Showing posts with label Indonesia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indonesia. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Indonesia, Islam, Adultery, Stoning, Burkinis, Divisiveness and the West

I've run into assertions like these quite often over the last few years. You probably have, too:
  • Those Muslims make women wear burqas, and let men do anything they want.
  • Islam oppresses women and has no standards for male behavior or dress.
  • Muslim women are forced to dress a certain way, Muslim men aren't.
I know: There's a bit of redundancy in that list. But you get the idea.

I can see why quite a few people think that those assumptions are true. Sudan and Saudi Arabia, for example, seem to be in a race for first place at displaying Islam as a hopelessly anachronistic cluster of beliefs, run by men with - to be polite about it - weird sexual hangups.

New Law Proposed in Indonesia: A Woman Accused of Adultery Should be Stoned

I've read enough about Islam, and corresponded with enough Muslims and Muslimas, to suspect - quite strongly - that the House of Saud and the bunch running Sudan don't represent all Islam.

Men who think Islam holds men and women to different standards don't just live in and near the Middle East. Here's some political news from Indonesia:
"The law also dismisses a rape victim's claims unless she can provide four male witnesses to the assault."(CNN)
In a way, no surprises here. That's the Islam most westerners see, the version of Sudan and Saudi Arabia, and - to a greater extent - Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

Just on thing. This law went through a provincial parliament in Indonesia. And it's not likely to get implemented.

The law was railroaded through the provincial parliament in Aceh, a semi-autonomous Indonesian province. The lawmakers responsible are the outgoing MPs of the "Prosperous Justice Party" - a bunch of Islamic "hardliners," as CNN put it.

And:
"...'It is very unlikely the law will be implemented,' foreign ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said Tuesday. 'The governor has already made it clear he won't support the legislation.'..."
(CNN)
Aceh has been a problem for Indonesia: and was given a measure of independence in exchange for a measure of peace.

The governor of Aceh, Irwandi Yusuf, is a former rebel who is in an unenviable position. On the one hand, he's got the "deeply devout" (or wildly wacky, depending on your point of view) religious leaders who have influence in the province.

On the other hand, the governor has foreign donors whose investments could help pull Aceh out of the mess left by his insurgency and a 2004 tsunami.

The problem, as nearly as I can see it, is that many of the foreign donors aren't all that keen on supporting an outfit that stones rape victims.

And lets get real: if a man in Aceh forces a woman to have sex with him, and they get caught, he isn't likely to say, 'I'm a rapist.' He'll say it was consensual sex, and that she's an adulteress. Unless four men break the 'good old boy' code and fess up to what happened, the dude's problems will soon be a bloody mess on the pavement.

The law doesn't just affect women, though.
"... Women are required to wear headscarves. Men caught gambling or drinking alcohol are whipped. Muslims are mandated to pray five times a day....

"...'Imposing these draconian punishments on private, consensual conduct means the government can dictate people's intimate lives,' Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said of the new law...."
(CNN)
I'd be surprised if I was on the same page with Ms. Pearson: more about that later. But I do think that the new Aceh law, as reported, is good news for male rapists/seducers, and really bad news for women.

Bikini Babes, Hot Chicks, Muslim Women and Ogling Men

On the other hand, the imposition of Islamic culture on British swimming pools has most likely been a big disappointment to ogling men, but might not be all that bad for women, in the long run.
News from the United Kingdom:
'...British swimming pools are imposing Muslim dress codes in a move described as divisive by Labour MPs.'

'Under the rules, swimmers – including non-Muslims – ... must comply with the 'modest' code of dress required by Islamic custom, with women covered from the neck to the ankles and men, who swim separately, covered from the navel to the knees. [emphasis mine]

'The phenomenon runs counter to developments in France, where last week a woman was evicted from a public pool for wearing a burkini – the headscarf, tunic and trouser outfit which allows Muslim women to preserve their modesty in the water. [emphasis mine]

'The 35-year-old, named only as Carole, is threatening legal action after she was told by pool officials in Emerainville, east of Paris, that she could not wear the outfit on hygiene grounds....'
(telegraph.co.uk)
"I think the Labor Members of Parliament have a point: this is a 'divisive' point. Men in western countries have learned to expect the titillation of watching nubile young women bouncing in their bikinis on the beach. Depriving them of this (right?) certainly could be a 'divisive' issue.

"On the other hand, I'm not at all sure that something being done in France makes it sophisticated and/or a good idea.

"Sure: right now, after decades of bikinis, hot pants and nipple rings, it's hard to imagine that anyone would be mean-spirited enough to deprive hot-blooded men of their jollies. Or women of the opportunity to be regarded as 3D living color moving centerfolds...."
A Catholic Citizen in America (August 16, 2009)

Yes, This Does Connect With the War on Terror

I think the war on terror has at least as much to do with a conflict of cultures as it does with the religious beliefs of some Muslims and the increasingly secularized hodgepodge of fashionable notions in the West.

One of the most obvious and visible aspects of a culture is what people chose to wear - or are forced to wear.

A Disclaimer: I'm One of Those People

I'm a practicing Catholic: which puts me at odds with a great deal of Western culture. I am convinced that:
  • Women should be regarded as
    • People
    • Not sex objects
  • Everybody should exercise the moderate self-respect we call "modesty"
  • Sex
    • Is a wonderful aspect of the human condition
    • Is not the be-all and end-all of existence
  • Civilization is More than Bikinis and Nipple Rings
And yeah: that makes me really counter-cultural. Which is a topic for another blog.

