Oppressed Christians To Worship In Jakarta D-G’s Mansion?

We have noted, without any obvious delight, how Jakarta’s new Deputy Governor, Sandiaga Uno, is eager to promote ‘shariah tourism’ in the city.

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Get Your Tickets Soon – Jakarta Shariah Tourism Boom? 

But how about his latest statement, that the super-posh mansion allocated to him as his ‘official residence’ in the capital’s classy Kuningan district, will now be ‘open 24 hours a day and seven days a week‘ for ‘Quran study groups?’

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/23/deputy-governors-official-residence-open-for-religious-activities.html

If that were all he said, non-Muslims would rightly be concerned.

BUT…

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…good to see that he was careful to add ‘and citizens activities,” and – wait for it…

  ‘for Christian citizens who wanted to hold Sunday services..

And let’s not forget that in modern Indonesia there are some ‘Christian citizens‘ who may not only ‘want‘ but also desperately NEED somewhere to hold Sunday services!

There’s the congregation of Filadelfia HKBP church…

Christ’s Ascension Day – Islamist Savages Pelt Congregation With Sewage, Urine and Rocks 

Head-Scarfed Harpies Hurl Dung and Urine at Christians 

…and there’s the congregation of GKI Yasmin church..…

Oppressed Christians In The Street Heat, In Pluralist Indonesia 

X-Rated Xmas – Foul-Mouths Bully Christians, As ‘Moderate’Mayor Denies They Exist!’ 

…who still, years after they were shamelessly prevented from using their churches to worship God, come together, every other Sunday, to hold services on the street, across from President Jokowi’s palace, services I sometimes attend.

Will our new Deputy Governor drop by next month, to extend an invitation?

 

Kasihan Kali Jodo – Ahok’s ‘Legacy’ At Risk From Thuggery?

One of the few instances of ill-judgement on Jakarta Governor Ahok’s part (in my opinion) was the destruction of Kali Jodo, that seedy little kampung in North Jakarta.

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It could have been a great nightlife centre – instead it was emptied

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I covered it at the time…

Wong Cilik, Ahok, TNI – Tragedi Kali Jodo! 

…and still think he blundered.

What was the point in needlessly getting rid of the clutch of cheap bars there, and not only those but also a large number of poor people who lived in and around them. Surely the fact that his action was cheered on by Islamist bigots, who were and remained his sworn enemies, should have made him think twice?

A month or so ago, I was in a taxi up that way and passed the place. I had to ask the cabbie if that was really Kali Jodo. It was, he said, and acknowledged that it had ‘indeed changed.’

A fancy looking community centre  – or ‘publicly integrated child friendly space (RPTRA)‘ – had replaced the cramped alleys, and teens were flocking there that day for some event.

All fine and dandy?

Sure, until I read Kompas  – 25/4 – where it turns out that ‘preman,‘ criminals, are doing their best (worst?) to take control. Juru Parkir Liar Kuasai RPTRA Kalijodo – Kompas.com

People who want to leave their motorbikes in the parking lot are being forced to pay a 50% mark-up on the fee. And illicit vendors have set up shop on the grassy field adjacent, under the ‘protection’ of persons named in the article.

So much for reformation.

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War on bars, Kali Jodo’s final days

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Ahok’s show of force  – cops and soldiers to back up the coerced evictions – won him some plaudits from the oh-so-respectable elements in Jakarta, with whom, alas, he shares a certain priggish streak, as when he was publicly appalled by a bikini party.  ”Outrageous” Activity in Jakarta Pools? OMG – BIKINIS!

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Ahok

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But it went down badly with the wong cilik, the little people, those without much in the way of resources. And there are a lot more of them than there are self-righteous rich, in this teeming city.

I wouldn’t say their dismay caused his downfall. Islamist bigotry was the major cause of that, and we must steel ourselves for more of that horror to come, with ‘shariah nightlife’ on the cards.

Hey, Jakarta Girls! Make The Most Of Kartini Day! 

