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Tuesday, July 13, 2004
Indonesian Democrats 2
Here's the ladies' section of the same rally for Megawati Sukarnoputri last month in Jombang, Java. It was a small, low-key event — just a declaration of support for Megawati and her running mate by a group of students from local pesantrens, or Islamic schools. There's an idea in the west that all pesantrens are radical. Not true. Only a handful are. The schools in Jombang teach a tolerant, traditionally-Indonesian brand of Islam that mixes well with democracy. At the end of this rally someone even chanted a bizarre song of prayer for Megawati's success at the polls.
A lot of Indonesian Muslims think Megawati can't lead the nation simply because she's a woman. These students obviously don't agree. But one day after the rally, another faction of the same tolerant Muslim organization — everyone in these photos is aligned with NU, or Nadlatul Ulama — issued a "fatwa" saying it went against Islam to vote for a female leader. So the tolerance is, um, relative.
posted by Michael Scott Moore |
11:28 PM
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