But They Don't Do It That Way in France!

I have long been of the opinion that Versailles is a wonderful example of architecture and landscape design; that the Louvre is a great museum, and that Charlemagne was a great leader. But I do not think that an idea is worthwhile simply because it's French.

I've discussed how the French government believes that women should be free to decide how they dress. Provided that they choose according to French standards. (Ooh! La! La!) (July 11, 2008)

Are Bikinis the Only Thing Holding Up Western Civilization?

I'd like to think that flashing flesh on the beach or in the swimming pool isn't the only thing Western civilization has left.

And, I think it's important to note that at least some flavors of Islam have a dress code that applies to men and women:
Swimmers "...must comply with the "modest" code of dress required by Islamic custom, with women covered from the neck to the ankles and men, who swim separately, covered from the navel to the knees...."
(Telegraph.co.uk)
Men in the West have gotten used to women putting themselves on display. It's a sort of tradition.

But that doesn't make contemporary Western standards of attire a good idea. A tradition of sorts, yes. Good idea: that's debatable.

This may be a good time for people in the West to decide what they really think women are, and whether the culturally-normative floor show is really respectful and appropriate.

And, I think that an idea that "runs counter to developments in France" can still be an idea worth considering.

Related posts: In the news: Background:
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Thursday, September 24, 2009

Afghan Husband Rapes Wife: Culture, Law, History, and Catching Up

Men getting a bit frantic about having children isn't unknown in Western civilization. Take England in the early 1500s, for example.

Henry VIII of England had a problem having children. Boys, anyway, who would live past their teens. Although, given his bed-hopping habits, it wouldn't have been hard to claim that just about boy whose mother was in or near London was an illegitimate son of the "Defender of the Faith" (who later set up his own church).

That was then, this is now. These days, heads of state are expected to keep their shenanigans discretely under wraps: although some still do get a little carried away. (Reuters)

Ishmael to Internet in One Lifetime

I've made the point before, that many Muslims have been dragged across several thousand years of history and cultural change in one or two generations. Stable cultures, carrying on traditions which had been ancient when Abraham moved out of Ur, were relatively isolated until Western civilization needed petroleum.

Then, the world of individual rights, Barbies, beer, bikinis and Mickey Mouse dropped into their quiet world. It must have been like a retirement community suddenly having a frat house near the golf course.

'I Can't Get My Wife Pregnant: It Must Be Her Fault!'

Afghanistan is an Islamic country. It's also in the Middle East - or just outside that region, depending on who you're reading.1 And, it's not the best spot in the world to live if you're a woman.

Take Shameen, for instance. She's had a rough time lately. She and her husband haven't had children. He blames her, and apparently Afghan culture backs him up.
"... After one severe beating, she ran from her home and to the police station. Her husband promised the police he would not attack her anymore, so she gave in and agreed to go back home with him.

Days later, Shameen's husband took her on a trip to visit her sister's grave -- a 15-year-old sister who was burned to death for displeasing her husband.

"Shameen says her younger sister was 11 years old when she was forced to marry an older man. He would beat and abuse her until one day he killed her.

"As Shameen walked along the graveyard with her husband he took her near a shrine where he forced her to the ground, lifted her burqa and raped her. He then threatened her with a knife and asked her who was going to help her now. She was screaming as he slashed her throat and body.

"A passerby saved her.

"Now, she has no one to turn to -- not even her own parents. In their eyes, she has brought them shame, an offense punishable by death.

"In Afghanistan, a woman is blamed for the injustices she must live through. Shameen says when her sister was killed, her parents turned a blind eye...."
(CNN)

Rape isn't Nice, and We Shouldn't Do It

Rape is a serious offense. And, yes: a husband can rape his wife. It's wrong, it's bad, and it's a monumentally stupid thing to do. But, it's possible.

This definition and discussion of rape might help clarify my views:
"Rape is the forcible violation of the sexual intimacy of another person. It does injury to justice and charity. Rape deeply wounds the respect, freedom, and physical and moral integrity to which every person has a right...."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2356)
A key word here is "forcible." Shameen's husband forced himself on her. That may be okay in some cultures - but I don't buy into the multicultural ethic that says morality is determined by culture. Some things are wrong anywhere, and rape is one of them.

"A passerby saved her."

I think there's some hope for Afghanistan. The CNN article says: "A passerby saved her." At least one person in the country doesn't think that sexual assault in a cemetery is okay. And, the Afghan government not only allows shelters for abused women to exist, but cooperates with them.
"... Authorities brought Shameen to a shelter run by Women for Afghan Women (WAW). The organization started in New York to provide humanitarian assistance to women who do not know they have rights.

"In this safe house, WAW is currently providing care, security and an education for 54 women and children.

"Nearly 90 percent of Afghan women suffer from domestic abuse, according to the United Nations Development Fund for Women...."
(CNN)
I was doing time in a university in the eighties, when political correctness was in flower, so I've got - ambivalent? - feelings 'women's rights' and other PC dogmas. But the CNN article gives no clear indication that political indoctrination is part the WAW shelter's program: And those women desperately need a place to stay.

