Indonesia executes six drug convicts, five of them foreigners

Indonesia executes six drug convicts, five of them foreigners
Widodo has pledged to bring reform to Indonesia

Ban appeals to Indonesia to stop death row executions

Ban appeals to Indonesia to stop death row executions
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has pleaded to Indonesia to stop the execution of prisoners on death row for drug crimes. AFP PHOTO

Pope: 'Death penalty represents failure' – no 'humane' way to kill a person

Pope: 'Death penalty represents failure' – no 'humane' way to kill a person
The pope wrote that the principle of legitimate personal defense isn’t adequate justification to execute someone. Photograph: Zuma/Rex

Obama becomes first president to visit US prison (US Justice Systems / Human Rights)

Obama becomes first president to visit US prison   (US Justice Systems / Human Rights)
US President Barack Obama speaks as he tours the El Reno Federal Correctional Institution in El Reno, Oklahoma, July 16, 2015 (AFP Photo/Saul Loeb)

US Death Penalty (Justice Systems / Human Rights)

US Death Penalty (Justice Systems / Human Rights)
Woman who spent 23 years on US death row cleared (Photo: dpa)



.

.
"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

… The Shift in Human Nature

You're starting to see integrity change. Awareness recalibrates integrity, and the Human Being who would sit there and take advantage of another Human Being in an old energy would never do it in a new energy. The reason? It will become intuitive, so this is a shift in Human Nature as well, for in the past you have assumed that people take advantage of people first and integrity comes later. That's just ordinary Human nature.

In the past, Human nature expressed within governments worked like this: If you were stronger than the other one, you simply conquered them. If you were strong, it was an invitation to conquer. If you were weak, it was an invitation to be conquered. No one even thought about it. It was the way of things. The bigger you could have your armies, the better they would do when you sent them out to conquer. That's not how you think today. Did you notice?

Any country that thinks this way today will not survive, for humanity has discovered that the world goes far better by putting things together instead of tearing them apart. The new energy puts the weak and strong together in ways that make sense and that have integrity. Take a look at what happened to some of the businesses in this great land (USA). Up to 30 years ago, when you started realizing some of them didn't have integrity, you eliminated them. What happened to the tobacco companies when you realized they were knowingly addicting your children? Today, they still sell their products to less-aware countries, but that will also change.

What did you do a few years ago when you realized that your bankers were actually selling you homes that they knew you couldn't pay for later? They were walking away, smiling greedily, not thinking about the heartbreak that was to follow when a life's dream would be lost. Dear American, you are in a recession. However, this is like when you prune a tree and cut back the branches. When the tree grows back, you've got control and the branches will grow bigger and stronger than they were before, without the greed factor. Then, if you don't like the way it grows back, you'll prune it again! I tell you this because awareness is now in control of big money. It's right before your eyes, what you're doing. But fear often rules. …

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Ask Atheists, Christians, Shiites and Ahmadis: Indonesia Is No Model for Muslim Democracy

Jakarta Globe, Andreas Harsono, May 23, 2012

Related articles

It is fashionable these days for Western leaders to praise Indonesia as a model Muslim democracy. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said: “If you want to know whether Islam, democracy, modernity and women’s rights can coexist, go to Indonesia.” And last month Britain’s prime minister, David Cameron, lauded Indonesia for showing that “religion and democracy need not be in conflict.”

Tell that to Asia Lumbantoruan, a Christian elder whose congregation outside Jakarta has recently had two of its partially built churches burned down by Islamist militants. He was stabbed by these extremists while defending a third site from attack in September 2010.

This week in Geneva, the United Nations is reviewing Indonesia’s human rights record. It should call on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to crack down on extremists and protect minorities. While Indonesia has made great strides in consolidating a stable, democratic government after five decades of authoritarian rule, the country is by no means a bastion of tolerance.

