‘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…

….by using the ‘Blasphemy Law’  – imagine any country in the 21st Century having such a law – and is honestly not surprising after the jailing of Jakarta’s Governor Ahok merely for quoting a Koranic verse.

But we’ve said all that before.

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

Kasihan, Jakarta, Sayangku – What A Pity, Beloved City! 

Get Your Tickets Soon – Jakarta Shariah Tourism Boom? 

Bigot Ban Hurts Jakarta Business – CreepingShariah Continues! 

Just feel a bit of sympathy, wherever you are, for the misery intended by those sectarian zealots against all the sane citizens who just want tomorrow to go about their legitimate business. 

Kasihan, Jakarta, Sayangku – What A Pity, Beloved City!

Given how the words ‘hate-speech’ have been devalued in the Western world, by imbeciles like Britain’s Surrey Police, whose ‘Hate Crime Procedure…’

...says ‘apparent lack of motivation as the cause of an incident is not relevant as it is the perception of the victim or any other person that counts’. No clear hateful motivation? Doesn’t matter. Record it as a hate crime anyway.

Britain’s real hate crime scandal

…it’s interesting to note the widespread outrage over the newly installed Governor of Jakarta’s astounding outburst this week.

Being a lazy fellow, I have decided to build my comments around what ‘The Australian’ newspaper reported, that Anies Baswedan used his first speech in office to urge “native” Jakartans to take back the Indonesian capital.

Not at all surprisingly, this sparked concern among the city’s ethnic Chinese community…

The word Baswedan chose, pribumi, is common here and has a very specific meaning – indigenous.

It is always used to differentiate between Chinese ethnic people and the majority, who are mostly of Melayu   (Malay) ethnicity.

[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[

One of many Jakarta shops marked by their owners as ‘pribumi property’ in an effort to preserve them from looting during the 1998 anti-Chinese race riots

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There has always been some anti-Chinese racism around Jakarta, which we have noted from time to time.

Jakarta Jew-Haters Boo Chinese Christian Candidate 

We whites, who are mostly not citizens anyway, are bule, literally albino! Nobody I know gives a damn about being called a bule, We often use it to refer to ourselves!

Admittedly I was a bit miffed when house-hunting a few years ago, to be told that one owner would under no circumstances have a bule tenant…

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…but, unlike the ‘discrimination’ whiners in The Old Country, my attitude was that he owned the property and if he wished to behave stupidly, he had every right to be stupid.

If I had to hire a secretary, I’d certainly discriminate, offering the job to somebody, anybody…

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…who looks like the Indonesian songstress Dewi Perssik, before anyone else, no matter how secretarially qualified!

But that’s just me.

Anies Baswedan now runs all Jakarta!

“In Jakarta, colonialism is right in front of our eyes, felt in everyday lives.”

WHAT?

“In the old days, all of us pri­bumi (natives) were oppressed and defeated. Now after independence, it is time for us to be the masters of our land,” he said, as people in the crowd punched the air and shouted –

“Allah is Great.” .http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/new-jakarta-chief-stirs-ethnic-tensions-on-first-day-in-office/news-story/

Of course they didn’t shout ‘Allah is Great.’ They wouldn’t be shouting in English. The sort who love to shout prefer Arabic! What the reporters, and everyone else, heard was ‘ALLAHU AKBAR,’ words which cause an emotional response in Western lands and now, it seems, here too.

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Anies Baswedan wins a smile from FPI ‘grand imam,’ Habib Rizieq

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If Anies had been ranting thus at a meeting of his fanatic fans in the FPI, a violent Islamist gang which he courted eagerly during his election campaign, one might expect much such hollering.

But at his first speech as Governor?

At least people now know what to expect, if they hadn”t already! Even that Australian reporter knows Anies’ record well enough to describe him as –

‘the former moderate Muslim!’ 

The report mentions that Baswedan was once Rector of Paramadina University, which I passed on my bus last month. It’s long had a good reputation as a place where REAL moderate Muslims are abundant,

There’s a quote from a lecturer there, saying the use of the word was “inappropriate.”

That’s not a word I like to hear in such discussions. Right or Wrong, okay, or neither, but ‘inappropriate?’   Something of a cop-out term.

