Ministry says structure on M’sian, not Indon soil

Indonesian residents claim 4-storey building is on Indonesian territory.

FMT

KUCHING: Malaysia has not encroached on Indonesia’s territory by erecting a structure within the republic’s borders as alleged by local residents of an island in North Kalimantan, said Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jafaar.

Indonesian news portal Kompas reported that residents of Kayu Mati Island – which is shared by both countries – claimed to have seen a new post built by Malaysians in an area that they believed falls within Indonesian territory.

Local leader Imam Basran was quoted as saying that he was sure it was a new structure, claiming that he had frequented the area over the past four decades.

“What happened was when we built the check-point there was an allegation from a local representative (Indonesia) that we built the facilities on their border but I have already checked and it is not,” he said when asked to comment on the allegation during a press conference here yesterday.

According to Wan Junaidi there was a river at Pulau Sebatik and the border runs through the middle of the river and it did not encroach the Indonesian and Malaysia border.

He said the four-storey building built by Malaysia was within its territory while the border runs through a river, called Puis Point and at the other side of the river was the Indonesian army check-point.

Wan Junaidi said Malaysia had no name for the island but the Indonesians called it Pulau Kayu Mati.

He said previously Malaysia did not have a check-point there and the government through the National Security Council constructed the building which would accommodate the police, immigration and custom offices as well as other agencies.

He said the construction of the building was expected to be ready by mid-year and would start operating by year’s end.

With the facilities, Wan Junaidi said Malaysia would have its enforcement agencies stationed there to help reduce illegal immigrants from Nunukan, Kalimatan from coming over to Tawau, Sabah and at the same time curb smuggling goods from Nunukan.

-- BERNAMA

Aceh, Islamic authorities forbid New Year celebrations

By Mathias Hariyadi

New Year celebrations do not coincide with the Islamic calendar and are "contrary to Muslim culture". The prohibition to celebrate was issued by the mayor of Banda Aceh, and immediately supported by local authorities. Citizens of other religions "must show respect".

Jakarta (AsiaNews) - In Aceh Province - the only Indonesian province in which Sharia, or Islamic law, is implemented - New Year celebrations are banned. The prohibition was released two days ago by Illiza Sa'aduddin Djamal, mayor of Banda Aceh, who explained that Muslims are forbidden to celebrate the new year, because it does not coincide with the Islamic calendar. The ban was immediately supported by local authorities.

The celebration of the new year, she added, "is not a religious event, but just a profane and worldly event where people only enjoy the transfer of a new day with hurrahs. Cafés and night spots are told to stop their operation". For this reason, Illiza Sa'aduddin Djamal has also forbidden all religious activities.

Police have been ordered to confiscate fireworks or other such material for the festivities. "All events related to New Year celebrations are contrary to Islamic culture. Non-Muslim citizens of Banda Aceh will have to show respect".

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, is often the scene of attacks or acts of intolerance against minorities, be they Christians, Ahmadi Muslims or of other faiths. In Aceh Province - the only one in the Archipelago - Islamic law (Shari'a) is implemented, following a peace agreement between the central Government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM); in many other areas (such as Bekasi and Bogor in West Java) an increasingly radical and extreme vision of Islam is becoming prominent.

Indonesia: Muslim group warns President not to say “Merry Christmas”

If he does, they say he will become an apostate from Islam, since Islam forbids Muslims to give good wishes to Christians on the occasion of their feasts. And if he is an apostate from Islam, then according to Muhammad’s command and Islamic law, he can lawfully be killed.

“FPI Calls on President Not to Wish Merry Christmas,” Tempo.co, December 19, 2014 (thanks to Phillip):

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Micbachul Anama, the chairman of the Islamic Defenders Front’s (FPI) consultative council, has asked President Joko Widodo not to wish the country’s Christians a merry Christmas. Micbachul said the president would be deemed an apostate should he opt to do so.

“It is haram (forbidden for Muslims) to wish a merry Christmas, including for President Jokowi,” he told Tempo on Thursday, December 18, 2014.

Micbach claimed wishing a merry Christmas to Christians would make a Muslim an apostate for acknowledging the existence of another religion. He explained, according to the Great Dictionary of Indonesian Language (KBBI), Christmas is defined as the birth of Jesus Christ.

“So when there’s a Muslim who says a marry Christmas, it means he congratulates (Christians) on the birth of Jesus,” he said.

In that context, he went on, wishing a merry Christmas to Christians had a serious impact on the faith of Muslims. “Whereas it is stated clearly in Islam that God is lam yalid wa lam yulad. God was not born and does not give birth to,” he said.

The country’s largest Islamic organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), meanwhile, said in contrast that wishing Christians a merry Christmas was an act of tolerance and would not affect one’s principles and religious identities….