Islam, Culture, Rape and Attitude

There are more Muslims in America today then there were when I was growing up: but they're still a tiny minority here. My guess is that many Americans get their impression of what Islam is from the antics of Sudan's government, Saudi clerics, and people like Shameen's husband.

It's sort of like knowing Christianity from the activities of the Westboro Baptist Church and the KKK in the sixties. (November 26, 2007) Yes, those outfits claim to be Christian - and their members may believe it sincerely - but their actions are not typical of Christianity as a whole.

With Islam, it really is different. It looks to me like we've got a situation equivalent to entire nations being controlled by analogs of the Ku Klux Klan, as was in the sixties, at least; and the Westboro Baptist Church, with it's notions about the American military being part of a homosexual plot. (October 31, 2007)

But, based on what I've read - and correspondence with Muslims and Muslimas who do not think terrorism is a good idea - I think that Islamic belief is highly influenced by the culture of whatever region Muslims live it. I see a strong analogy to the "Bible truths" preached by some Christian groups: like 'alcohol is the work of the Devil' or 'rock music is Satanic,' which appear to stem more from the personal preferences of the pastor and mores of the local culture, than anything else.2

I've used Indonesia as an example of a very Islamic country that doesn't act like Sudan or Saudi Arabia. I don't think Indonesia is perfect, by any means. (August 22, 2008) Indonesia's officials may be struggling with reconciling their own beliefs, demands by Islamic crazies, and awareness of what's happened since the Magna Carta: and trying to run a country where terrorists have a limited - but significant - number of supporters.

For that matter, I don't think America is perfect. Which is another topic. (July 3, 2008)

I'm old enough to remember the 'good old days,' when significant numbers of Americans - including judges - figured that if a woman got raped, she must have been asking for it. Okay: In some cases, the victim was behaving imprudently. But that wasn't an excuse for rape. Not. At. All.

That attitude, and an indulgent view of drunk driving, seem to be on the wane. At least, I sincerely hope so.

Afghanistan is in Bad Shape - Abandoning Them to the Taliban Won't Help

I've said, often, that who wins the war on terror matters (July 30, 2009, for starters) Abandoning Afghanistan and the rest of the Islamic world to the Taliban and Saudi clerics isn't just wrong, it's a bad idea. There are Muslims - many, I hope - who would say "this is not us" about jihad as imagined by Bin Laden's Al Qaeda and the Taliban. (August 9, 2007)

If they're not given an opportunity to develop an Islamic world that's a bit more post-18th-century than what the Taliban and Al Shabaab have in mind, I don't think it would be long before the rest of the world had a relatively united block of terrorist nations to deal with.

Related posts: In the news:
1 With a world population of a bit over 6,000,000,000, somebody's going to have a passionate opinion about whether or not the term "Middle East" should be used at all.

I try to use terms that most people who understand English are familiar with. And "Middle East" is a whole lot shorter than "the-swath-of-countries-along-the-south-and-east-shores-of-the-Mediterranean-around-the-Caspian-and-south-shore-of-the-Black-Sea-and-eastwards-to-India."

Sure, "Western Asia" sounds cool - but leaves out the northern tier of nations in Africa, and Sudan: which have more-or-less-strong cultural similarities to the other Middle Eastern countries.

2 There's an anecdote, which I haven't traced to its source, about a Christian denomination with members on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line. Sometime in the 20th century, when transportation technology made a national convention practical, delegates from north and south got together.

The 'Bible truth' that one set believed was that alcohol was okay, but tobacco was the work of the Devil. The other was okay with smoking - health problems notwithstanding - but knew that God Himself had declared alcohol to be the work of the Devil.

They had, I heard, quite a lively theological discussion before thrashing out a compromise.
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Sunday, July 19, 2009

Indonesia: Still Investigating the Jakarta Bombing

It's looking more like the double bombing in Jakarta was done by Islamic terrorists. More specifically, by what Reuters calls "the militant Jemaah Islamiah group." At least, the two suicide bombers and their handlers used the methods, and the same sort of equipment, that Jemaah Islamiah has used in the past.

The death toll seems to be holding steady at nine, so far: including the two suicide bombers. Last night I read that people going through the wreckage were still finding body parts - and that others were sorting out which pieces belonged to which individuals. From the sounds of it, there's no end of a mess where the two hotel restaurants were.

Today's big deal in the news is a laptop, found by investigators, which appears to have belonged to one of the bombers. Information on that could be quite important.

One thing that's notable in this incident is how Indonesian authorities are handling the investigation - and how they're releasing reports. They're saying that there's a strong indication that Jemaah Islamiah is involved - which is not the same as saying it is the work of Jemaah Islamiah. And, there isn't the sort of denial of trouble/accusation of another usual suspect routine that we saw recently in Iran.

As I've said before, "not all countries are the same."

Related posts: In the news:
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Saturday, July 18, 2009

Marriott, Ritz-Carlton in Indonesia Bombed: It Could Have Been Worse

Indonesia is in the news again - and I'm sure the Indonesian tourist industry wishes it wasn't.

Marriott, Ritz-Carlton in Jakarta Hit: Over a Half-Dozen Dead

Bombs went off at two hotels: The JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta and the Ritz-Carlton next door, hotels that were connected by a tunnel. At this point, it looks like two suicide bombers went off, first killing five people at the Marriott - plus the bomber - then a few minutes later killing one person at the Ritz-Carlton - plus the bomber. So, counting the weapon systems, a total of eight people known dead.

