Rawagede: still waiting for Dutch aid money

RNW, 13September 2011, by Michel Maas

(Photo:RNW)      

More: 

• The sole survivor's tale 
• A black page in Dutch history

Theyweren't allowed to call it reparation money or a compensation payment and ithad nothing to do with the 1947 massacre in Rawagede, but at the beginning of2009, the then Development Cooperation Minister Bert Koenders earmarked€850,000 for Balongsari, a small county in Java, Indonesia. It was developmentaid money and ostensibly had nothing to do with the fact that the village ofRawagede is also in Balongsari County.

On 9December 1947, Dutch troops rounded up and killed an estimated 431 men in theJavanese village of Rawagede. It was one of the worst massacres during the‘Dutch police action’ in the Dutch East Indies just after the Second World War.

It’s almost64 years later and the Dutch government still shies away from anyacknowledgement of guilt or hint of responsibility. It’s purely development aidmoney and not a reparations payment or compensation and it’s not for Rawagede,it’s for the entire county. The €850,000 was supposed to fund a school, amarket and expand the hospital in the village.

Waiting

Some 30months have elapsed since the money was allocated but almost nothing has beenaccomplished. On the outskirts of the village, a rice paddy measuring aroundone hectare has been cleared but the school still hasn’t been built. The localauthorities say the building plans are ready and they’re just waiting for themoney. Sukarman say construction will begin as soon as they get the money. He’sthe chairman of foundation that has already built one school in Rawagede; itstands across the road from the cleared rice paddy and has some 800 studentsalready. Sukarman: “We built that school in just 3 months. The World Bank gavethe money to our local foundation and we could arrange everything directly”.

The Dutchdevelopment aid money is taking a different route: it’s not going to Rawagede,it’s not going to Balongsari, and it’s not even going to the district ofKarawang; it’s going to the interior ministry in Jakarta. The ministry isresponsible for deciding who can build a school and when. The Hague has signedan agreement with the Ministry and a portion of the money was transferred lastDecember. The local authorities have still not received any notification fromJakarta and they still have no idea when, or if, the project will be started.

The Dutchembassy in Jakarta has defended the bureaucratic maze, calling it ‘due care andattention’. Ambassador Annemieke Ruigrok: “All of the projects must have asustainable character and everything has to be carefully calibrated and theindividual projects need to be coordinated with each other. Due care andattention take time.” She added that the ministry is currently “working out thefinal details.”

Microcredit

It’s notclear what "working out the details" means, nor is there any sign of‘coordination’. Even though the local authorities have had their plans readyand waiting for the past 2 years, the ministry still hasn’t made any contactwith them.

Not all ofthe money that was allocated in 2009 is in Jakarta; €254,500 went to the DutchHivos foundation. The organisation has used some of the money to fundmicro-credit loans in Rawagede. Hundreds of people in the village – andhundreds of others in neighbouring villages – have taken advantage of the HIVOS microcredit loans. A total of €106,533 has been lent so far, while the restof the €850,000 is doing nothing for the people of Rawagede.

Hivos hasset a cooperative up and it now has 1247 members. It is supposed to be runningan organic shop and the Dutch foundation has so far funded it to the tune of€50,000. The head of the cooperative, Riyadi, acknowledges that the shop hasn’tyet been set up although a small gas canister business has gotten off theground. According to Riyadi, the €50,000 has been sent spent on operational costsand salaries.

Apology

Severalattempts to get compensation for the victims’ relatives were dismissed on thegrounds that the events took place so long ago that the charges had lapsed. OnWednesday, judges will issue a ruling on a case brought by four relatives ofRawagede victims; they are demanding an apology and compensation.

Theirlawyer, Liesbeth Zegveld, does not believe that the case has expired, sayingthat the Netherlands still handles cases dating from World War Two. If thejudges rule in favour of the plaintiffs, it could have huge consequences forthe victims - and their relatives - of other Dutch ‘police actions’ as theycould also claim compensation.

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After seven years, no progress seen in pursuit of justice for slain rights activist Munir

MarielGrazella, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 09/05/2011

TheCommission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) said that itcondemned the government for erasing resolution of the murder case of humanrights activist Munir Saib Thalib from its list of priorities.

Munir Saib Thalib

Munir diedof arsenic poisoning on board a Garuda Indonesia flight to Amsterdam in 2004.

Thecondemnation came during the approach of the seventh anniversary of Munir’smurder, which falls on September 1.

