Congratulations to Mike for winning Indonesian Idol 2!
I couldn't find much in English about Indonesian Idol, but I did find out that apparently Joy quit because management would be taking a slice of her earnings for 15 years. She is going to have her first single performance in Singapore for some reason.
Delon quit his job in a Japanese import-export company to follow his dreams to be in Indonesian Idol. His other singing dream is to sing The Prayer with Charlotte Church.
I found all this info at http://www.asiafinest.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t23463.html, which has much more information. :)
Monday, September 26, 2005
My first week in Yogya....
I thought this piece about ACICIS was fairly amusing
By Zahra Matthews
University of Sydney
Well, here I am again in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and it's absolutely wonderful! To answer the question most of you seemed to be asking- yes, I have found a place to live, and no, it's not exactly what you'd call 'good'! But it's quite luxurious by Indonesian standards. Although I had read all the pre-departure info we were given, I don't think I was quite prepared for the standard of accommodation available. I am staying in a 'kos' (boarding house) in a rather luxurious suburb called Pogung Baru, about 30 mins walk from Uni. Before I came here I had a list of criteria for my kos room - it had to have a western toilet, own bathroom, Air Con, fridge inside room, desk, plenty of cupboard space… ha! What a joke! As I cruised around kos-hunting they sort of went down the drain and in the end I got none of those things (except my own bathroom)! But I do admit it's not that bad, once you get used to it. I have a bed with a mattress that is too big for the frame, a very small cupboard, and a desk. That's it. My bathroom is similarly sparse, with a non-Western toilet (am still trying to work it out) and a tap (Yes, that's it!!!!). No sink, just a drain in the ground, and no shower head! It's okay, though, because I do have a makeshift 'bak' (bath) - a plastic container filled with water, and a small plastic bucket to throw (cold) water over myself. It's quite refreshing after the first throw!
The atmosphere of my kos makes up for the room, though. There are about 12 or 13 girls staying in it, and most go to UGM (Universitas Gadjah Mada) too. They're all from different parts of Indonesia, and all have different religions, but they get along so well, and are very friendly (and talk extremely fast). Just don't ask me all their names, I don't have a clue! Just outside my room there's an open area with a TV where we all hang out and watch Indonesian Idol and MTV Indonesia. It's actually a very noisy kos, because if MTV is not blaring at some ungodly hour, one of the girls will be singing at the top of her lungs in the shower (very popular here in Indonesia).
After a lot of confusion as to enrolling (get different pieces of paper stamped and signed and returned to different places in different faculties), I started going to classes on Tuesday. We're actually allowed to enrol in normal units of study from Arts, Politics, Economics etc, so I've chosen a few subjects pretty unrelated to what I've been studying at home. The first is called 'Community Health', which is a basic overview of the Indonesian health system and its strengths and weaknesses. The lecturer was really good, spoke very slowly and tried to explain case studies to me in English. It felt strange though, because only 4 people turned up to the lecture (because apparently it is very unusual for lecturers to turn up during the 1st week). It's also a bit strange because the lecturer insists on calling me 'Matthews' eg "As Matthews here just said…." and "Matthews, what is it like in Australia?"
My second lecture was well,….completely different. "Social Change in Indonesia", Room 01- or so I thought. Because I wanted to check the room number, I had to enter via the front door, something I had no particular desire to do, but thinking I'd look like an idiot if I walked to the back again, I bravely entered. Picture this: 200 first year students suddenly erupting into loud cheers and clapping madly as I walked between the aisles to the back of the room and slid into my seat. I don't think I need to explain how embarrassing that was. Now picture 200 students falling over chairs (literally) to introduce themselves and ask where I'm from. I was then obliged to shake hands with all of them, and answer questions about myself and Australia and the Bali Bomb and what Australia's like and whether I could help them practice their English. Then the class clown at the front stood at the lectern and said that it was unfair that they couldn't hear what I was saying at the front, and would Miss Australia please come down to the microphone and give a speech! How could I refuse 200 chanting people??? If public speaking is bad at the best of times, I can't describe to you what it was like in front of 200 crazy students, in Indonesian. My 'speech' went something like this:
Me: My name is Zahra
Everyone: (cheers)
Me: I am from Australia
Everyone: (silence)
Me: I am studying in the faculty of Arts
Everyone: (more cheers and clapping and shouting)
Me: In Australia-
Everyone: (shouting questions)
Me: In Australia-
Everyone: Shhhh!