There's no end of a mess to clean up, too: and the possibility that the death toll may climb.

The good news yesterday was that another bomb was found before it went off.

Checking in, Checking Out

This may be a new wrinkle: it looks like the suicide bombers, and maybe more people associated with the attack, checked in before blowing up. I'm pretty sure that hoteliers in Indonesia and elsewhere are reviewing their arrangements for protecting their guests from 'outside' attacks - and from each other.

Certainty Increases With Distance

As so often happens, those least closely connected with investigating the attack seem the most certain about who is responsible. A western news service identified the attack as a "...Revival of Jihadi Terror..." (Bloomberg) The anonymous "security analysts" could be right. Suicide attacks are a trademark of those lions of Islam who convince somebody else that they'll get an all-expense-paid harem if they blow themselves up.

On the other hand, maybe this is a new, non-Islamic sort of suicide bomber.

I think it's likely enough that this is the work of some bunch who think they're making the world safe for Islam, or something of that sort. But it's early days yet.

Another Look at the Headlines

I see that the death toll is now nine, and that Indonesian police are looking at DNA left by the suicide bombers. (AFP)

Also, that it looks like Jemaah Islamiyah might be responsible. That's the outfit that killed 202 people in Bali, back in 2002. Indonesian police say the bombs used yesterday are 'identical' to the sort used by Jemaah Islamiyah. Yesterday's attacks were the worst in Indonesia since 2005. (AFP)

Here's What I Think: We Don't Know Yet

Anonymous experts notwithstanding, I think it's 'way too early to know just what went on in Jakarta yesterday. The business of checking in before blowing up seems to be something new - and that may be significant. At a minimum, that's going to have people in the hospitality industry taking another look at how they protect their guests.

Beyond that, judging from what's in the news, what we have is suspicions about who is responsible, a rising body count, and what appears to be a serious effort by law enforcement in Indonesia to find out exactly who is responsible.

I'm just glad that the death toll is so low. From the sounds of it, the bombings could have been a lot worse. Cold comfort to friends and family of the victims, of course.

Related posts: In the news:
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Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Terror East of Lahore

There's trouble all over: hardly an unusual state of affairs for this world.

Al Qaeda and the Taliban are far from the only groups that see no problems with using terror to get things their way.

India

In India, a group called the Indian Mujahedeen says it's responsible for killing at least 21 people in a series of bomb attacks in New Delhi. They've got a perfectly good reason, from their point of view: They say they're getting even with India for 60 years of Muslim persecution, and because India has from time to time supported American policies.

Indonesia

Meanwhile, in Indonesia, something went boom around the Jakarta airport. Nobody was killed, nobody was injured, but as of a few days ago the explosion was being treated as a "suspected bomb." Since the explosion blew the cover off a small electrical hub, I think it's possible that it's a case of defective equipment, rather than delinquent people, but I also understand Indonesian authorities wanting to be sure. They've had their hands full with terrorists lately.

India, Again

Back in the east Indian state of Orissa, people have been killed in "Hindu-Christian riots." The latest death was a police officer who was shot as he fled a burning police station. Four or five hundred Hindus had torched the building, then shot at the police as they fled the flames.

Like the Indian Mujahedeen, that bunch may have had a good reason (from their point of view) for arson and murder. The police were taking sides: they'd fired on a crowd to keep it from attacking Christians. Several people died as a result.

On the other hand, of the 140 people arrested in connection with one set of riots, 60 were Hindus accused of attacking Christian churches, 80 were mostly Christians, accused of disturbing the peace.

In the Indian state of Karnataka, a record of a sort was set, with 14 churches attacked in one hour last Sunday.

The Christians may have been asking for trouble. Some of them said that "right-wing Hindus" didn't approve of the Christian opposition to violence in Orissa.

Besides, someone killed a Hindu leader, Laxmananda Saraswati, and four other people last month. At a Hindu school. Between 20 and 30 gunmen burst in and started shooting. The idea seems to be that they must have been Christians.

Christian missionaries are a suspicious lot in the eyes of some Hindu groups. There are stories of forced conversions.

All [Insert Religious Group Here] Are Not Terrorists

I have good reason to hope that all Muslims are not terrorists, or supporters of terrorism.

I don't think that all Hindus are terrorists.

And I know that all Christians are not terrorists: mainly because I'm a Christian myself.

However, some 'Christians' are terrorists. The Ku Klux Klan, in its various manifestations, used terror as a weapon against people it didn't approve of. Some people who identified themselves as Christian were members of the Ku Klux Klan. That didn't make all Christians Klanners.

I think there is good reason to believe that the same goes for terrorists who identify themselves as Muslims, Hindus, or members of other beliefs.

It's prudent to remember that the War on Terrorism is a war on terrorism. Not a war on Islam.

In the news:
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Friday, August 22, 2008

Indonesia, "Allah Akbar," and Muslim Tolerance

I still hope that Islam really is a "peaceful religion," and that a region in which Muslims are a majority can tolerate people who don't measure up to whatever Islamic standards the local imams say are 'true Islam.'

What's happening in Indonesia isn't helping me maintain that assumption.

For 20 years, students the Arastamar Evangelical School of Theology in Jakarta have been praying and singing hymns. What news services call 'hard line' Muslims, naturally, don't approve. They feel that it's proselytizing. They say.