For Indonesian Bishops, the state should register mixed marriages as a matter of religious freedom

by Mathias Hariyadi

The Bishops' Conference stands for civil rights, in particular with regard to mixed marriages. Muslims, Hindus and Confucians oppose changes to existing legislation that bans mixed marriages. Even members of the Constitutional Court are opposed to changes. For the Catholic Church, it is a fight for "human rights".

Jakarta (AsiaNews) - The Indonesian Bishops Conference (KWI) has renewed its fight for civil rights, particularly in the area of mixed marriages, which must always be recognised, guaranteed and protected.

This goes against existing legislation in the world's most populous Muslim nation. The former in fact requires that all couples must present the Civil Registry Office with a religious marriage certificate and must have the same religion for their marriage to be registered.

The principle of separation and religion and the practice of forced conversions, especially towards Islam, are at stake.

The Church, which has played a leading role in the fight for religious freedom, stands alone in this as Hindus and Confucians, like Muslims, oppose mixed marriages.

Under Law No. 1 of 1974 concerning marriages in Indonesia (Article 2 (1): "a marriage is legitimate if it has been performed according to the laws of the respective religious beliefs of the parties concerned."

In recent months, thanks to the work of academics and scholars from four law schools in Jakarta, the Constitutional Court has begun debating the possibility - and the opportunity - of changing existing laws.

Proposals submitted to the Constitutional Court in July 2014 centre on three issues: the inability to recognise a marriage unless it is performed by one of Indonesia's state-recognised religions, the ban on mixed marriage and the requirement that spouses belong to the same religion.

Last September, the then Minister for Religious Affairs Lukman Hakim confirmed the validity of the rules in place and excluded the need for any constitutional amendment.

In his view, before any legislative action is taken, religious leaders, in particular experts in Islamic law, should be consulted

The former president of the Constitutional Court also shut the door to possible changes, noting that "if a mixed couple insists on legalising their status, they should go abroad."

Asked for their opinion on the matter, the leaders of the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) called on the Constitutional Court to reject calls for changes and maintain the status quo.

Prompted by parliament, leaders of religious minorities presented their respective positions, with the Catholic Church taking a lonely stance.

Indonesia Hindu Dharma Parisada, which represents the country's Hindus, came out against the legalisation mixed marriages.

Similarly, the deputy president of Matakin (the Supreme Council for Confucian Religion in Indonesia) said that "mixed marriages are not valid according to our teachings."

Catholic bishops have taken a different view. For Fr Purbo Tamtomo, expert in Canon Law at the Archdiocese of Jakarta, the union between a man and a woman is "an inalienable human right". Equally, the principle of separation between state and religion is the basis of the state.

In fact, he complained that many couples, married in Church, end up converting to other religions in order to have their union recognised by the state.

Indonesia's female police recruits subjected to virginity tests

Jakarta: Young female police recruits in Indonesia start their careers with what's called the "two-finger test" to assess if they are virgins.

Michael Bachelard

Indonesia's new women officers are required to be single and virginal, but the digital penetration test the police medical officers use as part of their physical examination leaves them feeling traumatised and humiliated, according to interviews conducted recently by Human Rights Watch.

In 2010, the then-head of police personnel, Brigadier General Sigit Sudarmanto, announced that the invasive testing procedure would stop. But still the National Police job recruitment website confirms that: "In addition to the medical and physical tests, women who want to be policewomen must also undergo virginity tests".

Eight female police applicants in six Indonesian cities who endured the "two finger" test as late as this year have told researchers from the human rights body of the pain and humiliation involved.

One young applicant, who was 18 when she was tested in Bandung, near Jakarta, in 2013, said she had learned about the test "only when I was about to take the physical examination".

"[They told us] we could resign from the selection process if we did not want to go through with it, but most of us had gone through so much preparation already, and I felt I had no power to object.

"Twenty female applicants were told to enter a hall … we were then told to go into a room and lie down. The medical staffer, a female, then carried out the 'two-finger' test. I was humiliated and scared … There were candidates who fainted due to the stress."

Another recruit was 19 when she took the test with 20 others in Pekanbaru, Sumatra, in 2014.

"We were asked to take off our clothes, including our bras and underpants. It was humiliating. Only those who were menstruating could keep their underpants on. We were asked to sit on a table for women giving birth. A female doctor did the virginity test ... the 'two-finger' test … It was humiliating."

The test is a discredited procedure that purports to assess whether a woman's hymen is intact.

A director of women's rights group Nurani Perempuan, Yefri Heriyani, is quoted in the report saying the test had left many police women traumatised.

"It will affect their lives in the long term. Many of them blame themselves," she said.

A former police psychologist, Sri Rumiati, said she had objected to the testing in 2010, but her colleagues had replied: "Do we want to have prostitutes joining the police?"

A police spokesman told Fairfax Media that both new male and female recruits were required to be unmarried because they had to "change their character from civilian to semi-military mindset". They can marry after two years in the force.

But it is only women's virginity that is tested.

