Catholics pray for Muslims on holiday travels

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Sun, 08/28/2011

Thecongregation of one Catholic church is offering prayers for the safe travels ofMuslims on the road for the holiday.

“We prayfor everyone's safety - especially for those who are right now struggling toreach their hometowns to celebrate Idul Fitri,” said a priest at St.Bartholomew church in Bekasi during mass on Sunday as quoted by kompas.com.

In anannual tradition, Pope Benedict XVI is expected to offer greetings to allMuslims on the first day of Idul Fitri.

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Indonesian Sharia police separate Aceh lesbian couple

BBC News, ByAlice Budisatrijo, Jakarta, 25 August 2011

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Islamicpolice in the Indonesian province of Aceh have forced two women to have theirmarriage annulled and sign an agreement to separate.

Aceh is the only province in Indonesia to
apply Sharia law

The womenhad been legally married for a few months after one of them passed as a man infront of an Islamic cleric who presided over their wedding.

Butsuspicious neighbours confronted the couple and reported them to police.

The twowomen are now back with their families, forcibly separated and undersurveillance by the Islamic police.

The localSharia police chief told them Islam said they must be beheaded and burned forwhat they had done.

But Aceh,the only province in Indonesia that is allowed to implement Sharia law, has yetto adopt any provisions dealing with gay and lesbian people.

Theprovincial parliament passed Islamic laws authorising the stoning to death ofadulterers and the caning of homosexuals in 2009, but the governor has refusedto sign it.

Homosexualityis frowned upon but legal in Indonesia.

Activistshave blamed Aceh's Sharia laws for encouraging vigilantism and intolerance, andsay they violate the Indonesian constitution.

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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 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.)  New !

Papuan souvenirs, songs feature in Independence Day ceremony at palace

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Wed, 08/17/2011

Thepresidential palace distributed Papua-themed souvenirs during the ceremony tocommemorate Indonesia’s 66th Independence Day on the palace’s front lawn.

Each guestattending the ceremony received a goody bag containing a Papua-themed T-shirt,mug and book, as well as a collection of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’sspeeches and a few snacks, among other things.

Papuansongs by a choir, which included a number of Papuans, also greeted guests asthey arrived at the palace.

Demands forPapua’s independence have escalated recently after thousands of Papuans acrossthe province staged coordinated rallies to call for a referendum on Papuanindependence.

The IndependenceDay ceremony at the palace was led by President Yudhoyono, tempointeraktif.comreported

Indigenous Indonesians fear forest sell-off

Deutsche Welle, 15 Aug 2011  

Villagers protest against visitors
to their forest

TheIndonesian government needs the support of its indigenous peoples to reforestits devastated woods. But they have become suspicious of visitors examiningtrees. They fear a sell-off to foreign investors.

Angryvillagers shout, clench their fists and wave banners at a group ofinternational visitors who have come to see the Mejet Forest on the northernpart of the Indonesian island of Lombok.

This isn'tthe reception that the visitors were expecting. The international collection offorestry officials and NGO experts came with good intentions – to take part ina conference aimed at forest conservation. 

They want tovisit a successful project, but the villagers are disgruntled and suspicious.They believe the tour is aimed at stirring interest among potential foreigninvestors, looking to buy land.

This hasoften been the case in the past.

After muchto and fro, the forest tour is cancelled. Instead, visitors and villagers meetwith the local regent.

A life-longaffinity

This iswhere disputes are traditionally settled, and the villagers become calm.

They hearabout the visitors' true motives - to learn. It's something the villagers arehappy to address: They fear for their livelihood and many have invested a lotto make use of the forest.

The villagers want to protect the
forest for their children

Using theforest is something the villagers take for granted, but it is considered a bigproblem for the Indonesian government.

TheIndonesian forest ministry estimates that there are about 33,000 villageslocated on or nearby forested areas owned by the state.

Accordingto the law, they are using the forest illegally, even though they have beenliving there for many generations.

In order tosolve the problem, the Indonesian government has offered to lease the forest tothe indigenous population.

