Banda Aceh. Acehnese clerics have criticized Amnesty International’s call for the Indonesian government to repeal a bylaw that allowed caning, arguing that the practice did not violate any regulation in the world. In a statement released on Sunday, Amnesty said that caning violated the UN Convention Against Torture, which Indonesia […]
The Indonesian government must end the use of caning as a form of punishment and repeal the laws that allow it in Aceh province, Amnesty International said Sunday after at least 21 people were publicly caned since 12 May. In Langsa city, 14 men were caned outside the Darul Falah […]
Despite their deepening political divide, the United States and Saudi Arabia are quietly expanding defense ties on a vast scale, led by a little-known project to develop an elite force to protect the kingdom’s oil riches and future nuclear sites. The U.S. also is in discussions with Saudi Arabia to […]
The National Education Ministry’s plan to reconstruct the curriculum of religious education for students calls for the attention of all stakeholders, particularly because religious education has played and always plays an important role in the creation of an Indonesian identity. As we live in a diverse country, students should learn […]
Terrorism is attracting an increasing number of creative and intellectual university graduates who differ from its stereotypical adherents of Islamic boarding school (pesantren) students and preachers. For the last several years, college graduates from middle class families have played a prominent role in plotting terror attacks. The recent distribution of […]
A group of Indonesian climbers on Friday took in the view from the top of the world when they summited Mount Everest. The team of four — Broery Andrew Sihombing, Janathan Ginting, Xaferius Frans and Sofyan Arief Fesa — were accompanied by a Japanese guide and two Sherpas on their […]
CIREBON, INDONESIA — Before he strapped on his suicide vest, walked into a crowded police station mosque and blew himself up last month, Muhammad Syarif was typical of the scores of angry young men who pass their days at fundamentalist mosques in this coastal Javanese city. Enlarge This Image The authorities […]
The United Nations has written to the Indonesian government expressing “concern” about the increasing number of reports about violence committed against religious minorities. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, however, says it is yet to receive a copy of the letter, dated April 26, 2011, from UN High Commissioner for Human […]
Buddhists across Indonesia observed Waisak on Tuesday with a message that religion can be a vehicle to enlighten people and the world. Followers in Magelang, Central Java, joined the solemn procession at the yard of the world heritage site — Borobudur Temple. Sitting cross-legged, some 10,000 worshippers associated in the […]
Ahmad Masihuddin, Irwan and Bebi are the lucky ones. Ahmad recalls the moment when a man attempted to mutilate his genitals, while Irwan has developed an intense fear of water. Bebi cannot speak, due to a dislocated jaw, and must eat through a straw. Despite the fear of reprisals, two […]
A new crop circle has been reported by a group established to investigate UFO sightings in Indonesia. Beta-UFO, set up in 1997, said the latest crop circle had appeared in a rice field in Cikarang, Bekasi, West Java. “The locals didn’t know,” group member Julius Perdana told Detik.com on Monday. […]
Authorities are set to announce the return of five hand-carved 18th- and 19th-century human skulls to Indonesia. The intricately decorated skulls from the Dayak tribe raised suspicion when they arrived at a mail facility in Newark, New Jersey, last summer. They had been shipped from Bali, Indonesia, with a declared […]
Soeharto was named Indonesia’s best president by a plurality of respondents, according to a survey released on Sunday. According to the Indo Barometer survey, 40.9 percent of respondents agreed that Indonesia was better off under Soeharto’s New Order than under former president Sukarno or the current reform era. “This is […]
The sixth China Machinery and Electronic Products Exhibition is scheduled to be held at the Jakarta International Expo in Kemayoran, Jakarta, from May 19 to May 21 to connect Chinese and Indonesian businesspeople in the sector. More than 400 firms, set to occupy a total area of one hectare, will […]
Terrorism in the media: More than just code of ethics Terrorists are also celebrities. The media popularizes them. Through TV we witness how the “hunted” and the “hunter” often sit side by side in talk shows. This fact reminds us of Erving Goffman’s book The Presentation of Self in Everyday […]
As part of efforts to halt the spread of radical Islam, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has promised to write guidelines for religious leaders to convert Muslims back to the true path, the Indonesian Islamic Propagation Council (DDII) says. “He [President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono] will write guidelines for preachers working to […]
The two-day 18th ASEAN Summit concluded here Sunday with the release of the Chair’s Statement on ASEAN Community-building, the implementation of ASEAN Charter and other issues. JOINT EFFORTS FOR COMMUNITY-BUILDING The leaders agreed and adopted three joint statements on “ASEAN Community in a Global Community of Nations”, “Establishment of the […]
SINGAPORE, KOMPAS.com – Elaine Low (24), daughter of Low Tuck Kwong (62), number 3 richest people in Indonesia, gave assistance to tsunami victims of Japan’s for $ 1 million Singapore dollars, or about Rp. 7 million . The assistance was handed Elaine through the Japanese Embassy in Singapore and received […]
This is in reference to Aries Musnandar’s letter titled “Why do you defend Ahmadiyah?” (the Post, May 4). Protestantism and Catholicism are not two different religions. They are two different strains of the same faith (Christianity), in the same way that Shia, Sunni, Alawi, Sufi and Ahmadiyah Islam are all […]
and: “In case two parties of the believers fight against each other, bring about reconciliation between them. If, however, one of them persists in belligerence and transgresses against the other, bring your collective might to bear upon the one that transgresses to force him until he agrees that his dispute […]