Me: In Australia I study Economics, Politics, and Indonesian
Class clown: How old are you?
Me: 19
Everyone: (foot stomping)
Me: Ok, that's enough, bye!
The lecturer never turned up, so it was only later, as I sat at a food stall for lunch, that one of the girls in the lecture approached me, and said that they thought that I was the lecturer! How bizarre! Furthermore, the subject was not 'Social Change', but 'Introduction to Law 1A', so I went through all of that in the wrong class!
The other subject I'm taking is Australian Politics. None of you Science students have anything to complain about any more- this subject is at 7am, and lasts 2.5 hours! It's not too bad, but the lecturer talks really fast. Sort of reminded me home though - we told him how much we wanted the assessment to be worth! I have my first assignment- a few paragraphs on the ideology of the Labor Party (should have brought all my books with me!). At least it gives me a chance to work on my language.
Ok, I think I better end this… I have to go shopping for things for my kos (eg a mirror- haven't looked in a mirror for almost 5 days!). Luckily I have a very helpful 'buddy' who is 100% fluent in English and willing to carry parcels on his motorbike!
Taken from ACICIS Website
By Zahra Matthews
University of Sydney
Well, here I am again in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and it's absolutely wonderful! To answer the question most of you seemed to be asking- yes, I have found a place to live, and no, it's not exactly what you'd call 'good'! But it's quite luxurious by Indonesian standards. Although I had read all the pre-departure info we were given, I don't think I was quite prepared for the standard of accommodation available. I am staying in a 'kos' (boarding house) in a rather luxurious suburb called Pogung Baru, about 30 mins walk from Uni. Before I came here I had a list of criteria for my kos room - it had to have a western toilet, own bathroom, Air Con, fridge inside room, desk, plenty of cupboard space… ha! What a joke! As I cruised around kos-hunting they sort of went down the drain and in the end I got none of those things (except my own bathroom)! But I do admit it's not that bad, once you get used to it. I have a bed with a mattress that is too big for the frame, a very small cupboard, and a desk. That's it. My bathroom is similarly sparse, with a non-Western toilet (am still trying to work it out) and a tap (Yes, that's it!!!!). No sink, just a drain in the ground, and no shower head! It's okay, though, because I do have a makeshift 'bak' (bath) - a plastic container filled with water, and a small plastic bucket to throw (cold) water over myself. It's quite refreshing after the first throw!
The atmosphere of my kos makes up for the room, though. There are about 12 or 13 girls staying in it, and most go to UGM (Universitas Gadjah Mada) too. They're all from different parts of Indonesia, and all have different religions, but they get along so well, and are very friendly (and talk extremely fast). Just don't ask me all their names, I don't have a clue! Just outside my room there's an open area with a TV where we all hang out and watch Indonesian Idol and MTV Indonesia. It's actually a very noisy kos, because if MTV is not blaring at some ungodly hour, one of the girls will be singing at the top of her lungs in the shower (very popular here in Indonesia).
After a lot of confusion as to enrolling (get different pieces of paper stamped and signed and returned to different places in different faculties), I started going to classes on Tuesday. We're actually allowed to enrol in normal units of study from Arts, Politics, Economics etc, so I've chosen a few subjects pretty unrelated to what I've been studying at home. The first is called 'Community Health', which is a basic overview of the Indonesian health system and its strengths and weaknesses. The lecturer was really good, spoke very slowly and tried to explain case studies to me in English. It felt strange though, because only 4 people turned up to the lecture (because apparently it is very unusual for lecturers to turn up during the 1st week). It's also a bit strange because the lecturer insists on calling me 'Matthews' eg "As Matthews here just said…." and "Matthews, what is it like in Australia?"