The localvillagers get the right to use a particular woodland in return for committingto take care of it. 

But whathappens if the forest used is also part of a wildlife sanctuary or atraditional site?

Protectingthe forest from within

At the footof Rinjai, the second highest vulcano in Indonesia, lies the village Santongand the Santong Forest.

A trailleads deeper into the forest. It is bordered by tall trees rising to the sky.They serve as a protective shield for coffee, banana and vanilla plants.

The locals grow coffee and vanilla
in the Santong Forest

To boostreforestation, the population here uses agroforestry, a combination ofagricultural and forestry techniques, since 1996. The forest covers about 221hectares, but the indigenous people are allowed to use just 140 hectares, asthe remainder is protected landscape. About 260 families live on the forest'syield.

Everythingappears to be in harmony. But there are areas of conflict, according toMasidep, a representative of the local Lombok tribe Sasak.

"Mostof them think about profit only," Masidep says. But for the indigenouspeople, the forest's protection is of much higher value. "We need toconserve the forest and also water resources, because water is giving life.Everyone needs to respect that," he says.

Traditionalcustodians

The Sasaktribe is an ethnic group that makes up 85 percent of the inhabitants on theIndonesian island Lombok.

Masidep isproud to announce that he can track his line of ancestry back to the 17thCentury. In this area, the Sasak clans have been guarding the forest forcenturies. Traditionally, the Rangga family is responsible for protecting theforest, says Rangga Topan Yamanullah.

The Sasakscan prove that they have been living in Lombok for a very long time."There are traditions about old rituals: If you enter the forest, you haveto clean yourself first. There are certain days and times, when it is favorableto go. It was different from today," Rangga Topan Yamanullah says.

"Today,it is only considered important what individuals are earning. We on the otherhand are here to conserve the balance of the world." 

This river is a sacred site
for the Sasak

The Sasaksfeel that preserving the forest is part of their life-task. But of all thepeople using Santong Forest, only a third are Sasak. Most are migrants fromelsewhere in Indonesia. The Sasaks hope that the Indonesian government willprovide them with the same rights to use the forest as the rest of thepopulation.

But theyalso expect the government to protect their sacred sites and prevent theforests from being turned into just another source of production for theeconomy.  

A raceagainst time

The SantongForest example shows that a lot of problems remain unresolved. Who owns theright to use the forest, where are the borders that separate one forest fromanother, and how can the local population help promote conservation withoutsuffering economic loss?

TheIndonesian government has yet to answer these questions.

And time isrunning out: Indonesia loses a million hectare of forest per year, despiteintroducing a two-year moratorium on cutting down trees.

Internationalsurveys show that the best stewards are those people who have been livingwithin the forest for generations. So it makes sense for the Indonesiangovernment to team up with the indigenous community.

ErnaRosdiana from the Directorate of Social Forestry Development says the forestministry is working on solutions. The visit to Lombok has opened her eyes tomany of the problems. She says she plans to return with something to show, andhopes for a warmer reception next time around. 

Author:Ziphora Robina /sst

Editor:Nathan Witkop

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First Lady to receive medal of honor

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 08/12/2011

First LadyAni Yudhoyono is scheduled to receive medal of honor as part of Indonesia’s66th anniversary celebrations, presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha says.

First Lady Ani Yudhoyono

Ani is tobe awarded the Adipradana medal of honor, Julian said Friday as quoted byAntara.

The medalpresentation ceremony will be held at the State Palace at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is scheduled to present the award, alongwith other medals.

Aside fromAni, Julian said, the government will also present medals of honor to 30figures, including People's Consultative Assembly chairman Taufiq Kiemas,former first lady Shinta Abdurrahman Wahid, and the wife of the former vicepresident, Mufidah Jusuf Kalla.

Julianadded that the government would also award two medals of honor of another kindto former finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Golkar Party chairmanAburizal Bakrie.

“However,we haven't received any information on who will represent her,” Julian said,referring to Sri Mulyani, who currently serves as a managing director of theWorld Bank.