The rights of religious and ethnic minorities are routinely trampled. While the Constitution protects religious freedom, regulations against blasphemy and proselytizing are often used to prosecute atheists, Bahais, Christians, Shiites, Sufis and members of the Ahmadiyah faith, a minority Muslim sect. By 2010, Indonesia had over 150 religiously motivated regulations restricting minorities’ rights.

In 2006, Yudhoyono, in a new decree on “religious harmony,” tightened criteria for building a house of worship. The decree is enforced only on religious minorities — often when Islamists pressure local officials not to authorize the construction of Christian churches or to harass and intimidate those worshiping in “illegal” churches, which lack official registration. More than 400 such churches have been closed since Yudhoyono took office in 2004.

Although the government has cracked down on Jemaah Islamiyah, an Al Qaeda affiliate that has bombed hotels, bars and embassies, it has not intervened to stop other Islamist militants who regularly commit less-publicized crimes against religious minorities. Yudhoyono’s government is reluctant to take them on because it rules Indonesia in a coalition with intolerant Islamist political parties. He has courted conservative Islamist elements, even granting them key cabinet positions, which emboldens Islamic extremists to use violence against minorities.

In August 2011, for example, Muslim militants burned down three Christian churches on Sumatra. No one was charged and officials have prevented the congregations from rebuilding their churches. And on the outskirts of Jakarta, two municipalities have refused to obey Supreme Court orders to reopen two sealed churches; Yudhoyono claimed he had no authority to intervene.

In June 2008, the Yudhoyono administration issued a decree requiring the Ahmadiyah sect to “stop spreading interpretations and activities that deviate from the principal teachings of Islam.” The government said the decree was necessary to prevent violence against the sect, but local governments used the decree to write even stricter regulations. Muslim militants, who consider the Ahmadiyah heretics, then forcibly shut down more than 30 Ahmadiyah mosques.

In the deadliest attack, in West Java in February 2011, three Ahmadiyah men were killed. A court eventually prosecuted 12 militants for the crime, but handed down paltry sentences of only four to six months.

Yudhoyono has also failed to protect ethnic minorities who have peacefully called for independence in Papua and the Maluku Islands. During demonstrations in Papua on May 1, one protester was killed and 13 were arrested. And last October, the government brutally suppressed the Papuan People’s Congress, beating dozens and killing three people. While protesters were jailed and charged with treason, the police chief in charge of security that day was promoted.

Almost 100 people remain in prison for peacefully protesting. Dozens are ill, but the government has denied them proper treatment, claiming it lacks the money. Even the Suharto dictatorship allowed the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit political prisoners, yet the Yudhoyono government has banned the ICRC from working in Papua.

Instead of praising Indonesia, nations that support tolerance and free speech should publicly demand that Indonesia respect religious freedom, release political prisoners and lift restrictions on media and human rights groups in Papua.

Yudhoyono needs to take charge of this situation by revoking discriminatory regulations, demanding that his coalition partners respect the religious freedom of all minorities in word and in deed, and enforcing the constitutional protection of freedom of worship. He must also make it clear that Islamist hard-liners who commit or incite violence and the police who fail to protect the victims will be punished. Only then will Indonesia deserve Cameron and Clinton’s praise.

The New York Times

Andreas Harsono is a researcher for the Asia division at Human Rights Watch.



Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali, center.
(Antara Photo/Jafkhairi)

Friday, May 18, 2012

‘Homophobic Indonesians still at large’: Sociologist

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Thu, 05/17/2012 

Dede Oetomo: (JP)
As the world marks International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia on Thursday, recent incidents show that “many homophobic people are still at large” in the world’s largest moderate Muslim country, a sociologist says.

Dede Oetomo, a sociologist from Airlangga University in Surabaya, East Java, said that “it was very painful to see a number of Indonesians still shamelessly harassing people from lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender or LGBT communities in the lead-up to the commemoration”.

The international day was founded at the 2006 International Homosexual and Human Rights conference in Montreal, Canada.