My second lecture was well,….completely different. "Social Change in Indonesia", Room 01- or so I thought. Because I wanted to check the room number, I had to enter via the front door, something I had no particular desire to do, but thinking I'd look like an idiot if I walked to the back again, I bravely entered. Picture this: 200 first year students suddenly erupting into loud cheers and clapping madly as I walked between the aisles to the back of the room and slid into my seat. I don't think I need to explain how embarrassing that was. Now picture 200 students falling over chairs (literally) to introduce themselves and ask where I'm from. I was then obliged to shake hands with all of them, and answer questions about myself and Australia and the Bali Bomb and what Australia's like and whether I could help them practice their English. Then the class clown at the front stood at the lectern and said that it was unfair that they couldn't hear what I was saying at the front, and would Miss Australia please come down to the microphone and give a speech! How could I refuse 200 chanting people??? If public speaking is bad at the best of times, I can't describe to you what it was like in front of 200 crazy students, in Indonesian. My 'speech' went something like this:
Me: My name is Zahra
Everyone: (cheers)
Me: I am from Australia
Everyone: (silence)
Me: I am studying in the faculty of Arts
Everyone: (more cheers and clapping and shouting)
Me: In Australia-
Everyone: (shouting questions)
Me: In Australia-
Everyone: Shhhh!
Me: In Australia I study Economics, Politics, and Indonesian
Class clown: How old are you?
Me: 19
Everyone: (foot stomping)
Me: Ok, that's enough, bye!
The lecturer never turned up, so it was only later, as I sat at a food stall for lunch, that one of the girls in the lecture approached me, and said that they thought that I was the lecturer! How bizarre! Furthermore, the subject was not 'Social Change', but 'Introduction to Law 1A', so I went through all of that in the wrong class!
The other subject I'm taking is Australian Politics. None of you Science students have anything to complain about any more- this subject is at 7am, and lasts 2.5 hours! It's not too bad, but the lecturer talks really fast. Sort of reminded me home though - we told him how much we wanted the assessment to be worth! I have my first assignment- a few paragraphs on the ideology of the Labor Party (should have brought all my books with me!). At least it gives me a chance to work on my language.
Ok, I think I better end this… I have to go shopping for things for my kos (eg a mirror- haven't looked in a mirror for almost 5 days!). Luckily I have a very helpful 'buddy' who is 100% fluent in English and willing to carry parcels on his motorbike!
Taken from ACICIS Website
Indonesian Idol
Bu Indra said it would be nice if I found some articles about Indonesian Idol. So here they are:
It's Joy to the world as she becomes first Indonesian Idol
Features - September 05, 2004
Stevie Emilia, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
After 34,358 hopefuls sang their hearts out in the pitch battle to be the first Indonesian Idol, Joy Destiny Tiurma Tobing was the last singer standing on Saturday night.
To thunderous applause before the full house of 7,000 at Istora Indoor Stadium, Joy was announced to have won the majority of the four million votes over rival Delon after a weeklong voting frenzy by SMS and premium calls.
Looking elegant in a blue dress by Adjie Notonegoro, she literally lived up to her name by crying for joy.
"Thank you all," was all the student of the Christian University of Indonesia's School of English Literature in Jakarta could say after the announcement.
Besides the millions watching at home, those in the audience included House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung and many celebrities. President Megawati Soekarnoputri, despite reports she would attend, was a no-show.
Joy finished the show by singing Glenn Fredly's Karena Cinta (Because of Love) through tears. Her parents, taxi driver-turned record producer Jamarudut ML Tobing, and mother Roma Sibuea were in the audience.
Joy, a seasoned performer who had won RCTI's Cipta Pesona Bintang contest and the Grand Championship Laser Karaoke Pioneer in Asia in Shanghai, China, and Japan, was the heavy favorite to win after last week's final performances.
However, some had feared Stanislaus Alexander Liauw Delon Thamrin, better known to all his fans as Delon, would win by a sympathy vote due to the often harsh criticism meted out to him by the celebrity jury.
The latter, who gained heart-throb status, was gracious in defeat, hugging and kissing the winner.
"Whatever happens, I am sure it's for the best," he said before the announcement.
Delon is also expected to get a record deal and take part in a tour of major cities in the country with the other finalists from the show.