But the lecturer is correct when he added  that –

“The atmosphere in Jakarta is very different now compared to before the election and the term ‘pribumi’ could spark tension. We cannot blame those who took offence at this speech..”

And a former minister and human rights advocate described the speech as a “disaster” guaranteed to “open old wounds.”

I prefer the more robust observations from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies researcher, Tobias Basuki…

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…who defined the new governor’s words as “alienating, especially coming from him and his track record in the election. It’s quite obvious that he’s excluding Chinese Indonesians because that’s the narrative that propelled him into office.”

Inevitably, Baswedan – who’s no fool – is now claiming he was looking back at those wicked imperialists, the Dutch!

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“Who faced the Dutch up close? Jakartans,” he said.

“If we look at people in the countryside, they know about the Dutch. But do they face them up close? No. The bottom line is I was talking about the Dutch colonial rule.”

Best not to think what non-Jakarta pribumi, from Aceh to Bali, who put up spirited resistance to Holland, might want to say to that!

But Dutch colonial rule ended nearly seventy years ago! What tense, past or present, was Baswedan using to make Islamist bigots holler ‘Allahu Akbar?‘

What was that word he used?

NOW?

Some Chinese Indonesians may say that we bule are fortunate, because, when the current Creeping Shariah escalates into a nightmare stampede, we can leave, easily, whereas this is their country, in which they’ve lived for centuries.

But despite the horrified responses from decent Indonesians, including many pribumi, there’s no way I can feel fortunate.

It won’t be that long till I have been here twenty years, and I love Jakarta, never imagined how far and fast the fanatics would become major players in the political game.

When Islamist zealotry intertwines with paeans of ethnic triumphalism, it’s hard to find reasons not to be gloomy.

Final quote, from one of the banners on show along the governor’s convoy route to City Hall on Monday night, hailing Mr Anies’s election as a “symbol of the awakening of the indigenous Muslims…”

Time to read something else…

…a bit of Western literature, perhaps, before my pleasant (and pribumi!) guest arrives!

Get Your Tickets Soon – Jakarta Shariah Tourism Boom?

We did report on Sandiago Uno’s astounding promise prior to the Jakarta election – as a  result of which he’s now Deputy Governor – that he envisioned a sharia-inspired nightlife entertainment network in Jakarta.

But we merely noted it, in a post which covered all the issues that were alarming normal people. 

The Ugly Face of Islamist Intolerance! 

Not that Sandiago Uno himself is in any way unprepossessing. On the contrary, he comes across as very presentable and personable!

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…

But now this rich, American-educated ( yes, truly!) entrepreneur has shown he’s a man of his word.

Sandiaga Uno to establish sharia tourism zone in Jakarta

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/06/28/sandiaga-uno-to-establish-sharia-tourism-zone-in-jakarta.html

Note, no question mark! This guy is serious about his plan, for the Senen area of  the capital.

 “I think it will be interesting if there is a religious tourism zone [in the area], which is properly arranged with tents. Hence, mobility can be ensured.”

I welcome that last sentence. Mobility – the ability to get through Senen as fast as possible – would need to be an integral part of any such scheme, as many of us encounter horrendous traffic jams there.

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…..

I sat on a  bus a month ago for nearly an hour, just waiting to get through the underpass beside the big shopping area.

But what delights would await folks who flitted in and out of Sandiago’s tents?

Many places popular with tourists who come to Jakarta feature what are invariably described as ‘sexy dancers.’

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Not just ‘dancers,’ NB, which has always made me smile, wondering if the proprietors fear that patrons would not recognise the dancers’ sexiness without being told of it!

–a–

However, I somehow doubt that the tents would accommodate any spectacle of that sort.

Sandiago previously talked of such joys as Koranic readings, but would that really draw shariah-fans to Jakarta when they can easily find THE REAL THING…

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…by taking a short flight up to Indonesia’s most northerly province, ACEH, proudly dubbed by some of its inhabitants as the ‘Verandah of Mecca,’ the ONLY province in the archipelago where shariah is enshrined in the local legal code of law.

No tedious tents required there, because the quintessence of shariah morality is displayed in the main squares…

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….young women being beaten by cowards too ashamed to show their faces, before a salivating rabble of voyeurs and fanatics.