Dede added, however, that there was a silver lining, referring to a delegation from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) who would be reviewing the rights situation in Indonesia from May 21 to June 4.

“I feel sure they will evaluate recent events in the country, particularly the fact that the authorities have washed their hands of these incidents,” the gay rights activist Dede told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Introduced in 2006, the quadrennial review is a part of the UN’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) to evaluate the human rights records of the UN’s 192 member nations.


Related Articles:


"The Akashic System" – Jul 17, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Religion, God, Benevolent Design, DNA, Akashic Circle, (Old) Souls, Gaia, Indigenous People, Talents, Reincarnation, Genders, Gender Switches, In “between” Gender Change, Gender Confusion, Shift of Human Consciousness, Global Unity,..... etc.)

About the Challenges of Being a Gay Man – Oct 23, 2010 (Saint Germain channelled by Alexandra Mahlimay and Dan Bennack) - “ ... You see, your Soul and Creator are not concerned with any perspective you have that contradicts the reality of your Divinity – whether this be your gender, your sexual preference, your nationality – or your race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or anything else.The only identity that has any fundamental or lasting relevance to your Soul is your Divinity. Any other way you may label or identify yourself is transitory. It changes from one incarnation to the next. ..."

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Komodo Park Officially One of 'New 7 Wonders of Nature'

Jakarta Globe, May 17, 2012

Two komodo dragons are seen in Asam forest on Komodo Island,
East Nusa Tenggara in Oct. 2011. Indonesia’s Komodo National Park has
 been officially named one of the “New 7 Wonders of Nature.” (Antara Photo:
Yudhi Mahatma)
 
      
Related articles

The Komodo National Park in East Nusa Tenggara has been officially declared one of the "New 7 Wonders of Nature" by the New7Wonders Foundation on Wednesday.

"The success of the Komodo National Park is an inspiring example of how a community could jointly protect species which is nearly extinct," Bernard Weber, the president of the New7Wonders Foundation, said in a press statement received by Antara on Wednesday.

"By voting for it in such large numbers, the supporters of Komodo Island everywhere have expressed pride in their natural heritage, which is part of the great mosaic that is the world," Weber added. 

Indonesia's komodo ambassador and chief of the Our Komodo Foundation's advisory board, Jusuf Kalla, said Komodo Park had drawn more than 200 million votes.

"I thank the Indonesian people that have sent short messages to vote for Komodo," Kalla said.

The six other new wonders of nature are Halong Bay in Vietnam; Iguazu Falls straddling Argentina and Brazil; Jeju Island in South Korea; Puerto Princesa Underground River in the Philippines, Table Mountain in South Africa and the Amazon rain foresst in South America, whose status is still provisional.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Old Indonesian manuscripts located in Netherlands

Antara News, Mon, May 14 2012

 "There are a lot of old Indonesian manuscripts overseas."


Photo document of old Indonesian
 manuscript. (ANTARA/Fanny Octavianus)
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Around 26,000 old Indonesian manuscripts are currently held in the library of Leiden University in the Netherlands, Indonesian National Library spokesperson Sri Sulasih said here on Monday.

Sulasih pointed out that the 26.000 is not nearly the amount of manuscripts in total.

"There are a lot of old Indonesian manuscripts overseas. The figure of 26,000 is in the Netherlands alone, not including the other historical documents located in England, Malaysia and other countries," she says.

The amount found in Netherlands is quite a large collection because the Indonesian national library only managed to acquire 103 old manuscripts.

With that being said, the Indonesian documents found in Leiden is 2.5 times the amount of documents found in Indonesia.

"We are finding it hard to return the manuscripts to Indonesia because the library overseas have obtained these historical documents by buying them, which means that they have already invested in its worth," Sulasih said.

According to her, the Leiden University has only given Indonesia one manuscript, which proved to be fake, and kept the real one in their library. " There needs to be a substantial amount of money to buy the real authentic manuscript," she says.

Now, Indonesian manuscripts cannot be obtained easily by libraries overseas.

