New ‘Blasphemy’ Trial Set To Embarrass Indonesia?

The conviction and imprisonment of Jakarta’s best governor for years for the mediaeval ‘crime’ of ‘blasphemy’ certainly blighted Indonesia’s reputation across the civilised world.

It wasn’t just the process in the court but the vile sectarian hatred that made its presence felt, fanatics of all ages...

Ramadhan In Jakarta -‘Kill Ahok,’ Sing Parading Child-Bigots!

….shaming their country and their creed…

Ahok

.

The protesters, most of whom were men dressed in white Muslim attire, were heard yelling, “We want a Muslim governor,” “Burn Ahok!” and “Kafir!”   http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/14/thousands-hard-liners    

Slouching Towards Shariah, Indonesia Jails Ahok! 

…inciting vicious violence, taking their cue from Islamist notables like the FPI ‘grand imam’ Habib Rizieq…

.

• We encourage the government to process the death penalty for Ahok as soon as possible,” said Rizieq.
• http://www.suara.com/news/2016/10/14/134313/
  

  …

…who in all seriousness suggested that quoting a verse merited the death penalty.

One might have thought the damage inflicted on Indonesia’s good name would have deterred even Islamist zealots from a repeat performance.

Or not.

Once appeasement claims one victim, its slavering appetite merely grows.

Hence last week I noticed the Friday traffic was worse than usual, and that may have been caused by the ‘Alumni Association or PA 212 and the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI)’ who assembled a mob of their fans to  hold a demonstration in front of the Criminal Investigation Police HQ.

https://kabar24.bisnis.com/read/20191213/16/1181036/fpi-dan-pa-212-demo-di-bareskrim-setelah-salat-jumat-ini-tuntutannya

….

The rabble were howling about cases of alleged blasphemy by Sukmawati Soekarnoputri and Ahmad Muwafiq alias Gus Muwafiq.

This nonsense has been going on for more than a year and we have covered it already..

Blasphemy’ Traffic Jams, Again? Jakarta’s Latest Fanatic Friday! 

…and as we reported then, the uptights are still banging on about a poem written and recited by Sukmawati, one of the late President Sukarno’s daughters.

She was back then reduced to tears, publicly remorseful, though no rational person could see anything wrong with what she had done.

…

Sukmawati

…

Now, after a perfectly inoffensive speech last month- she allegedly compared Prophet Muhammad and Indonesian first President Soekarno as she asked who was the most meritorious figure for the country’s independence – the hounds are once more baying.

As then, the latest caterwauling comes from the gang calling itself PA212 , ( 212 alumni brotherhood) the very same that cheer-led the sectarian witch-hunt against Ahok!

The head of the 212 alumni brotherhood or PA 212, Slamet Maarif, said he had studied the context and content of the speech delivered by Sukmawati, comparing Prophet Muhammad with her father, Soekarno. He assessed that the remark was a blasphemy.

https://en.tempo.co/read/1279119/pa-212-calls-for-legal-process-against-sukmawati-over-blasphemy

..

I suppose the next thing will be that mob shuffling a few kilometres – though they will likely, as usual, insist ludicrously on calling it a ‘long march’ – completely indifferent to the traffic chaos their extremist antics cause, howling for a trial.

Sad, really, and sadder still if the authorities give these ranters the prosecution they desire so deeply.

President Sukarno, a figure still much-revered by many Indonesians, must be turning in his grave.

He was a Muslim, as of course is his daughter, but he understood that this archipelago was and is a land of many creeds and never sought to enthrone religious bigotry.

 

“

Department For Work And Pensions? ‘An Immoral Gathering?’

I have noticed recently the initials DWP in ads and articles around Jakarta and, having lived in the UK many years ago, and been back quite often,  I wondered why..

…of all British Government ministries, the Department for Work and Pensions might be making an impact here in Indonesia’s capital.

AHA!

Whilst I have no time for the Jakarta Post…

Prabowo Faces Jakarta Post Quadrennial Gibbering! 