Nor are dancers, either sexy or otherwise, a popular phenomenon up there, where such repositories of wisdom as this kindly old gent have made plain their demerits…

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Aceh’s Mad Mullah – ‘Dancing is EVIL – It Involves Body Movements!’ 

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…to the extent that even the graceful and utterly decorous traditional Acehnese dancing has drawn disapprobation.

Muhammad Thaib, Regent of North Aceh has  banned all adult women from dancing when welcoming guests in North Aceh, adding that only children should perform the tradition.

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Thaib

 “… cultural preservation should not damage Islamic Shariah values, such as dancing performed by adult women.”. http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/north-aceh-head-bans-women-from-dancing-in-public-2/

•  ooooo
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Nightmare stuff, yeah?

But at least we can avoid going anywhere near Aceh, and Senen.

How long normal folk can expect to find fun in Jakarta remains to be seen, however.

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Sandiago’s big boss is the Governor-elect, Anies Baswedan, seen above with the currently hard-to-get –Police Add FPI Leader Rizieq Shihab to Most Wanted List -‘grand imam’ of the white-shirt sectarian gang calling itself the FPI, self-styled ‘Defenders of Islam…’

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….and Anies may be tempted to listen to benighted FPI views such as that expressed in neighbouring Bekasi.

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There the local government’s Tourism Special Committee was told awhile back by the Chairman of FPI in Greater Bekasi that the Muslims in Bekasi reject the draft law on one point – it would legalize nightclubs.

Enjoy A Night Out? How Dare You, Say IslamoNazis! 

And here in Jakarta itself, there have been serious calls for a shut-down of nightlife at MIDNIGHT…

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‘You’re Only An Adult! It’s Past Your Bedtime!’ Jakarta Rules, OK? 

…with a senior cop having somehow decided that drug abusers are clock-watchers.

National Narcotics Agency (BNN) chief Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso has expressed his support for the Jakarta City Council in its plan to restrict the operational hours of nightclubs until 12 a.m. as stipulated in a draft bylaw on tourism.

 http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/17/greater-jakarta-budi-waseso-supports-nightclub-curfew.html
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It can’t happen here?

There’s a bill going through Indonesia’s parliament which could put you in the slammer for having a beer in your front yard, or even indoors…

Bigot Ban Hurts Jakarta Business – Creeping Shariah Continues! 

..and an innocent, inoffensive minority in next-door Depok is being bullied and oppressed by local government…

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

…while national government doesn’t lift a finger to intervene on behalf of religious liberty?

To paraphrase the pantomime audiences of my childhood days..

OH YES IT CAN!

Bigot Ban Hurts Jakarta Business – Creeping Shariah Continues!

 Well, there I was, just offering a rare nugget of good local news…

Bravo Densus 88 – Three Down, But LOTS More To Go! 

…when along comes some bad news, at least for normal folks, so I’m bound to take a look at this too.

oooooooooo

   angkots

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I was on the angkot going through Tanjung Duren the other day, and noticed that the local Sevel branch – the Seven/Eleven on Tanjung Duren Barat Satu –  had closed down.

It must have employed at least half a dozen people so perhaps a harsh holiday season for them and their families.

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Another Sevel, in South Jakarta….don’t know if it’s still open or not!

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But it was only today that I read in the Jakarta Post WHY this closure may have happened. 

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More 7-Eleven stores close down amid alcohol ban, high operating expenses

As the JP report reminds us, the dolorous decree  –  a regulation on the control of alcohol in April last year in a bid to “protect young generations from the dangers of alcohol” –  was ‘relaxed’ just over a year ago, in a move that handed the rights to control alcohol production, distribution and sales to regional administrations, including the Jakarta administration.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/12/22/more-7-eleven-stores-close-down-amid-alcohol-ban-high-operating-expenses.html

But you can take a walk round the mini-marts here in West/Northwest Jakarta anytime and not find a single bottle of Bintang  or any other brew on sale.

No reason ever offered for such poor customer service, though I suspect the staff may be afraid of the kind of ignoramus white-shirt louts…

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….who think they have the right to raid and intimidate businesses which don’t conform to their primitive intolerance.

So the ridiculous diktat against selling a cold beer on a hot day is not only inconveniencing blameless citizens, many of whom used to sit around Sevels after work to let the traffic ease off before going home, but is also damaging the country’s economy.

And no nonsense, please, about protecting the young from the demon drink! ID checks would prevent under-age drinking and let the rest of us enjoy normal life. 

But the bigots don’t care. They are intrinsically opposed to fun of any sort, and intent on imposing their own sectarian prejudice on the rest of us.

‘You’re Only An Adult! It’s Past Your Bedtime!’ Jakarta Rules, OK? 

And unbelievably, the Indonesian national parliament is pressing ahead with a nationwide prohibition policy…

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…which could see us arrested and put behind bars for having a lager in our back-yard or even keeping some liquor indoors to offer guests who drop by.

This is a process that has been called Creeping Shariah.

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

It certainly looks very different from the Mental Revolution promised by Presidnet Jokowi during his election campaign.

 

Good People Out Today, But Jakarta Faces Another Fanatic Friday!

Thousands of Indonesia’s good people, of all religions, are, even as I type, gathering today in downtown Jakarta, a demo of the decent, to proclaim their allegiance to Pancasila…

…the fair-play constitutional principle which, among other things, guarantees that minority creeds are afforded freedom to worship as they wish.

Good luck to them. It’s great to see Indonesians take a stand against what many here term Arabisation, the Islamist intolerance we have been watching with growing horror for years.         ‘Creeping Shariah,’ Warns Prof. Muhammed, As Jakarta Dims! 

Good luck to them.

It’s a lovely sunny day for it.

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But next Friday, darkness descends on Jakarta again.

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Scheduled for Dec. 2, the rally aims to call for the arrest of incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, who had been named a suspect in an alleged blasphemy case.

I’ll not waste time discussing the ludicrous ‘blasphemy’ bleating again.

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• Ahok Defies Back-Stabbers And Sectarian Fanatics! 

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But equally ludicrous is how the Confederation of Indonesian Workers’ Unions has latched onto the jihadist cause.

KSPI chairman Said Iqbal said workers planned to go on strike and join the Dec. 2 rally in protest of the Jakarta administration’s minimum wage policy recently imposed in the city.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/11/18/workers-to-join-next-anti-ahok-rally-on-dec-2.html

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What has their argument to do with the witch-hunt mounted by sectarian extremists against Governor Ahok? These union reps should think of their and their members’ reputation.

One is known for the company one keeps, and if these workers march in the company of bloodthirsty brutes, like those whose bleating for Ahok to be set on fire are irrefutably on the record…

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14 Okt 2016 – The protesters, most of whom were men dressed in white Muslim attire, were heard yelling, “We want a Muslim governor,” “Burn Ahok!”

Thousands of hard liners march against Ahok – City – The Jakarta Post

…and the mangy bigot louts who injured all those cops at the end of the previous ‘peaceful’ parade on 4th November…

Breaking News – Jakarta Cops Tear-Gas Islamist Louts! 

…those labour unionists demean themselves.

 , 

As Jakarta Booze-Ban Looms, Winnipeg Inches Forward

Looking back Westwards, or, more accurately in geographical terms, northeastwards, I see Canada is inching forwards, at least in Manitoba, where there are reports of reforms to liquor laws.

Beer taprooms in Manitoba open as provincial liquor laws relaxed

 I’m sure my Canadian readers will have something to say about this, but my recollection from previous visits to the land I once called home is that the laws vary from province to province…

Storm Brewing in Ontario 

…in many places extremely backward – as one regular commenter told me, Ontario even bans ‘Happy Hours!’

However, in Manitoba, brewpubs – restaurants serving a combination of food and beer – have been in Winnipeg for over a decade. But for the first time, breweries will now be able to serve samples of their product on the same site in which it was brewed, called taprooms.  

http://globalnews.ca/news/2826853/beer-taprooms-in-manitoba-open-as-provincial-liquor-laws-relaxed/.

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A good, common-sense move, yes, but incredibly, the taprooms will be forced to close their doors to customers at NINE PM!

Heck, that’s when lots of people leave home to go out for a drink, here in Jakarta.

Or at least they do now.

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Alas, I have heard nothing about the Indonesian Government’s unbelievably retrograde legislation aimed at imposing ‘Creeping Shariah’ prohibition, which would, if un-amended,  leave us drinkers open to prosecution for consuming a beer on a sunny arvo.