Sulasih says that most libraries will ask the country of where the old documents came from, prior to purchasing them. This is a way to identify if said documents were stolen or not.

Meanwhile, according to Sulasih, the Indonesian national library is trying to gather all the historical manuscripts, that are spread across the Indonesian region.

"We ask for community libraries to collect historical notes, or even buy them if they have to," she says.

Sulasih also says that the Indonesian national library in Salemba currently holds 1 million books, 10.300 old manuscripts and 80.000 rare books.

Although the numbers sound pretty high, the Indonesian library does not compare to the British Library in England, which holds 14 million books, 920.000 journals and 3 million voice recordings.

Editor: Priyambodo RH

Thursday, May 10, 2012

UNESCO declares Wakatobi world biosphere reserve

Antara News, Thu, May 10 2012

Wakatobi Beach

Wangiwangi, S.E.Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has declared the Wakatobi Marine National Park of Southeast Sulawesi province as a world biosphere reserve area unconditionally.

"The UNESCO has declared the Wakatobi national park, which covers an area of 1.3 million hectares, to be a world biosphere reserve, along with 12 other biosphere reserves in the world," Wakatobi Regent Hugua said here on Thursday.

According to Hugua, the decision to make Wakatobi a world biosphere reserve was reached at the 18th meeting of International Advisory Committee for UNESCO MAB Biosphere Reserve Program in Paris during April 2-4, 2012.

"At the meeting 26 areas were considered for world biosphere reserve status, but only 13 were approved, including Wakatobi. Five areas were given conditions and five other regions were declined," he explained.

Hugua said, with Wakatobi becoming a world biosphere reserve in July 2012, Indonesia would have eight areas with the same status.

He explained UNESCO wanted to protect three interests while establishing the Wakatobi National Park as a centre of the world biosphere reserve: local knowledge, environmental sustainability, and sustainable economic interests of the local society.

"Local knowledge is related to the cultural traditions of communities," Hugua said.

Environmental sustainability needs to be protected because waters of the Wakatobi National Park feature a diversity of coral reefs and marine life, which is comparatively higher than other regions in the world.

"The Wakatobi waters boast 750 species of coral reefs, out of a total of 850 species worldwide. Even the Caribbean Sea, which is very popular among tourists, especially divers, has only 50 species of coral, while the Red Sea has 300 species," Hugua noted.

"With regard to economic interests of the local society, people in the Wakatobi should be able to exploit the potential of existing natural resources in a sustainable manner without disturbing the environmental balance," he added.

"These are the three reasons why UNESCO made the Wakatobi Marine National Park a biosphere reserve centre of the world," Hugua said.

Editor: Heru

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

The Courage to Love in the Face of Adversity

Jakarta Globe Blog, by Olin Monteiro, May 08, 2012 

Irshad Manji. (Photo from
irshadmanji.com)
Canadian writer Irshad Manji has made headlines in Indonesian media during the past few days. A wave of protests was sparked by Islamic hard-liners against her speaking at the launch for her new book, “Allah, Liberty and Love,” first in Solo and then at the Salihara cultural center in South Jakarta last weekend.

Has any of these protesters read her books? And on last Friday, why did they have to stage a protest while Manji speaking in front of Indonesian intellectuals, scholars, students and activists? Why didn’t they let her have a chance to speak peacefully, to debate her ideas, to bring up issues and arguments in an open and healthy discussion?

Born in Uganda, Manji and her family moved to Canada when she was 4, during the time when Ugandan President Idi Amin ordered the expulsion of the Indian/Asian minority. Manji started her career as a researcher, journalist and activist in Canada. In 2003 she wrote and published her first book, “The Trouble With Islam Today.” The book serves as a letter to fellow Muslims across the world. In the book, Manji states that the problem with Islam doesn’t lie only in the militant groups but also in the majority of mainstream Muslims that turn religion of peace into an ideology of fear.

