were mentioned by one of Jakarta’s senior Islamic ‘scholars,’ Amidhan, when he said –

Islamist ‘Scholars’ – “Don’t Complain if You’re Attacked!” 

 Amidhan

====================

Nor is Amidhan the only one of his kind who thinks like that.

Islamist ‘Scholars’ Disown Thuggery – But We Gotta Behave! 

Thanks be the real Muslim scholar-man in California takes a more perceptive view of what’s going on. 

“This is creeping shariah, slow but steady, using legal and constitutional means,” said Ali. 

• 

• The Jakarta Globe blames President Jokowi, since this intolerant diktat runs counter to the pro-business messages he presented while campaigning for office last year.

But it’s not only intolerant!

It’s heedless of its consequences, driving otherwise law-abiding people to seek out more accessible, and cheaper, alternatives, the hooch that kills, sold in back-street dives. The Jakarta Globe quotes Diageo chief executive Ivan Menezes – “There is also the risk of illicit alcohol growing again, and that is in nobody’s interest.”

But who’s concerned in the corridors of power?

======

Rachmat Gobel

——-

The above very well-fed man is the Minister who issued the diktat, and it sounds like he has a low opinion of us foreigners –   “Tourism is not a problem. Do we want to protect Indonesian citizens or tourists?”

A rational government would wish to protect both, I’d have thought.

Anyway, Gobel evidently has not much interest in giving his fellow-citizens the right to shop for a cold beer on a hot day! Like today, tonight even, and I have just finished the second bottle whilst relaxing at home – no need to go out, after two seriously enjoyable parties during the week! 

We can still go shopping for our ale, to the big hypermarkets, but that can be a lengthy trek. It’s much easier to walk five mins to Indomaret or Alfamart.

–

 Mal Ciputra aka Citraland

–

Curiously, I was in Mal Ciputra earlier today, searching vigorously in the Hero store for a couple of bottles to enjoy with my tv viewing tonight. It used to be found beside the soft drinks and similar stuff, but no longer.

I had to ask an assistant. She pointed to the area behind the cashier in the corner, and there was the beer, segregated beside the cigarettes, a sanctum of sin. 

ooo

====

Thus the bright, lively city of Jakarta grows dimmer.

Hard to understand why the government wants to make a cheerful nation gloomy, but I guess there are electoral debts owed.

However, there are grounds for optimism, albeit in unsatisfactory ways, according to an English academic, who of course doesn’t live here in Indonesia, and, while aware of the vigilante terrorism, perhaps underestimates its pervasive nature. He reckons that old-fashioned sloppy enforcement and corruption will see us through. 

“This is purely the politics of symbols,” he said.

================

• 
• ====

• But in most cases, the poor little minimarts have already stopped selling. I tried three minimarts along Fatmawati a month or more ago, to get a carry-out for a party – no joy!
• Scared of raids by rabids?
• The white-shirt boot-boys are rarely arrested by the cops – inexplicably, after around twenty officers were injured in an IslamoNazi riot in downtown Jakarta late last year – and there are a lot of those white-shirt rats crawling around the city gutters.  .

Those of us who had hoped SBY’s departure from the State Palace and the inauguration of Jokowi would mean an end to IslamoNazi intimidation are undergoing an agonising reappraisal of our optimism.

http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/business/beer-today-gone-tomorrow-indonesia-targets-sales-ale/

Ahok OK – Lebih Baik KPAI Diam Aja!

One of the best things about Jakarta Governor Ahok is his refusal to follow the pathetic mealy-mouth mode of speech all too common among politicians here in Indonesia.

Like former Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, on the shameful 6-month jail-terms handed to sectarian savages after three innocent Ahmadis were brutally martyred at Cikeusik – in hindsight, whether the sense of justice is fully served, I don’t know…  https://rossrightangle.wordpress.com/2012/09/03/the-moderate-view-reporting-sectarian-violence-to-un-is-white-collar-crime/     

————————–

To call a spade a spade is akin to blasphemy, it sometimes seems.

—————————

•  Ahok
• ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

• Not that Western countries lack personalities, entire classes of people, even, who will do anything except speak clearly.
• We have the Obamanoid in-crowd who insist on calling illegal crimmigrants ‘undocumented migrants.’
• There’s a whole range of PC new-speak that George Orwell could hardly have foreseen even in his wildest satirical day-dreams. We must not call Charlie Hebdo killers ‘terrorists’, says BBC ..