“There havebeen so many dynamics within the Munir case over these seven years. However,over the last three years, the justice agenda has ended in weakening the lawon” Kontras coordinator Haris Azhar said on Monday in a press statement to TheJakarta Post.

“TheSupreme Court has freed Muchdi Purwoprandjono and gave Pollycarpus a number ofprison sentence reductions that have been challenged based on accusations ofobscure and vague reasoning,” he added.

PollycarpusBudihari Prijanto, who was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in 2008 for thepre-meditated murder of Munir, has been granted remissions every IndependenceDay and Christmas Day since his imprisonment. He recently received a 9 monthsand 5 days remission on Independence Day.

Muchdi, whowas the former deputy chairman of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), was puton trial for Munir’s murder but has been declared innocent.

He furthersaid that it was befitting that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the SupremeCourt, the Attorney General’s Office and the Law and Human Rights Ministry “sittogether and evaluate progress made in this case and ensure that justice isfulfilled”.

“We areconcerned that if President Susilo Bambag Yudhoyono remains quite and lawenforcers mum, the Munir case would be erased from notes on legal processes.Those responsible will be free, physically and politically, meaning that therewould not be any correction on that crime for Indonesia’s law and justice inthe future,” he added.

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UI rector apologizes to the public over honorary doctorate award for Saudi king

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 09/02/2011

Universityof Indonesia rector Gumilar Rusliwa Somantri apologized to the public for anyinconveniences caused by the university’s honorary doctorate degree awarded toKing Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. The university’s gesture sparked widespreadprotests across Indonesia.

“Weapologize if this was regarded as improper and offensive to many parties,”Gumilar said on Friday as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

Gumilaradmitted that he was aware that the timing of the award was not appropriate.

“I am fullyaware that the timing for the award was not right. We did it not long after thebeheading of Ruyati,” said Gumilar, referring to Indonesian maid Ruyati bintiSatubi, who was convicted two months ago of murdering her employer — a crimeshe allegedly committed in response to being subjected to repeated acts oftorture.

Several NGOssaid the Saudi king did not deserve such an award because the country “neverappreciated the principles of human rights, especially for migrant workers.”

Internationalhuman rights organizations have for years criticized Saudi Arabia for itstreatment of migrant workers. A 2011 Human Rights Watch report notes thatdomestic workers from Indonesia “frequently endure forced confinement, fooddeprivation and severe psychological, physical and sexual abuse”.

There arean estimated 1.5 million Indonesian maids currently in the kingdom, with 23 ondeath row.

Gumilar,however, did not say what actions his management would take next amid mountingpressure from many organizations affiliated with the university, includingprofessors, student associations and alumni who have demanded that the rectortender his resignation.

“Weunderstand the [protest as a] mere difference of opinion. And, in the realm ofdemocracy, as in the campus world, such difference is an asset and is simplynormal,” he said.

He saidthat the university management had studied the selection process for more thanthree years before deciding to award the degree to the King Abdullah.

“It [theaward] has taken long process. But we had not yet presented it due to theking’s health concerns,” he said.

Accordingto Gumilar, the date as well as the venue for the award presentation wasdecided upon by the king himself.

The awardceremony, which took place last week, drew public fury, partially because itwas conducted at the King’s Al-Safa Palace, which was not consistent with thetraditional practice of honorary degrees being presented by the awardinguniversity within their own country.

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Indonesian Sharia police separate Aceh lesbian couple

BBC News, ByAlice Budisatrijo, Jakarta, 25 August 2011

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• On patrol with Aceh's Sharia police

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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"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 !

Darsem binti Dawud arrives home safe

The Jakarta Post | Wed, 07/13/2011

Darsem binti Dawud arrives at the Foreign Ministry’s office in Jakarta with
 her son on Wednesday. The Indonesian government paid blood money
 worth Rp 4.6 billion (US$540,000) to free Darsem from the death penalty
in Saudi Arabia. (Antara/Rosa Panggabean)

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SBY receives visit from Saudi Ambassador in RI

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 06/28/2011

Saudi envoy: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (right) accepts
Saudi Arabian envoy Ambassador Abdulrahman Mohammed Amen Al
Khayyat (left) at the State Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday.
(Antara/Widodo S. Jusuf)

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono received a visit by Saudi Ambassador to Indonesia Abdulrahman Mohamed Amen Al-Khayyat at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday.