…on this occasion we have to thank them for explaining that the –

Djakarta Warehouse Project (DWP) has been lauded as an international electronic music festival that has benefitted Jakarta tourism…

..

….

But the JP went on to tell us that ‘not everyone is a fan of the annual event.’

Yeah, me, for a start.

Deafening, raucous reggae etc is not my scene, man.

More fun getting together with those of my own generation…

.

..to enjoy the Stones, or Waylon Jennings, or Merle Haggard..

…or even the late great Buddy Holly!

But I’m not the only one disinclined to join the DWP!

A gaggle of fanatics calling itself the Islamic Youth Movement (GPI) gathered in front of City Hall in Central Jakarta on Tuesday to protest…

.

….

The group describes the DWP as Asia’s largest immoral gathering, which encourages casual sex, as well as the consumption of drugs and alcohol. https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2019/12/13/muslim-groups-slam-anies-for-allowing-immoral-dwp-to-go-on.html

Hmmm…could well boost ticket-sales!

However, Jakarta Police say no such abominable activities will be countenanced.

But more interesting than the bleating of uptight Islamist adolescents is the fact that their protest is not only against the DWP but against Anies’ decision to allow the event to take place…

And who is Anies, my overseas readers may ask?

None other than Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan!

Remember him!

He vigorously wooed Islamist fanatics during his electioneering…

• • • =

      

    • Anies wins an adoring smile from ferocious fanatic Habib Rizieq, who had recently suggested the Christian Governor Ahok (Anies’ predecessor)  be slain for unacceptably quoting some Koranic verse –.“We encourage the government to process the death penalty for Ahok as soon as possible,” said Rizieq. 
    •  http://www.suara.com/news/2016/10/14/134313/ 
      

      Anies used to purport to be a moderate. Then he decided he wanted to be governor.

    • But hey, now GPI head Irwan AHN is imploring his ‘beloved governor’ to think again, and the same gangs that staged grossly offensive sectarian demos.…

      The protesters, most of whom were men dressed in white Muslim attire, were heard yelling, “We want a Muslim governor,” “Burn Ahok!” and “Kafir!”   http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/14/thousands-hard-liners-march-against-ahok.htm

    • ….that led to Ahok’s prosecution, and conviction, and imprisonment, for the mediaeval ‘crime’ of ‘blasphemy,’ are reportedly turning up at the DWP venue to holler their hate.

    • Interesting situation for Anies, yeah? After all, if he wants a second term as governor, who’s he got to please?

    • n  

Sectarian Fanatics Screw Up My Trip Downtown!

It was a fine sunny morning, but although there was no risk of rain, which makes Jakarta’s traffic even more awful than usual, I left early.

.

.

My plan was to do a spot of shopping – some plums and mangoes for a visitor tomorrow who likes fruit – then meet up with my young Indonesian crowd.

We get together for a chat quite often! Their English improves and we exchange views on current events. I’ve been doing this since I quit teaching – it’s fun.

I got to Harmoni, where I change buses, and jumped aboard a No.2…

.

..

…which promptly turned left, east, instead of going due south as usual.

Baffled, I fumed helplessly.

Then through the window I discerned the problem.

IIslamist Fanatics!

They tend to wear white, with green trimmings, many of them being attached to the notorious Islam Defenders Front, the FPI..

.

=‘Community Organisation‘ FPI in action!

=

…though there are several such groups, some of taking great delight in traipsing around town clad in ludicrous Arab gear.

But why a Monday morning?.

Of course such people don’t give a hoot about the inconvenience they cause normal folks who go to work and earn an honest living. There were thousands prowling the city centre today, no evident inclination to earn a living or attend school.

Nice life, being a sectarian!

Thanks to my hi-tech handphone, I’d worked out what the day’s excuse was.

212.   Not just the matching date, but the self-styled 212 ‘alumni!’

I append a link to expand my explanation.

