Forum: `Ayat-Ayat Cinta'

May 5, p. 7   |  Fri, 05/16/2008 12:49 PM  |  Reader's Forum

I have the same question or rather confusion as Anand's. Why are Indonesian government officials and most audiences touched and moved by the movie, but hardly pay attention to the suffering of Ahmadi in real life?

Pancasila, considered by the founding fathers of Indonesia as the essence of cultural and indigenous national values, includes the value of humanity. But many prefer imported cultural values, like imported religion, such as Islam and Christianity.

I bet Islam or Christianity contain humanity values too, but the foreign cultural values which accompany these religions, unfortunately, sometimes contribute to many problems to Indonesians.

To achieve peace and prosperity, Indonesians have to explore their own culture as a strength. Don't just see the local indigenous rituals of religion as heresy without investigating their philosophies and histories.

We have to be proud of our own indigenous value. AZIZ ACHMAD
Jakarta

Anand, it is a dakwah (proselytizing) movie. There's nothing wrong with that. It is pure business. Many Indonesian people love religion, they will buy anything if you put religious sauce on top of it. It's all about money.

It is about the teaching of religion. Whoever is outside the religion are infidels and God will send all infidels to burning hell. If you criticize that kind of teaching, then you criticize the religion.

Many will feel offended, especially the teachers, because in their eyes you are criticizing their god. I hope Indonesians will become smarter soon and throw away those dangerous teachings.

About Pancasila; yes it is a very good representation of indigenous cultural values, but we have to realize many Indonesians have been brainwashed with Middle Eastern values since they were born. So it makes sense the makers decided to sell it that way. It went straight to box office, right? So again, it is about money.

Ayat-Ayat Cinta is also about polygamy. I think the pro-polygamists are celebrating. Now they can shout out proudly to anti-polygamists.all are hypocrites. You love the movie. Your mouths reject polygamy, while your heart, beating hard, dreams it will happen in your marriage." GUH PRASET
Jakarta

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