So, the Muslims used bamboo spears and Molotov cocktails to drive the Christians out.

Indonesia's reputation for tolerance isn't entirely gone. The Christians were allowed to live, and even permitted to move into a small office building on the other side of the Indonesian capital.

Those Thieving, Singing, Burglarizing Christians

Well, singing, anyway.

From one point of view, the Christians must be at fault. After an attack on the Christians on June 26, 2008, east Jakarta district chief, Murdani, blamed the Christians for the raid, saying that both "warring" parties should stay calm.

Besides, there was a rumor that one of those Christian students stole a motorcycle from a neighboring village.

A July 25, 2008, attack began when stones fell on the school's dormitory roof. At the same time a voice on a nearby mosque's loudspeaker cried "Allah Akbar." "God is great" in Arabic.) It's hard to shake the notion that the Allah Akbar/incoming rocks was more than mere coincidence.

This time, the rumor was that a Christian student had broken into a residence. Police dismissed the accusation, but the Akbar bunch didn't.

Making Nice with Radical Islam, and Leaning on Property Owners

There's a possibility that recent attacks on the school were more about economics than religion. Someone made the school an offer to move out, and the school refused.

It's not hard for me to see the attacks as an 'offer they couldn't refuse.' Particularly since the school can be torn down now.

A few years ago, locals had burned construction shelters, when the school tried to build on new land. More land for the school meant less land for the Muslims, so naturally someone torched the construction equipment. Makes sense, in a lawless sort of way.

There doesn't seem to have been much done about whoever forced the school out. Arastamar Evangelical School of Theology's chairman, the Rev. Matheus Mangentang, said, "Why should we be forced from our house while our attackers can walk freely?"

Part of the answer may be that there's an election coming up. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's government doesn't want to seem anti-Islamic, by treating attacks on Christians and other minorities as crimes.

A Jesuit priest, Prof. Franz Magnis-Suseno, has lived in Indonesia for a half-century. "People are still tolerant, but there is a growing suspicion among Muslims of others," adding that police haven't prevented attacks on minorities, and forced closures of both Christian churches and nontraditional mosques. "The state has some responsibility for this growing intolerance, namely by not upholding the law," he said.

Equal-Opportunity Bigots

Muslims have burned several mosques of the Muslim sect Ahmadiyah. The firebugs feel that the Ahmadiyah sect is heretical.

Indonesia has been a good example of how a largely Islamic nation can tolerate diversity and freedom. I sincerely hope that the country does not begin running its affairs along "Islamic" lines, as Saudi Arabia does.

Indonesia intolerance in the news: Related posts, on tolerance, bigotry, racism, and hatred.
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Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Reciprocity, the Middle East, and America: Contrasts

While the Holy Father and the American president went into the White House for a private meeting this morning, a commentator said that one of the topics that would probably be discussed would be reciprocity.

He didn't specifically mention the War on Terror, but "reciprocity" sheds light on what I think is an important aspect of the conflict.

First, despite the impression that so many Islamic governments seem determined to give, I do not believe that the War on Terror is a war on Islam. I prefer to believe that there are aspects of Islam which will allow the religion to exist in today's world.

I do believe that we're in a conflict between a culture in the Middle East and surrounding areas, whose rules and traditions were ancient when Mohammed was born, and the culture which is making cyborgs, debating the ethics of organ transplants, and whose robots are exploring the outer solar system.

I imagine that people who grew up in a culture which permits men to be executed for wearing trousers, men and women to be stoned for committing adultery, and which accused a British schoolteacher of attacking Islam with a teddy bear might find the post-Magna Carta world a strange place. We do things differently out here.

America is roughly 78% Christian, counting Protestants, Catholics, and Mormons as a group: but there are no no restrictions on building mosques. Apart from the usual issues with building codes and local grouches.

That isn't to say that there isn't anti-Islamic sentiment in America. Some jerks burned a mosque in Tennessee, earlier this year. After the fire was out, local churches started passing the hat to help re-build the Mosque, and providing the Muslims with meeting space until they could get their own place set up again.

A mostly-Christian nation where Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and practically anyone else, can build and use a church, temple, mosque, shrine, or whatever. That's "reciprocity."

That's not the way it works everywhere. For example:
  • Sudan, where the Darfur genocide is (finally) getting a little of the attention it deserves
  • Saudi Arabia, where visitors may not bring dangerous items like
    • Prohibited drugs and narcotics
    • Firearms
    • Explosives
    • Edged weapons
    • Pornographic materials
    • Bibles
    • Crucifixes
    • Statues
    • Carvings
    • "Items with religious symbols such as the Star of David, and others"
      (More, at "Saudi Arabia: Non-Islamic Religious Items Verboten" (August 9, 2007).)
Not all countries in the Middle East are that intolerant. Nina Shea, in Middle East, a speech delivered in 1998, pointed to Jordan as an exception. And, not all Islamic countries are intolerant. The American State Department describes Indonesia as a nation with constitutional guarantees of religious freedom. Indonesia isn't as wide-open as America in that respect, but they don't have the Saudi flavor of Islam, either. Last, year, I wrote about traditional cultures of northern Africa and the Middle East:
"The impression I get is that these are places where men were living comfortably in a mosaic of tribes, living their lives in much the same way that their ancestors had since the time of Abraham. "Then, a few centuries ago, European colonial powers dragged them into the
  • Age of nation-states
  • Age of Reason
  • Age of Enlightenment
  • Industrial Revolution
  • Cold War
  • Space Race
  • Information Revolution
"To people still accustomed to burqas and Sharia, a world of Barbies and sports cars must be terrifying. It's no wonder that they go a little crazy, trying to adjust." (November 28, 2007)
I think that Barbies and sports cars, disturbing as they are, aren't the most frightening aspect of western civilization for traditionalists of the Middle east. It's the idea of freedom: including the freedom to worship, or not worship, based on personal choice.