Nisha Varia, the associate women's rights director at Human Rights Watch, said the Indonesian National Police's use of virginity tests was "a discriminatory practice that harms and humiliates women".

"Police authorities in Jakarta need to immediately and unequivocally abolish the test, and then make certain that all police recruiting stations nationwide stop administering it."

Indonesia's predominant religion is Islam, and, even though premarital sex is common, officials and religious leaders still place a high value on female virginity. A South Sumatra school district last year proposed administering a virginity test on its new high school students.

About 3 per cent of Indonesian police officers are female, but the National Police plans to increase this to about 5 per cent with an unprecedented mass recruitment drive, in which 7000 female cadets have undergone a special seven-month training program.

The Muslim nation where ISIS is free to recruit

CBSnews

CIANJUR, Indonesia -- A businessman who proclaims himself leader of the Indonesian chapter of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group says he has personally overseen the departure of scores of fighters from this Southeast Asian nation to Syria and Iraq. Police detained him for a night recently, but were unable to charge him with a crime.

Chep Hernawan reflects both the success ISIS has had in attracting support in the region, and the challenges Indonesia faces in responding.

The government, home to most of the up to 200 Southeast Asians believed to be fighting in Syria and Iraq, has forcefully spoken out against ISIS, as have mainstream Muslim organizations in the country. But translating that into stronger legal tools that could stop suspected militants from traveling abroad, for example, will be a challenge given the fractious nature of the next parliament and other legislative priorities, according to a recent report into the evolution of ISIS by the Institute of Policy Analysis for Conflict.

National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said his force could only monitor ISIS supporters.

"If they have no record of terrorism activities then they can't be charged under our criminal law," he said.

For the first time since the 1990s and the Afghan jihad, Indonesians, Malaysians and other extremists in Southeast Asia are traveling abroad in an organized fashion to join a global militant movement, picking up battlefield skills and militant contacts.

Security officials fear they could take part in terrorism on their return to Southeast Asia, as those trained in Afghanistan did in attacks such as the 2002 Bali bombings, which killed 202 people. Radicals at home also could heed ISIS's exhortations to carry out revenge attacks on Western targets.

In response to the threat posed by foreign fighters, the United Nations Security Council last month adopted a resolution demanding member states prevent the recruitment and travel of people to join militant groups like ISIS, which is also known as ISIL, and which calls itself simply the "Islamic State."

Hernawan's brush with the law has not stopped him from campaigning on behalf of the group or defending its actions, including the beheading of journalists and opposition forces.

"I'm convinced that these are religious acts based on Islamic teachings (permitting acts) that strike fear in the hearts of enemies of Islam," he told The Associated Press recently in an interview in his plush home.

Hernawan, 63, a longtime public supporter of radical Islam, said he was appointed the head of ISIS in Indonesia at a meeting of radicals on March 16. While he is a well-known for speaking on ISIS' behalf in the country, two experts on militancy in Indonesia said it was unclear or even unlikely whether he had any structural links to the group's leadership in Syria.

Like some other radicals in Indonesia, he says violent jihad within Indonesia is not justified because the country doesn't meet the conditions required under Islamic law. Not so elsewhere.

"In countries where there are wars such as Iraq, Syria and Palestine, you either kill or get killed," Hernawan said.

Earlier this year he addressed a gathering of ISIS supporters in the heart of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.

On the stage with him was a man called Bahrumsyah, who in July later appeared in an ISIS propaganda video with other Indonesians in Syria.

ISIS has quickly achieved popularity among a section of extremists in Southeast Asia because it has a territory that welcomes those willing to fight, a slick social media campaign and a reputation for battlefield success.

The danger posed to Indonesia from ISIS was brought into focus last month when police arrested four ethnic Uighurs they allege were being taken to meet the country's most wanted militant to discuss recruitment for ISIS. The militant, Abu Wardah Santoso, has taken responsibility for the killings of several Indonesian police officers and has pledged allegiance to ISIS.

In Malaysia, authorities have revoked the passports of 30 suspected militants who had previously been arrested under the country's new defunct national security act, said Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay.

In late September, police detained three suspected jihadists at Kuala Lumpur International Airport as they were about to board a flight to Turkey. Ayob Khan said at least 22 Malaysians were known to have left for the war in Syria.

Sri Yunanto, an expert on militancy at Indonesia's anti-terrorism agency, said many jihadi groups within Indonesia are trying to use the war in Syria to create a pool of combat-trained and indoctrinated recruits.

"Their goal is to send young people to Syria to provide them with expertise and experience," Yunanto said. "When the time comes for terrorism, they will have skilled operatives."

At least four Indonesians are known to have been killed in Syria and Iraq. The first was Wildan Mukhollad, who blew himself up in a restaurant in Baghdad earlier this year. He grew up in the same village as two notorious militants convicted and later executed for their role in the Bali bombings, and attended a school founded by them.

Ali Fauzi, his teacher at Al Islam boarding school, remembers Mukhollad watching the funerals of the two militants in the village.