“The Trouble With Islam Today” became best seller months after its release in the United States. Because of the sensitive issues brought up in the book, Manji received a harsh response from Muslims all over the world yet at the same time she garnered heartfelt confessions from those with similar opinions in many different countries. In the years that followed, “The Trouble With Islam Today” was translated into numerous languages and subsequently Manji received death threats along the way.

In her latest book, “Allah, Liberty and Love,” Manji attempts to answer questions about how Muslims’ defensive attitude toward “the other” brings about negative perceptions.

As a community, Manji argued, Muslims need to be brave and to ask critical questions even of one’s own family and community. The answer to some of the questions posed by Manji in her book have been answered by God within his verses in the Koran. The task for Muslims then is to find the perfect verse to support their arguments and to speak with love.

Manji also testifies of boldly arguing with her family about her belief and her own interpretation of Islam. Manji quotes verses from the Koran that say: “O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for Allah can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you swerve, and if you distort justice or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do” (4: 135).

“Allah, Liberty and Love” mentions the Moral Courage Project —  a movement Manji founded with some friends. This project challenges individuals to speak up in the world where we have always have been silent. Her vision in this journey is to connect the reform mission in the Muslim community with a universal moral courage for all mankind.

As one of the participants of Irshad Manji’s book launch at Salihara last Friday, I am deeply disappointed by the way police handled the protests staged by Islamic militants outside (and later in) the venue. As participants of an intellectual discussion, we respected the protesters who were unfamiliar with Manji’s works. We allowed them to debate in an open and healthy manner yet the Islamic Defenders Front — one of the religious groups that demonstrated on the day — acted harshly, using threats and insulting Manji because of her sexual orientation — she’s widely known as a lesbian Muslim. The police — who supposedly act as protectors — let protesters come into the venue, damage the gates and further facilitated them to act inappropriately. The police also suggested we adjourn the discussion because, not surprisingly, they could not guarantee our safety. I see that as a threat to our freedom in a public space.

Irshad Manji seeks to connect the idea of religious interpretation with liberty, courage and love. Her controversial statements were contested and confronted by Islamic hard-liners and militant religious groups. Prior to her visit to Indonesia, she had received death threats in the Netherlands a few months ago. The courage Manji showed us in the forum in Salihara last week, her choice of words, her daring arguments, challenged us Indonesians to be brave, to open our minds, to liberate ourselves from social and moral repressions, and to strengthen bonds as a community in a plural environment.

To end this, I would like to quote her, “Identity can trap you, but integrity will set you free.” She believes that society today is caught up with Islamic identity rather than acting with integrity. With all the troubles and hard times thrown in her face, Manji still embraces the day with love and the spirit to continue to spread her message.

I believe, in any religion, we all should be ready to fight for equality and justice with integrity and in a nonviolent approach.

Olin Monteiro is a writer and feminist working in Jakarta


Related Article:


Sunday, May 6, 2012

Indonesia’s Buddhists Call For Borobudur Temple Preservation

Jakarta Globe, May 06, 2012

Buddhists walk through East Java's Borobudur Temple during Indonesia's
Vesak Day celebrations on Sunday. (JG Photo / Boy T Harjanto)
  
             
Related articles

Buddhists urged the Indonesian government to preserve East Java’s Borobudur temple as they massed on Mendut temple for the Buddhist holiday Vesak Day on Sunday.

The ninth-century temple — a Unesco World Heritage Site — is a popular pilgrimage site for Indonesia’s Buddhists during the Vesak Day, a holy celebration of Gautama Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and death. Students of the Indonesian Buddhist Students Group (Hikmahbuddhi) printed more than 5,000 brochures, handing them out to tourists and local residents on Sunday.

The students also hung banners calling for the temple’s preservation and helped clean the temple grounds of rubbish.

“We are working together with the local people for Borobudur preservation,” Hikmahbudi Chairwoman Ivana said in Magelang, East Java on Sunday.