A group calling itself the 212 Rally Alumni was established to gather people who were involved in the rally on Dec. 2, 2016, to call for the prosecution of then-Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, a Christian of Chinese descent, for blasphemy.

https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/11/30/212-reunion-rally-to-be-small-this-year-police.html

You might have thought ‘alumni’ a singularly unsuitable word – it tends to be used in Western countries to mean ‘graduates’ but when I think back to the blood-thirsty bigots who shuffled through Jakarta demanding that good governor be not just prosecuted but murdered…

The protesters, most of whom were men dressed in white Muslim attire, were heard yelling, “We want a Muslim governor,” “Burn Ahok!” and “Kafir!”   http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/14/thousands-hard-liners-march-against-ahok.htm

——

Ahok

——

…for quoting a religious verse.

After the shuffling rabble got their way and Ahok was imprisoned, a verdict and sentence that made global news  – and made me lose faith in this lovely country’s future…

Slouching Towards Shariah, Indonesia Jails Ahok! 

…I rarely blogged on Indonesian affairs. I still don’t.

So this morning’s dislocation of my journey was like having salt rubbed into an old wound.

I got to my get-together, not terribly late.

Wants To Lock ‘Blasphemers’ Up – Yet He’s A ‘Moderate?’

I remember when I used to see Abdullah Gymnastiar on TV…

00000000000

• 
• ———————-

• ….a man who came across as an engaging sort, a Muslim cleric quite different, very different, from the unpleasant hate-preachers like Sobri Lubis of the FPI, the self-styled ‘Islam Defenders Front…’

=

Sobri Lubis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7RLCXNdKF4  –

….infamous for his ( still on video) exhortation to a mob of rabid savages to ‘kill, kill, kill’ the peaceful Ahmadiyah minority.

A.A. Gym, as he was known, had what you might call home-spun charm, and had a huge following of adoring housewives. That rather collapsed about a dozen years ago when he went Arab, by which, I mean polygamous.

I say ‘went Arab’ because most Indonesians really do abhor the practice.

They think it’s backward and sexist – and who can disagree, since what could be more sexist than allowing men to have multiple spouses, while women are limited to one?.

So we didn’t get to see so much of Gym’s smiling face, until nearly two years ago, when who should pop up as ‘a proponent of the 212 rally.’ 

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/06/15/212-supporter-delivers-idul-fitri-sermon-in-istiqlal.html

=

Ahok

=

The Jakarta Post this week gives us a fairly neutral, arguably timid, description of ‘212’ –a religiously-driven mass protest staged in December 2016 demanding the prosecution of then-Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama’

I would have defined it rather more harshly as a gang of Islamist fanatics.

The outlandish anti-Ahok campaign held numerous ‘marches’ – actually shuffles – which brought out all manner of backward bigots onto the streets of Jakarta

The protesters, most of whom were men dressed in white Muslim attire, were heard yelling, “We want a Muslim governor,” “Burn Ahok!” and “Kafir!”   http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/14/thousands-hard-liners-march-against-ahok.htm

————

Their goal, the jailing of Ahok for ‘blasphemy’ – and some wanted a lot worse for Ahok than mere jail-time..like Habib Rizieq, ‘grand imam’ of the FPI.

---

“We encourage the government to process the death penalty for Ahok as soon as possible,” said Rizieq.  http://www.suara.com/news/2016/10/14/134313/

…yes, their goal, when achieved, did horrific damage to Indonesia’s reputation as a pluralist democracy. Decent people of all creeds all over the world were shocked.

One can only view those who instigated ‘212’ as intolerant sectarian extremists who should be excluded from any role in respectable public life, held at arms-length by responsible public figures.

But today?

Gymnastiar was preaching, not in any back-street zealot hang-out but in Jakarta’s grandest mosque, the Istiqlal, the splendid edifice to which visiting foreign leaders are taken by government high-ups..

.

.

…and where on this highest of Islamic holy days the congregants included both Jakarta’s Governor and Indonesia’s Vice-President Jusuf Kalla.

How do preachers at the Istiqlal get selected?

No idea. I imagine there’s a management committee, with some degree of autonomy, which is nevertheless sensitive to what and whom is acceptable in today’s Indonesia.

