Bali Expat Forum - Bali Travel Forum

Late tomorrow afternoon I’ll be meeting with two doctors of education from Bert’s neck of the woods…both are Balinese. I’ll raise this topic with them, only for the reason that you’ve raised my curiosity. Eri and I know them very well, and they will be totally honest. Who knows…maybe I’ll be shocked by their replies. Either way, I’ll share them here.

I did indeed raise this topic earlier today with Professor Doctor Dewi, who is a full professor at both Undiksa Singaraja and Udayana in Denpasar. In her capacity, she is involved in daily discussions with both Balinese, and non Balinese university students, and has been for several years.

Without equivocation, she assured me that she has never heard concerns raised by ANY of her students regarding attempts by the national government of Indonesia to “Islamify” Bali. In her view, she thought the whole idea was rather silly and juvenile.

Further to this point, I challenge anyone to come up with any research published anywhere by any Balinese that would support the view that…

“As someone who lives in the Balinese community you too must be aware of the extreme concern about what is often seen as a slow crawl towards Sharia Law in Indonesia. It's a subject much talked about amongst Balinese I know and I've yet to be told that I have no right to comment or care.”

If I were on the “Myth Busters” team, I’d being saying this one is BUSTED!

If I were on the “Myth Busters” team, I’d being saying this one is BUSTED!

Honestly Roy I don't think you've come within a million miles of doing that.

Firstly if you read back through the thread you asked the completely wrong questions. The conversations, as heard by more than one of us relates to concerns about the increasingly

slow crawl towards Sharia Law in Indonesia.

.

Nobody ever mentioned attempts by the national government of Indonesia to “Islamify” Bali until you did.

Secondly, having just spent some time with a teacher who was unaware that their pupils swear, teachers are hardly the people to ask as to what their pupils are talking about.

Thirdly, who on earth is going to sit down and research such a thing. This is the sort of thing young Balinese people are talking about. My daughter comes home from school and tells me its being discussed (she is the only non-Indonesian in her school), my friends when we talk over a beer or three talk of their concerns about the slow crawl towards Sharia Law in Indonesia.

But as I said..you asked the wrong questions, so that's neither here nor there.

I guess it’s just me, but I don’t see any real difference between a “slow crawl towards Sharia law in Indonesia” and an “attempt by the Indonesian government to “Islamify” Bali.” Any “slow crawl towards Sharia law” would have to involve all levels of the national legislature, Sharia law is a facet of Islam, and Bali is part of Indonesia.

But, as I mentioned in another post, this difference regarding what Balinese have on their minds could very well indicate a further disconnect between the Balinese in the “southern triangle” and those elsewhere.

I’m not disputing that you are hearing this concern voiced by Balinese you associate with “down South” but at the same time, I can’t get anyone up here, including some elements of the student body at Udayana University in Denpasar (through their professor) to indicate that there is any sort of concern…slow crawls, or giant leaps!

The mythbusters thing was only intended as a joke…sorry it was a bad one! Cheers!

I guess it’s just me, but I don’t see any real difference between a “slow crawl towards ” and an “attempt by the Indonesian government to “Islamify” Bali.”

I think its substantially different. There is no real intent on the part of the Indonesian government to Islamify Bali, with one exception, the pornography law, which attempts to add a conservative Islamic morality to the nation as a whole, and we have seen the result of that to date (and I think that has just begun)....the PDI has a huge banner on the Candidasa bypass saying, roughly translated, "Overturn The Porno Law as it's an attack on the Hindu religion and the culture of Bali". The core part of that is the part about the Hindu Religion...which raises the obvious question as to who is attacking the religion and why. Clearly the PDI thinks someone is and that the idea has traction in Bali.

Which takes us to the who...and the slow crawl towards Sharia law in Indonesia, which is a stated philosophy of certain political elements in Indonesia (represented but not powerful in Bali). The porno law and others are a part of that agenda and there is substantial concern, not just in Bali, but across Indonesia, about this..the media is full of it. It's a core theme in the political discourse of the nation right now, and as you say, Bali is a part of the nation and perhaps has more reason, like various other places, to be concerned than the more conservative rural areas of Java and Sumatra. But even in places like Jogja there is some unease.

One thing I've heard talked about is the perverted old Imam in Semarang (and this is not an attack on Islam folks but on the man himself), with his 12 year old wife. Why, since the law is clear, are the authorities so reluctant to act. He is claiming the Koran as his ultimate authority, above the nation.

It's covered pretty well in the Bali Times this week.

I think we are basically saying the same thing Simon. As you note, these Islamic directed (for lack of better words) kind of bills periodically get introduced into the DPR body by various Islamic parties. This is nothing new, but for certain, the anti-porn legislation (particularly as it was first drafted in 1999 or there about) caught a great deal of attention.

This is one of the wonderful things about a vigorous democracy…that from time to time, various factions that make up the whole will be periodically in a position of influence. Then there are elections, and then things change again.

Personally I think that to interpret the anti-porn bill as an indication that things are moving in a particular direction…“the slow crawl to Sharia law” is a pre-mature conclusion.

That the PDI-P banner you mention would carry such a slogan is not at all surprising to me as that is simply politics at work. There is little in common between the ideologies of that party and many of the smaller more Islamic orientated parties. Once again, what I see is the beauty of a vigorous democracy at work. Cheers!

Porn law ratified..working on regulations

I guess we wait now.

We are ready for the new law, let them come. This picture was taken yesterday, at Kuta Beach, where one of the new Jakarta's "public moral" polisi is seen making sure that everything is in accordance with the new law.

Well done Daniel!