Upholding Plurality: Finding Light in the Darkness
By Arvelia Yardhika Ong on 2:34 pm January 23, 2014. Category Blogs, Talk Back Tags: Religious tolerance A Muslim woman and a Catholic nun held hands and crossed roads together in Yogyakarta. (Photo...
View ArticleBCA 58th Anniversary Celebration: BCA Continues Its Mangrove Rehabilitation...
(Source: PT Bank Central Asia Tbk) BCA 58th Anniversary Celebration: BCA Continues Its Mangrove Rehabilitation Program at Muara Kali Opak, Yogyakarta Update: April 16, 2015 Yogyakarta, 15 April 2015-In...
View ArticlePrintemps Français No. 11 returns to 11 cities
The annual Printemps Français is back, bringing French and Indonesian artistes from different fields to 11 cities across Indonesia in its 11th edition. A performance by Parisian band Fancy opened the...
View ArticleIndonesian Muslim pageant challenges Western beauty contests
PRAMBANAN: An eclectic mix of women from around the world will compete in the finale of a pageant exclusively for Muslims in Indonesia Friday, seen as a riposte to Western beauty contests. The women,...
View ArticleMultireligious village in Gorontalo holds peaceful Christmas celebrations
Christians in Banuroja village, Randangan district, Pohuwato regency, Gorontalo, are thankful for the peaceful atmosphere they have been enjoying ahead of Christmas, which they will celebrate on...
View ArticleThe question of unity in diversity
When Indonesia adopted Pancasila as the state ideology, which envisions the nation as neither secular nor theocratic, it was actually an ideal and a wise choice. Pancasila, the five tenets, neither...
View ArticleAirports in Solo and Yogyakarta to be Reopened Following Kelud Closures
By SP/Carlos Paath on 2:14 pm February 17, 2014. Category News Tags: Adi Sucipto Airport, Adi Sumarmo Airport, Mount Kelud, Solo, yogyakarta Police officers remove ash from the eruption of Mount Kelud...
View ArticleYogyakarta: Sacred ruins a jungle secret
Chris Pritchard finds the world's best examples of Hindu and Buddhist art in Indonesia. Hidden beneath a thick jungle canopy in Southeast Asia lie enormous ruins, even more impressive than others...
View ArticleThe miracle of religion and science
This week Indonesians will celebrate two religious holidays, both of which commemorate miraculous phenomena in Christianity and Islam. First is the ascension of Jesus Christ to Heaven. Second is the...
View ArticleLessons from Indonesia’s Hindu legacy
Indians tend to see themselves as unique, in terms of both the achievements, and dilemmas, related to their bewildering social and cultural diversity. Partly this is because the Indian mental map of...
View ArticleIssue of the day: Radicals disperse Christian camp in Yogyakarta
July 3, p5 The Islamic Jihad Front (FJI), with police backing, has broken up a camping event of 1,500 Christian elementary and junior high school students at the Wonogondang camping ground in...
View ArticleBeyond Bali: Unknown Indonesia
Beyond Bali, much of Indonesia is unknown to many travellers. Jakarta has a bad rap for terrible traffic and pollution. But get out of the capital, and you can discover thousands of islands, incredible...
View ArticleRomance of the gamelan
A trip to Yogyakarta and Solo’s cultural landmarks leaves Anwardi Jamil with great respect for the Indonesians’ passion for their culture and heritage JUST two weeks ago, I followed a group of gamelan...
View ArticleBeating heart of Java
Indonesian villagers push their bicycles across a bamboo bridge as sun rises behind them outside Yogyakarta city in Central Java. Photo: Reuters Brigid Delaney ventures beyond Bali to a land of smart...
View ArticleTravel Indonesia: Five stops you can't miss in this tropical paradise
Visitors walk the stairs on Borobudur, a Buddhist temple in Yogyakarta, on the island of Java. The temple was built between the years 750-850, then abandoned, then rediscovered in 1815 and eventually...
View ArticleIslamic Jihad Front disperses Christian camp in Yogyakarta
The Islamic Jihad Front (FJI), with police backing, has broken up a camping event of 1,500 Christian elementary and junior high school students at the Wonogondang camping ground in Cangkringan, Sleman,...
View ArticleYogyakarta Farmer Pioneers Islamic Environmentalism
By Cory Rogers on 1:46 pm October 16, 2013. Category Features Tags: environmentalism, Islam, yogyakarta Bumi Langit Farm owner Pak Iskandar and Najiyah Martiam, a staff member at from Gadjah Mada...
View ArticleFor an Organic Farmer in Yogyakarta, Islam Is the Inspiration
By Cory Rogers on 3:54 pm September 27, 2013. Category Environment, Features Tags: Islam, Organic farming, organic food, yogyakarta Bumi Langit Farm owner Pak Iskandar and Najiyah Martiam, a staff...
View ArticleGovt seeks to revoke divisive local bylaws
The Home Ministry is planning to curb discriminatory bylaws that have become the source of conflict in regions throughout the archipelago. The ministry revealed the plan following a recent clash in...
View ArticlePersis pledges to protect churches
The Persatuan Islam (Persis) Muslim group, which has a stronghold in West Java, has assured the safety of churches in the province following the Tolikara tragedy in Papua. Persis West Java chapter vice...