"Your career as a singer starts tomorrow, I hope you become a professional singer," said musician Indra Lesmana, one of Joy's strongest supporters among the four-member jury, told her.
As the winner of the show -- jointly produced by Freemantle Media Productions Asia and RCTI -- Joy won a record deal, a Toyota Vios and the right to represent Indonesia at the World Idol later this year.
Private TV station RCTI began auditions for the show on April 9 this year, visiting five cities -- Bandung, Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya and Yogyakarta. RCTI reportedly will start the second Indonesian Idol in December this year.
Taken from The Jakarta Post
It's Joy to the world as she becomes first Indonesian Idol
Features - September 05, 2004
Stevie Emilia, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
After 34,358 hopefuls sang their hearts out in the pitch battle to be the first Indonesian Idol, Joy Destiny Tiurma Tobing was the last singer standing on Saturday night.
To thunderous applause before the full house of 7,000 at Istora Indoor Stadium, Joy was announced to have won the majority of the four million votes over rival Delon after a weeklong voting frenzy by SMS and premium calls.
Looking elegant in a blue dress by Adjie Notonegoro, she literally lived up to her name by crying for joy.
"Thank you all," was all the student of the Christian University of Indonesia's School of English Literature in Jakarta could say after the announcement.
Besides the millions watching at home, those in the audience included House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung and many celebrities. President Megawati Soekarnoputri, despite reports she would attend, was a no-show.
Joy finished the show by singing Glenn Fredly's Karena Cinta (Because of Love) through tears. Her parents, taxi driver-turned record producer Jamarudut ML Tobing, and mother Roma Sibuea were in the audience.
Joy, a seasoned performer who had won RCTI's Cipta Pesona Bintang contest and the Grand Championship Laser Karaoke Pioneer in Asia in Shanghai, China, and Japan, was the heavy favorite to win after last week's final performances.
However, some had feared Stanislaus Alexander Liauw Delon Thamrin, better known to all his fans as Delon, would win by a sympathy vote due to the often harsh criticism meted out to him by the celebrity jury.
The latter, who gained heart-throb status, was gracious in defeat, hugging and kissing the winner.
"Whatever happens, I am sure it's for the best," he said before the announcement.
Delon is also expected to get a record deal and take part in a tour of major cities in the country with the other finalists from the show.
"Your career as a singer starts tomorrow, I hope you become a professional singer," said musician Indra Lesmana, one of Joy's strongest supporters among the four-member jury, told her.
As the winner of the show -- jointly produced by Freemantle Media Productions Asia and RCTI -- Joy won a record deal, a Toyota Vios and the right to represent Indonesia at the World Idol later this year.
Private TV station RCTI began auditions for the show on April 9 this year, visiting five cities -- Bandung, Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya and Yogyakarta. RCTI reportedly will start the second Indonesian Idol in December this year.
Taken from The Jakarta Post
Indonesia bird flu toll increases
Another two people are confirmed to have died from bird flu in Indonesia, bringing the death toll there to six.
Test results show that both a young girl who died last week and a 27-year-old woman who died on Monday had been exposed to the H5N1 virus.
Several other recent fatalities are being investigated, and about 20 people are in hospital with bird flu symptoms.
The deadly disease has already killed dozens of people across Asia, and led to millions of birds being culled.
There is so far no evidence of human-to-human transmission, but health officials fear that if the virus combines with the human influenza virus, it could become highly infectious and lead to a global flu pandemic.
Laboratory tests
The latest victim - a 27-year-old woman who died on Monday morning - had been hospitalised with bird flu symptoms last week.
Health ministry officials confirmed on Monday that she had died of the disease.
Officials also announced that a five-year-old girl who died last week had succumbed to bird flu.
There was initial confusion as to whether she had in fact died of the disease - she was found to be positive for the virus in one test but negative in another - and at one stage officials said that meant she could not be classified as having had bird flu.
But according to the BBC correspondent in Jakarta, Rachel Harvey, they now appear to have changed their minds.
It also seems that a second child, a two-year-old, was buried before samples could be taken for testing to see if she too had bird flu.