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There are progressive forces at work here, notably Jakarta Governor Ahok, who recently took advantage of a new legal loop-hole to re-authorise sales of beer in mini-marts.

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 Ahok

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Unfortunately, despite diligent searches, I have yet to see any bottles of Bintang or Anker on the shelves of my local Indomaret or Alfamart.

I wonder if the staff – they are usually just sweet little gals – are afraid of IslamoNazi raiding parties…

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…who barge around town in cowardly manner seeking to intimidate defenceless employees in exactly such positions.

Mind you, there’s just been a new National Police Chief appointed, ad he’s said to be a good guy, so maybe law enforcement will be applied to the sectarian thug gangs.

Nevertheless, if parliament does their job for them…

I hear the expat population is dwindling, rapidly.

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Minol Dilarang? Bright Morning Here But Dark Age Looms!

It’s a fine morning out there, and in here breakfast is being prepared.

Later I must get going and find a computer store, to install my latest Kapersky anti-virus. These modern computers don’t have a slot into which the disk fits, so I need the assistance of somebody who knows his (or preferably her!) way around technology.

However, before heading out, a word on some news spotted in Republika.com.

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Although I’m sure there are some sensible people among the ranks of Indonesia’s PPP  – United Development Party  – (the current Minister of Religious Affairs, Lukman, is a member and he’s a vast improvement on his predecessor, the unspeakable Suryadharma Ali, who was and is also PPP) its followers rarely say things which meet with my approval.

Thus no surprise to read the outburst from Arwani Thomafi, who sits on the House of Representatives Commission V.

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Arwani

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Arwani has just declared that the introduction of nationwide prohibition is the responsibility of the public and law enforcement officials.

Infantilising the population, denying that they are mature enough to decide for themseleves what they wish to drink, is, alas, only to be expected from the political establishment here.

We have, even in Jakarta, civic leaders who reckon all good little boys and girls, including adults, should be tucked up in their cosy wee beds by midnight! 

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‘You’re Only An Adult! It’s Past Your Bedtime!’ Jakarta Rules, OK? 

But Arwani did surprise me by denying that the Prohibition Bill, now reaching its final stage in committee, is sectarian.

The principle of the prohibition of minol by Parliament is not because of the religious aspect, but in of health, social and economic terms.

( minol  = minuman alkohol = alcoholic beverages)

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• “The impact of these negative effects, in the field of criminality, that is what concerns us, not a matter of Islam and non-Islam... 

‘Larangan Minol Itu Bukan Islam dan tidak Islam’

Well, that’s like banning cars because some drivers are reckless!

So that’s not how others see this pending legislation.

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Creeping Shariah is one alternative perception, dragooning grown-ups by a Big Brother state which perceives a glass of cold beer on a hot day as haram – and is not satisfied with the normal age-restrictions on beer-sales and the already draconian restrictions on where we can buy such appealing products.

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

And thanks to Arwani, we learn that it’s not so ‘creeping.’ He boasts that there are numerous regencies (local government areas) all over the archipelago that have introduced such intolerant diktats, including Papua Manokwari,  South Jogjakarta, Sleman, South Kalimantan Banjarbaru…and provinces...

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The Sharia Hell of Aceh!

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…and of course let’s not forget the focus of brutal bigotry in Indonesia, Aceh, where the joys of shariah law are displayed to perfection in our photograph of a cowardly masked fanatic beating a young girl before an audience of baying savages. 

So Will Bigot Ba’asyir Be Unleashed, Since God’s On His Side?

So that nasty old bigot Abu Bakr Ba’asyir had Habib Rizieq, former Fuhrer of the IslamoNazi FPI (self-styled ‘Defenders of Islam’) testifying on his behalf during a review of his conviction for involvement in terrorist activity.

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•  Rizieq
• ——————————

• Hundreds of FPI louts crowded around the scene of the hearing.

“Free Bashir, he is not a terrorist!” one cried.

Ba’asyir told the judges that based on Islamic rules, he was not guilty because he just carried out God’s orders.  http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/02/09/abu-bakar-ba-asyir-asks-court-be-fair-judging-his-guilt.html

Time therefore to remind anyone who may have forgotten how vicious and intolerant the old beast is, captured on video, inciting violence against Australian tourists has been made public…

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…In the video, Bashir urges those in the village to beat up tourists that disrespect Islamic ways, saying, “If there are infidels here, then beat them up. Do not tolerate them.” 

