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| Southeast Asia |
| Rockers upset Muslim vigilantes |
| 2005-04-26 |
| AN Indonesian soft rock band has been reported to the police for blasphemy after unintentionally upsetting a fiery Muslim vigilante group with its latest album of plodding love ballads. The Front for the Defenders of Islam, which normally rails against Jakarta's seedy nightlife, said today it was outraged by a logo used by veteran act Dewa on the front of their latest release, Laskar Cinta, or Soldier of Love. "We reported Dewa to the Jakarta Police for contempt of religion yesterday," Ari Yusuf Amir, a lawyer for the hardline organisation said. Amir said that the flower-like logo was too similar to a calligraphic portrayal of the word "Allah" that is a regular feature of Islamic imagery. He said that after listening to the album and watching Dewa live the Defenders decided that there was insufficient religious content to justify using the logo. The group was particularly outraged when band members trampled on the design during a gig in which it was emblazoned on the stage. "The use of the logo has not only nothing to do with the songs in the album itself but we also have proof that members of the band actually stepped on the holy name of God during their concert earlier this month," said Amir. "We have already complained to Dewa, but there had been no reaction and therefore we are taking this complaint to the police," the lawyer said. If the police uphold the complaint, the band's members could face up to five year in jail. The defenders rose to prominence in Indonesia several years ago after their members conducted night raids on nightclubs and other "dens of sins" in Jakarta. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #5 "We reported Dewa to the Jakarta Police for contempt of religion yesterday," Ari Yusuf Amir, a lawyer for the hardline organisation said. Dewa later responded, saying "Actually, it only shit-for-brains lawyers we have contempt for." |
| Posted by: mojo 2005-04-26 10:43:24 AM |
| #4 I am not the walrus...INFIDEL! |
| Posted by: Waleed Doushbag 2005-04-26 10:23:35 AM |
| #3 Has Tipper Gore been advising the Front for Defenders? Oh, sorry, wrong freak. |
| Posted by: Tkat 2005-04-26 9:19:07 AM |
| #2 Does "sod off Swampy!" Translate? How about some rocker style shit pounding of a few "viliganites"? I bet that needs no translation. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet 0’ Doom 2005-04-26 4:46:31 AM |
| #1 If you play their album backwards, it says "JI is the Walrus". |
| Posted by: John in Tokyo 2005-04-26 4:15:45 AM |