But things could have been different.

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PS

Ahok has since said he is asking relevant authorities to get the situation sorted, -he reckons the preman2 don’t realise he’s still governor, till the official hand-over later this year.

And the new deputy governor, whose alarming scheme to transform Jakarta with ‘shariah nightlife’ is a topic of fretful conversation all over town, has weighed in too.  Sandiaga Uno sensibly agreed that Ahok must be supported in efforts to curb lawlessness.

But then – if my translation is not skewed by my early rise this fine Jakarta morning –  has put forward a plan to reform the preman2 as security guards.

Aaah, training foxes to guard hen-houses?

I’d have thought, given his enthusiasm for shariah, he might have proposed a fine old-fashioned shariah flogging…

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…with a hooded brute whipping the convicted poor (rarely if ever the convicted rich) before a slobbering mob – after all, that’s what happens in Aceh, the only province of Indonesia where shariah ‘law’ prevails.

Actually, corporal punishment for real criminals is no bad idea.

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BUT…

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The Sharia Hell of Aceh!

What causes loathing and revulsion among decent people in Aceh is that normal human behaviour, like a girl sitting on a park bench holding hands with her boy-friend, is criminalised.

But that’s shariah!

 

new  http://megapolitan.kompas.com/read/2017/04/25/12374371/sandiaga.berencana.ajak.preman.kalijodo.masuk.program.ok.oce

Jakarta Election – The Ugly Face of Islamist Intolerance!

Just days now till Jakarta elects its governor, and the Christian incumbent, Ahok, is said to have done well in the last televised debate, which I didn’t see.

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Djarot, left, Ahok, right

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But his Muslim running mate, Djarot, did not have much fun on Friday.

Djarot Expelled from Mosque after Friday Prayer

The report in Tempo concerns his attendance at Al-Atiq Mosque in Tebet, which is just a little east of downtown Jakarta.

I once had lunch at a cheap eatery in Tebet railway station and was received in kindly manner by all around me.

So there’s no reason to think that the average resident is a hateful bigot, like the fanatic creep who, on Friday, got hold of a loud-speaker and called on the crowd not to vote for a non-Muslim leader in the Jakarta Gubernatorial Election. When Djarot was about to leave the mosque, people shouted and told him to leave.

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/04/14/057866116/Djarot-Expelled-from-Mosque-after-Friday-Prayer

Having said most Tebet folk are not Islamist ignoramuses, it’s fair to remind everyone that some of them are just that!

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And some of them have a long-standing grudge against Ahok.

They won’t have forgotten that, two years ago, the Jakarta Governor took a vocal stand against bigot brutes who harassed the inoffensive minority Ahmadi congregation there, shutting down their house of worship.

Jakarta This Week – Blameless Minority Creed Hounded Again! 

Djarot apparently took the display of sectarian intolerance calmly, though he argues that every Muslim has the right to conduct Friday prayer at any mosque….

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Djarot previously felt that the mass at the mosque welcomed him. People even asked him for a handshake and selfie.

However, the situation changed when a caretaker of the mosque called on people not to vote for a non-Muslim leader.

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• “I had no problem with the people. It was the caretaker who started provoking them.”

• The election takes place on Wednesday.

• Ahok’s opponent, Anies Baswedan, has shown no reluctance about seeking the approval of the most extreme elements in the land.

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• Anies Wins an adoring smile from ferocious fanatic Habib Rizieq, who thinks the Christian Governor Ahok should be slain for mere words.“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/

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• If Anies wins, a lot of us foreigners who have lived here for years are wondering how long before we are left with little choice but to leave.  

• Not me!

• How could I abandon all my Indonesian friends to face the joys of ‘shariah nightlife!’  

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• It was Anies’ running-mate, Sandiaga Uno, who revealed in January that he envisioned a sharia-inspired nightlife entertainment network in Jakarta. Contemplating a sharia-influenced capital

• But Jakarta won’t be as much fun as it used to be! 
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