The country’s second-largest Islamic group has thrown its full weight behind efforts to rid Indonesia of its heavy smoking habit. After issuing a fatwa in March 2010 to tell its tens of millions of followers that it was religiously unacceptable to light up, Muhammadiyah is now set to declare all […]
JAKARTA—Indonesia won 16 gold medals to extend its domination of the 26th Southeast Asian Games into a third day Sunday for a total of 40 gold, 21 silver and 13 bronze. Thailand surpassed Vietnam to move into second place after claiming 11 golds, 16 silvers and 24 bronzes. Vietnam collected […]
The preliminary results are out and it shows the Komodo National Park as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature, according to the New7Wonders Web site. The list, given in alphabetical order, […]
As the Southeast Asian Games opened with an extravagant ceremony at Sriwijaya Stadium in Palembang on Friday, the real party began at a still-unfinished venue on Cipule Lake. Hours before the Rp 150 billion ($16.8 million) opening ceremony started, Indonesian athletes earned the country’s first two gold medals in rowing […]
Source: Qantara For the past 20 years, the Indonesian NGO DIAN/Interfidei has been engaged in interdenominational dialogue. The organization has also tried to include atheists, Confucians, and even fundamentalists in its activities – with various degrees of success. Anett Keller reports from Yogyakarta “Everything began with anger,” recalls Daniel Dhakidae, […]
Source: Qantara Indonesia enjoys a democratically elected government, yet social pressure on the country’s media to adopt conservative Islamic positions is steadily growing. Observations and an assessment by Andy Budiman In recent years, we have witnessed a global resurgence in religion. This renaissance of faith came suddenly and took us […]
Indonesian couples have flooded the Ministry of Religious Affairs with requests to get married on Friday, believing the date, 11-11-11, will bring them good fortune. State news agency Antara reported that in just three cities, 1,000 couples had registered to perform their nuptials. In Bogor on the outskirts of Jakarta, […]
Khairil Azhar, In his last will he said he wished to be buried among his people, not in the state-owned cemetery provided especially for those recognized as heroes. And there he is now, Mohammad Hatta, one of the founding fathers of the Republic of Indonesia, at Tanah Kusir Cemetery in […]
The Jakarta Post | Nine out of 10 Indonesian consumers are upbeat about their financial situation for next year, making the country the third-most confident country in the world, a survey says. A Nielsen online survey on the consumer confidence index revealed on Wednesday that 86 percent of Indonesian respondents […]
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has confirmed a dramatic rise in the number of halal food products coming in from China, but remained skeptical over that country’s developing halal industry. “The number of halal products from China has increased by 50 to 100 percent since last […]
Analysis: Harry Su, Bahana Securities Helped by strong domestic demand and exports, Indonesia reported continued solid third-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 6.5 percent year-on-year, flat over the last two quarters and slightly lower than our and consensus estimates of 6.6 percent (exhibit 2). We note that growth across […]
disabled member of the Indonesian’s minority Ahmadiyah religious sect survived a brutal attack by an unknown assailant but had both his ears partially severed with a machete, it was reported on Thursday. The victim was identified as Sadarudin, a resident of the run-down Transito shelter in Mataram, Lombok, that has […]
In Indonesia, religious peace is at risk Berlin (ENI news). Indonesia has seen a sharp increase in religious violence over recent years, with radical Muslim groups targeting both Christians and members of the minority Ahmadiyah community. But at an ecumenical seminar in Germany, the chair of the Communion of Churches […]
The government has recommended circumcision for people in Papua over the past two years as a new approach to curbing rapid increases in, cases of HIV/AIDS infection. In other parts of Indonesia, circumcision is common and is a part of a culture that has been preserved within the community over […]
Komodo National Park Close to Tally Needed for ‘Wonder’ Status Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara. Support for Indonesia’s Komodo Island National Park to be named one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature continues to mount, with more than 100 million votes sent by text message since the service went live in […]
Pesident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono bestowed national hero titles on seven Indonesian citizens during a ceremony at the State Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday. Special honors were also given to humanitarians and artists, including Betawi icon Benyamin Sueb. The seven new national heros are: Idham Chalid, a former minister and head […]
(AFP) – OTTAWA — Canada is “not happy” with the vote to grant UNESCO membership to the Palestinians and will reconsider its participation in the UN cultural body, Foreign Minister John Baird said Monday. The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on Monday adopted a resolution to admit Palestine, with […]
Niken Prathivi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Vice President Boediono is confident that host Indonesia will be able to perform its best and reach the overall champions target in the 26th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games), which will begin two weeks from now. “I am very certain that with the excellent […]