Crafting a new future for the Dayak and Bajau people

Jakarta Globe, AdeMardiyati, August 13, 2011         

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As theInternational Day of the World’s Indigenous People was celebrated this week,the United Nations called on all countries to recognize the rights ofindigenous peoples through this year’s theme, “Indigenous designs: celebratingstories and cultures, crafting our own future.”

Handbags and textiles made by Kalimantan
people. (JG Photo: Courtesy of Ng Swan Ti)  

Indigenouspeoples are defined by the United Nations as nondominant ethnic groups with aclaim to historical continuity in their ancestral lands, who often sufferdiscrimination and marginalization by groups who have occupied their landsthrough invasion, colonial rule or political dominance.

There arearound 5,000 recognized indigenous groups around the world, whose members makeup around 5 percent of the world’s population.

InIndonesia, the Dayak and Bajau peoples of Kalimantan are included under thisdefinition.

“[Indigenouspeoples] have their land but are often displaced. They end up at the verybottom of society without any skills,” Michele Zaccheo, director of the UnitedNations Information Center in Jakarta, said at a video screening and discussionat the Goethe-Institut on Tuesday.

Zaccheoshared a message from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at the event, sayingthat indigenous peoples “face many challenges in maintaining their identity,traditions and customs, and their cultural contributions are at times exploitedand commercialized, with little or no recognition.”

“We mustwork harder to recognize and strengthen their right to control theirintellectual property, and help them to protect, develop and be compensatedfairly for the cultural heritage and traditional knowledge that is ultimatelyof benefit to us all,” the secretary general’s message read.

A 30-minutedocumentary called “Kalimantan’s Craft: Harmony of Culture and Nature,” byfilmmaker Nanang Sujana, was screened at the UN headquarters in New York and inall member countries around the world to mark the international day ofrecognition.

The filmshows the life of the indigenous Dayak people in Kalimantan, who depend on thenatural resources around them for their livelihoods. With skills that have beenpassed down from generation to generation, the Dayak people produce artisticcrafts including woven baskets, handbags and textiles, all using naturalmaterials.

AgusSardjono, an expert on intellectual property from the University of Indonesia,said a community’s rights to its own creative products should be recognized.

“Whencreating a product, indigenous people in villages don’t actually think aboutintellectual property. But when other people run a business selling similarproducts using their designs and make a profit, that’s when they begin to thinkabout it,” Agus said.

Often, he added,people outside the community care more about this problem than the indigenouspeople.

“It’speople in general, like us, who are very concerned when we see certain peopletake advantage of a culture’s creativity, but without sharing the benefits,” Agussaid.

YayasanDian Tama, a West Kalimantan-based foundation, has been working with theindigenous Dayak people since 1994 to help make sure they benefit financiallyfrom the products of their labor.

“Basicallythey have the skills. So what we do is provide them with training on how tomake better products, set up standards to meet the demands of the market, andalso help maintain quality control,” said Tri “Alty” Renya Altaria Siswanto, anadviser for the foundation. “At the same time, we also teach them how topreserve the natural sources from which they take the materials.”

Alty saidthe organization employed a “punishment and reward” system to encourage theDayak people to create high-quality products. This, she said, is a way toappreciate the knowledge and skills of the indigenous people themselves.

“We toldthem that the better the quality, the better the prices, and vice versa,” shesaid. “And they are now able to produce high-quality products, sold under thebrand Borneo Chic. We are also currently participating in an exhibition atHarrods [department store] in the UK.”

Alty said,however, that the production of better-quality products had not changed thepeople’s economic situation, because they still needed to improve theirmarketing.

“But wehave achieved a very important thing, which is getting [the Dayak people’s]traditional knowledge and creative rights recognized by people outside theircommunity,” she said.

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Jambi Village Discovers Treasure Trove in Dutch-Era Safe

Jakarta Globe, August 13, 2011

Residentsof Koto Baru Hiang village in Kerinci district, Jambi, said on Friday that theyhad unearthed a veritable treasure trove of World War II-era money from an oldsafe.