"He was a good boy, a smart boy," Fauzi said. "I knew that it was his dream, he had reached what he dreamed of as a kid: to be martyred and go to heaven."

© 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

‘Jilboobs’ Raise Clerical Hackles in Indonesia

Fatwa unlikely to make women throw away their jeans

By Asia Sentinel


Could it be that the “jilboob,” a slangy term used by some to describe Indonesian women who pair their modest Muslim headscarfs with tight jeans and sexy blouses, could be on her way out? If the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI), has its way, that will be the case.

The jilboob, or sometimes “jilbabe,” gets her name because in Indonesia the full-body burka seen in Afghanistan or the abaya in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere, is rarely adopted. Rather than using a black tent to hide a woman from society’s prying eyes, observant Indonesian Muslims prefer the jilbab – or hijab in Malaysia. The scarf usually covers the hair and neck but leaves the rest of the wearer’s wardrobe up for grabs.

The devout might combine the jilbab with modest long dresses and blouses, but many women use the “jilbab and jeans” look to maintain their sex appeal while giving in to whatever pressure or devotion motivates them to cover their hair – often family insistence or to please husbands who want a religious spouse.

Some websites in Jakarta call the sexy jilbab look, the “jilboob,” because it often consists of make-up, jeans a tight shirt and high heels. There is a Facebook page devoted to discussing the pros and cons of the jilboob look and plenty of web sites and twitter feeds -- #jilbabseksi is one -- that show off selfies of young women in their jilbabs, some of which leave little to the imagination. Many stores and boutiques cater to making the “Muslim look” sexy. Women are even seen wearing the head covering with a miniskirt on occasion.

The clerics, who have little real power despite nominally being Islam’s ruling body in Indonesia, have had enough. MUI issued a fatwa, or religious ruling, on Thursday and said there will be no more jilbabes and jilboobs henceforth. It is unlikely to be taken seriously; the MUI has previous banned all manner of things, from gyrating dangdut dancers to western movies, only to be blithely ignored.

“The MUI already has a fatwa against pornography. But that means that you should not show the shape of the body by wearing a jilbab with tight clothing,” the MUI vice chairman, Ma’ruf Amin told local media. “The MUI strictly forbids it. We respect those who are already wearing the jilbab. But for those already wearing the jilbab, it should not be vulgar.”

It’s hard to say how much effect the fatwa will have on Indonesia’s Muslim women, many of whom simply ignore Islamic dress altogether. Despite the fact, however, Indonesia, as with many places with large Muslim populations, has grown decidedly more outwardly observant in the last decade or so. Jilbabs used to be rare in Jakarta, for existence; they are now commonplace. It is also paradoxically common to see jilbab-wearing women frequenting nightclubs and sometimes drinking alcohol.

Women often say they are cajoled by their mothers and relatives into wearing the jilbab, but find ways to get around it. Some wear the scarf at work or on weekends when visiting mom and discard it other times.

“I do what I want,” said Azizah, who sports a jilbab and jeans at home to please her mother but takes
it off when she goes out clubbing with friends. “It is up to me to look how I want. Does God really care?”

Such attitudes are a welcome reminder that Indonesia is a secular country not an Islamic republic and that panels like the MUI can issue edicts but they have little power to enforce them.

2005 Bali Bomb Convict Released on Parole

Terror convicts are being transported to the Lowokwaru Prison in Malang, East Java. (Antara Photo/Ari Bowo Sucipto)

Malang, East Java. After receiving a sentence cut for Idul Firi, 2005 Bali bomb convict Kholili on Wednesday was released on parole.

Kholili, who was a member of the terrorist network led by Dr. Azahari and Noordin M. Top, was sentenced to eighteen years in prison for delivering the bomb produced by Azahari. He was arrested in Central Java in November 2005.

“He served less than ten years,” Herry Wahyudiono, the chief of Lowokwaru Prison in Malang, East Java, said on Wednesday.

Herry added that Kholili deserved the sentence cut and the parole, as he behaved well in jail and had repented.

Kholili, who is also known as Yahya, said he was surprised to find out that he would be released on parole, but that he was happy to leave prison.

“I’ve just got the information from the prison warden today,” Kholili said upon release. “No members of my family know.”

Kholili said that had not thought of what to do after being released. “The most important thing is to go home and meet my family,” he said.

The bombings in Kuta and Jimbaran on Oct. 1, 2005, killed 20 people and left over 100 injured.

Jakarta Globe: Jokowi presiden baru Indonesia

Bekasi Islamic Teacher Arrested on Student Rape Charges

Bekasi. An Islamic studies teacher accused of raping a 17-year-old during a ritual to counteract the effects of “black magic,” was arrested by police on Monday in this West Java city.

