Muhammadiyah launches book

YOGYAKARTA: In a bid to help accelerate democratization in Indonesia, the country's second largest Muslim organization, Muhammadiyah, launched on Thursday a civics textbook.

The book, titled Civic Education, will be mandatory for students at Muhammadiyah universities across the nation. It was launched by Muhammadiyah chairman Ahmad Syafii Maarif here.

The head of Muhammadiyah's education and research body, Zamroni, said the book would fill the gap in civic education for university students that was created when the government scrapped in 1999 the Pancasila state ideology course, which had been compulsory for new students.

One of the book's writers, Said Tuhuleley, said the textbook presented students with a dynamic learning process that would encourage them to uphold democratic values.

It took the writers three years to complete the textbook, during which time they held a series of workshops and conducted comparative studies to get input from experts in Indonesia and overseas. -- JP

;JP;DEWI; ANPAa..r.. Scene-violence-book Book on domestic violence launched JP/4/SCENE

Book on domestic violence released

JAKARTA: The Women's Legal Aid Foundation (LBH APIK), a non- governmental organization, released on Wednesday a book on domestic violence.

Titled A Study on Domestic Abuse: Unpunished Criminal, the book tells the story of a woman, Suyatmi, who suffered from domestic violence and took legal action against her abusive husband in 1997.

The organization said the book was part of its continuing campaign to force the government and the House of Representatives to endorse a bill on domestic violence that has been shelved for seven years.

Written by House member Nursyahbani Katjasungkana and LBH APIK member Asnifriyanti Damanik, the book is dedicated to all women who have been victims of domestic violence, the survivors of domestic violence and all women across the country. -- JP