View ArticleJokowi-Kalla must manage religious diversity
Experts say the new Indonesian government led by Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Jusuf Kalla must immediately improve the management of religious diversity in Indonesia, in line with principles of the 1945...
View ArticleIssue of the day: Muslim groups condemn Tolikara incident
July 25, p5 Despite a peace agreement after an incident in Tolikara, Papua, thousands of Muslims from various groups in Surakarta, Central Java, staged a rally on Friday to protest the violence. Under...
View ArticleIndonesia's madrasas of moderation
Islamic boarding schools have existed for centuries in the country, and are a bulwark against extremism The silhouette of the large mosque, brick-like but for a bulbous dome, looked blurry in the...
View ArticleMuslims to join in efforts on climate change
Indonesia is set to play an important role in rallying Islamic communities in the battle against climate change as the country will be among those signing an “Islamic Climate Change Declaration” that...
View ArticleIndonesia wins `ASEAN Favorite Destination` Award
Jakarta (ANTARA News)- Indonesia will be awarded the ASEAN Favorite Destination Award at Malaysias biggest tourism expo MATTA Fair 2015, to be held at the Putra World Trade Center in Kuala Lumpur from...
View ArticleIndustry ministry plans revitalization of fertilizer industry
The government is making concerted efforts to revitalize the country’s aging fertilizer industry to ensure that local fertilizer producers will be able to meet a sharp increase in future demand....
View Articleindonesia to intensify pilgrimage tourism promotion activities
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia is the worlds largest Muslim population nation and also home to the followers of other religions, such as Christianity, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and...
View ArticlePower and sectarian politics, again
The circular letter issued by Bogor Mayor Bima Arya banning Ashura Day commemorations in the West Java city last week presents several ironies. Bima, who earned his PhD in political science from...
View ArticleYour letters: Polemic on Bali’s sharia tourism
The people of Bali must be wary and never permit the entrapment of sharia tourism. Once sharia tourism gets a toe-hold, then the genie is out of the bottle. Next, they will demand sharia compliant...
View ArticleRadicals threaten Yogyakarta interfaith event
Threats from a radical group have disrupted plans by an interfaith community to hold an event celebrating the births of both Prophet Muhammad and Jesus Christ with the aim of presenting a peaceful...
View ArticleTime to reinforce both common ground and self-criticism
In two consecutive days of this week, the world’s two biggest religions commemorate the birth of their respective “founders”: Islam’s Prophet Muhammad (Maulid) and Christianity’s Jesus Christ...
View ArticleForeign tourists continue to visit Yogyakarta despite Jakarta attack
There have been no tourist cancellations to Yogyakarta following Thursday's terror attack in Central Jakarta, according to the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI). "It's true there were...
View ArticleIndonesia to promote coffee tourism in Norway
Indonesian coffee tour packages are set to be promoted at Norway's largest tourism fair, Reiselivsmessen, on Jan. 15-17. “The promotional event aims to introduce Indonesia's high-quality coffee beans...
View ArticleGovt offers transmigration program to former members of Gafatar
Former members of the controversial group Fajar Nusantara Movement (Gafatar) may be allowed to participate in a transmigration program provided by the government as long as they uphold the state...
View ArticleYogyakarta oplosan death toll rises again
The number of people falling victim to oplosan (bootleg alcohol) in Yogyakarta rose to 26 on Monday, according to a police officer. The victims drank the bootleg liquor in areas across the province...
View ArticleEnd persecution of ‘deviants’, the root of terrorism
We have recently been exposed to three diverse issues, all following a familiar line — the tyranny of the majority. The latest is the threat to expel the Ahmadiyah community in Bangka; second, the...
View ArticleAmanusa Aman Villas, Bali
With 17,504 islands, Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago. Stretching over an area that's as wide as the United States from San Francisco to New York,...
View ArticleRI struggles to promote pluralism, tolerance
Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, is still finding it hard to promote a culture of tolerance among its citizens, with a number of major cases of religious intolerance and violence...
View ArticleFuture uncertain for Yogyakarta transgender school
Al Fatah Islamic School for transgender people in Yogyakarta has ceased all activity and its owners and students are keeping a low profile after the school was shut down by local authorities amid...
View ArticleTunisian wins Muslim beauty pageant, calls for free Palestine
PRAMBANAN: A Tunisian woman called for a free Palestine as she won a pageant exclusively for Muslims in Indonesia on Friday, seen as a riposte to Western beauty contests. Eighteen finalists, who...
View ArticleSkip Bali, Head To Yogyakarta Instead
Indonesia can seem like an overwhelming destination. There are thousands of islands, more than 250 million residents and a huge range of languages and customs. While most visitors stick to Bali, the...
View ArticleIntolerance still rampant with one case every month
Religious intolerance is still rife in Yogyakarta, with three cases reported in the first three months of this year in a city once regarded as a paragon of tolerance. “On average, a case occurs each...
View ArticleIndonesia: Persecution of Gafatar Religious Group (HRW - Human Rights Watch)
(Source: HRW - Human Rights Watch) (Jakarta) - Indonesian officials and security forces have been complicit in the violent forced eviction of more than 7,000 members of the Gafatar religious community...
View ArticleBuddhist, Muslim Leaders Push For Peace In Conflict Areas
Buddhist and Muslim leaders in South and Southeast Asia are working to spread a message of peace and dialogue as interreligious conflict continues to threaten stability in Myanmar, Sri Lanka and other...
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