Bekasi Police detained 44-year-old Islamic studies teacher Mulyadi on Monday after the teenage girl reported the incident to police. According to investigators, the teenaged girl, a student of Mulyadi, approached her teacher for help on Sunday morning. The student believed she was suffering the ill-effects of black magic and sought treatment from Mulyadi, who also professed to be a traditional healer with magical abilities.

The two had known each other for some two years, police said.

“The victim claimed that she was suffering from black magic,” Bekasi Police spokesman Adj. Comr. Siswo said. “Then [Mulyadi], who is also her Islamic studies teacher, asked her to come for treatment.”

He invited the girl to his house, which doubled as the Yayasan Anwarul Istiqomah Islamic School, at 11 a.m. on Sunday. When she arrived, Mulyadi allegedly sexually assaulted her in his living room, raping the girl while his wife and three children were out of the house.

“[He assaulted] the victim by covering her mouth with his hand and [forced her] to have an intimate relationship,” Siswo said.

He then sent the girl home. She immediately reported the incident to local police, prompting an investigation.

Mulyadi was charged under the 2002 Law on Child Protection and faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in jail if convicted.

Indonesia: Aceh government approves new law saying every citizen, Muslim and non-Muslim, must obey Sharia

Women in Aceh must always wear headscarves when out in public — which must thrill Robert George and Michael Potemra. Islamic spokesmen in the West constantly insist that Sharia applies only to Muslims, and so non-Muslims need not be concerned about it. The government of Aceh seems to have missed that memo.
“Indonesia: Aceh Province Enforces Sharia for non-Muslims,” by Ludovica Iaccino for the International Business Times, February 7 (thanks to Twostellas):

The government of Indonesia’s Aceh province has approved a new law obliging every citizen to follow the sharia Islamic legal code regardless of their religion.
Councillor Abdulah Saleh told the Jakarta Post that the new behaviour law, or qanun jinayat, “does indeed oblige everyone in Aceh to follow sharia without exception.”
Saleh said that the qanun stipulated that all those found to have violated sharia would be tried under Islamic law regardless of their religion.
Non-Muslim violators of Indonesia’s national ciminal code (KUHP) will be given the option to choose between a sharia court or a regular court – but both courts will adhere to islamic legislation.
“If the violation committed by a non-Muslim is not regulated in the KUHP then the violator will automatically be tried in a sharia court, without exception” Saleh continued.
Violations of sharia that are not mentioned in the KUHP include drinking liquor, khalwat (affectionate contact between an unmarried couple), not wearing a headscarf or wearing tight pants for women.
Anyone found drinking alcohol or breaching the codes on moral behaviour, whether residents or visitors to Aceh, could face between six and nine lashes of the cane. Three violations of the dress code could lead to nine lashes.
The qanun jinayat was approved by the legislative council on 13 December and signed by Governor Zaini Abdullah. It was a revision of the controversial 2009 Qanun Jinayat that introduced the punishment of stoning to death.
According to Saleh, the application of sharia is based on the principle of justice for all, as Muslims would feel they were being treated unfairly if non-Muslim violators were not tried under the same law for the same violations.
“It would be unfair if Muslims were punished while non-Muslims were not, just because sharia violations are not stipulated in the Criminal Code,” Saleh said.
Key articles in the Qanun Jinayat
The sharia authorities will have the power to arrest suspected violators, and confiscate and conduct raids on their property, based on preliminary evidence.
Non-Muslim or military suspects will be tried in a sharia court unless the violation is covered by the Criminal Code (KUHP) or by the Military Code respectively.
Even if the sharia court acquits a defendant, he or she will be required to undergo rehabilitation.
Only one appeal may be filed with the sharia court.
Prison terms are for up to a maximum of 40 months.
Caning up to a maximum to 40 lashes.
Fines up to a maximum of 800 grams of gold.

Indonesian Muslims protest Christmas in the wake of warning against sharing Christmas wishes

BANDA ACEH, INDONESIA: A group of Muslims on Friday protested against Christmas and New Year celebrations in Indonesia's conservative Aceh province.

About 70 protesters took part in the protest at the governor's office and at a hotel in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh.

The protest came days after an influential Islamic clerics' organization, the Ulema Consultative Assembly, issued an edict prohibiting Muslims in the city from offering Christmas wishes or celebrating on New Year's Eve.

The protesters called on authorities to ban the celebrations, claiming they are prohibited by Islam.

The edict, known as a fatwa, and the protesters did not oppose celebrations by non-Muslims in the city, which has four Christian churches, three Buddhist temples and a Hindu temple. Aceh, at the northern tip of Sumatra, is the only province in predominantly Muslim Indonesia that is allowed to implement a version of Islamic Shariah law.

Read more at: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000100568&story_title=indonesian-muslims-protest-christmas

Indonesia Recalls Its Ambassador From Australia Over Wiretapping Issue

By Ahmad Fuad Yahya

JAKARTA, Nov 18 (Bernama) -- Indonesia Monday recalled its ambassador from Australia and ordered a review of bilateral cooperation following reports that an Australian security agency attempted to tap telephone conversations of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Indonesia's First Lady Ibu Ani Yudhoyono and several cabinet members.

Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said the ambassador, Nadjib Riphat, was recalled to seek clarification of what was happening in Australia.

He said Indonesia felt the ambassador would not be able to carry out his duties effectively due to the current diplomatic furore over the wiretapping issue that was extensively reported.

"I have told the ambassador to not only come back with his cabin bag. We are awaiting an answer from the Australian government and will take one step at a time," said Marty at a press conference.

It was reported that Australian intelligence tried to listen in to Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's mobile phone conversation in 2009, material leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed.

The leaked documents by Edward Snowden were received by the Australia Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the The Guardian daily.

Meanwhile, Indonesia's coordinating minister for security, law and political affairs, Djoko Suyanto told reporters that the Indonesian government would request the Australia government to issue an official explanation on the matter quickly.

Indonesia would also urge Australia to repeat such activities.

-- BERNAMA

Malaysia, Indonesia To Cooperate In Registering Workers Without Permit

PUTRAJAYA, Sept 26 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and Indonesia will cooperate in registering Indonesian workers who have entered Malaysia legally, but have no working permit, Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.

He said the programme would be carried out by the Indonesian Embassy here starting on Oct 15.

Under the programme, all registered Indonesian workers in Malaysia will receive a worker's card, with the color differs from sector to sector," he told reporters after meeting Indonesian Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar here on Thursday.

"The card will also replace the Journey Perform Visa which will be abolished by Sept 30," he said.

However, Ahmad Zahid said to prevent congestion at the Indonesian Embassy, the Malaysian government would take the initiative to identify and call the employers to complete the documentation process in stages according to their sectors.

"We will write a letter asking them to come to the embassy with all the relevant papers to complete the documentation for their workers," he said.

He said the programme would be carried out for three months, with the aimed to tackle the issue involving 490,000 foreign workers in this country who have valid passport but without working passes.

In another development the minister said the Indonesian government had agreed to reduce the cost of hiring Indonesian maids to RM7,800 from RM8,000 previously and to speed up the hiring process to only 42 days from 80 days previously.

-- BERNAMA

S. Sumatra School’s Virginity Test Plan Draws Criticism

A plan by the Education Agency of Prabumulih, South Sumatra, to include virginity tests as part of its high school admission requirements has drawn the ire of legislators and education experts, who say that such an exam is a violation of personal space and an obstruction to a student’s right to an education.

H.M. Rasyid, the chief of Prabumulih’s Education Agency, told the Indonesian news portal kompas.com on Monday that increasing instances of premarital sex and prostitution among female students prompted the move.

“We’re planning on conducting virginity tests for senior high school students,” Rasyid said. “We have proposed it in the 2014 regional budget.”

Dedi Gumilar, a lawmaker from the House of Representatives Commission X, which oversees educational matters, criticized the plan and questioned its constitutionality.

“Do we have a law stating that students must be holy? It’s written in the country’s constitution that every citizen has the right to education,” he told the Jakarta Globe on Tuesday.

Deputy chair of the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) Masruchah also disagreed with the idea, saying that a student’s body wasn’t the dominion of a public official.

“Virginity is a personal problem, and a person has the right over their own body,” Masruchah said. “The [Prabumulih] Education Agency has no right to control a student’s body.”

Rasyid, meanwhile, admitted that the city’s plan could be easily misunderstood.
“Every woman has the right to virginity, though on the other hand, we expect students to not commit negative acts. Therefore, we plan to implement the policy next year.”

Masruchah said that a student’s morality should not be validated by whether or not they have had sexual intercourse.

“What if a student was a rape victim and failed the test?” Masruchah said. “[It is possible for] students to lose their virginity due to accidents.”

Masruchah advised Rasyid to consider including sexual education in the school’s curriculum instead of virginity tests.

“It’s overrated. Morality cannot be determined by [a student's] genitals,” he said.

“What will they do with the test results? Are they going to reveal which students are not virgins?”
Ibnu Hamad, a spokesman of the Education Ministry, said that the ministry could only counsel the agency against instituting the examination.

“It’s a technical policy which is determined by the head of the local education agency,” Ibnu told the Jakarta Globe on Tuesday. “We can advise that whatever policy they implement, it should not hamper a student’s access to education.”

Virginity tests — which are viewed as harmful and invasive — examine a woman’s hymen in order to determine whether or not she has engaged in sexual intercourse.

Indonesian mosques ordered to turn down the volume

(Al Arabiya) - Indonesian mosques have been ordered to cut down on their use of loudspeakers, an Islamic group said Wednesday, a move that may provide some relief to millions who live near the places of worship.

There are some 800,000 mosques in Indonesia, which has the world’s biggest Muslim population, and many use speakers to blast out the call to prayer as well as fiery Koranic verses, often at high volumes in the early hours.