The agenda of the meeting, which comes amid mounting protests following the execution by beheading of Indonesian maid Ruyati binti Satubi in Saudi Arabia, remained unclear prior to its commencement.

Presidential special staff on international affairs Teuku Faizasyah confirmed the meeting between Yudhoyono and Al-Khayyat.

"Yes, the meeting was scheduled for 3 p.m.," he told The Jakarta Post.

The Saudi Embassy in Jakarta in its press release earlier accused Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa of lying when he said the former had apologized for and regretted the beheading of Ruyati.

Ruyati was executed after being found guilty of killing the wife of her Saudi employer, Khairiya binti Hamid Mijlid.

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Indonesia's Transgender Community Facing Test of Faith

Jakarta Globe, Elisabeth Oktofani, May 28, 2011

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For Indonesian transgenders, practicing religion in public is not an easy thing, but that doesn’t stop some from trying.

Mariyani, a 50-year-old transgender hairdresser, said during a discussion on homosexuality and religion that transgender people, just like other people, wish to be able to practice their religion openly.

“If I ever had the choice, I would not want to be a transgender, but this is what God has decided for me,” Mariyani said.

“It needs to be understood that it is not true that all transgenders are bad, because there are good transgenders who actually have a strong willingness to publicly practice religion but unfortunately we are not accepted,” she said.

But Merlyn Sopjan, a Christian transgender who heads the Malang Transsexual Association (Iwama), told the Jakarta Globe that unlike Mariyani, she has never experienced rejection in her church.

“Even though there are many people who know that I am a transgender, no one stares at me every time I walk to the church and I feel so comfortable because I can practice my religion peacefully,” Merlyn said.

“I think it is because that in Christian religious rites, the male and female believers are not segregated,” she added.

“However, I have one friend who was told by the priest that he cannot join the Mass if he dresses up as a woman.”

Merlyn said she expects that transgenders will eventually be accepted within religious groups.

“As human beings who are committed to our religion, we just want to have the freedom to practice our religion as other people do,” she added.

Mohamad Guntur Romli, a prominent liberal Muslim intellectual and a graduate of Egypt’s Al Azhar University, said on Thursday that the root cause of suspicion of homosexuals in Indonesia is ignorance.

“The lack of knowledge about rights and health issues related to homosexuality has created hatred within society,” Guntur said.

“Homosexuality is being equated with a mental disorder or the homosexual community is blamed for having spread HIV/AIDS, for instance. That’s not proper information about homosexuality and this has led to homophobia among wider society,” he explained.

Guntur said religious institutions and leaders have also played a role in the stigmatization of homosexuals.

“Religious institutions and leaders often find it difficult to be sympathetic toward homosexuality,” he continued.

He said that self-righteous religious leaders and institutions see homosexuals as sinners.

“Ignorance about homosexuality has created homophobia in society and religion is being used to spread hatred toward homosexual communities,” Guntur added.

Muhammad Syukri, an openly gay man from Yogyakarta, told the Globe on Friday that obvious signs of gayness sometimes lead to rejection.

“Being gay is not as hard as being transgender ... whenever I want to practice my religion, I do not get a hard time from another believer, because I do not dress up as a woman,” Syukri said.

But as soon as he would begin acting in what is seen as a feminine way, trouble often starts. “Some people make a fun of me and actually, that is a form of harassment,” Syukri said.

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Indonesian Rights Group Says Caning Unconstitutional

Jakarta Globe, May 27, 2011

A Sharia law official caning a man convicted of unlawful contact between
unmarried man and woman in Jantho, Aceh province, in April 8. Aceh adopted
a form of Shariah law in 2001 as part of the regional autonomy offered to
help quell separatist sentiment. Amnesty International recently argued that caning
violates the UN Convention against Torture, which Indonesia ratified in 1998, and
urged Indonesia to bring Aceh’s bylaws in line with international and national human
rights laws and standards. (AP Photo/Heri Juanda)

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An Indonesian human rights group on Friday condemned the use of caning in staunchly Islamic Aceh province, saying the punishment violated the country's constitution.

The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) urged the government to repeal a bylaw used by the partially autonomous province to carry out the punishment under Muslim sharia law.

Dozens of men have been publicly caned there for gambling this month.

Kontras said that caning should be barred by clauses in the country's constitution which grant citizens freedom from torture and from acts that detract from human dignity.

"The Indonesian government has to review the use of caning as punishment," deputy coordinator Indria Fernida said in a statement.

