'Mairil' homosexuality in boarding schools

Almost all religions forbid homosexuality as can be seen in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible or the people of the Prophet Luth in the Koran.

According to a recent study, however, homosexuality can be found even in religious institutions, including in pesantren (Islamic boarding schools).

Islamic expert Achmad Zainul "Inung" Hamdi said a certain type of homosexual activity, known as mairil or sempetan occurred between male students (santri) at the boarding schools.

"It happens between senior students and junior students. The Kyai (leaders of the schools) know about the practice, but they ignore it," Inung, who is a lecturer at the State Islamic Institute, in Malang East Java.

Speaking at the four-day National Meeting: Sexuality and Men's Sexual Health, last week, Inung said the senior students -- usually young assistant teachers -- gave "more attention" than usual to junior students.

He said mairil was defined as a penetration between the legs, instead of anal sex.

"If there were anal sex in the pesantren, it would be rare since anal sex or liwath is forbidden. Mairil is considered as an "emergency exit" for students," Inung, who got his masters degree at Sunan Ampel State Islamic Institute, explained.

He said a famous pesantren in Kediri, East Java, even decided to allow the practice among students in its bahtsul masail discussion forum a few years ago.

He said the practice was tolerated, especially among students who had reached marriageable age, but were still studying or teaching in the boarding schools.

Sociologist Dede Oetomo said Inung's explanation showed homosexuality was a reality in society, including in religious institutions, although some denied it.

"We have found a former student of a pesantren is now living with HIV/AIDS. He is now under treatment," Dede, who is also HIV/AIDS activist, said.

Dede said a counseling team was preparing a method for increasing awareness of HIV/AIDS for men who have sex with men (MSM), including holding information campaigns in pesantren.

He said awareness of the need of safe sex was important because the number of men who had sex with men was large and was not only gays and transvestites but also bisexuals.

"Besides injectable drug users, MSM are also prone to HIV/AIDS. These men could be gays, transvestites, or even husbands," Dede, who has a PhD from Cornell University, said.

Homosexuality is also found in Indonesian traditional cultures, such as the bissu in Gowa, South Sulawesi and warok- gemblak in Ponorogo, East Java.

In bissu tradition, some transvestites become the bissu (leaders of traditional rituals) who have power to inaugurate traditional kings.

The bissu transvestite is considered a representative of God who is believed to be genderless.

After the failed coup in 1965 blamed by many on the Indonesian Communist Party, the tradition vanished as the military considered the bissu to be supporters of the party. Currently the tradition is being revived.

In East Java, the warok is one of the male performers in Reog traditional dance. The warok maintains his spiritual and physical power by having sexual relations with young men known as gemblak.