AhmadNasril, the village head, said the discovery was made when the safe, which hadbeen sitting unused in the village hall as long as anyone could remember, wasopened during recent renovation work.

“The safehad always just been hidden away in a room in the village hall that peoplebelieved was haunted by a ghost, because it was always so dark,” he said.

The safe’srediscovery came after the village received funding to renovate the hall,itself a relic of the Dutch colonial era. Part of the work involved fixing up asection of the ceiling that had collapsed in the very room where the safe waslocated.

“When wefinally brought the safe out into the light of day, we used the chance to prizeit open,” Nasril said. “That’s when we found several bundles of old money fromthe Japanese colonial era.”

TheJapanese occupation of Indonesia lasted from 1942 until the end of the war in1945.

Nasril saidthat while the money did not bear any dates for when it was printed, it couldbe tracked to the Japanese occupation because it read: “ De Japansche RegeeringBetaalt Toonder Half Gulden ,” or “The Japanese Government Will Pay the BearerHalf a Guilder.”

However, hesaid the total value of the money remained unknown because many of the noteshad been damaged by mold, attributed to a half-century of humidity andrainwater leaking into the safe.

Nasril saidthe safe also contained documents with the old Indonesian spelling, including anotice decreeing the implementation of a livestock tax, dated July 1, 1947.

“Thisparticular document shows just how compliant the Kerinci people were aboutpaying taxes back then, even if it was to an occupying authority,” he said.

The villagehall had been used as an administrative office by the Dutch, who reoccupied thearchipelago shortly after the Japanese left in 1945. Later it was used as acenter for the traditional rulers of the district.

Nasril saidthe money and documents would be stored at his house for safekeeping while theKerinci administration was notified about the discovery.

“This isclearly a very significant find for us, especially coming so close toIndependence Day, when we look back at our history,” he said.

Antara

Australian project hunts lost indigenous languages

BBC News, 12August 2011

Indigenous communities number under half a million in today's Australia

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Librariansin Australia have launched a three-year project to rediscover lost indigenouslanguages.

The NewSouth Wales State Library says fragments of many lost languages exist in papersleft by early settlers.

BeforeBritish colonialisation began there in 1788, around 250 aboriginal languageswere spoken in Australia by an estimated one million people.

Only a fewdozen languages remain and the communities number around 470,000 people in anation of 22 million.

'Unrivalled'accounts

"Anation's oral and written language is the backbone to its culture," saidthe Arts Minister of New South Wales, George Souris.

"Thepreservation of the languages and dialects of our indigenous citizens is a veryimportant project in this regard."

NoelleNelson, the acting chief executive of Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto,which is backing the project, said the settlers' first-hand accounts at theState Library are "unrivalled".

"Thesefirst-hand accounts are often the only surviving records of many indigenous languages,"Nelson told the AFP news agency.

"Theproject will introduce and reconnect people with indigenous culture."

AnAustralian government survey in 2004 found that only 145 indigenous languageswere still spoken in Australia and that 110 of these were severely orcritically endangered.

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Academics call for end to military approach in Papua

Bagus BTSaragih, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 08/11/

A group of18 professors from the country’s top universities released a statement Thursdaycalling on the government to use dialogue instead of military force to addressproblems in Papua.

Theso-called Academic Forum for a Peaceful Papua said separatism was not astandalone problem in Papua and therefore deploying military troops would neverbring to an end the conflicts ravaging the region.

“Using gunswill never solve the problem because the issues are not only about separatism.The complexity of the problems in Papua involve many other factors includinghistory, politics, economics, sociocultural issues and of course welfare.Papua’s issues cannot be simplified to only separatism,” the group said in astatement sent to The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

To addresssuch a complex problems, the academics said, peaceful dialogue must be used.“Only by using dialogue we can root out the problems in Papua and find the bestway to solve them,” they said.

