Indonesia, the third-largest democracy in the world, may be facing gloomy days ahead. In December 2009, the late former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid led a coalition of civil society organizations in filing a judicial review against the archaic blasphemy law (PNPS No. 1/1965). A move to abolish this problematic law would expectedly further consolidate Indonesia's democracy, freedom and harmony.
Unfortunately there is strong resistance from the government and several religious and social groups against this move. Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali and Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar officially rejected this judicial review. On Feb. 4, Suryadharma Ali met with leaders of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) to talk about the judicial review.
This is an unbelievably disappointing move by a government official of his stature. The FPI is a militant organization and the HTI is a global organization whose aim is to combine all Muslim countries into a unitary Islamic state or caliphate. The HTI is an organization that is even banned and proscribed in many Arab and Islamic countries. (By Tobias Basuki, Jakarta)
Your comments:
This would be like the Justice Department in the United States meeting with the KKK and neo-Nazis concerning civil and human rights with regard to race and color issues.
Besides, the Religious Affairs Ministry, which defends only a conservative Islam, and the Justice and Human Rights Ministry, should be two poles apart. Obviously, Patrialis Akbar has no business in this ministry since he appears to have little understanding of the concepts of human rights as defined by official international organizations such as the United Nations.
Is it not true that SBY, the President, swears an oath to uphold the Constitution?
Brien D
Brisbane
Indonesia is heading towards a Taliban-like state, where minorities will be more discriminated against (at the least) than now; women, old ladies and girls, will be forced to hide their hair, throat, even face; and the extremely rich local culture will be replaced by the misogynistic traditions of the desert.
Edo E
Jakarta
Our future is a society with freedom of religion and speech and with no elements of oppression, cruelty and force. Nondiscrimination is based on; race, gender, religion, age, tribe, original nationality and disability. It means justice for all citizens. The Constitutional Court (MK) has to withdraw the blasphemy law.
Latif
The United States
Great article you have here. I couldn't agree more, considering that this issue has been bothering me for quite some time now. The blasphemy law needs to be erased, because as long as it exists, Indonesia's so-called "democracy" is just an empty, meaningless word.
How ironic, boasting of democracy everywhere yet these people still hold dear the one thing that clearly is an absolute obstacle for Indonesia to be a purely democratic country. I have to admit, I'm ashamed.
NN
Jakarta
Having visited Indonesia three times now and still living in the United States, I would say that Indonesia has in certain areas more religious freedom than the US and in other areas, less.
While visiting last time my wife (from Indonesia) and I visited her previous workplace and one of her old co-workers openly prayed for her at his desk.
That would never be allowed in the US. On the other hand, openly preaching on a street corner is not allowed, but in the US it is. It truly is sad when the radicals ruin it for everyone else.
James
Bogor, West Java
