Major antiporn protests hit several big cities
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Thousands of Muslims staged separate protests on Monday in several cities across the country, urging authorities to take firm action against pornographic products.
Some protest groups demanded the death penalty for porn producers and distributors.
The protests, which took place in at least 10 cities including Bandung, Semarang, Jambi, Padang, Pekanbaru, Pontianak, Medan, Cirebon, Palembang and Samarinda, involved supporters of the Muslim-based Justice Party (PK).
The rallies followed the recent circulation of copies of pornographic VCDs featuring two Indonesian students from Bandung, West Java. The copies have sparked widespread condemnation from Muslims and other community groups across the nation.
In Bandung, some 500 women wearing Muslim head veils marched to the province's legislative body demanding West Java Governor Nuriana eradicate porn publications.
"Porn VCDs, magazines and tabloids are easily found every where because officials have not been firm and the rules are not clear," said Diah Nurwitasari, a protest leader.
The protesters said they were concerned over the fact that porn products were not only used by men, but also housewives, including those who usually attended religious sermons.
"We know this when the VCDs showing intimate relations by the two students in Bandung hit the market. We were very shocked when we discovered Muslim mothers have also appreciated them," Diah said.
In Medan, around 100 women staged a protest at the North Sumatra legislative council, expressing similar concerns over the spread of porn products throughout the country.
"Pornography must be wiped out because it becomes a serious threat to the building of the nation's morality," said a statement issued during the protest.
The teenage protesters declared an "open war" in the predominantly Muslim nation against those offering sex as a public commodity.
In Cirebon, protesters burned porn print products outside the city's mayoralty office. Local Mayor Lasmana Suriatmaja joined the rally and led the burning.
In Jambi, woman protesters demanded that the provincial authorities ban the media from publishing porn articles or photos.
In Palembang, protesters from the Forum for Anti-Pornographic Moslems (Formap) set ablaze tabloids, magazines and newspapers carrying porn pictures.
Female Muslims in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, slammed local authorities for refusing to take firm actions against pornography.
"We demand the security forces take concrete action in eradicating pornography in this region," said protest coordinator Laila Asri.
In Semarang, protesters demanded that porn dealers be sentenced to death in order to save the nation's future from destruction.
"We demand that the government revoke the license of the media found guilty of involvement in porn cases," said Dyah Woro, coordinator of the protest at the capital city of Central Java.
They also called on the people to jointly fight pornography to protect the nation's morality.
Similar protests were also staged in the West Sumatra capital of Padang, Pekanbaru in Riau and Samarinda in East Kalimantan. The rallies came only days before the holy fasting month of Ramadhan begins on Nov. 17.