Vesak Day is celebrated on various dates across the globe, usually coinciding with the first full moon of May. Each nation’s Buddhists hold their own celebrations.

In Indonesia, Buddhists gather for prayers at Borobudur’s Mendut temple.

Antara

Friday, May 4, 2012

Indonesia's atheists face battle for religious freedom

Alex Aan faces jail for posting 'God doesn't exist' on Facebook, renewing fears for atheists in the world's most populous Muslim country

guardian.co.uk, Kate Hodal in Padang,  Thursday 3 May 2012

Activists say Alex Aan’s is the first case in which an atheist in Indonesia
 is being tried in relation to 'pancasila', which requires belief in one god.
Photograph: Kate Hodal

When Alex Aan picked up a copy of Karen Armstrong's Holy War from his local library in west Sumatra in 2005, he had little inkling of his own religious battle to come. But after posting "God doesn't exist" on Facebook, the soft-spoken civil servant, 30, faces up to 11 years in jail for what is considered blasphemy in Indonesia.

His case has stoked a debate in the world's most populous Muslim nation, whose 240 million citizens are technically guaranteed freedom of religion but protected by law only if they believe in one of six credos: Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Hinduism. Those who question any of those face five years in prison for "insulting a major religion", plus an additional six years if they use the internet to spread such "blasphemy" to others.

Activists say Aan's is the first case in which an atheist is being tried in relation to the first pillar of Indonesia's state philosophy – pancasila, which requires belief in one god. From the medium-security rural prison where he has been held for the past two months, Aan has little hope for the future. He has been beaten by angry mobs, rejected by his community and endured public calls for his beheading. For now he is lying low in his cramped cell, awaiting an imminent verdict and has told none of his fellow inmates about his supposed crime.

"The truth is way too dangerous," says Aan quietly, his hands clasped together over his prison-issue blue jeans and button-down shirt. "I'm really worried about my future. And I'm only just now starting to think about how I'm going to deal with it."

Authorities moved Aan from his local prison in west Sumatra's capital, Padang, after he was badly beaten by a group of inmates who knew his case. To see their client for 15 minutes, Aan's lawyers must drive for four hours along a treacherous mountain road that bisects the dwindling Sumatran rainforest and crisscrosses valleys until it ends in a cul-de-sac at the prison's gates.

Aan's counsel, a ragtag team of young smokers in T-shirts and sandals, don't expect justice. "What Alex has 'done' is exercise freedom of expression," says Taufik Fajrin, one of the five lawyers defending him pro bono. "We'll try our best to get him freed but just hope he'll get a minimum sentence. Promoting human rights here is hard because you face fanatics and hardline culturalists. Even we, as his lawyers, are worried that hardliners will come to our office or homes and throw stones at us. It's a challenge."

While his lawyers estimate there may be up to 2,000 atheists in Indonesia, "there's no real way of knowing", Fajrin says. The repercussions are too dangerous.

According to Andreas Harsono, a local human rights activist, Aan's case is just one of a growing number of examples of religious intolerance across Indonesia, ranging from harassment to mob and arson attacks against groups such as the Baha'i, Shia and Ahmadiyah Muslims – sometimes ending in death.

Last year, the local Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace recorded 244 acts of violence against religious minorities – nearly double the 2007 figure.

Activists argue that the country is increasingly influenced politically and financially by conservative Wahhabi clerics from the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia, who help to incite intolerance in Indonesia. But the country's discriminatory laws – ranging from vaguely worded decrees against proselytising to requirements to state one's religion on one's national identity card – as well as the increasing number of Muslim hardliners who have taken laws into their own hands, are also to blame, Harsono says.

"Victims keep getting longer prison terms and perpetrators less, while the human rights we set in place 10 years ago are now becoming unravelled," he says. "We're seeing a motion to ban mini-skirts in government buildings whereas [before] it was OK. Beauty queen contests were OK'd in the 1970s but have now been banned in some provinces, while Valentine's Day celebrations were given the green light 30 years ago but this year were banned in Aceh.