But still there remain certain expectations of politicians back West – that they’re elected to speak up and speak out. And we still have some honest media, unlike the BBC, that don’t twist the truth

Anyway, Governor Ahok really has set the cat among the uptight pigeons this time!

• 

• Apparently he three times used kasar – ‘coarse’ – words on a tv programme, and no less a dignitary than the Chairman of the  Indonesian Commission for Child Protection (KPAI) has requested that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA)  investigate the rudeness and crudeness of the Governor.   http://palembang.tribunnews.com/2015/03/20/kemendagri-diminta-kpai-usut-ucapan-kasar-dan-kotor-ahok

This threat to children’s innocent ears occurred during a live broadcast about the capital’s budget. Ahok is fighting valiantly against undesirable practices inside City Hall.

But if you tell it like it is, you get some very tantrumesque reactions here.

–

–

Now his perfectly understandable expostulations of disgust at civic scumbags have become the media’s focus, rather than the scumbaggery itself.

I last night watched a panel on TVOne with three men debating Ahok’s verbal ‘transgressions.’ One was Tantowi Yahya, Golkar Party MP and country singer, whom readers in Oz will remember for his xenophobic whining during the bludger boat row last year.

Tantowi’s Anti-Oz Rant Can Only Hurt The Needy! 

 

 Country star Tantowi Yahya of the Golkar Party

0ooooooooooooo

Tanto is vexed – how dare Ahok talk like that when kids might be listening. Another man from the Hanura Party took a cooler view. But prize for biggest mouth has to go to some middle-aged fellow talking in his capacity as spokesman for the Betawi Youth Forum!

Forty if he was a day! Don’t they have any youths to send to the studio? The poor chap was beside himself with indignation at Ahok, ranting loudly. At least that made me laugh. 

But ignore that threesome, partisan figures with an axe to grind.

Let’s go back to the KPAI and their strident Chairman.  The story we linked to doesn’t mention that, despite our nice photo, the Chairman wears two hats.

————— 

•  Asrorun Sholeh

–——————————

He was, probably still is, up to his neck in the fanatic MUI, the self-styled Indonesian ‘Scholars’ Council,  and I can refer you to his previous bigot bleating on the MUI’s own website!

•  

• His name’s Asrorun Sholeh, featured on that website as one of their senior officers, Secretary of the Fatwa Commission, no less, shrilling frantically against Miss World http://mui.or.id/mui/homepage/berita/berita-singkat/soal-missworld-asrorun-niam-kirim-surat-terbuka-kepada-presiden-sby.html  – all the self-righteous, intolerant nonsense we had to hear from all those uptights back then.
• Some of his fellow-fanatics were pretty ‘crude and rude’ – like the bigots in the photo below!
• Did Asrorun scold them for their choice of vocabulary? Any child passing that demo could have read their obnoxious, obscene vilification of the beautiful girls who were guests of Indonesia.
• ————- 
• 
• 00000000
• I’ve no idea, but he was very quick, when he got high office in the KPAI, to start spouting similar bilge about the Jakarta International School scandal…
• The MUI man soon went off on a predictable tangent, howling about indecent behavior of JIS students and teachers. He said he had received reports about physical contact between teachers and students, and intimate relationships between female and male students. 
  

  Fanatic Stirs JIS Storm – MUI’s Asrorun Demands Sectarian Schooling! 

• oooooooooooooooooooooo

Asrorun Sholeh’s record of involvement with MUI should disqualify him from criticising Ahok over any crude or unpleasant statements the Guv may or may not have made.

If Asrorun wants to tell some people to shut their gobs, he should be addressing his intolerant, obscurantist MUI colleagues.

Like Ma’aruf Amin, who thinks that female circumcision is a ‘human right…’

Or Amidhan, who tells us ‘don’t complain’ if we’re attacked by IslamoNazi thugs…

Or Muhammad Al Khaththath, the extremist who thinks people should be killed for ‘defaming’ his religion….

For more specific links on these gents, see our older posts, like Congrats! A FINE Indonesian Muslim Scholar, Unlike MUI! 

Once you familiarise yourself with the MUI’s disgraceful record, you may agree that it’s their kind of pernicious drivel that children should be protected from, not a few rude words like Ahok’s.