"A slow response by the government will indicate that they neglect this matter and adhere to a kind of punishment that violates the constitution and human rights principles," she said.

On Thursday, 19 people were being lashed in public after being caught gambling. Twenty--one people were also lashed earlier this month for gambling, while the punishment is also used for offenses including adultery.

Sixteen people were reportedly caned in Aceh last year, according to rights group Amnesty International, which said last week that the punishment violated the UN Convention against Torture.

"It seems that Aceh's authorities are increasingly resorting to public caning in violation of international law," Amnesty's Asia--Pacific director Sam Zarifi said.

Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, adopted partial sharia law in 2001 as part of an autonomy package aimed at quelling separatist sentiment.

Caning carried out there is mainly aimed at causing shame rather than injury.

AFP

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Indonesian government must repeal caning bylaws in Aceh

The Jakarta Post, Sun, 05/22/2011

The Indonesian government must end the use of caning as a form of punishment and repeal the laws that allow it in Aceh province, Amnesty International said Sunday after at least 21 people were publicly caned since 12 May.

In Langsa city, 14 men were caned outside the Darul Falah mosque on 19 May, following the caning of seven men a week earlier.

All 21 were found to have violated an Aceh bylaw (qanun) prohibiting gambling and were given six lashes each as hundreds of people looked on.

“It seems that Aceh’s authorities are increasingly resorting to public caning in violation of international law,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director.

“Victims of caning experience pain, fear and humiliation, and caning can cause long-term or permanent injuries. The Indonesian government must act to stop these punishments, which constitute cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and often amount to torture.”

According to media reports, at least 16 men and women were also caned in Aceh in 2010.

In addition to the Aceh bylaws providing for caning, the Aceh Criminal Code (Qanun Hukum Jinayat) passed by the Aceh parliament in 2009 provides for stoning to death for adultery and caning of up to 100 lashes for homosexuality.

This code has not yet been implemented, in part because of intense criticism at local, national, and international levels.

Amnesty International called on the Indonesian central government to review all such bylaws and local regulations to ensure that they conform with international and Indonesian human rights law and standards.

“Indonesia’s decentralization process and regional autonomy were supposed to be about empowering local populations, and should not come at the expense of their human rights,” said Sam Zarifi.

Aceh’s provincial legislature passed a series of bylaws governing the implementation of Shari’a law after the enactment of the province’s Special Autonomy Law in 2001. Caning was introduced as a punishment carried out by Islamic courts for offences also including adultery, consumption of alcohol, unmarried adult couples who are alone in isolation (khalwat) and for any Muslim found eating, drinking or selling food during sunlight hours in the fasting month of Ramadan.

Caning punishments violate the UN Convention against Torture, which Indonesia ratified in 1998. The Committee against Torture has also raised concerns that people detained under Aceh’s bylaws are not afforded their basic legal rights, including the right to legal counsel, and are apparently presumed to be guilty.

A Sharia law official whips a man convicted of unlawful contact between
unmarried man and woman with a rattan stick during a public caning in Jantho,
Aceh province, Indonesia, Friday, April 8, 2011. A version of Islamic law was
introduced in the province in 2001 as part of negotiations to end the 29-year war
between separatist rebels and the military. The law bans gambling, drinking
alcohol and makes it compulsory for women to wear headscarves. (AP Photo/Heri Juanda)

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Govt open to inputs from religious leaders

Antara News, Sun, May 22 2011

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that the government was open to inputs from any party, including religious leaders, in an effort to jointly resolve the problems faced by the nation.

"It would be a great happiness if all could become part of the solution," the president said in his address during the observance of the Buddhist Waisyak Day of Enlightenment here on Saturday evening.

President Yudhoyono hoped that all parties would contribute to the solution, not just criticizing, blaming and showing egoistic attitude.

He specifically called on religious leaders to give priority to wisdom, respectability and nobleness in the face of the nation`s problem.

"I hope that religious leaders would play the main role in providing examples and enlightenment to the people," he said.

He said that it would be very wise if religious leaders could show optimistic attitude and issue reassuring statements over all issues faced by the people.

He said that with the passage of time, the problem faced by the nation was not becoming easier and easier.

The president also said that the observance of the Waisyak Day was special this year because it was held not far from the 103th National Awakening Day when the people marked their awareness on the need to rise as a nation.

On the occasion, chief organizer Hartati Murdaya expressed in her address appreciation to the government who had recognized the legitimacy of all religions, including the Buddhist religion in Indonesia.

