Proposed Ban on Islamic Dress in Indonesia
Indonesia to ban veils and trousers above the ankles but is it the right move?
Indonesia takes a leaf from the US Terror Playbook
Indonesia’s anti-terror police squad Densus 88 is once again attracting significant public attention. The government’s efforts to counter the threats of terrorism are once more faced with criticism. The cause is the death of Siyono (34 years) in Klaten, Central Java last Friday. The ‘accused terrorist’ died after being picked up from his residence by Densus 88. The day after capturing Siyono, the squad searched his parents’ house, located next to a kindergarten, during school hours. It was reported that the children were hysterical over the actions of Densus 88 members. In the past, it has been difficult to find…
Freedom of Speech Must Go Hand in Hand with the Spirit of Tolerance
The recent attack that took place outside an event hosted by an anti-Islām movement in Garland, Texas featuring the cartoons of the Prophet Muḥammad should be condemned in the strongest terms possible. However, so too should the deliberately provocative actions taken by anti-Islām extremists that were the catalyst. This incident is redolent of the horrendous attack on French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, earlier this year. In the Garland incident, the two gunmen were shot by the police as they attempted to enter a conference centre in which the anti-Islamic American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) was hosting an art contest for…
Is it time to care about the Muslims in China?
Chinese Uyghur Muslims Under Oppression: Where is the World? Attention by the mainstream press on the situation of Chinese Uyghur Muslim minority is dwindling. This, however, does not mean that their oppression by the Chinese government has ended. Just a couple of weeks ago I met a Chinese Uyghur Muslim who had left enormous landlocked Xinjiang to pursue further education in the UK. We had a thought-provoking conversation about the situation of his community in China. To practice Islām completely in the vast autonomous region of north-western China is to live under an intricate series of regulations and restrictions directed…