You’d think anyone associated with ‘212’ would be a definite ‘no-no.’ You’d hope that anyone advocating prison for the bizarre ‘offence’ of ‘blasphemy’ would be kept well away from the pulpit.

But you’d be SO WRONG!

And here’s the sting in the tail!

That same Gymnastiar’s name-

“was included on the Religious Affairs Ministry’s list of 200 Islamic preachers that are deemed moderate, which was issued last month.”

And that, to those of us who love Indonesia and think religious liberty needs to be defended against Islamist intolerance, is a very depressing statement to ponder as the Idul Fitri festivities go on across the archipelago.

Typical? Jakarta Mob Orator Talks Embassy Arson!

“If they don’t get out of this place in three days, we’ll expel them ourselves. We’ll burn this embassy,” another protest leader told the crowd as he stood on top of a truck, vowing to stage further rallies.

http://jakartaglobe.id/news/protesting-islamists-threaten-burn-myanmar-embassy-jakarta/

Playing with fire? There’s something of an obsession with burning among certain elements in Jakarta.

We all read about sectarian savages demanding that former Governor Ahok be burned.

The protesters, most of whom were men dressed in white Muslim attire, were heard yelling, “We want a Muslim governor,” “Burn Ahok!” and “Kafir!”   http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/14/thousands-hard-liners-march-against-ahok.htm

=

Ahok only burned in effigy!

========

Those blasted bigots didn’t get their way, but poor Ahok is now in jail thanks to  the country’s ‘blasphemy’ law.

And of course there’s the infamous Gramedia book-burning incident, when the Jakarta Post’s publishers emulated Adolf Hitler by building a bonfire of books that upset Islamist fanatics.

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

•    Grovelling Gramedia’s Book–Burning Bonanza – Appeasing Fanatics 

• =====

A pity the Jakarta Globe didn’t give us the name of the ranter who was heard shrilling about burning the embassy.

But at least they told us of the irresponsible threat to go lawless.

====

The Jakarta Post, in contrast – http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/09/06/-thousands-of-muslims-protest-outside-myanmar-embassy.html

–  made no mention of it.

=====

========

But given their Gramedia publisher’s enthusiasm for setting fire to harmless books, perhaps they prefer not to mention that sort of incendiary outburst.

oooooooooooooooooooo

President Wins ‘Praise’ For Sitting Down With Fanatics?

Did everyone in Indonesia ‘praise’ President Jokowi for meeting the most intolerant Islamists in the archipelago?

I doubt it, but the sycophantic headline in the Jakarta Post…

Jokowi praised for meeting with opposition Muslim organization during Idul Fitri

…might lead readers to think so.

In fact, what appeared under that headline included only one voice of ‘praise,’ and that was from his very own fan-club, the ‘President’s Volunteer Forum (Bara JP)’  

……..

…..

Others may take a different view from that expressed by Sihol Manullang. For the JP to describe those Jokowi met as an ‘opposition’ movement is somewhat gilding the lily.

One can oppose some or all of the President’s polices but the  the ‘Muslim orgainsation’ referred to is none other than that inveterate enemy of free speech, the National Movement to Safeguard the Indonesian Ulema Council’s Fatwa (GNPF-MUI),

Indeed, the JP correctly reminds us of that gang’s role as the mastermind of a string of mass rallies protesting the leadership of former Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, using his backgrounds as a Christian of Chinese descent as one of its objections.

Those hate-demos were a blight on the face of Indonesia’s image as a pluralist country once famous for its tolerance and commitment to religious liberty.

=====

Barbaric Islamists in Jakarta, burning Ahok in effigy

---

 

Ahok, now imprisoned for ‘blasphemy’  – seriously, in the 21st century!

=

The protesters, most of whom were men dressed in white Muslim attire, were heard yelling, “We want a Muslim governor,” “Burn Ahok!” and “Kafir!”   http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/14/thousands-hard-liners-march-against-ahok.htm

==

The photo of the meeting in the JP does not include one of the GNPF-MUI’s most infamous notables, Habib Rizieq, the ‘grand imam’ of the white-shirt vigilante gang that calls itself the FPI, the Islam Defenders Front.