She said that the objective of the observance of the Waisyak Day was to remind all followers of the life of the Buddhist and to build interfaith harmony, between the Buddhist followers and other religious adherents and between the Buddhist and the government.

The president was accompanied by Mrs Ani Yudhoyono, Vice President Boediono and Mrs Herawati Boediono.

Also present were People`s Consultative Assembly (MPR)Speaker Taufik Kiemas, Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo, Religious Minister Suryadharma Ali,Chief People`s Welfare Minister Agung Laksono, State Enterprise Minister Mustafa Abubakar, Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik, Minister/State Secretary Sudi Silalahi and Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam.

Editor: Suryanto

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UN tells RI to review laws restricting religious freedom

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Wed, 05/18/2011

The United Nations' High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay has urged Indonesia to review its laws restricting religious expression and practice.

In a letter sent to Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, a copy of which was obtained by The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, Pillay expressed his concern over reports of violence against members of religious minorities in Indonesia.

“I have been particularly disturbed by the widespread violence and discrimination reported against the Ahmadiyya community which has included the state-sanctioned closing of Ahmadi mosques, the burning of homes and places of worship, and even physical violence and murder,” Pillay wrote in his letter dated April 26.

Three Ahmadis were killed when Islamic hard-liners attacked a small Ahmadiyah community in Cikeusik, West Java, on Feb. 6 this year. Several local and provincial administrations have since issued decrees banning Ahmadiyah activities in their respective regions.

Pillay said reports had said that since the new regulations were issued, “further acts of harassment and violence have taken place”.

He pointed out that Indonesia had ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which guarantees the right to freedom of religion.

“Government at both national and provincial levels should comply with the guarantees contained in the Indonesian Constitution and in the international treaties in which Indonesia is a party. All laws, particularly those restricting religious expression and practice, should be reviewed to ensure they comply with these standards,” he said.

He also urged the Indonesian government to ensure the legal accountability of all perpetrators, including the imposition of penalties.

New Museum on Human Rights Offering Lessons From Aceh’s Painful Past

Jakarta Globe, Nurdin Hasan | March 26, 2011

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Banda Aceh. Decades of armed conflict in Aceh may be officially over, but scars remain from that tumultuous time that, as people like Reza Idri insist, should never be forgotten.

Reza, the director of the newly inaugurated Museum of Aceh Human Rights, believes the past holds valuable lessons no matter how painful they are.

“There is no intention at all for us to reopen old wounds here,” he said at the museum’s launch on Wednesday. “We only want the past to be remembered and serve as lessons for the future.”

He and a group of artists and activists formed the museum to record the many rights violations that took place during Aceh’s pro-independence movement from the 1970s to the late 1990s. More than 15,000 people were killed.

The Indonesian military launched a brutal crackdown on the separatists, until the state of emergency in the province was lifted briefly between early 2000 and 2003.

Though fighting flared up again after that, a devastating tsunami in 2004 refocused the country’s efforts toward rehabilitation and eventually led to a peace agreement.

The museum, temporarily lodged in a simple house in Ulee Kareng, Banda Aceh, has records of those grim events.

On its opening night on Wednesday, dozens of activists watched a documentary on school burnings that were rampant in 2000.

The burnings peaked in 2003 when the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) again declared Aceh a military emergency zone and moved to quash the pro-independence Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

The museum also displays photographs of victims who disappeared along with thousands of others during the almost 30-year conflict.

It also chronicles tragedies such as the massacre of Tengku Bantaqiah and 56 of his students on July 23, 1999, in West Aceh. He had been accused of hiding firearms for rebels.

The museum documents the military raid of a National Committee of Indonesian Youth (KNPI) building on Jan. 9 that same year in Lhokseumawe in northern Aceh, that left five dead and dozens injured.

Though its subject is bloody, the museum has refused to show graphic photos or videos of the violence, citing “ethical reasons.”

“We do have those photos. But if they are displayed, it might spark violent reactions and reopen old wounds,” Reza said.

While the new museum is billeted in temporary quarters, the director said he hoped the Aceh administration would realize the museum’s value and assign them a permanent building, such as the rarely used Tsunami Museum.

“This is actually the responsibility of the government, but we have taken the first initiative,” Reza said.

“Once there is state-built museum, we will grant every resource we have to it, which of course would be housed in a more appropriate setting,” the director said.

Reza said their museum not only documented abuses but could serve as a center for conflict studies.