'Extraordinary' measures
The first case of human infection in Indonesia was announced in July.
Last week Health Minister Siti Fadila Supari warned that Indonesia could be facing an epidemic, remarks which were later played down by other officials.
But the government is evidently worried. The authorities have already instituted tough new "extraordinary" measures, including the power to force people suspected of having bird flu into hospital.
The WHO has urged countries with infected poultry to use widespread mass culling as the best method of stopping the spread of the disease.
But the government has only carried out limited culling, preferring to vaccinate poultry because of the expense of compensating farmers.
The recent outbreak in Jakarta is causing particular concern because of the close proximity between birds and humans.
Most Indonesian households keep chickens for food or caged birds for pets.
Finding the source of an outbreak is therefore extremely difficult, our correspondent says, and the chances of the virus spreading in a teeming city of more than 15 million people are high.
The government says it expects delivery of 40,000 more doses of the anti-viral drug Tamiflu by the end of this week, with a further 40,000 provided by Australia sometime soon.
Taken from BBC News
Test results show that both a young girl who died last week and a 27-year-old woman who died on Monday had been exposed to the H5N1 virus.
Several other recent fatalities are being investigated, and about 20 people are in hospital with bird flu symptoms.
The deadly disease has already killed dozens of people across Asia, and led to millions of birds being culled.
There is so far no evidence of human-to-human transmission, but health officials fear that if the virus combines with the human influenza virus, it could become highly infectious and lead to a global flu pandemic.
Laboratory tests
The latest victim - a 27-year-old woman who died on Monday morning - had been hospitalised with bird flu symptoms last week.
Health ministry officials confirmed on Monday that she had died of the disease.
Officials also announced that a five-year-old girl who died last week had succumbed to bird flu.
There was initial confusion as to whether she had in fact died of the disease - she was found to be positive for the virus in one test but negative in another - and at one stage officials said that meant she could not be classified as having had bird flu.
But according to the BBC correspondent in Jakarta, Rachel Harvey, they now appear to have changed their minds.
It also seems that a second child, a two-year-old, was buried before samples could be taken for testing to see if she too had bird flu.
'Extraordinary' measures
The first case of human infection in Indonesia was announced in July.
Last week Health Minister Siti Fadila Supari warned that Indonesia could be facing an epidemic, remarks which were later played down by other officials.
But the government is evidently worried. The authorities have already instituted tough new "extraordinary" measures, including the power to force people suspected of having bird flu into hospital.
The WHO has urged countries with infected poultry to use widespread mass culling as the best method of stopping the spread of the disease.
But the government has only carried out limited culling, preferring to vaccinate poultry because of the expense of compensating farmers.
The recent outbreak in Jakarta is causing particular concern because of the close proximity between birds and humans.
Most Indonesian households keep chickens for food or caged birds for pets.
Finding the source of an outbreak is therefore extremely difficult, our correspondent says, and the chances of the virus spreading in a teeming city of more than 15 million people are high.
The government says it expects delivery of 40,000 more doses of the anti-viral drug Tamiflu by the end of this week, with a further 40,000 provided by Australia sometime soon.
Taken from BBC News
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Bird flu outbreak may become epidemic
The government warned on Wednesday that the current outbreak of bird flu could become an epidemic as two more children died after showing symptoms of the disease.
"It's not an epidemic yet, but sporadic cases in parts of Jakarta. If things worsen it could become an epidemic," Minister of Health Siti Fadilah Supari said.
She was speaking to reporters after announcing that an initial local test on a five-year-old girl, who died on Wednesday after suffering from bird flu symptoms, was negative for the virus. She said more local testing needed to be done, while blood samples would also be sent to a laboratory in Hong Kong for confirmation.
In another possible case a two-year-old girl died at Jakarta's Christian PGI Hospital after a high fever and respiratory problems.
Four Indonesians are confirmed to have died since July from the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu. Nine others are now being treated at Sulianti Saroso Infectious Diseases Hospital in Jakarta. The authorities are still waiting for the test results.
Siti said that more victims could emerge as the authorities had not been able to determine the sources of the virus that has infected the victims.
Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture Anton Apriyantono said that the government would launch a mass cull of chickens in "highly infected areas," but acknowledged that as of Wednesday no area had been declared highly infected.
"We will allocate (funds for the mass culling) whatever it takes, if it has become a necessity," he told The Jakarta Post.
The minister fired on Wednesday the ministry's director of animal health control Tri Satya Putri Naipospos for allegedly failing to monitor the spread of the deadly virus.
The current bird flu outbreak in Indonesia has raised international concern over possible further outbreaks of the disease, which has killed 64 people in four Asian countries since late 2003 and has been found in birds in Russia and Europe.
Georg Petersen, the WHO's representative in Jakarta, said many foreign experts were now helping Indonesia, including a high-level delegation from the United States.
"Definitely the whole international community is very much present," Petersen told Reuters.
The WHO is also working with the government to source new stocks of the antiviral drug Tamiflu -- which can help against infection -- from India to bolster local stocks, he said.
"It's not very much, it's rather puny. They definitely need some more," Petersen said, adding that stocks being rushed from India were less than 1,000 doses.
Indonesia only has a supply of 10,000 Tamiflu tablets.
The U.N. World Health Organization last week warned bird flu was moving toward a form that could be passed between humans and the world had no time to waste to prevent a pandemic.
The government on Monday put the bird flu outbreak under extraordinary status to focus attention on the outbreak in the world's fourth most populous nation.
Besides Indonesia, bird flu has killed 44 people in Vietnam, 12 people in Thailand and four in Cambodia.
Taken from The Jakarta Post
"It's not an epidemic yet, but sporadic cases in parts of Jakarta. If things worsen it could become an epidemic," Minister of Health Siti Fadilah Supari said.
She was speaking to reporters after announcing that an initial local test on a five-year-old girl, who died on Wednesday after suffering from bird flu symptoms, was negative for the virus. She said more local testing needed to be done, while blood samples would also be sent to a laboratory in Hong Kong for confirmation.
In another possible case a two-year-old girl died at Jakarta's Christian PGI Hospital after a high fever and respiratory problems.
Four Indonesians are confirmed to have died since July from the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu. Nine others are now being treated at Sulianti Saroso Infectious Diseases Hospital in Jakarta. The authorities are still waiting for the test results.
Siti said that more victims could emerge as the authorities had not been able to determine the sources of the virus that has infected the victims.
Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture Anton Apriyantono said that the government would launch a mass cull of chickens in "highly infected areas," but acknowledged that as of Wednesday no area had been declared highly infected.
"We will allocate (funds for the mass culling) whatever it takes, if it has become a necessity," he told The Jakarta Post.
The minister fired on Wednesday the ministry's director of animal health control Tri Satya Putri Naipospos for allegedly failing to monitor the spread of the deadly virus.
The current bird flu outbreak in Indonesia has raised international concern over possible further outbreaks of the disease, which has killed 64 people in four Asian countries since late 2003 and has been found in birds in Russia and Europe.
Georg Petersen, the WHO's representative in Jakarta, said many foreign experts were now helping Indonesia, including a high-level delegation from the United States.
"Definitely the whole international community is very much present," Petersen told Reuters.
The WHO is also working with the government to source new stocks of the antiviral drug Tamiflu -- which can help against infection -- from India to bolster local stocks, he said.
"It's not very much, it's rather puny. They definitely need some more," Petersen said, adding that stocks being rushed from India were less than 1,000 doses.
Indonesia only has a supply of 10,000 Tamiflu tablets.
The U.N. World Health Organization last week warned bird flu was moving toward a form that could be passed between humans and the world had no time to waste to prevent a pandemic.
The government on Monday put the bird flu outbreak under extraordinary status to focus attention on the outbreak in the world's fourth most populous nation.
Besides Indonesia, bird flu has killed 44 people in Vietnam, 12 people in Thailand and four in Cambodia.
Taken from The Jakarta Post
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Indonesia's moderate Islamic image under threat
By Dean Yates Tue Sep 20, 8:52 AM ET
JAKARTA, Indonesia (Reuters) - Joining a group of young Indonesian intellectuals who hold liberal Islamic views was once just a ticket to controversy. Now, it could be life-threatening.