But Rizieq’s absence is no indication that the fanatics who did attend the chummy chat with Jokowi omitted the ‘grand imam’ from their delegation out of choice.

Fact is, Rizieq is not ANYWHERE in Indonesia at the moment.

Police Add FPI Leader Rizieq Shihab to Most Wanted List

But individuals. albeit fascinatiing, are secondary.

The President’s guests, and the MUI itself, represent the most extreme sectarian elements in this country.

Many MUI ‘fatwas’ have long been either a matter for jest, like their anti-yoga decree, or examples of quite terrifying hostility to religious liberty, such as that notorious anti-Ahmadiyah diktat. Since that edict was issued, the totally peaceful and  inoffensive Ahmadi minority has gone through hell.

Even during the recent ‘holy month,’ we had to read about monstrous anti-Ahmadi hate-crimes..

“Mohon Ma’af?” Blasphemous Brutes Vandalise Depok Mosque! 

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

We have over the past few years had to report on to all kinds of offensive stuff from MUI leaders.

 Bali Hindu King – Don’t Kill Our Cows! Muslim ‘Scholars’ – Get Lost!!  

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

=======

=

If you wish to know more about the MUI, insert the three letters into my search box, or again, here are a few familiar choice samples of MUI thinking..

—————

• 

• Ma’aruf
• ——-

MUI’s Deputy Chair, Ma’aruf, who kindly advised everyone that FGM is a ‘human right!’  

 https://rossrightangle.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/clitoral-clip-no-scraping-suffices-tell-us-islamist-scholars-why-do-it/

And this enlightened gent… 

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

Syamsul Maarif,  General Secretary of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) Jakarta

“If the act of adultery is by a married person, then stoning is the sentence, while if unmarried, then it’s whipping,” he said.
 http://www.suarapembaruan.com/home/mui-dukung-pelaku-kumpul-kebo-dipidanakan/32705

• …...

• Why anyone, let alone a pluralist head of state, would give them house-room, is itself very disturbing.  

Blasphemy Law Where It Belongs – In History’s Trash-Can!

After the recent events here in Indonesia, with a distinguished Jakarta City Governor imprisoned for the bizarre ‘crime’ of ‘blasphemy,’ it’s good to see rational thinking can prevail at least somewhere in our wonderful world.

=

=

Denmark’s legislators have moved to abolish their archaic (300 years old) law- and not before time!

It’s astounding that a modern democratic country hasn’t long since got rid of nonsense which decrees fines or imprisonment of up to four months for anyone who derides, ridicules or insults a legally-defined religion’s teaching or way of worshipping.

Such an ‘offence’ is at most a question of good manners, not law.

If you get all hot and bothered over some real or perceived slight, to yourself or your way of thinking, then you just need to grow up!

=

Hurt feelings? Just try being grown-up and control the tantrums!

=

And let’s face it, are not ‘teachings’ that call for killing others, just because they worship in a different way from you or me, not deserving of derision?

=

=

That’s nothing to do with God anyway, merely those who arrogate to themselves the right to tell us what He thinks.

Most Danes presumably share my view that, as an omnipotent being, God Almighty can handle any insults cast in His direction, without requiring the assistance of either fallible human courts or cacaphonous creeps…

=

Barbaric Islamists in Jakarta, burning Ahok in effigy

=

…the latter surely exemplified by the hate-driven fanatics we saw all too often on the streets of Jakarta prior to the shocking, draconian verdict and sentence meted out to Ahok for daring publicly to ponder the meaning of an Islamic verse.

The protesters, most of whom were men dressed in white Muslim attire, were heard yelling, “We want a Muslim governor,” “Burn Ahok!” and “Kafir!”   http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/14/thousands-hard-liners-march-against-ahok.htm

=========

And not just prior to the jailing of their intended victim, but after too, bigot brats with poisoned minds in Jakarta’s Kampung Melayu district.