The groupincludes Padang State University’s Mestika Zed, Hasanuddin University’s ArfinHamid, Gajah Mada University’s Purwo Santoso, and University of Indonesia’sMuridan S. Widjojo.

Last week,a string of deadly events took place across Papua while thousands of Papuansrallied to demand a referendum.

Clashes betweensupporters of candidates for regent of newly Puncak regency claimed at least 21lives followed by the killing of four people by gunfire and machetes in theprovincial capital of Jayapura.

TheIndonesian Military has, as always, blamed the violence partly on the FreePapua Movement (OPM).

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Bali bombing suspect extradited to Indonesia

The Jakarta Post, Niniek Karmini, Associated Press, Jakarta

Top dog: In this 2007 file photo obtained by the Associated
Press  from a Philippine security official, Indonesian militant
 Umar Patek addresses fellow militants in an Abu Sayyaf mountain
 encampment on Jolo island in southern Philippines. Patek had a
US$1 million bounty on his head when he was captured in the
Pakistani town of Abbottabad Jan. 25, four months before Osama bin
Laden was killed there in a US commando attack. (AP/File)

AnIndonesian militant who allegedly made the explosives used in the 2002 Balibombings was escorted home under tight security Thursday, more than six monthsafter he was captured in northwest Pakistan.

Umar Patekhad a $1 million bounty on his head when authorities caught up with him Jan. 25in Abbottabad - the same town where Osama bin Laden was killed in a U.S.commando attack four months later.

Indonesia'santi-terrorism chief, Ansyaad Mbai, told The Associated Press it did not appearto be a coincidence that they were in the same place.

"It'sfurther evidence of the link between the Southeast Asian terror network andal-Qaida," he added, hours before the 41-year-old boarded an Indonesianplane sent to a Pakistani air force base.

Patektouched down outside Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, on Thursday morning and wastaken straight to a police detention center in the West Java town of Kelapa Duawhere he will await trial, he said. No date has been announced.

Indonesianofficials say Patek has confessed to playing a key role in the 2002 Balibombings, which killed 202 people, many of them foreign tourists, including 88Australians.

He alsoadmitted to making the bombs used in a string of Christmas Eve attacks onchurches in 2000 that claimed 19 lives, they say.

But becausetough anti-terror laws passed after the Bali blasts cannot be applied retroactively,he will likely be charged with illegal possession of explosives, Mbai said.

Even thoughthat charge also carries a maximum penalty of death, there are concerns hemight get off easy.

Indonesia,the nation with the most Muslims in the world, has been hit by a string ofterrorist attacks blamed on Patek's regional militant group, Jemaah Islamiyah,but none as deadly as the Bali blasts.

A highlypraised anti-terrorism campaign in the country of 240 million has seen hundredsof suspects arrested and convicted in recent years, but Patek is one of thebiggest to have been captured alive.

His arrestin Abbottabad raised questions over whether he was there to meet bin Laden,something that would challenge theories that the al-Qaida chief was cut offfrom his followers.

U.Sofficials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue, have saidit appeared to be a coincidence.

But Mbaicountered that Wednesday.

Severalother militants - from Asia and Europe to the Middle East - also were arrestedin the same region of northwest Pakistan at the time of Patek's arrest, hesaid.

They hadgathered there in hopes of meeting bin Laden, but it was not clear if they'dsucceeded or were planning a new terror strike.

"Patekwas very valuable for the U.S.," Mbai said. "He helped leadauthorities to bin Laden."

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Are You There God? Kids Share Their Beliefs

Jakarta Globe, AdeMardiyati, August 02, 2011

Putu Ambalita Pitaloka Arsana, 5, is a Hindu who says she prays
everyday in the hopes that God will give her a baby brother. (JG Photo)

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With thestart of the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims across the country are fasting,praying and reflecting on their spiritual lives. The Jakarta Globe talked tofive youngsters to learn more about the next generation’s religious views andwhat God means to them.

Frompraying for a little brother to praying in different places of worship, thesechildren open up about their personal beliefs. Coming from different religiousbackgrounds, their views offer an interesting glimpse into our diversemultifaith society.

