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Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque suspends Friday prayers over COVID-19 concerns
Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia, has suspended Friday prayers for at least the next two weeks to prevent further COVID-19 spread in the capital.
Religion
Islamic groups, government reiterate infection risk as former military commander calls for Muslims to pray at the mosque
With Friday just a day away, the question of whether or not Muslims in Indonesia should go to the mosque to perform the mandatory Friday prayers looms large, despite the fact that...
Indonesian Ulema Council urges citizens in high-risk COVID-19 areas to skip Friday prayers with fatwa
The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), the highest clerical body in the country, has issued a fatwa (religious edict) allowing Muslims in high-risk COVID-19 areas to pray at home in...
PA 212 to protest at Indian embassy in Jakarta over violence against Muslims
Persaudaraan Alumni 212 (PA 212), an umbrella group consisting of some of the country’s most notorious hardline Islamist organizations such as the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI),...
Surabaya pastor accused of sexually abusing 26-year-old churchgoer since she was 9
A 26-year-old woman in the East Java capital of Surabaya has reported a pastor at her church to the police for sexual abuse, which she claims went on for 17 years.
Government negotiating with Saudi to exempt ‘coronavirus-free’ Indonesia from Umrah pilgrimage suspension
Muslim-majority Indonesia is dismayed by news that Saudi Arabia has temporarily closed its borders to Umrah pilgrims amid fears of the novel coronavirus outbreak, but the...
Indonesian minister wants fatwa ruling that the rich must marry the poor to combat poverty
One of Indonesia’s top ministers has come up with what he undoubtedly thinks is a quick-fix solution to the country’s poverty problem: cross-economic class marriage.
Police arrest 5 in Puncak’s ‘halal sex tourism’ prostitution ring catering to Middle Eastern men
Prostitution veiled as contract weddings in the hilly resort town of Puncak has long been an open secret in the area, and a recent police bust shows that the practice is alive and...
Viral: Japanese public bathroom features sign, only in Indonesian, prohibiting washing of feet in sink
It seems there will never be a shortage of viral stories about Indonesians and faux pas in Japan. The latest of such stories relates to restroom hygiene, which we know the...
Indonesia will not repatriate former ISIS members over national security concerns
Indonesia has decided not to repatriate some 660 former members of terrorist group ISIS following a national debate on the issue, with the government choosing to prioritize...