Ramadhan In Jakarta -‘Kill Ahok,’ Sing Parading Child-Bigots!

But even before the ink is dry on Denmark’s welcome reform, we hear voices suggesting dire consequences…

=====

=====

…repealing the law could cause the terrorist threat level to be raised because jihadists will be able to exploit it.’ Repeal of Danish blasphemy law may have security consequences …

That’s from a senior security official, who certainly ought to know better.

Because, as was said by the Danish justice minister, Søren Pape Poulsen, the terrorist threat to Denmark is already so high that it would be difficult to raise it further unless there was a concrete terrorist attack.

=

=

Well said, sir!

Jihadists don’t need excuses – they are at war with civilisation, with humanity, to be sure, and will wage that war regardless of any ‘blasphemy’ laws.

We saw that right here in Jakarta, where a harsh ‘blasphemy’ obtains, only a week ago, when evil Islamists murdered three blameless police officers  – where?

In Kampung Melayu!

=====

Five dead, eleven wounded – the evil jihadist tally that black day

===========

It is not enough, however, to erase ridiculous ‘blasphemy’ bans from the statute book.

People who believe in free speech need to be protected by laws, and vigorous enforcement of those laws, against primitives who parade their blood-thirsty fanaticism through the streets.

Free speech should not encompass savage incitement to murder people we disagree with, be it ordinary citizens engaged in peaceful ‘derision’ or harmless cartoonists.

==

——-

Such people have no place in the modern world.

If they cannot abandon their Dark Age mentality, they should be locked up until they are proven sincerely to have repented.

But that’s expensive, and they are not worth the cost. Give them the option, indefinite internment, or instant deportation.

Hasil Telusur

Sweden won’t suspend deportations of Afghan asylum seekers – The …

https://www.thelocal.se

t ed

Will Five MILLION Fanatics March This Friday! Jakarta Nightmare!

A very big ‘IF’ – and it’s never wise to take anything emerging from an Islamist’s mouth at face value.

But the prospect of five million slobbering bigots marching (or rather shuffling) through Jakarta tomorrow means at the very least a traffic nightmare, for Jakarta is always prone to congestion.

—-

———

Even a little bit of rain usually heralds delays.

Or it could be worse!…  Breaking News – Jakarta Cops Tear-Gas Islamist Louts! 

Over and above the impact on decent people trying to get about town on normal business, most Jakartans wil be appalled at the purpose of the sectarian shufflers.

=

Jakarta’s Governor Ahok

—–

“Ahok, the blasphemer of Islam, must be severely punished. Justice must be upheld.”

http://jakartaglobe.id/news/organizers-of-505-rally-against-ahok-say-they-notified-police-on-tuesday/

Odd turn of phrase, but then it’s a lawyer talking, and you know what I think of them, as a rule. This one’s called Kapitra Ampera, the source too of the ‘five million’ prediction.

Maybe the reporter who spoke with him didn’t ask the obvious  questions, like :-

Why should anyone be punished for saying what he thinks about Islam or any religion? What kind of justice is involved in this kind of witch-hunting? What level of ‘severity’ do the jihadist jerks think appropriate?

We are well aware of one fanatic’s views on this matter.  We’ve often quoted Habib Rizieq, Grand Imam of the self-styled Islam Defenders’ Front (FPI) so we’ll do so again, just in case you missed it.

=

“We encourage the government to process the death penalty for Ahok as soon as possible,” said Rizieq.  http://www.suara.com/news/2016/10/14/134313/

==

The prosecutors in the court where Ahok has been undergoing the weird ‘blasphemy’ inquisition only want probation. So there’s no chance the good governor will be sentenced to death, or any other barbaric shariah punishment.

But no doubt we’ll see and hear plenty of pig-ignorant savages howling for horrible penalties to be imposed, in a blatant bid to influence the court.

I hope it rains torrentially and that thousands of them ( it won’t be five million – that’s half the adult population, and some people in the capital actually have honest jobs to go to!) catch the flu.