"The situation is getting crazy," Harsono continues. "We used to discuss these issues. Now there is no discussion. The discourse today is 'This is un-Islamic and immoral'."

Indonesia's Christians have suffered most, perhaps. The Indonesian Communion of Churches says about 80 churches have been closed per year since President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono took power in 2004, and an additional 1,000 congregations have been facing harassment.

For many of those who consider themselves Islamic culture defenders, such as the Padang clan chief, Zainuddin Datuk Rajo Lenggang, religious minorities like Aan pose a serious threat to Indonesia's national identity – and atheists are particularly risky.

"If you are not a religious person, you might be dangerous to others, behaving without control and doing anything you like," Lenggang says. "Religion brings order. You cannot be an individualist."

Although Aan has issued a public apology for his Facebook message and has since converted to Islam, the hardline Islamic Society Forum has called for the use of the death penalty in his case, and Lenggang says it is too late to be forgiven by his community: "Once you doubt the existence of Allah, you are kafir – you are no longer accepted. In the old days, he may be beaten until he died. But that could still happen today. This is about faith and people can be very strict."

Aan's parents paint a portrait of a devout and intelligent son who was always interested in logic, justice and truth, and also seemingly went to great pains to keep up appearances. "My son is not an atheist," says his mother, Nuraina, through tears. "Since his childhood, he has always been diligent, always praying in the mosque, five times a day."

Aan, who has the support of the US-based Atheist Alliance International and Council of ex-Muslims of Britain, says he knew from an early age that he was an atheist, but recognised that he would have to hide it from others. "From 11, I thought 'If God exists, why is there suffering? Why is there war, poverty, hell?' Because, to me, God would not create this hell. My family would ask me my thoughts but I knew my answers would cause problems, so I kept quiet."

He looks out the window to where a group of inmates are celebrating their Sunday by performing karoake to drum'n'bass in the dusty prison yard, most of them smoking, all of them barefoot. "I only want to see a better world and help create a better world," he says. "If I cannot ... then I would prefer to die."



"Perceptions of God" – June 6, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Quantum TeachingThe Fear of God, Near-death ExperienceGod Becomes Mythology, Worship, Mastery, Intelligent Design, Benevolent Creator,Global Unity.... etc.(Text version)

“.. For centuries you haven't been able to think past that box of what God must be like. So you create a Human-like God with wars in heaven, angel strife, things that would explain the devil, fallen angels, pearly gates, lists of dos and don'ts, and many rules still based on cultures that are centuries old. You create golden streets and even sexual pleasures as rewards for men (of course) - all Human perspective, pasted upon God. I want to tell you that it's a lot different than that. I want to remind you that there are those who have seen it! Why don't you ask somebody who has had what you would call a near-death experience? …. “


"The Humanization of God" – Jul 16, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: The Humanization of God, Gaia, Benevolent DesignShift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Guides and Angels, Communication with God, Wars in Heaven ?, The Love of God, (Old) Souls, Global Unity,....  etc.)
“… Do angels exist? Absolutely, but not as you think or have been taught. Are there helpers? Absolutely, but again, not like you think. When angels visited Humans in ancient days and the events were written about by those who were there to witness the experience, I can guarantee it was a lot different than they could express on paper. When an angel appears before a Human, it looks like a swirling ball of energy, sometimes even fire that is not hot and does not consume anything. Angels are not in Human form and never have been. They are multidimensional beings, not in 3D. Yet you want to put skin and wings on them and give them a name! Why? It makes you feel better about them. We understand that…”

Thursday, May 3, 2012

West Java clerics warn of the spread of Shiite teachings

The Jakarta Post, Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung, Wed, 05/02/2012

West Java clerics from dozens of organizations under the Indonesia Muslim Cleric and Worshipper Forum have warned people to stay away from what they consider to be the spread of a Shiite teaching movement. The warnings are apparently driven by religious differences between the Shiite and Sunni Islamic sects, the latter of which is the dominant Islamic sect in Indonesia.