Reciprocity - giving followers of non-majority religions the same rights as the majority - works in America. Perhaps other cultures can survive exposure to new ideas, too.
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Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Terrorism East of Lahore

Posts about terrorism in and east of Pakistan, and south of Egypt: About This Blog's Focus

"Another War on Terror Blog" focuses, as the title says, on the War on Terror: which I see as the struggle between Jihadist Muslims and anyone they think isn't sufficiently Islamic. As far as I can tell, the Islam of Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and like-minded organizations wants to impose its values and customs on the Islamic world: and to convert or destroy the rest.

Like it or not, what's at stake are the guarantees of individual liberty which began in 13th century Europe with the Magna Carta, and became global concerns after 18th century American and European revolutions.

The greatest obstacle to fundamentalist Islam, and the best chance we have of preserving individual freedom, is the United States of America. I am afraid that there is no other country with both the willingness to deal with the realities of this 21st century jihad, and the power to both defeat the Islamic zealots and help the victims of terrorism rebuild their countries.

That, and my being an American, will keep this blog focused on terrorism in and connected to the Middle East or Islam.
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Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Indonesian Deradicalization Program Working: In Indonesia, at Least

Good news from Indonesia: "Indonesia's success: using terrorists to fight terrorism."

At least, that's what that an op-ed piece in the "Los Angeles Times," repeated in "The Baltimore Sun," says. The 2002 Bali nightclub bombing changed Indonesia's problem with Islamic terrorism from a regional problem to a global issue for the largest Muslim nation on Earth. Now, Indonesia seems to have a solution to their internal security - and public relations - problem.

And Joshua Kurlantzick, the author, says Indonesia's approach could be used elsewhere. He could be right.

Jemaah Islamiah (JI) is a major problem in Indonesia. The country has been dealing with day-to-day terrorist threats with good police work. "Backed by U.S. training and high-end surveillance equipment, Indonesia's elite counter-terrorism squad has established an effective internal intelligence network, relying on informants to point the way to terrorist hide-outs and arresting hundreds of JI members."

Indonesia is also trying to cut off the supply of terrorists. They're sending people into prisons, to convince inmates that Islam doesn't support (most) terrorism. As the op-ed piece put it: "These are men like Nasir Abas, once a Jemaah Islamiah leader, who have sworn off most types of violence. Former fighters who agree to help the deradicalization program often receive incentives, such as reduced sentences or assistance for their families."

Success in the Islamic world

Sounds good, and the program seems to be working. Reports of Indonesian internal terrorist activity are on the way down. Indonesia isn't the only place with programs like the one Nasir Abas is involved in. The op-ed piece cites deradicalization programs, with the catchy title "enactEd Reeducation strategies," in:
  • Egypt
  • Singapore
  • Malaysia
  • Jordan
  • Yemen
These deradicalization programs seem to be working. Sort of. Again, from the op-ed:

"Saudi officials say the program has been very successful. Major terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia have plummeted compared with 2004. The Saudi plan also appears to have a broader regional impact. Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, has said that the Saudi initiative may be one reason for the sharp decline in the number of foreign fighters coming into Iraq."

That's good news, as far as it goes. And, I'm glad to see that the Saudi jihad rehab program may be having an effect outside Saudi Arabia.

I think that the idea of intervening in the lives of at-risk people before they join the "death to America! death to the Jews!" crowd is a good idea. I also think that someone who used to support terrorism, and doesn't any more, is in a powerful position to argue for a less violent flavor of Islam.

As the author put it, "Even Western nations facing radical threats seem to be learning" (A condescending attitude??). He cites programs and policies in:
  • The Netherlands
  • Britain
As usual, government spending is taken as a measure of sincerity: The Netherlands is spending $40 million to start its deradicalization program.

But what the op ed doesn't mention is that the Saudi jihad rehab considers terrorists rehabilitated when they promise to lay off violent attacks on the Arabian Peninsula. That's great for the house of Saud, not so much for infidel nations. (I wrote about this earlier, in "Saudi Breakthrough! Jihadists Reformed!! Al Qaeda Members Promise No More Jihad*!!!" (November 27, 2007).)

I think it's one thing for a Muslim nation to convince Muslim terrorists that they shouldn't attack local Muslims: particularly when the country has an Islamic government.

I have doubts about how effective such a program would be in a secular, largely non-Muslim country like America. Or The Netherlands, or England, for that matter.

Besides, I can easily imagine the indignant protests that would happen in America, if a government program tried to interfere with the religious liberties and civil rights of Muslim inmates, and the Imams who visit them.

Particularly since most Muslim prison chaplains in America are certified by The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) or the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences (GSISS). You won't find the GSISS now: It's in Ashburn, Virginia, now, and renamed itself Cordoba University in 2005.

Those outfits follow the Wahhabi version of Islam, and are being investigated by the American government for ties to terrorism.