But now the Indonesian Mosques Council has asked the places of worship to restrict the use of loudspeakers following years of complaints by weary residents.

“We must not force something that we believe is good on others who may see it as a disturbance,” said Masdar Masudi, deputy head of the council that groups many of the country’s mosques.

“Even Muslims, such as those who are ill or have insomnia, will definitely get annoyed at the noise.”

Loudspeakers that face into surrounding neighborhoods should broadcast only the call to prayer, which is often relatively quiet and short, said Masudi.

If there are several mosques in the same area, only one should broadcast the call, he said.

For longer and louder readings, speakers can still be used, but they must face into the grounds of the mosque, he said.

Indonesia presents Saraswati to the US

The largest Muslim country presents a statute of Hindu goddess Saraswati to the US.

WASHINGTON: Indonesia has presented a 16-feet statue of Saraswati, a Hindu goddess of education and wisdom to US capital Washington DC as a gift.

The statue stands on a lotus flower and is a block away from the Indian Embassy in front of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi erected in the capital city several years ago, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.

Located a little over a mile from the White House, the statue is yet to be formally inaugurated but has already become an attraction for city residents and tourists who visit the city every day.

“Dewi Saraswati is one of the Goddesses in Hinduism, the primary religion practised among the Balinese people in Indonesia, which itself is the world’s largest Muslim-majority country,” a spokesperson from the Indonesian Embassy said.

The statue was first erected in Bali before being flown to the US capital in early April 2013.

It was constructed in mid-April this year by five native Balinese sculptors and was completed in five weeks time.

Instead of using bronze or stone, the sculptors opted for a mixture of cement to model the body of the statue.

“At its conclusion, this statue evidently presents a strong flair of Balinese art as the sculptors put particular touches of gold on the predominantly radiant white figure, especially on the dress and head accessory worn by the Goddess,” the official said.

“It is hoped that the statue could promote the importance of mutual understanding within a diverse society we are increasingly seeing today,” the spokesperson said.

The installment of the statue was initiated by Indonesian Ambassador to the US, Dr. Dino Patti Djalal.
- Bernama

Banda Aceh Deputy Mayor Pushes for Bylaw Criminalizing Same-Sex Relationships

By Camelia Pasandaran & Nurdin Hasan

A Shariah Police officer passes a mosque during a raid in Banda Aceh, Indonesia on June 7, 2012. (EPA Photo/Hotli Simanjuntak)

Banda Aceh. Homosexual men and women living in Indonesia’s strictly conservative Aceh province would be publicly lashed 100 times under a proposed bylaw backed by the provincial capital’s deputy governor.

Banda Aceh Deputy Mayor Illiza Sa’aduddin Djamal called homosexuality “a social disease that should be eradicated,” as she pushed for harsher bylaws against sexual behavior that runs counter to the region’s adherence to Islamic Shariah Law.

The Aceh Legislative Council (DPRA) is discussing proposed changes to the province’s bylaws, including a bylaw criminalizing homosexuality. The proposed bylaw received the support of the deputy mayor, who bemoaned the fact that police were unable to punish same-sex couples under current regulations.

“There is no law that could be used to charge them,” Illiza said. “The existing [regulations] only stipulate about khalwat [being in close proximity] for intimate relations between unmarried males and females.”

Banda Aceh’s Shariah Police have struggled to crack down on same-sex relationships, Illiza said. Couples meet in rented rooms and pursue relationships under a veil of secrecy, she said.

The deputy mayor said she was prompted to action by a 2012 survey on at-risk communities and HIV/AIDS transmission rates in Aceh. Illiza told the Jakarta Globe she didn’t remember the specifics of the survey’s findings, but was concerned that some respondents told surveyors they were gay.

“If we ignore it, it will be like an iceberg,” Illiza said. “Even if one case of homosexuality found, it’s already a problem… we are really concerned about the behavior and activities of the gay community, because their behavior is deviating from the Islamic Shariah.”

A gay rights advocate called the proposed bylaw “a move backward for civilization,” adding that Islam was open to interpretation.

“We’re living in 2013, not in the Middle Ages,” said Hartoyo, secretary-general of Our Voice, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) advocacy group. “It’s sad to have a deputy mayor who could think that way… other countries have started to allow homosexual marriage, why coming up with such idea to punish the LGBT [community]?”

Hartoyo doubted the Shariah Police could find enough evidence to properly convict same-sex couples under the proposed bylaw.

“[Even] the definition of adultery under Islam is hard to prove,” Hartoyo said. “To punish the adulterer there should be four witnesses who saw with their own eyes the penetration. How could we find four witnesses who clearly saw that?”

He accused Illiza of failing to understand the issue and called the bylaw’s punishment — 100 lashes with a rattan cane — antiquated.

“Caning as a sentence is a punishment from the old ages,” Hartoyo said. “People are born as transgenders and homosexuals. What’s the reason to punish them? Punishing them means she could not appreciate God’s creations.”