Since Indonesia's top Muslim council issued religious edicts in late July that banned liberal interpretations of the faith, death threats against members of the 4-year-old Islamic Liberal Network, known as JIL, have poured in.
The fatwas that JIL says triggered the hate campaign coincide with the closure of numerous unauthorized Christian churches by hardline Muslim groups and the jailing this month of three Christian women for inviting Muslim children to church events.
The developments have hurt Indonesia's image as a moderate Muslim nation and reflect a backlash against liberal opinion as well as a push by Muslim conservatives to reassert themselves after the failure of political Islam to gain traction during last year's elections, experts say.
"The fatwas have had a snowball effect," said Nong Darol Mahmada, a co-founder of the Islamic Liberal Network who has received dozens of death threats via e-mail and text messages.
"People believe that JIL is banned and that it is now legally permitted (under Islamic law) to murder us."
Police guard the Jakarta office that houses JIL after one militant organization threatened to attack the group, which has never shied from controversy since its inception in 2001.
It has been quick to poke holes in the arguments of militant clerics and take the lead in debates about issues from marriage to the role of religion in politics, often using radio to reach a broad audience across the world's most populous Muslim nation.
IN THE CROSSHAIRS
To some analysts, JIL was a key target when the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) issued its non-binding fatwas on July 29.
Apart from attacking liberalism, the council forbade pluralism and inter-religious marriage.
"We are seeing a conservative high tide which is a reaction to several things, but a common view that Muslim liberals have taken things too far," said Greg Fealy, an expert on Indonesian Islam at the Australian National University in Canberra.
Fealy said he did not believe such a backlash meant the end of progressive Islamic thought in Indonesia, where Muslims have embraced democracy and have more freedom to express their views than in just about any country in the Islamic world.
While it was clear Indonesians increasingly identified with Islam, last year's elections showed voters did not care for Islamist parties that support strict Islamic Sharia law.
Those parties won 23 percent of parliamentary seats last year, up from 19 percent in 1999.
"People are more self-consciously Islamic but it doesn't mean anyone is saying ... we should make Indonesia an Islamic state," Fealy said.
Many Indonesian Muslims, especially on the main island of Java, infuse the practice of Islam with local tradition influenced by Hinduism and mysticism.
Indonesia is also officially secular and recognizes Christianity and several other religions in addition to Islam.
That has not stopped Islamic militants in the past two years from closing down some 25 unlicensed churches that operate from homes and shops.
Christians say the growth of such churches underscores the difficulty of getting a permit, which requires approval from local communities where they are usually a minority. Police have said they cannot act because the churches are illegal.
In another religious case, a court in West Java this month jailed three Christian women for three years each for inviting Muslim children to church events without parental consent.
UNFINISHED STORY
JIL was not actually banned in the MUI fatwas, but the message was clear, said Mahmada, 31, an articulate graduate of Islamic studies from Indonesia's most prestigious Islamic university, as she sipped a bottle of iced tea.
"I am pretty pessimistic about Islam in Indonesia," she added.
Down the road at the Al-Muslimun mosque, Imam Pambudi, 41, a local Islamic community leader, said JIL had to leave the area.
"At first we had no problems but after the MUI fatwa, the people here were shocked that something considered haram (forbidden) by the MUI was among us," said Pambudi.
Despite what appears to be a series of blows to Indonesia's Muslim liberals and the country's image in general, analysts like Fealy and Merle Ricklefs, another prominent Australian expert on Islam in Indonesia, remain generally optimistic.
"This is a story without an ending, but there are grounds for thinking that the progressive liberalism of Indonesia has withstood the attack," Ricklefs wrote in the Australian Financial Review on September 2.
"With its reactionary fatwas, MUI may indeed have sidelined itself within a rapidly changing society."
Taken from Yahoo! News
JAKARTA, Indonesia (Reuters) - Joining a group of young Indonesian intellectuals who hold liberal Islamic views was once just a ticket to controversy. Now, it could be life-threatening.
