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Caustic Facebook status angers Balinese Hindus
A Facebook status posted by a non-Balinese that likened Nyepi, the Hindu Day of Silence, to feces has caused uproar among the Balinese Hindus, with many Balinese demanding the user’s banishment from the island
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Facebook status posted by a non-Balinese that likened Nyepi, the Hindu Day of Silence, to feces has caused uproar among the Balinese Hindus, with many Balinese demanding the user’s banishment from the island.
However, an influential organization has urged a peaceful solution to the brouhaha.
“We need to remember that Balinese Hinduism is a peaceful religion and when a non-Hindu somehow misinterprets the teachings of our religion then it is solely our responsibility to educate him,” said Bali’s People Component (KRB) coordinator I Gusti Ngurah Harta in a press conference.
“Violence will only escalate the tension to an unnecessary level and will demean the core teaching of our beliefs.”
In the press conference, Harta was accompanied by representatives from the Indonesian Hindu Students Association (KMHDI), Indonesia Nationalist Students Movement (GMNI), Hindu Dharma Institute (IHD) and Bali’s Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Bali). KRB is widely respected and known for its staunch opposition against the Pornography Bill.
Ngurah Harta is also the supreme elder of the Sandhi Murti, a traditional martial arts foundation with more than 25,000 followers on the island.
“After all, the individual who posted the status has apologized to the Balinese. It is our duty as a Balinese Hindu to forgive those who seek forgiveness,” Harta said, adding he believed the Facebook user was a confused young man who had no evil intentions.
The status “Nyepi sepi sehari kayak tai” (Nyepi is a day of silence that looks like feces) appeared on Ibnu Rachal Farhansyah’s Facebook account on the eve of Nyepi.
Nyepi is the day when the Balinese Hindus refrain from lighting any fire or light, from travelling outside their family compound, from working and from partaking in any leisure activities to commemorate the Saka New Year.
Television and radio broadcasts were also cut off throughout Nyepi, which started Wednesday morning and ended Thursday morning.
The status immediately drew waves of emotional responses from Balinese Facebook users.
Two local Facebook users have set a Facebook group demanding that Ibnu be banished from Bali.
As of Thursday evening more than 20,500 Facebook users had joined the group.
Some members of the group have suggested gory punishments for Ibnu, including being lynched, burned and decapitated.
Ibnu had repeatedly apologized in his Facebook account.
In one instance, the status read that he did not have any intention of offending the Balinese Hindus.
He posted the status after a difficult day of being berated by his boss, having a quarrel with his brother and having no money to last the day.
Ibnu had also set up a Facebook group “Forgive Ibnu Rachal Farhansyah”, which has drawn nearly 2,000 members.
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Correction
In Thursday's article "Caustic Facebook status
angers Balinese Hindus", the word "faces", in
reference to the Facebook status posted by a non-
Balinese that insulted Nyepi, the Hindu Day of
Silence, should have been written "faeces", on both
occasions. We apologize for the mistake.
- Editor
The Jakarta Post, March 19, 2010, page 9