Illiza told the Jakarta Globe she planned to push ulemas to preach against practices condemned by Allah.

Hartoyo said he plans to send the deputy mayor a letter detailing the flaws in her statements.

“I will probably send her a warning letter [saying] that what she did only publicly showed how stupid she is,” he said. “She’s intellectual and has access to the Internet and other resources. To come up with that way of thinking is embarrassing.”

Hundreds of Christians, Ahmadis and Shias take to the streets in Jakarta for religious freedom

by Mathias Hariyadi

At least 300 people marched through the streets of the capital, ending their protest in front of Parliament. They shouted slogans, prayed and sang the national anthem. Protestant clergyman says their message was for the authorities, including President Yudhoyono, which are not doing anything about it. Protest is a reaction to recent anti-minority attacks.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) - Seals on Protestant Churches, threats to Catholics during Holy Week, the closure of mosques and institutions belonging to the Ahmadi sect are but a few of the big and small examples of marginalisation minorities endure every day. In order to raise awareness among the public and foreign media on the frequent violations of the rights of religious minorities, hundreds of Christians, Ahmadis and Shia Muslims marched yesterday through the streets of Jakarta. They called on the much criticised government to take swift and effective action to ensure full religious freedom and equal rights for all of Indonesia's citizens as guaranteed by the constitution and the country's founding principles of Pancasila. The archipelago is the world's most populous (and predominantly Sunni) Muslim nation.

The 300 protesters who met yesterday in the streets of the capital shouted slogans and prayed together, each according to his or her faith. After that, they sang the national anthem and marched towards the People's Representative Council (House of Representative) building.

In the past, members of the Yasmin Church (YC) and the Batak Christian Protestant Church (HBKP) had chosen for their protest another symbolically charged site, the official residence of the President,.

Rev Simanjutak, leader of the HKBP community, welcomed the interfaith march. It sends a clear message to the authorities, which are not paying attention to the issue. In his criticism, the Protestant clergyman does not spare President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who has done nothing "to prevent attacks by extremist groups."

An activist institution, the Setara Institute, has provided evidence of the seriousness of the situation, documenting at least 264 cases of attacks and episodes of direct or indirect violence against religious minorities.

Although it formally guarantees the constitutional principle of religious freedom, Indonesia is increasingly the scene of attacks and violence against minorities.

In Aceh province, the only one in the country ruled by Sharia or Islamic law, and in many other places, a more radical and extreme visions of the Muslim religion is taking root in people's lives.

In addition, some rules, such as the infamous Izin Mendirikan Bangunan or building permit, are used to prevent the building of non-Muslim places of worship or to have them closed down and sealed.

In its response, the government has accused some minority leaders of using the permit issue to turn an administrative question into a political-religious one.

In particular, on several occasions Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali attacked the YC and HKBP for casting a bad light on the government and the country in foreign media.

Indonesian Christians protest church demolition

Around 100 Indonesian Christians begged the government Thursday to halt the demolition of their church, as hundreds of Muslim protesters branded them "infidels" and demanded the building be torn down.

While dispirited church members dressed in black gathered outside the building and sang hymns, police held back hundreds of Muslims who chanted "knock the church down now" -- in a sign of increasing intolerance in the country.

The church congregation flew the Indonesian flag at half mast and children clutched signs reading "please do not dismantle our church" as preparations began to demolish the building, at the centre of a planning row.

"Oh Jesus, please send us a miracle. This church is not a place of evil," a woman in tears yelled as a large, yellow excavator appeared at the scene. "We just pray here in our church, we don't commit any crime."

Police in Bekasi city on the outskirts of the capital Jakarta told AFP they planned to help knock down the partially-built Taman Sari Batak Christian Protestant Church on Thursday, at the city government's request.

They said the church did not have a legal building permit, while the congregation argued that it was unfairly rejected after they had spent 13 years worshipping in a temporary shelter on the land.

Reverend Advent Nababan, who leads the congregation, said the church had obtained 82 signatures of support from the community before building started, above the 60 required by law.

"We can't possibly perform our religious duties without a church building," Nababan told AFP. "We obtained signatures of support from more than enough people in the neighbourhood."

Only 500 metres (550 yards) away, some 200 Muslim protesters staged a demonstration, blocked by police from getting any closer.

"They're infidels and they've built their church without permission," a protester shouted over a loudspeaker, while others chanted "Allahu Akbar" (God is great) and "Knock the church down now" in response.

Ninety percent of Indonesia's 240 million people identify as Muslims, and the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion.

The Setara Institute of Peace and Democracy, however, says cases of intolerance in the world's biggest Muslim-majority nation are on the rise, with 543 incidents reported in 2011, up from 491 cases in 2009.

More than 300 incidents were recorded in the first half of 2012.

Christians are among the main targets, along with worshippers who follow the Ahmadiyah and Shiite Islamic minority sects.

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