So What?

Hats off to Indonesia and their prison intervention program. It confirms my opinion that Islam can tolerate a culture which allows women to vote, and hold jobs other than "cultural performers" or 'sex industry professionals.'

Intervention programs like Indonesia's are promising developments. However, I take the glowing description of the Indonesian "enactEd Reeducation strategies," and Saudi Arabia's jihad rehab program with a pinch of salt. Make that a handful.

The Saudi program considers a terrorist rehabilitated when he promises not to attack people on the Arabian Peninsula. The op-ed piece doesn't mention that vital detail, which makes me slightly dubious about how wide-ranging Indonesia's reform goes.

Consider the cautiously-phrased description of the reformed terrorists as "men like Nasir Abas, once a Jemaah Islamiah leader, who have sworn off most types of violence." (emphasis mine) I can't help wonder if the author feels uncomfortable about mentioning how conditional a non-western nation's commitment to eradicating terrorism is, when the terrorists are Muslims.
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Monday, November 26, 2007

Islam, Christianity, Religion, Culture
and the War on Terror

Posts on Islam, Christianity, Religion, and Culture:
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Islam, Christianity, Culture, and Kooks

"The Islamic world" is a handy label for that swath of territory and people from Turkey to Indonesia.

As the followers of Mohammed preached and hacked their way across Asia and Africa, they set up quite a wide variety of "Islamic" cultures. I'm aware that I'm over-simplifying here: This post is long as it is, without going into detail on what's happened in the last fourteen centuries, since Mohammed's conquest of Mecca in 630.

(The founder of Islam has my respect, if for nothing else than for raising an army, marching on a city, conquering that city with minimal bloodshed, and then refraining from slaughtering the inhabitants. Such a high level of humanitarianism has been rare in human history.)

(And, about the spelling of the Prophet's name. There's a variety of ways to take his name from the Arabic alphabet and drop it into the Latin alphabet as used in English. I'm going to use Mohammed, since that's what the standard set in the Associated Press style book I use. Exceptions will be situations where I'm quoting from a source, or where I make a mistake.)

Islamic Unity??

Since Islam is a sort of roll-your-own religion, with no central authority to define what's so and what's not, there are many varieties of Islam. I'm going to take a glance at three "Islamic" countries, and "Christian" America, and try to make some sense of what's out there.

Indonesia is just over 86% Muslim, compared to
  • 70% Sunni Muslim for Sudan
    (with 5% Christian - mostly in south and Khartoum -
    and 25% indigenous beliefs)
  • 100% Muslim for Saudi Arabia
For comparison, America is about 78% Christian, if you include Mormons:
  • 52% Protestant
  • 24% Roman Catholic
  • 2% Mormon
  • 1% Jewish
  • 1% Muslim
  • 10% Other
  • 10% None
Indonesia has more Muslims than any other country, in terms of raw numbers, and is more "Muslim" than America is "Christian."

On the other hand, Saudi Arabia owns and controls Mecca, and is virtually all Muslim.

And, in addition to being about as far away from each other geographically as any other two Islamic countries are, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia are very far away from each other in terms of their on-the-street, practical, Islamic beliefs.

Islam: Saudi Style

She's known as the "Girl from Qatif." She's a 19-year-old who was raped by about a half-dozen men, and (so far) sentenced to 200 lashes and prison time. The Saudi Justice Ministry's latest story is that she's guilty of adultery. And that's why she'll be flogged.

It makes sense, since what passes for justice in Saudi Arabia is run by a collection of Islamic courts and judges appointed by the king. The royal opinion has access to the opinion of Saudi Arabia's Supreme Judicial Council. The whole mess uses Sharia Law as the foundation for their decisions.

A little oddity in this case: The Saudi Justice Ministry's current story is that the "Girl from Qatif" was with a high school friend, recovering a photo that showed the two of them together. "Then they were spotted by the other defendants as the woman was in an indecent condition as she had tossed away her clothes, then the assault occurred on her and the man," is how the Houston Chronicle reported the latest Saudi story.

That sentence of prison and lashes, that the 19-year-old got after an appeal? It was legal, according to the Saudi ministry, and followed the "the book of God and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad."

Speaking of Mohammed, here's an example of

Islam: Sudan Style

A British school teacher has been sentenced to 40 lashes. She's guilty of a serious crime. She allowed her class of 7-year-olds to name a teddy bear "Muhammad." The vote was 20 for "Muhammad," 3 for other names.

British Embassy in Khartoum said that it still doesn't know whether the teacher has been charged. Formally, that is. "We are following it up with the authorities and trying to meet her in person," said the embassy.

I'm impressed at how laid back Sudanese authorities are, about getting around to formal charges. Not favorably impressed, but I am impressed.

The teacher was following a British National Curriculum course for teaching about animals and their habitats. The animal this year was the bear.

After naming the teddy bear, each student could have the bear for a weekend. They were supposed to record what they did with the bear. Then each account was put in a book, with "My name is Muhammad" on the cover.

This apparently is an insult to the prophet of Islam. And, more to the point, regarded as an insult by the prophet's lash-happy followers in Sudan.

Sudanese police now want to question the 7-year-old girl who brought in the teddy bear.