Later in the sermon, he likens non-Muslims to crawling “worms, snakes, maggots.” He also says infidels ruin moral values by exposing their skin at the beach.

Then he hammered home his hate-theme in words that expose his total rejection of the very concept of the Republic of Indonesia.

“Take a look at Bali”, he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-03-24/bakar-bashir-calls-for-violence-against-infidel/1081632

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• Bali is overwhelmingly Hindu.

NOT Islamic at all, so to demand that Islamic values be imposed on a Hindu island amounts to a sectarian assault NOT just on Aussie tourists but on almost the entire population of a non-Muslim province.  

There’s a wider context that needs to be taken into account. Ba’asyir is hardly alone in his disrespect for Hindu culture and customs.

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

.That wasn’t Ba’asyir, nor the FPI’s Rizieq, but the state-sponsored MUI, the so-called ‘scholars’ of the MUI.

Dr. Shri I Gusti Ngurah Arya Wedakarna MWS III, President of  the Hindu Center Of Indonesia and also Majapahit King of Bali, was seeking to open some closed bigot minds to a key tenet of the Hindu creed.

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Bali’s King

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“In respect of Eid 2012, I urge Muslims to avoid cow slaughter as a sacrifice. Maybe cows could be replaced with other animals. This is important, because in Bali, the cow is a sacred animal, and is also believed to be the vehicle of Lord Shiva. And the majority of Balinese people are adherents of Shivaism,” he said.

Muslims sacrifice animals at Idul Fitri, and most of them, for economic reasons, sacrifice goats. Here in Jakarta, cows too get the chop, but there’s absolutely no religious requirement to do so.  

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• Anyone with even the tiniest knowledge of Hinduism, or even the tiniest respect for the multi-faith basis on which Indonesia was founded and is enshrined in its constitution, would have respected the king’s appeal.

But ‘anyone’ in this context clearly did not include the MUI.

The attitude of the Majapahit King of Bali to banning cow slaughter is damaging to tolerance in Indonesia, according to the Deputy Secretary General of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Dr Amirsyah Tambunan. The Bali King has no appreciation of what Indonesia’s about..

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‘Scholar’ Amirsyah

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Amirsyah said that free speech is a cherished thing in Indonesia. However, in the case of sacrifices, the King must respect the religious rights of Muslims.

“In Islamic belief, slaughtering cows, goats and sheep is legal, whichever they can afford,” he said…“Other religions also have to respect Muslims (who believe cows are kosher )” he explained.   http://www.hidayatullah.com/read/25607/25/10/2012/mui:-sikap-raja-bali-melarang-qurban-sapi-menodai-toleransi-.html

Yes, killing cows is legal, but NOT  obligatory. In other words, they can disrespect the Hindu faith, but Hindus had better kow-tow to theirs.

If these bigots merely made such crass intolerant declarations, okay, most people would simply dismiss their outbursts as benighted arrogance and ignore them. However, as I say, the MUI is sponsored, funded, by the Indonesian Government. And their intolerance is enforced by that government’s security forces.

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Cops – “Islamist ‘Scholars’ Can Veto Religious Liberty” \

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 ‘Adam Created By Angel?” Islamist ‘Scholars’Call the Cops! 

The idea of debating matters of faith and religious observance – which most sane people would regard as a hall-mark of any civilised society – is alien to Islamist fanatics.

Why?

Maybe they’re incapable of theological argument.

Or maybe they just feel the rest of us have no right to challenge their sectarian diktats, a mind-set perfectly exemplified by Amidhan, MUI’s top man, a couple of years ago…

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 Amidhan

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…when he told people who felt non-Muslims should not have to comply with Islamist demands at Ramadhan.. 

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

And don’t let’s forget this fine fanatic fellow!

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

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“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

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Jakarta Islamist ‘Scholars’ – Adultery, Co-Habiting? Stoning and Whipping! 

So don’t for a moment think that Ba’asyir’s thinking is unusually freakish,not here, not these days.

Cikeusik Anniversary Looms, D-Day for Indonesian Innocents! 

