Banned: Which films?

I'm one of those who disagree with attempts to ban or censor Schindler's List. Let me quote noted writer Danarto from the Republika daily a couple of weeks ago. He said that Steven Spielberg's films are often rich in moral values in line with Islamic values. Moslems who have seen Spielberg films such as E.T., Hook, or Jurassic Park must recognize this. These films are much better than most Indonesian films today (such as Ranjang yang Ternoda (Stained Bed), Misteri Permainan Terlarang (Mystery of Forbidden Play), Gairah yang Nakal (Naughty Passion) and Gairah Malam (Night Passion) which display pornography, obscenity and vulgarity. I wonder why we don't scream loudly to stop such vulgar films. So, now which one must be banned?

Concerning 'Zionist propaganda,' whether it exists or not, why must we be scared? We must learn the truth by seeing the real thing. How can we recognize 'Zionist propaganda' if we haven't seen what it is. We must ensure that our beliefs won't be influenced. We must have confidence. In fact, we have been too busy talking about Schindler's List that we haven't instead tried to stop the vulgar films in which we know that 'bad things' exist.

One more thing, the polemics on Schindler's List should not become a dispute on religion matters. Different people of differing perspectives, nationalities, races, religions and backgrounds are involved here. It is both impossible and highly dangerous to confront the basic beliefs, particularly religious beliefs. It is the duty of The Jakarta Post to keep the polemics to as bare minimum.

DWIKE RIANTARA

Jakarta