Educating the public about the pornography bill and legal challenges against UU Porno at the Constitutional Court. Socialization On 30th October 2008 the controversial pornography bill (UU Pornografi, text in Indonesian and English translation) was passed by the parliament. On 9th December 2008 pres...

The week of IM in review, love and romance, aliens, shady business dealings, and coming out swinging slugfests. Stuff An American Muslim businessman visits Jakarta and has an affair with a woman, and wonders whether she is a prostitute. He goes into a little gynaecological detail in Help A Clueless ...

Reading and writing in Arabic is a must for civil servants and village heads in Bogor. The Regent of Bogor in West Java announced recently that employees of the Bogor Council are required to read and write in Arabic, to the point where they will be qualified and able to lead five-daily prayers. [1] ...

Celebrity Islamists, including mother daughter team Emilia Contessa and Denada Tambunan, line up for the Development Party in 2009. Celebrity Candidates - PPP The United Development Party, Partai Persatuan Pembangunan (PPP), is fielding at least 10 candidates in the 2009 general elections who can be...

MUI leader Cholil Ridwan says Kompas newspaper is a western papist tool for attacking Islam. In early October the fundamentalist Islamic journal Suara Islam (Islamic Voice) published “The Way Kompas Incites Hatred”, in which Cholil Ridwan, co-chairman of the Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI)...

Whether teenagers know how to put on a condom, free condom distribution to prostitutes, and condoms in schools. Knowhow - How to Put on a Condom A study by the government planned parenthood body, Badan Koordinasi Keluarga Berencana Nasional (BKKBN), has found that only about 27% of teenagers know ho...

The importance of mandi, celebrity women theorise on the meaning of bathing. As part of a promotional campaign by soap manufacturer Lux three fabulously famous actresses, Tamara Bleszynski, Dian Sastrowardoyo, and Luna Maya, gave their opinions on the “theory of mandi” recently. Mandi th...

The Front Pembela Islam are back in action, raiding places and publicly shaming sinners. Although in early June some FPI branches in East Java were, it seemed at the time (FPI, Komando Laskar Islam & Munarman), forced to close, the Lamongan branch of the Front Pembela Islam/Islam Defenders Fron...

The escort girls of Sanur’s red light district are cheering Spain’s victory in Euro 2008. Residents of the red light district/lokalisasi at Sanur, Bali have been complaining that the Euro football Cup has deprived them of business, with their usual customers preferring to stay at home an...

Indonesia’s target of 300,000 Chinese tourists is regarded as too low. Deputy head of Indonesia’s China Mission, Mohamad Oemar, says the country’s target of garnering 300,000 Chinese visitors for 2008, Visit Indonesia Year, is much too small considering China has a population of ov...