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Tag: Jakarta

  • Marvel To Discipline Indonesian Marvel-Gold Artist For Hidden Political, Religious Reference

    Marvel To Discipline Indonesian Marvel-Gold Artist For Hidden Political, Religious Reference

    Marvel Comics is planning to take disciplinary action against an Indonesian artist who sneaked several controversial references into his artwork for the first issue of X-Men Gold, according to reports citing a statement by the comics giant.

    X-Men Gold #1, which was published on Wednesday (Apr 5), was illustrated by Indonesian artist Ardian Syaf.

    His artwork allegedly contained several hidden religious references and sparked an outcry by comic book fans on social media.

    In one scene, Jewish mutant Kitty Pryde is seen standing in front of a crowd of humans. Her head is adjacent to a sign saying “Jewelry”, which some took to be a reference to her heritage.

    In the same panel, there is a building with the numbers “212” on it – a reference to a mass rally by Indonesian Muslims on Dec 2 last year against Jakarta’s Christian Chinese governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama. Ahok is on trial for blasphemy over accusations that he insulted the Islamic holy book, the Quran.

    Another scene in the issue shows Colossus wearing a t-shirt with “QS 5:51” on it, a reference to a verse in the Quran used by some in Indonesia to support their view that non-Muslims should not lead the government.

    Ardian shared artwork for the issue on his Facebook page on Thursday, in a post that has since been taken down. By Sunday evening, the post had drawn almost 200 comments.

    Many criticised him for the alleged political messages. “The X-Men message at its core is integration, not division,” Facebook user Zauri Severino Junior wrote.

    “It’s shameful to see (an) Indonesian artist make a fool of himself worldwide just because of his impaired religious views and racism,” another commenter, Nuri Agustiani Setiawan, wrote.

    In a statement published by ComicBook on Saturday, Marvel said the artwork “was inserted without knowledge behind its reported meanings”.

    “These implied references do not reflect the views of the writer, editors or anyone else at Marvel and are in direct opposition of the inclusiveness of Marvel Comics and what the X-Men have stood for since their creation,” the statement said.

    Marvel added that disciplinary action would be taken against Syaf, but did not give further details.

    It added that the artwork would be removed from subsequent printings, digital versions, and trade paperbacks.

    In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Apr 11), Syaf said his career was “over now”.

    He added: “It’s the consequence (of) what I did, and I take it. Please no more mockery, debate, no more hate. I hope all in peace.”

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Study Finds Majority Of People Condemning Ahok’s ‘Blasphemy’ Not Well Informed

    Study Finds Majority Of People Condemning Ahok’s ‘Blasphemy’ Not Well Informed

    Few Indonesian people who believe that Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama has committed blasphemy have a clear understanding of the context of his speech during which he quoted a Quranic verse, a survey has found.

    The survey commissioned by Jakarta-based pollster Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) revealed on Thursday that 45.2 percent of respondents regarded Ahok’s remarks during his conversation with local residents in Thousand Islands regency on Sept.27, in which he cited Surah al-Maidah, as blasphemous.

    However, when they were asked about the governor’s remarks, only 11.5 percent of the respondents said they clearly understood what Ahok had said.

    The study further found that only 12.9 percent of the public had seen the video of Ahok’s speech uploaded on the Internet.

    “As the study found that only a very few people had actually watched the video [of Ahok’s statement], much of the blasphemy-related negative sentiment about Ahok is baseless,” SMRC founder Saiful Mujani told a discussion on Thursday.

    SMRC surveyed 1,220 respondents aged 17 years and above in its study conducted from Nov. 22 through 28 in response to the massive anti-Ahok demonstration organized by Islamic organizations, including the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), on Nov. 4. The survey was conducted through direct interviews with respondents in various areas across the country.

     

    Source: The Jakarta Post

  • Thousands Gather For Protest Against Jakarta Governor

    Thousands Gather For Protest Against Jakarta Governor

    Thousands of white-clad Muslims streamed towards a central Jakarta park on Friday, gathering for a rally expected to draw more than 100,000 Indonesians demanding the arrest of the capital’s governor, a Christian accused of insulting the Koran.

    National news agency Antara said 22,000 police personnel would be deployed to avoid a repeat of the violence that flared at the end of a protest led by hardline Islamists last month when more than 100 people were injured in clashes with police.

    Muslim groups accuse Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama – nicknamed “Ahok” – of insulting the Koran, though they have pledged that Friday’s demonstration will be peaceful.

    Protesters began moving from the hulking Istiqlal mosque towards the National Monument in the centre of the city at around 5am, after morning prayers.

     

    “We are expecting more than 100,000 participants,” Jakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono said late on Thursday. “There is enough security so the public need not worry. We hope everything will proceed according to the agreement with the protesters.”

    Indonesia has the world’s biggest Muslim population but recognises six religions and is home to dozens of ethnic groups, some of which follow traditional beliefs.

    Purnama, an ethnic Chinese Christian, is being investigated over comments he made about his opponents’ use of the Koran in political campaigning. He denies wrongdoing but has apologised for the remarks.

    Police on Thursday handed over their investigation dossier to prosecutors, who are expected to take the case of alleged blasphemy to court in coming weeks.

    Simmering religious and ethnic tension last month prompted President Joko Widodo to rally top military, political, and religious figures in a sign of unity amid fears of attempts to undermine the stability of his government.

