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strong>Oct. 2, p. 7

Indonesia ought to be the last country in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to lead a campaign for an international law against blasphemy.

It was, after all, one of Indonesia’s former presidents, the late Abdurrahman Wahid, who eloquently objected to just such a law. It was Wahid who once famously observed that “God needs no defense.”

Yet now, it is Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who, responding to the trailer for an anti-Islamic video that has prompted violent protests across the Muslim world, is taking the initiative to push for a global protocol banning insults to religion at the UN General Assembly. (By Endy M. Bayuni, Jakarta)

Your comments:

A very well written and clear article Mr. Endy M. Bayuni, I fully support your analysis and views.

May I suggest repeating the same article in Indonesian-language newspapers? As the English language is not exactly prolific among the wider public the article is intended for.

Jorith Arbier

It is true. God is all-powerful and does not need defending.

However, what we desperately need is to develop a sense of mutual respect, saling menghargai, toward each other of different faiths. This is sadly lacking these days.

In my view this has to be a big part of the national curriculum from elementary school up. Also we should have no religious schools.

Schools should be places where kids from different backgrounds can learn and play and get to know each other together.

Deedee S.

As always, Endy Bayuni uses reason and facts to tell us, readers, what is really important in his article; God needs no defense; after we have been enlightened by letter-writers with different perspectives and opinions.

So, SBY was inflamed and wanted the UN to condemn the defamation of Islam (only)? It seems to me that the 1965 Blasphemy Law was enacted to protect Islam!

“To propose a universal law criminalizing blasphemy globally” will be a boomerang for Islam! What’s good for the gander should be good enough for the goose.

Defamation of Jesus (worshipped by Christians) is enshrined in the Koran (4:156).

Olga Pitcairn