Balinese people protest 'Indosiar' action series<\/p>\n
Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar<\/p>\n
Some 200 people representing the Forum for Harmonious Inter-Faith
\nRelationships (FKUB) staged a peaceful protest at the Provincial
\nRepresentatives Council building here on Tuesday, demanding the
\nJakarta-based television station Indosiar stop airing its prime-
\ntime action series Angling Darma.<\/p>\n
The protesters claimed that various scenes from the series'
\nfive latest episodes had insinuated that Hinduism was an inferior
\nreligion. They also said the series had inaccurately portrayed
\nthe life of Angling Darma, a legendary Hindu king who was
\nbelieved to have reigned in Java in the 11th century.<\/p>\n
\"One of the episodes contained a scene in which a character
\nstated that there would come a new religion (Islam), which would
\nbe able to abolish all evils. We are very offended by this
\nstatement, since it hinted that the old and existing religion at
\nthat time (Hindu) was inferior compared to the new religion,\"
\nprotest coordinator I Wayan Sudiana said.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, Sudiana said, the series had deliberately
\ndepicted the main villain as someone who had acquired all his
\nblack magic skills in India, while the leading characters were of
\nArab origin.<\/p>\n
Leaders of various Hindu youth and student organizations, such
\nas Ray Misno, Wayan Jondra and Made Udi Prayudi, were among the
\nprotesters, who passionately and repeatedly screamed the slogan
\nSatyam Eva Jayate, meaning 'the truth shall prevail.'<\/p>\n
The protesters demanded that Indosiar immediately stop
\nairing the series, saying they would otherwise stage larger
\nprotests and also take steps to sue the station over the program.<\/p>\n
\"The series must be canned as of tomorrow (Wednesday), or we
\nwill stage another protest,\" Sudiana said.<\/p>\n
The head of the provincial legislative council, Ida Bagus Putu
\nWesnawa, who was accompanied by around a dozen legislators,
\nassured the protesters that their voices were being, and would
\ncontinue to be, heard.<\/p>\n
\"Hinduism is a very tolerant religion, but this, I think, is
\ntoo much, and is also way over the line,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Separately, in a faxed, written statement, the director of
\nIndosiar, Nurhadi Purwosaputro, expressed his company's deepest
\napologies to the followers of Hinduism who had been offended by
\nthe series. Indosiar would also make several improvements to the
\nseries, which was currently among the station's ten highest-
\nrating weekly programs.<\/p>\n
\"We don't have any intention of offending any particular
\nreligion in the production and presentation of the series,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Indosiar spokesman Gufroni Sakaril disclosed that the written
\nstatement was drafted during an unscheduled executives meeting on
\nTuesday afternoon, which was called right after the company
\nlearned about the protest.<\/p>\n
Yet the fate of the series' next episode, due to be aired at
\n09.00 pm Jakarta time on Wednesday, was still unclear.<\/p>\n
\"Whether the episode will be canceled or not is a matter that
\nis still under serious consideration,\" Gufroni said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the series' scriptwriter Imam Tantowi stressed that
\nthe series did, in fact, portray a harmonious inter-faith
\nrelationship between King Angling Darma and two Muslim characters
\nfrom Gujarat, India. They worked in unison to fight the evil that
\nhaunted Angling Darma's kingdom.<\/p>\n
\"I deeply apologize if my series has offended my Hindu
\nbrothers and sisters,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/balinese-people-protest-indosiar-action-series-1447893297",
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