    Police helicopters last week dropped leaflets over the capital warning residents of harsh penalties if the upcoming rally turned violent.

    Tens of thousands participated in military-led rallies in several cities this week calling for unity and celebrating Indonesia’s diversity.

    The Jakarta government has also put up billboards on major roads calling for national unity and displaying pictures of independence heroes who fought against colonial rule.

    The Australian foreign ministry and the US embassy in Jakarta issued security notices urging nationals to avoid the demonstration.

    Purnama is running for re-election in February against two Muslim candidates. The governor, who is popular with many for pushing through tough reforms to clean up the teeming city, has slipped into second place in the race, opinion polls showed this week.

     

    Source: ChannelNewsAsia

  • Arrested ISIS-Linked Cell Members Planning Attacks On Government Buildings, Myanmar Embassy

    Arrested ISIS-Linked Cell Members Planning Attacks On Government Buildings, Myanmar Embassy

    Arrested members of an ISIS-linked cell in Indonesia were planning attacks on government buildings, TV stations, and the Myanmar Embassy in Jakarta, police said, adding that the scale of the attack might have been even bigger than 2002 Bali bombing.

    “They were helping plan a bomb attack against parliament, the national police headquarters, the embassy of Myanmar and several television stations,” national police spokesman Rikwanto said, as cited by AFP.

    He added that the attack planned by Islamic State-linked (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants could have been even worse that the 2002 Bali bombings.

    The attack on the Indonesian resort island of Bali killed 202 people and injured 200 more, mostly foreigners. Jemaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asian militant Islamist terrorist group, linked to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, was reportedly responsible for the attack. Several of the group’s members were convicted on terrorism charges.

    Earlier this week, police arrested Rio Priatna Wibawa, 23, at his home in Majalengka regency, West Java province. Officers discovered large amount of bomb-making material which he allegedly planned to use in the attacks. The bombings were reportedly planned to take place in December, though police failed to find out when exactly.

    Police also found a black flag, rounds of bullets, and several weapons, including an air rifle and a machete, police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar said, as cited by Reuters. He described the suspect as a “self-taught bomb-maker.”

    His two alleged accomplices, all members of Jamaah Ansharut Daulah, a domestic cell affiliated with Islamic State, were arrested on Saturday and Sunday. Jamaah Ansharut Daulah is a splinter cell of the Jemaah Islamiyah group.

    Those arrested were identified as Bahrain Agam and Saiful Bahri, AFP quoted Rikwanto as saying. They reportedly donated money to buy explosives and even helped Wibawa set up a home bomb-making laboratory.

    In January, Indonesia was rocked by terrorist attacks staged by Islamic State sympathizers. At least four people were killed and 23 others, including foreigners, were injured after militants set off multiple explosions and fired guns near a shopping mall in central Jakarta. The attack took place near a UN information center, luxury hotels, and foreign embassies.

     

    Source: www.rt.com

  • Indonesia Government Does Not Want Singapore To Claim Credit For Combating Haze, Rejected Earlier Offers

    Indonesia Government Does Not Want Singapore To Claim Credit For Combating Haze, Rejected Earlier Offers

    JAKARTA — Indonesian Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung said that Jakarta had earlier rejected Singapore’s offers of assistance to combat the transboundary haze crisis in the region because it was concerned that the city state would claim credit for solving the problem, even while the officials were worried about the rapidly deteriorating situation.

    “The (Indonesian) government is not closing ourselves off to assistance. But if we are assisted, the government does not want them (Singapore) to claim the credit. It is the government that is working hard to resolve (this smog disaster) … So we do not want it to reach the point of them claiming credit for it,” Mr Anung told CNN Indonesia yesterday (Oct 7).

    According to Indonesian media reports, President Joko Widodo held an unscheduled closed-door meeting yesterday to discuss the haze problem, which has worsened this week.

    Jakarta today asked for help from Singapore, Russia, Malaysia and Japan to put out forest fires that have caused choking smoke to drift across South-east Asia, after having turned down several offers of foreign assistance from other countries, particularly Singapore and Malaysia, which have also been affected by haze since the crisis began last month.

    Minister of Forestry and Environment Siti Nurbaya Bakar said yesterday that the government had opened up to the possibility of accepting international assistance as the situation was getting worse.

    Dr Siti Nurbaya explained that as the fires spread and difficulty of putting them out increased, Indonesia would need support from abroad to provide equipment that is capable of providing water capacity and stronger volume pressure. “It seems that there is a need to receive support whether from Singapore, Russia, Austria, and others,” said the minister at the Presidential Palace Complex yesterday. She added that water bombing and artificial rain would be the most effective and in this regard, Indonesia required more aircraft at its disposal

    This was despite Dr Siti Nurbaya stating earlier that Indonesia did not require any assistance from Singapore as it has more than enough aircraft.

    Mr Anung stressed yesterday that while the government had not yet decided to declare the smog that is blanketing Sumatra and Kalimantan as a national disaster, it was very concerned about the problem. He said Mr Widodo was actively monitoring the situation, especially through social media, including direct view content uploaded by the community.

    “Earlier we showed this (information from social media) to the President. The President knows everything, because we want the President to get information that is as complete as possible to the events that happened,” the Cabinet Secretary highlighted.

    Mr Widodo planned to go to a number of areas affected by the haze but he has not been able to do so as the air quality and visibility worsened.

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com