“There are at least three objections to Shiite teachings. First, Shiite sect considers that the current Koran has been corrupted. Second, it recalls that only Shiite clerics hold the ultimate authorities to interpret the hadiths,” forum head Athian Ali told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
And the third, he added, was because the Shiite sect acknowledged contract-based marriage, where they could perform marriages to their own preferences.

“This could be used to legalize prostitution,” he added.

Separately, Rafani Akhyar from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) West Java chapter, confirmed that they needed to be alert of Shiite teachings spreading because it could bring a negative influence on Indonesian Muslims.

“We should be alert toward the Shiite political agenda because it could harm the idea of the Unitary State of Indonesia (NKRI),” he said.

In the Shiite perspective, it is the clerics, and not the government, who hold the ultimate authority to rule the country.

In Sampang, Madura, a hearing for Ustadz Tajul Muluk, a local Shiite cleric, is currently ongoing. Tajul was brought to court simply because the police considered that his religious beliefs could provoke the Islamic mainstream to take violent measures.


Related Articles:

Govt to keep an eye on alleged anti-Shiite movements



"Perceptions of God" – June 6, 2010 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Quantum TeachingThe Fear of God, Near-death ExperienceGod Becomes Mythology, Worship, Mastery, Intelligent Design, Benevolent CreatorGlobal Unity.... etc.(Text version)

“.. For centuries you haven't been able to think past that box of what God must be like. So you create a Human-like God with wars in heaven, angel strife, things that would explain the devil, fallen angels, pearly gates, lists of dos and don'ts, and many rules still based on cultures that are centuries old. You create golden streets and even sexual pleasures as rewards for men (of course) - all Human perspective, pasted upon God. I want to tell you that it's a lot different than that. I want to remind you that there are those who have seen it! Why don't you ask somebody who has had what you would call a near-death experience?


(Religions – Zionism - March 1, 2012 - Matthew Channelled by Suzanne Ward)

9. It can be no other way—simply, this is the physics that governs life in this universe. As Earth continues apace into successively higher planes, nothing with low vibrations in any form—physical bodies, subversive plans, theft, dishonesty, unjust laws and imprisonment, bigotry, cruel customs and deeds—can survive.

10. Moving on, no, it will not be quite like religions being “totally discarded and replaced by universal laws in the Golden Age.” When the truths come forth that science and spirit are one and the same and that religious dogmas were originated by early leaders of church and state to control the masses, people whose consciousness has risen beyond the constraints of third density will adhere to the spiritual aspects of their respective religions and the devised, controlling aspects will fall by the wayside.

11. One of the truths to come forth is that Zionism, which by dark intent has been made synonymous with Judaism, actually is a bellicose political movement within the Illuminati, and its aim for more than six decades has been to create conflict and instability in the entire Middle East. Zionists, who have wielded powerful influence within and behind major governments and their military forces, do NOT represent the Jewish peoples in Israel or anywhere else. And, like all other Illuminati factions, they have been committed to that cabal’s goal of global domination.

12. Although Semites are of diverse national origins and religions, the Zionists have been successful in convincing many that “anti-Semitic” is exclusively prejudice against the Jewish peoples and opposition to Israel’s right to defend itself from its “enemies.” By means of that blatant distortion, they obtained not only world sympathy, but also massive defense funding from Israel’s allies, most especially the United States, all of which served to increase the Illuminati’s vast profits from their industrial-military machine.

13. In addition to controlling the masses through dogmatic teachings, religions have served the dark purpose of divisiveness to such an extent that it resulted in centuries of trauma and bloodshed. Witness the Crusades, wars between Catholics and Protestants, pogroms against Jews, executions of “blasphemous” individuals who refused to “recant.”  (Read More …)
Christ Consciousness Is The Energy of The New World – Mar 7, 2012  (Kryon channelled by David Brown)