Since Indonesia's top Muslim council issued religious edicts in late July that banned liberal interpretations of the faith, death threats against members of the 4-year-old Islamic Liberal Network, known as JIL, have poured in.
The fatwas that JIL says triggered the hate campaign coincide with the closure of numerous unauthorized Christian churches by hardline Muslim groups and the jailing this month of three Christian women for inviting Muslim children to church events.
The developments have hurt Indonesia's image as a moderate Muslim nation and reflect a backlash against liberal opinion as well as a push by Muslim conservatives to reassert themselves after the failure of political Islam to gain traction during last year's elections, experts say.
"The fatwas have had a snowball effect," said Nong Darol Mahmada, a co-founder of the Islamic Liberal Network who has received dozens of death threats via e-mail and text messages.
"People believe that JIL is banned and that it is now legally permitted (under Islamic law) to murder us."
Police guard the Jakarta office that houses JIL after one militant organization threatened to attack the group, which has never shied from controversy since its inception in 2001.
It has been quick to poke holes in the arguments of militant clerics and take the lead in debates about issues from marriage to the role of religion in politics, often using radio to reach a broad audience across the world's most populous Muslim nation.
IN THE CROSSHAIRS
To some analysts, JIL was a key target when the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) issued its non-binding fatwas on July 29.
Apart from attacking liberalism, the council forbade pluralism and inter-religious marriage.
"We are seeing a conservative high tide which is a reaction to several things, but a common view that Muslim liberals have taken things too far," said Greg Fealy, an expert on Indonesian Islam at the Australian National University in Canberra.
Fealy said he did not believe such a backlash meant the end of progressive Islamic thought in Indonesia, where Muslims have embraced democracy and have more freedom to express their views than in just about any country in the Islamic world.
While it was clear Indonesians increasingly identified with Islam, last year's elections showed voters did not care for Islamist parties that support strict Islamic Sharia law.
Those parties won 23 percent of parliamentary seats last year, up from 19 percent in 1999.
"People are more self-consciously Islamic but it doesn't mean anyone is saying ... we should make Indonesia an Islamic state," Fealy said.
Many Indonesian Muslims, especially on the main island of Java, infuse the practice of Islam with local tradition influenced by Hinduism and mysticism.
Indonesia is also officially secular and recognizes Christianity and several other religions in addition to Islam.
That has not stopped Islamic militants in the past two years from closing down some 25 unlicensed churches that operate from homes and shops.
Christians say the growth of such churches underscores the difficulty of getting a permit, which requires approval from local communities where they are usually a minority. Police have said they cannot act because the churches are illegal.
In another religious case, a court in West Java this month jailed three Christian women for three years each for inviting Muslim children to church events without parental consent.
UNFINISHED STORY
JIL was not actually banned in the MUI fatwas, but the message was clear, said Mahmada, 31, an articulate graduate of Islamic studies from Indonesia's most prestigious Islamic university, as she sipped a bottle of iced tea.
"I am pretty pessimistic about Islam in Indonesia," she added.
Down the road at the Al-Muslimun mosque, Imam Pambudi, 41, a local Islamic community leader, said JIL had to leave the area.
"At first we had no problems but after the MUI fatwa, the people here were shocked that something considered haram (forbidden) by the MUI was among us," said Pambudi.
Despite what appears to be a series of blows to Indonesia's Muslim liberals and the country's image in general, analysts like Fealy and Merle Ricklefs, another prominent Australian expert on Islam in Indonesia, remain generally optimistic.
"This is a story without an ending, but there are grounds for thinking that the progressive liberalism of Indonesia has withstood the attack," Ricklefs wrote in the Australian Financial Review on September 2.
"With its reactionary fatwas, MUI may indeed have sidelined itself within a rapidly changing society."
Taken from Yahoo! News
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Topics of Conversation
The schemas and functions of speech vary between cultures. Indonesia is no exception. Two of the greatest social changes that have occured since the Asian Crisis and the fall of Soeharto is Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press. Indonesians are open in expressing their opinions about many controverssial topics, but as a guest in Indonesia one should avoid controversial topics and criticisms.
Acceptable topics of conversation
§ Weather
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§ Indonesia's human rights record
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