Will Indonesia Settle For ‘Fake Peace?’

So President Jokowi welcomed some Muslim clerics to his palace, in order to get them ‘in line amid tension?’

Jokowi gets clerics in line amid tension

And one of them afterwards admirably told the media that- “As we live in a pluralistic country, we want real peace, not fake peace.” 

But whatever that particular cleric meant meant by ‘fake peace’ -and who knows, for Pete’s sake – it’s a great pity that Lukman Hakim Saifuddin…

=

Lukman

====

…Jokowi’s Minister for Religious Affairs, of whom many of us once had high hopes…

Lukman Slams Pesantren Fanatics – Can One Brave Man Slay The Hydra? 

 …admitted that the clerics had not specifically discussed sectarian issues plaguing the Jakarta election, as they were focusing on maintaining harmony across the country.

It’s true that other blots on the country’s copy-book do exist, as our various reports have noted last year and this year…

Bekasi Jihadist Jerks Amok – Police Tear-Gas Hate-Gang! 

Tanjung Balai’s Burning Temples – A History of Bigotry! 

…but the horrifying spectacle of Jakarta’s Christian Governor, Ahok, being put on trial, in the 21st century, for the mediaeval ‘crime’ of ‘blasphemy’ is surely THE outstanding example of what’s going wrong with this lovely archipelago.

What would have been a refreshing outcome of the presidential conclave would have been a joint declaration by Jokowi and his guests that the ‘Mind-Set Revolution…’

..

President Jokowi

..

…which he promised in his hard-fought election, two years ago, has to include an end to timidity in confronting and defeating the backward brutes we have seen marching – shuffling, actually – through Jakarta, shrill savages demanding that Ahok be ‘burned.’

Those ‘religious’ fanatics who howl for blood…

---

“We encourage the government to process the death penalty for Ahok as soon as possible,” said Rizieq.  http://www.suara.com/news/2016/10/14/134313/

—

…should be denounced, and no responsible citizen of any rank should share a platform with such sectarians.

And what about the’Indonesian Council of Scholars?’

• 

===

MUI’s splendid offices in Jakarta

=====

The MUI should be isolated and denied a single rupiah of state funding, until the self-styled ‘scholars’ repudiate the primitive pronouncements we have heard from them, those awful voices extolling FGM as a ‘human right,’ or demanding that ‘adulterers’ should be whipped or even stoned.

Ain’t Just Ahok – More Indonesian Dissenters Behind Bars! 

What decent Indonesians, of all creeds, would surely cheer to hear is a clear, unambiguous assertion by all parties and every cleric with a commitment to a civilised democracy that it is ABSOLUTELY unacceptable to use, or incite others to use, violence, state-sponsored or not, against so-called ‘apostates’ or ‘blasphemers.’

————

• 
• Such savages are not unique to Indonesia

=

Naturally, there are many – both politicians and clerics – who will not join in such denunciations.

Anyone who wants to see a shariah state – whether they call it an ‘Islamic Republic’ or not – will not, cannot, be part of any ‘mind-set revolution.’

They should be its targets.

As for those who serve the caliphate cause, who would see their country subordinated to an alien authority located in Istanbul or Mosul or anywhere – is that not grounds for the police to look into treason charges?

=

=

Other Muslim countries have outlawed Hizbut Tahrir.

The fact that some Western non-Muslim nations…

Hizbut Tahrir UK – “When ‘Moderates’ Talk of Peace, They’re Lying!” 

…lack the guts to do so should not hinder Indonesia in using legislation to express its abhorrence of subversive sectarian ideologies.

……

 

 

 

 

Not Only Ahok’s Future But Indonesia’s…

It’s a public holiday, declared by President Jokowi to give everyone in Indonesia a chance to get to the polls today, 15th February, local elections nationwide.

Here in Jakarta, my home for many years…

.

… the last thing they’ll care about is what we foreigners, resident or abroad, have to say about the choice they’re making.

That’s why I have waited till polling stations have been open for several hours (well, that and because it’s a holiday and it’s nice to sleep in then sunbathe out front!) before wrapping this up and posting it.

It’ll be 2pm, I think, when they shut. 

I will have no impact on anyone’s vote, but then neither will the distant thunder of mainstream media pundits in Australia or anywhere else.  http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/governor-ahok-fault-lines-across-jakarta/

Indonesians can think for themselves and there are few major issues about voter fraud.

Unlike in the USA –

…some states are so notoriously slipshod in their controls (California, Virginia and New York…come to mind) that it would be shocking if many illegals didn’t vote.

 Trump Is Right — Millions Of Illegals Probably Did Vote In 2016

 —————————————

• If Ahok wins, despite his occasional foolish  moves, and by that I largely mean the destruction of Kali Jodoh…

• ---

• 

• ---

  • Wong Cilik, Ahok, TNI – Tragedi Kali Jodo! 
  • …which upset far more than just the poor people who lived there, it will show the world that a majority of citizens in the capital of Indonesia are not susceptible to sectarianism.
  • Please note, 90% of the capital’s voters are Muslim, so even if Ahok only gets through to a run-off, it will show there are MILLIONS of Muslims…

Jakarta – Decent Muslims Challenge Islamist Witch-Hunt! 

Good Muslims Speak Up For Threatened Christian Governor 

---

 …here in this ever-interesting city, who have no time whatsoever for the venomous jihadist demos we have, to our disgust, heard and seen for months now.

---

—

True, where Jakarta goes, there’s no guarantee the rest of the archipelago will follow.

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

But if he loses, for whatever reason, or even worse, gets knocked out in today’s first round, that will be perceived as a triumph for the ugliest IslamoNazi elements in the land, the savages whom we have mentioned before…

---

…The protesters, most of whom were men dressed in white Muslim attire, were heard yelling, “We want a Muslim governor,” “Burn Ahok!”  Breaking News – Jakarta Cops Tear-Gas Islamist Louts! 

………….

…whose view – I guess they’d not deny it –  is ANYONE but Ahok.

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

It need not have had to be like this.

If his two opponents had spoken up, denounced the jihadist vendetta against Ahok, criticised him for whatever they think he’s done wrong…

….

  ”Outrageous” Activity in Jakarta Pools? OMG – BIKINIS! …( I’ve disagreed with Ahok more than once!)

……………….

… but told the world that under NO circumstances should ANYONE ever be prosecuted for the ‘crime’ of blasphemy, then whoever emerges victorious tonight, Jakarta’s reputation would not suffer.

But instead, we had both his rivals attend last weekend’s ‘prayer session’ which we had to mention last night.

They could respectably have gone to pray elsewhere.

Jakarta Mosque – Yellow-Bellies Bash, Spit On, Journos! 

Unsurprisingly, I suppose, Agus Yudhoyono has STILL not disowned his father’s infamous call for universal religious censorship.

Agus, of all people, as a representative of the younger generation, should have stood up for a modern-minded appreciation of free expression, written, drawn or spoken, on matters of creed.  

………………..

• 
• ——————

• SBY to ask the world to ban blasphemy | The Jakarta Post
• [[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[
• And we had Anies Baswedan, embarrassing himself and alarming those who had once perceived him, a former government minister, as seriously committed to pluralist values.
• Anies toddled along cheerfully to a gathering of the hate-gang FPI and look at the big smile he got…
• Another ‘Moderate’ Muslim Hanging Out With Da Gang? 
• ===========================

—————–

 …from the ferocious fanatic Rizieq, who thinks Ahok should be slain for mere words.

========

Ever since this ‘blasphemy’ carry-on began, with Ahok’s good-natured observations at that Thousand Islands public meeting…

An Apostate Attacks Ahok – Denies Right To Criticise! 

… we have seen the ugliest face of Islamist intolerance leering and looming ever larger in the public sphere.

Whether Indonesia can pull through this time of aberration, I honestly don’t know.

I hope so, but deep down, I fear not.  

So Has Indonesia Come To This? Paradise Lost?