Abdul RafiRamadhan, 10, 4th grader

I am Muslimand I believe in God. I don’t know what or who God is but I believe. From whatI learned in pengajian (Koranic studies), God created the earth and the sky,the whole universe.

My teachersaid that God is invisible and does not come in a form or shape.

I went topengajian from 2007 to 2010. It was my mother who told me to learn how to readand study the Koran outside of school so that I would do well in the subject[at school].

My fatherdoesn’t work. My mother earns money by working at people’s homes washing theirclothes to pay for my school and the pengajian. I work in the evening sellingcelengan [piggy banks] here in Menteng with other kids. I have a littlebrother.

I enjoyedmy activities at the pengajian because I made a lot of friends there. Anotherreason is because I want to go to heaven. My teacher taught us about heaven andhell, and he said that you have to pray five times a day and read the Koran,otherwise you will go to hell. But I haven’t prayed lately because I don’t havea sarong to wear.

I also havenon-Muslim friends. You can tell which of my friends are not Muslims from theirnails. They usually paint their nails black.

PutuAmbalita Pitaloka Arsana, 5, 1st grader

I am Hindu.I believe in God because God is nice. God is nice because I know he can give mea baby brother.

Every day Ipray to God at the prayer place upstairs in our home. I have to take the stairsto go there. I don’t know what I say in my prayers but I just say what I want.

I havefriends who are not Hindu. They are Muslim and Catholic. I think people have topray to let God know that we are talking to God.

I also makea wish before I go to sleep. I usually make a wish for my father, my mother andfor the baby brother that I really want to have. I don’t have any other wishwhen I pray. I just want to have a baby brother.

ArifYunando, 14, 2nd year junior high

If you askme what my religion is, I don’t know. My father is Buddhist, my mother isCatholic and I go to a Christian school where I only learn about Christianity.

My parentsnever taught me about religion because they think it is enough that I studyabout one religion at school. But maybe if I had to choose one, I would chooseto become a Christian because that is what I have learned about so far.

I may nothave a religion but I believe that God exists. It is all said in the Bible. Igo to church by myself, but I also go to temple a lot. I pray when I am in bothplaces and what I say in my prayers is pretty much the same. But when I pray atthe temple, I speak in Mandarin a little bit.

In myprayers, I ask God to give me the ability to do well at school, I ask for a lotof good friends and I also ask God to protect me so I don’t get yelled at toomuch by my mother and older brother [laughs].

I think itis important for people to have a religion because it is part of them beinghuman. A person is not complete without religion. When you don’t have areligion, you only have the bod, but you have no soul. The body decays whilethe soul is immortal.

LucyVicendese, 10, 4th grader

I don’thave a religion and I don’t believe in God. I don’t know what God is. Maybe aspirit or something like that. I don’t know. I just don’t believe in that kindof stuff.

I havefriends at school who are religious. They are Muslims and Christians.

I have beento a Catholic church. I went there with my friend about a month ago.

MuhammadHilmy, 12, 1st year junior high

Religion isour belief toward God. I am a Muslim. If you ask me why I am a Muslim, it isbecause Islam is the religion that I have known since I was a kid. I alsolearned about Islam at school. I go to an Islamic school and so does my littlesister.

I believein God because God is the one that created all the living things and theuniverse. Yet I have never imagined what God is like. God does exist butdoesn’t have a shape. There is proof for that. We have the moon, the sun, humanbeings and the earth.

My parentstaught me and my sister about Islam. They taught us how to pray by showing usthe movements, and they taught us how to read the Koran. My parents also expectme to finish reading whole chapters [in the Koran] and I’ve done that already.

My parentstold us that prayer is compulsory. It is a must and it is not right if youdon’t do it. It is a sin. They also said that we go to hell if we don’t pray.

My fatheralways emphasizes the importance of religion. There are also people withdifferent religions from what we believe and that is OK. People who fightbecause other people have a different religion don’t respect the rights ofothers. We should all live in peace no matter what others believe.