Indonesia faces a real danger – not so much creeping but galluping shariah.   ‘Creeping Shariah,’ Warns Prof. Muhammed, As Jakarta Dims! 

What’s happened this month in Bangka illustrates this process all too horribly, and I’m glad so many decent Indonesians, including many honourable Muslims, agree. 

It is shocking that government officials always give in to the demands of hardline groups. There is a paradox in the way the government works so hard to eradicate terrorism, but gives free reign to those groups opposing pluralism and diversity.  http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2016/02/10/314743742/Depriving-Ahmadiyah-of-Their-Rights

Another Cop Cave-In To IslamoNazi Thug Gang?

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Hard to believe, even when it’s published in such a reliable source as the fanatic Islamist website Hidayatullah.com, but I’ve checked other Indonesian news media and can’t see any denials.

Despite their desperate efforts to Arabise this lovely archipelago, the IslamoNazi thug gang that styles itself the “Islam Defenders’ Front” (FPI) has managed to get a New Year’s Party night in a Surabaya hotel shut down.

The reason? It was advertised as an ‘Arabian Night’ and featured traditional Arab entertainment – a belly dancer!

As it happens, one of the parties I have attended so far this month had a belly-dancer as part of the fun. She was most attractive, not at all naughty (alas!)

Since some readers may not have been lucky enough to have enjoyed the spectacle, I use that possibility as an excuse to illustrate my post.

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The dancer at my party was dressed less stunningly than the exquisite lady above, but we all enjoyed her shimmying shaking performance.

As normal people do.

So much that here’s another photo, just for fun.

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Anyway – the villain of the story is a grumpy  grimnasty called Habib Mahdi, Gauleiter of the FPI Surabaya.

He explained his grumpiness to eager listeners –

“It is a celebration of the New Year but the name ‘Arabian’ has SARA potential.. “(SARA is the Indonesian acronym for problems between ethnic groups)  “Moreover, it included entertainment in the form of belly dancing! ”   http://www.hidayatullah.com/berita/nasional/read/2015/12/17/85587/fpi-polres-surabaya-janji-bubarkan-perayaan-tahun-baru-berbau-maksiat.html

Well, we knew these FPI white-shirts are killjoy creeps. But we also knew of their Arabisation agenda. Now we know that their enthusiasm for the  Arab world extends only to its  unpleasant aspects!

 The rejection was due to the New Year celebration being themed Arabian Night, deemed to contain elements of racial intolerance and immorality.

So Happy Habib and his Merry Men reported the hotel to the police.

End of story, you’d think. No responsible police officers would give the time of day to such an irrational outburst from backward clowns.

Wrong, according to Hidayatullah. com.,which quotes Habib again.

“Thank God, on the basis of our protest letter, the event planned to be held on New Year’s Eve has had its permit been revoked by the police,” he said. *

 

• As I said at the top of the page, it’s unbelievable.
• Or would be, were it not the case that Indonesia is being dragged steadily downwards by Creeping Shariah.

Prost! Javanese Beer – Better Taste Than Prohibition!

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Went into Carrefour last week, and my eyes lit up to see decent-sized bottles of beer for just Rp.25,000 each, a ‘special,’ and a brand I’ve not seen before!

Naturally I bought some.

With the backward bigots pushing for prohibition throughout Indonesia..

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

…it seemed prudent to stock up, though regrettably stocks in my humble home tend to dwindle speedily on hot sunny afternoons.

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• 
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•  One of which was yesterday – between rains! – and hence it was with a sense of anticipation that I sampled the new brew.
• Not a bad brew, and a lot tastier than the prospect of a nationwide booze-ban, which the primitive parties launched but nobody seems to be blocking.
• Only the Balinese are making their voices heard, plus a few others, like –

…the chairman of the Association of Alcoholic Beverage Distributors (ADMA), Frendy Karmana, said he hoped the legislators considering the proposed legislation will send a team to Bali to consider local cultural and community aspects of the proposed ban.

“Don’t rush to create a law that will outlaw (alcoholic drink) everywhere. There are civil rights and the diversity of the natural culture that must be considered in any discussion of a new law that will make the law clear and certain for all concerned,” he said. http://www.balidiscovery.com.

• Drink up, while we still can.