R-E-S-P-E-C-T – That’s How Ramadhan Must Be, Mr. UK Ambassador!

Fascinated by the comments of Her Britannic Majesty’s Ambassador to Indonesia this week …

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In his first year celebrating the annual Muslim celebration of Idul Fitri in Indonesia, British Ambassador to Indonesia Moazzam Malik says he feels the traditions of joy for Muslims are not that different from those observed in his native UK.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/07/07/idul-fitri-tradition-in-ri-comparable-to-uk-envoy.html

As I prepare to go into town this beautiful Jakarta morning, I am looking forward to seeing the trappings of intolerance gone from fancy restos and humble eateries alike. 

I refer of course to those offensive curtains erected in their windows, to which I made reference very recently.

Big Mackistan? Ramadhan Lock-Out at McD Sarinah? 

 

Lukman

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Those who do not fast must respect those who fast and vice versa, Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin said…  http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/13/tolerance-and-mutual-respect-a-must-during-ramadhan-religious-affairs-minister.html

Lukman is of course correct,  echoing a similar sentiment I’ve often quoted, the words of the late President Gus Dur.

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

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If somebody wants to go from pre-dawn to dusk without eating and drinking, and manages to do so, I respect his or her tenacity, and would not seek to interfere in such acts of self-denial.

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Equally, anyone, of any faith, who wishes to eat and/or drink during those hours should feel free to do so, unmolested by either IslamoNazi thugs like the FPI…

IslamoNazi Thugs Amok, Jakarta Cops Say ‘No Charges!’ 

… or by sectarian fanatics like those benighted local government regulators up there in darkest Serang, in Banten Province.   Bigot Goon-Squad Bullies Vendor – Decent Indonesians Open Hearts AND Wallets!

Lukman again – “During Ramadhan, the holy month, we must reinforce and strengthen our tolerance, not only among the Ukhuwah Islamiyah [Islamic brotherhood], but also the Ukhuwah Wathaniyah [brotherhood of the nation],” he told journalists at the State Palace.

I like Lukman.

Even when I disagree with him, he is such a refreshing improvement on his predecessor, Suryadharma Ali, a politician so beyond the ken of normal folk…

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White-shirt fuhrer Rizieq with Ali.

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…..that he was prepared to accept awards from those afore-mentioned IslamoNazis.  Good Indonesians Denounce ArchBigot Ali’s Latest Intolerant Outburst

oooo

But it would be good if Lukman tried to be a little more pro-active. He could take a giant leap for fair play, tell his government colleagues to give up on kill-joy diktats which target those not abstaining from fun…

Ramadhan Begins! Sectarian Reminders Issued! 

 But even a small step would be progress of sorts, a ministerial exhortation to all the warungs, wartegs, restos and all eateries in Jakarta to remove those ridiculous pieces of cloth draped across their windows during Ramadhan.

They have two disadvantages.

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• First, you can’t watch girls go by if you are sitting within.

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Second, and arguably more compelling, the silly little sheets are a condescending insult to every fasting Muslim who passes the place.

Those draped windows mock their tenacity and suggest their commitment to self-denial is as flimsy as the cheap cotton of which the curtains are usually made.

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As if the sight or smell of sate kambing or nasi goreng would bring them to break their fast!

Rather they should welcome such temptations, which can demonstrate they’re above mundane distractions. 

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Back to Pak Malik. 

“There are a lot of Muslims in London, and even if we are not the majority, we observe traditions that are similar to those in Indonesia, such as pilgrimages to family graves, gathering with family for meals and silaturahmi,” Ambassador Malik said on Wednesday.

Yes, Your Excellency, those are nice traditions, worthy of respect, and yesterday I sent out quite a few SMSes wishing various friends ‘Selamat Idul Fitri,‘ the local equivalent of ‘Merry Christmas,’ with which, despite the ranting bigots’ manic antics…

IslamoNazi Christmas Warning – Don’t You Dare Disturb Us Bigots! 

…they greet me in December.

But there are other very different ‘traditions’ here, like sectarian sticky-beak raiding parties… 

Ramadan Raids In Righteous Indonesia – Oh Yeah? 

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…which are staged not only by the white-shirt hoods but by tax-funded civic militia and the constabulary, which need to be STAMPED OUT if Indonesia wants to show the world that it’s a better place to be than the shariah police states in the Middle East.  

It’s important that readers in Western nations should remember that their nations too face the intrusion of primitive intolerance.

We saw it in France this year…

IslamoNazi Intimidation…in Nice, France! 

 …and we’ve seen this vile phenomenon in London too, maybe not in Harrow, where Mr. Malik grew up, but most certainly in Tower Hamlets, and elsewhere in England.

Police ‘covered up’ violent campaign to turn London area ‘Islamic …

And what, may we ask, did Home Secretary Theresa May ever do about that?

Will Theresa May Countenance A Ban On Nobbly Knees? 

But then, she has some odd notions, hasn’t she?

Bigot Goon-Squad Bullies Vendor – Decent Indonesians Open Hearts AND Wallets!

No Ramadhan raids on eateries in Jakarta: Ahok –

So says the Jakarta Post, and I hope his assurance holds up. I’d be more reassured if the cops give an undertaking to use the guns they carry to deal with sectarian hoodlums who decide to run amok.

But the rest of the report is more interesting, both for the news it gives of a SatPol PP (civic militia) raid on a defenceless old lady in the nearby town of Serang last week.

Her ‘crime?’

Mrs. Saeni had served customers at midday during the fasting month.

Serang, as noted, is near Jakarta but is actually located in the adjacent province of Banten.

Banten may not be as steeped in pig-ignorant fanaticism as Aceh or West Java, but that’s not saying a lot.

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Shariah goon-squad, picking on Saeni’s food-stall Well done to Kompas.com for focusing on this

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Serang Satpol PP personnel raided Saeni’s food stall based on a regulation prohibiting eateries from serving customers during the day throughout the fasting month.

The JP report then adds needlessly that Muslims are required to fast from dawn until dusk.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/13/no-ramadhan-raids-on-eateries-in-jakarta-ahok.html

So?

That’s between them and their God, not a bunch of bigoted local bigwigs who evidently see themselves as agents of Divine Wrath.

Here’s one of many YouTube links to the scenes. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URJS4aAHS9Q

Don’t know about you but it made me want to spit with fury.

Serang’s sort of evil intolerance is an insult to the declared spirit of Ramadhan, which is meant to be all about introspection and spiritual discipline.  I do sometimes wonder what God will say to these pusillanimous pea-brains when they arrive in search of their just reward for persecuting women like Saeni.

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I can, of course, not know the answer to that, but I can speculate.

However, there’s a happy ending to the story. 

Footage of the raid went viral on social media on Friday and led to a donation drive for Saeni, which had collected more than Rp 176 million (US$13,200) as of Sunday night. 

CNN says it now amounts to Rp.265 million.

And President Jokowi himself has apparently sent in another Rp.10 million.

http://newsmedia.co.id/presiden-jokowi-kirim-uang-rp10-juta-ke-pemilik-warung-nasi-di-kota-serang/

Hallelujah!

Just a pity he can’t order public floggings for the scum who reduced the poor little lady to tears.

Banten Indie Clothing, Serang, 24-25 December

Carnival in Serang, 28th-31 January