Justice league

The Jakarta Post | Tue, 03/22/2011

(From left to right) Leiden University’s Jakarta project coordinator
Ward Berenschot, National Planning and Development Agency director
for legal and human rights Diani Sadiawati, University of Indonesia’s
Women and Gender Studies Center chair Sulistyowati Irianto and
Judicial Mafia Taskforce member Mas Achmad Santosa pose for
photos after the launch of a book titled Akses Terhadap Keadilan
di Indonesia (Access to Justice in Indonesia) at Erasmus Huis in
Jakarta on Tuesday.

Gay imam spreads message: "Homosexuality is not sinful"

RNW, 18 February 2011, by Klaas den Tek

(Photo: RNW)

South African Muhsin Hendricks is an Islamic cleric and a gay man.

He runs a foundation called The Inner Circle, which helps Muslims, who are struggling to accept their sexuality. He has come to the Netherlands to spread a simple message: “It’s okay to be Muslim and gay!”

It’s a message not everyone agrees with and the reason why Mr Hendricks is no longer officially a cleric.

Muhsin Hendricks looks a little tired. He is in the Netherlands at the invitation of the Amsterdam branch of gay rights organisation COC and he’s on a punishing schedule. There is enormous public interest in the “pink imam”, as he’s been dubbed.

Sin

But every trace of fatigue vanishes as Mushin Hendricks talks about his faith and his sexuality.

“Being Muslim and being gay are both strong identities. And I think that they are both innate identities for me. So somewhere along the line I had to reconcile the two.”

This was far from easy for Muhsin Hendricks. He was born into an orthodox Muslim family in South Africa. His grandfather was a cleric in one of Cape Town’s most prominent mosques. Mushin discovered at an early age that he was different. He played with dolls rather than cars. He was seen as being feminine and was teased as a result. All this was long before he even knew there was such a thing as homosexuality.

Mushin Hendricks took comfort in his faith, in spite of the fact that many Muslims believe it offers no place to homosexual feelings. Sexual love between two men or two women is prohibited. It is seen as one of the worst possible sins, punishable in some Islamic countries by death.

Sodom and Gomorrah

But Muhsin Hendricks decided to discover for himself what the Qur’an has to say about homosexuality. He pursued his Islamic studies in Pakistan. “It didn’t seem fair for a very merciful and compassionate God to condemn me for something that I didn’t choose.”

Muhsin Hendricks drew a striking conclusion from his studies: nowhere does the Qur’an state that homosexuality is forbidden. Not even in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Mushin refutes the interpretation that God destroyed the cities because men had sex with one another. He argues that the cities’ residents were punished for rape, not for consensual sex between men.

Divorce

The controversial cleric argues that there are even one or two Qur’an verses in which Allah acknowledges the existence of homosexuals. One example is in sura 24, verse 31. “It says that women have to put on extra clothing when they go out in public ... But not in front of those men who have no attraction for women. They must be the gay people,” he laughs.

Despite these discoveries, Mushin still did not feel able to acknowledge and openly express his own homosexual feelings. He married, and he and his wife had three children. Mushin’s wife was aware of his homosexuality but still tried to make the relationship work.

Mushin Hendricks’ knowledge of Islam and Arabic earned him respect in the mosques of Cape Town. But his feelings did not go away. After six years, his marriage ended in divorce and that was the moment when he officially came out of the closet.

Satanist

His mother fainted when she heard the news that her son Mushin was gay. But little by little she is beginning to understand. Some members of the family want nothing more to do with him.

Now Mushin Hendricks has met the love of his life. His partner follows another faith – Hinduism – and has not yet come out of the closet.

Mushin’s work at the mosque came to an abrupt end. His take on the relationship between homosexuality and Islam does not rhyme with the official doctrine. He has been branded a Satanist. Although he has never been physically threatened, he has to endure much abuse and criticism.

Empowerment

“Imams see me as a threat to their worldview and the way they see Islam. I don’t feel they should be threatened. It’s just another view that I would invite them to look at. My view allows queer Muslims to continue being Muslim but also to accept themselves for who they are.”

Muhsin Hendricks still sees himself as an Islamic cleric. With his foundation The Inner Circle he tries to help Muslims with their coming out. He gives empowerment workshops to make young people more self-aware. He will also give one here in the Netherlands: over sixty people have already signed up for it.

Visit the Inner Circle website or Facebook page

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About the Challenges of Being a Gay Man – Oct 23, 2010 (Saint Germain channeled 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.”