Indonesia has seen a growing number of faithful souls turning to God for solace when dealing with adversity, and one minister has reflected this (complacent) attitude in her new book.

As bird flu continues to claim lives, Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari recently published Saatnya Dunia Berubah, Tangan Tuhan dibalik Flu Burung (It's Time for the World to Change, Divine Hands behind Bird Flu).

With her book, it would seem, religious doctor Siti seeks a miracle from God, confident in the belief that her ministry has taken all possible measures to alleviate the disease.

This may sound rightfully religious especially since Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim country but, if we adopt this stance, other examples of this mentality might include blaming the floods on the rain.

It's would have been God's will that oil, soybean and flour prices have skyrocketed uncontrollably -- but we all know very well how much our own shaky market depends on the global economy.

The Sidoarjo mudflow was also unmistakably God, testing people's faith, despite much evidence showing how reckless mining can lead to disaster.

These all sound familiar, right?

But let's look at the minister's book. Let's violate that old saying that wise men advocate: "Do not judge a book by its cover."

The cover has the important role of enticing people to see what's inside and, consequently, if it fails to present a logical message then who would bother to proceed?

While some books have intentionally witty and twisted logic designed to attract our attention, mixing political diplomacy, science and spiritual beliefs into one cover is completely absurd.

The English version of Siti's book was withdrawn by its author, less than one month after its initial release Feb. 6, due to the "inaccurate" translation.

The book contains Siti's personal account of her struggle to gain a fairer share in the 50-year-old Global Influenza Surveillance Network.

Many Indonesians have applauded Siti for her bravery and one local magazine even labeled her a hero.

Several times Siti mentions how she prayed to God for strength, prior to important meetings with World Health Organization representatives or countries opposed to her bold stance.

From her writing it is clear Siti firmly believes God attends her every meeting, even during long flights to Europe, following minutes and, while on the podium, moving her mouth with divine hands to unleash her anger.

In her closing, after a series of diplomatic meetings, she seems to renounce the outcome to God, in her belief that He would never disappoint the oppressed.

The WHO has responded to Indonesia's objections (not God's reprimand -- hopefully) announcing that a revision of virus sharing protocol would be considered.

So was it really God's omnipotent power that brought us the bird flu virus?

The Health Minister's book title strongly suggests the virus is part of God's plan to give global inequalities a shake-up.

Bird flu, as the title suggests, is God's latest gizmo -- adding to the spread of TB, dengue, AIDS, malaria, chikungunya, diarrhea and cholera as well as numerous other scourges Indonesia has been ravaged with.

So, is it God's will for us to face bird flu even when people live in dangerously unhygienic conditions in densely populated areas?

Is it a divine decision that people and chickens die painful deaths because the virus attacks and infests the lungs in a matter of days?

Could God spare us all with a peaceful departure because He is the supreme Giver?

In hopefully what reflects only her personal opinion, Siti claims those who have died from bird flu are martyrs.

Next time a campaigner knocks on the door and asks the home owner to cage their free-range chicken, the owner could casually answer, "Sorry, the chicken is God's creation. If I contract bird flu and die, it's God's will."

The book's title seems to deny all the hard work of scientists who have tirelessly sought to uncover the mysteries of the virus, but we have never heard of desperate scientists jumping to a conclusion, like, "Folks, we've given up the search because it's God's territory."

Remember Darwin, Copernicus and Mendel?

Their findings once sparked fierce debates and were challenged by religious leaders who assumed themselves to be God's staunch defenders.

For scientific purposes, however, searches into the mysteries of nature can never be diminishes by shallow-minded religious movements.

Long-standing rows between scientists and theologists are often time-misplaced and pointless.

If scientists are found idle at home and are unable to keep the public posted of their latest work, it would be purely because they were not encouraged or assisted.

It's surely not God's will there are no proper laboratories where intensive research can be conducted.

Nor was it God's hands that moved state officials to draft only a scanty amount of budget toward research and development.

If the Agriculture Ministry, supposedly responsible for managing poultry industries large and small, keeps its mouth tightly shut, it must not be God's will either.

So if we must accept the Health Minister's much-praised book, we should stay put, run business as usual and wait for God to remove the virus.

The author is a staff writer at The Jakarta Post.

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