Posts on "British Teacher Home from Sudan: Gillian Gibbons, Muslim Clerics, and a Teddy Bear named Mohammed"

Islam, Indonesian Style

Since the Indonesian judicial system isn't based on Sharia Law, it wouldn't be entirely fair to use Indonesian court decisions as an example of Islam in action.

Christians have been executed in Indonesia: For example, the three Christians who were convicted of leading a militia that killed at least 70 Muslims during 1999-2002. After that, Indonesia sentenced a dozen Christian men to terms of up to 14 years: Because they beat two Muslims to death, and beheaded them. The nominal Christians were exacting vengeance for the earlier death sentences.

Christianity, American Style

America is less "Christian" than any of these three Islamic nations is "Muslim." And, America's judicial system, like Indonesia's, isn't based (directly) on a set of religious laws.

For both countries, I'm sure that the religious faiths of those who drew up the laws had something to do with what the laws dictate. I think, though, that America can take credit for putting more distance between traditional religious beliefs and actual judicial practice.

Religious Values: or Cultural Values?

Islam isn't the only religion where decisions about the faith are made on a regional or local level. Protestant Christianity is very democratic in the way that its lack of a central authority demands that groups decide for themselves what they believe.

In the case of large denominations, like the Lutheran or Baptist churches, we don't often see beliefs preached that stray very far from the dominant culture.

At the other end of the scale, we've got outfits like the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. (Not the Westboro Baptist Church of Westboro, Ontario, which has nothing in common with the Kansas outfit, apart from the name.) I discussed this outfit's notions about the American military being part of a homosexual plot in "Tolerance Only Goes So Far" and "Does Free Speech Include Disrupting Funerals?."

Then, there's the Ku Klux Klan, or KKK. They're not a religious group, but their beliefs include disapproval of the existence of Catholics and Jews in their neighborhood. Or anywhere, I gather. And, their habit of burning crosses has seared the idea into people's minds that they're a Christian splinter group.

I'm no expert, but it looks like "The Islamic World" is nowhere near being a unified entity. From Saudi Arabia, where religious fanatics seem to be running the judiciary, to Indonesia, where religious fanatics are trying to topple the government for not being Islamic enough, there's at least as much of a divide as between Al Qaeda and the Taliban, who want to kill infidels in America, and elsewhere; and the infidels, who, by and large, would rather not be killed.

Certainly not for offenses like wearing pants.

The impression I get is that many of these "Islamic" countries are what America would be like, if the KKK or the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka ran the show.

Related posts, on Islam, Christianity, Religion, Culture and the War on Terror.
Related posts, on tolerance, bigotry, racism, and hatred.
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Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Not All Muslims are Terrorists

Most terrorists these days are Muslims, but not all Muslims are terrorists. This isn't a very subtle point, but I've run into a few blogs recently that didn't seem to have grasped the idea. I've also run into odd opinions about America's policies, but that's another matter.

If Islam was one big cult of destruction, Indonesia would be very hard to explain. Indonesia is, in terms of numbers of people, the biggest Islamic nation in the world.

As such, Indonesia should be a hotbed of terrorist activity.

Instead, Indonesia, and people visiting the country, are victims of terrorists. Almost five years ago, a tourist spot in Bali blew up and burned, with tourists inside. 202 people died.

to date, it's been the biggest terrorist attack in Indonesia. That's no 9/11, but it was serious enough to be called Australia's 9/11, since over a third of the victims were Australians.

It was the first of four attacks in as many years:
  • 2002 Bali nightclub bombings
  • 2003 bombing at J.W. Marriott hotel
  • 2004 bombing of the Australian Embassy
  • 2005 triple suicide attacks on restaurants
The 2002 attacks killed 202 people. The 2003 and 2004 bombings killed 22 in all, about twenty were killed in 2005.

The total fatalities were less than a tenth of 9/11 death toll: but those were attacks, nonetheless. In an Islamic country: the biggest in the world.

And, although news reports still use words like "alleged," Jemaah Islamiyah (الجماعة الاسل, or Islam Community, I think) is almost certainly involved. Those aren't "Crusaders."

The top Indonesian court rejected appeals that lawyers for three "Islamic militants" who "all admitted in court to planning and carrying out the attacks, which they have said were meant to punish the U.S. and its Western allies for alleged atrocities in Afghanistan. They showed no remorse and taunted relatives of the victims in court."

I can understand their lack of remorse. Ali Ghufron, Amrozi Nurhasyim. and Imam Samudra probably believe that their act of mass murder was the will of Allah, and that they'll be well-rewarded.

But, that doesn't mean that all Muslims have those beliefs. Remember: it's the courts of an Islamic nation that's sentenced them to death by firing squad.

Related posts, on tolerance, bigotry, racism, and hatred
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Blogroll

Note! Although I believe that these websites and blogs are useful resources for understanding the War on Terror, I do not necessarily agree with their opinions. 1 1 Given a recent misunderstanding of the phrase "useful resources," a clarification: I do not limit my reading to resources which support my views, or even to those which appear to be accurate. Reading opinions contrary to what I believed has been very useful at times: sometimes verifying my previous assumptions, sometimes encouraging me to change them.

Even resources which, in my opinion, are simply inaccurate are sometimes useful: these can give valuable insights into why some people or groups believe what they do.

In short, It is my opinion that some of the resources in this blogroll are neither accurate, nor unbiased. I do, however, believe that they are useful in understanding the War on Terror, the many versions of Islam, terrorism, and related topics.