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| Southeast Asia |
| Islamists want whorehouses to close during Ramadan... |
| 2002-10-05 |
| The East Java chapters of Indonesia's two biggest Muslim organizations â Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah â have voiced support for calls to close âimmoralâ entertainment centers and brothels during the upcoming Islamic fasting month of Ramadhan. "Yasss... We must have piety during the Holy Month, even among those who aren't Muslims. If not, we should kill them." East Javaâs capital city Surabaya is home to Indonesiaâs biggest brothel complex, the infamous Dolly prostitution center. The city has many other red-light areas, where prostitutes charge anywhere from Rp40,000 to Rp300,000 ($4.40 to $33) for an hour. Now you know where to go to get a hot time and a social disease cheap... During Ramadhan, which this year runs from November 7 to December 7, devout Muslims are theoretically required to completely abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and having sex from dawn until sunset. And if they have to, everybody else has to, too... NU executive Abdus Salam Nawawi and Muhammadiyah executive Nadjib Hamid on Friday told state news agency Antara that all immoral entertainment venues should in principle be permanently closed, not only during Ramadhan. Nawawi said the whole communityâs support is required if vice dens are to be shut down. Why would guys who go to whorehouses support shutting down whorehouses? Doesn't seem to make any sense to me... He expressed concern that some Muslims might get the wrong idea that sinful dens of iniquity are morally sound for 11 months of the year if they are only required to close during Ramadhan. "Duh. I are a Muslim. Whorehouses must be morally acceptable if they're publicly open. If I have to hunt for one, then it's okay. I'd rather have to hunt for one..." Hamid said sleazy entertainment venues are partly to blame for increasing moral decay in urban areas of East Java. He said moral decline cannot be resolved through temporary measures, but should instead be overcome through comprehensive conceptual actions. He means like Islam, 24/7, for everybody, like it or not... âThatâs why these immoral entertainment centers should be closed for ever and ever," he asserted. If you don't like 'em, why do you go? If somebody else likes 'em, what gives you the right to say he can't go? Who put you in charge? |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |