The root of today's ban: Ramadhan in the capital

Loreen Neville, Publisher and Chairwoman, Roving Insight Executive & Diplomatic Club, Jakarta

Jakarta, a dusty, bustling, crowded metropolis, is a mixture of the traditional and the modern, a classic showcase of the huge gap between the hyper-rich and the dirt-poor, a fascinating amalgamation of inward looking spirituality and outward looking secularism. And it is the country's port of entry for tourism, business and ideas.

Indonesia's capital of more than 12 million people portrays the country's enormous ethnic and cultural diversity, but also the amazing contrast between Western-style skyscrapers and urban civilization on the one hand, and traditional Indonesian culture and countryside lifestyle in the kampung on the other hand.

Yet it is a great place to live and experience. But it remains also one of the dirtiest capital cities in the world. Floods threaten large areas of the metropolis in any rainy season, causing the already head-aching traffic to come to a complete standstill, pollution is awful, the drainage system horrendous. Trash is everywhere: on the streets, in the few parks remaining, in the rivers.

And right next to the heaps of trash and rotting rivers: Luxury hotels, shopping malls, classy restaurants, entertainment centers. In this context, Jakarta is still far behind Japan, Malaysia and Hong Kong. But during the fasting month of Ramadhan, even such innocent pleasures as dining out, a night in the club or a beer in a pub are threatened, once again.

Now facing a prison term for creating havoc in the city over the past few years, the leader of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), Reza Pahlevi Siddiq, claims that his organization's long- term aim is to rid the country of alcohol, drugs, gambling and prostitution.

According to Reza, Indonesia should become a society without vice, alcohol-free, with cafes where people only drink tea or coffee or soft drinks with their friends after work

Converting Indonesia into a nation of coffee drinkers may not be a bad idea, taking into account the number of crimes committed "under the influence" by people who, except for an occasional arak or a traditional tuak in some areas, are not at all used to alcohol. A majority of people in the country fear, however, that the movement's real aim is to transform Indonesia into an Islamic state ruled by extremists. This majority fears that there will arrive a moment where democracy -- and the possibility to choose individually and freely how to live and what to drink, or not -- will no longer exist.

Most Islamic teachers and factions preach peace and tolerance. Such a peaceful and tolerant society will no longer exist when extremists force their version of Islam on people with different interpretations of the religion, with a different religion or with a thirsty throat longing for a mug of beer after a hard day's work.

Since the FPI raids on nightspots began in 1999, the Jakarta City Council, unsure and hesitant how to react after having lost the firmness and freedom of action that could obviously have been taken for granted during the New Order, Governor Sutiyoso prefers to ban all cafes, bars and restaurants from selling alcoholic drinks during the fasting month.

However, even these places are not allowed to operate on the first and second days of Idul Fitri and on the 17th day of Ramadhan, the anniversary commemorating the revelation of the Koran to the Prophet. On the other hand, luxury hotels are exempted from the ban.

"Luxury hotels, including their entertainment facilities, will be allowed to operate since most of them serve non-Muslims and foreigners," was Sutiyoso's explanation. In context, it does make sense to permit the selling of alcohol in entertainment spots, legalized and taxed by the government, for the rest of the year and then issue a decree shutting and banning them for a month.

The problem for Indonesia seems to be that it hasn't yet found out whether it really wants to be a democratic or an autocratic- theocratic country. Democracy often seems to point too strongly to Western influences, even with some colonial touches -- while theocracy seems to point to countries of misers such as Iran, Afghanistan and Sudan, countries admired by some because they have managed to impose a "purer" version of Islam than Indonesia, although even the majority of these admirers would long hesitate to really live in these countries.

On the other hand, the major part of the Indonesian people seem to clearly understand the importance of religious harmony as a keystone to national unity and prosperity, as a prerequisite to peace and to open opportunities for all. Indonesia is a multiracial, multiethnic, multireligious state.

The Islam of the majority is a religion of peace and tolerance, incorporating all in the overall corpus of Indonesian Islam. The most remarkable aspect of this modern, moderate form of Islam is its capacity to integrate all the "heresies", "deviations" and "impurities" into an all-encompassing, forgiving, compassionate body.

If you're a vegan, let me nevertheless have my steak. If you're a Taliban supporter, let me nevertheless have my beer. But if my son wants to become an ulema, I'll send him to the best pesantren possible. And when he graduates, I'll present a toast to him. Meanwhile: "Cheers!"