Jakarta, NU Online
The Indonesian Ulema Council on Thursday waded into the controversy surrounding the Q! Film Festival, calling on the national censorship board to ban any movie that promotes homosexuality.
“Islam and Indonesia’s cultural values strongly reject any movie that showcases homosexuality,” council chairman Ma’ruf Amin told a news conference.<<>br />
Ma’ruf said the council, known as the MUI, also appreciated denouncements of the festival by Communications and Information Technology Minister Tifatul Sembiring and Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik.
On Wednesday, Tifatul was heavily criticized after posting comments on Twitter about homosexuality and its correlation with the spread of HIV/AIDS in Indonesia.
Data from the National AIDS Commission (KPA), however, show that unsafe sex among homosexuals was responsible for only 3.3 percent of infections in the country.
Ma’ruf also said the MUI would also send a letter to the Film Censorship Board (LSF) asking it to ban any movie that casts homosexuality in a positive light.
“LSF should put religion into consideration when censoring a movie — [it shouldn’t] approve a movie that goes against religious and the cultural values,” he said as quoted by the Jakarta Globe.
Meanwhile, MUI deputy secretary general Amirsyah Tambunan rejected criticism that banning the festival was a violation of human rights.
“It’s not true that banning this movie will violate human rights because free sex and homosexuality are abnormal sex behaviors, and they betray human nature because in the long run it could eliminate the next generation” he said.
Reproduction, he added, was a human right, and therefore homosexuality could be deemed a violation of human rights.
Ma’ruf added that art without moral values should not be justified. “Human rights are not without limit — the Constitution always has boundaries,” he said.
The festival’s organizers said on its official Web site that the festival was aimed to raise awareness among gay and transgender individuals about the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV/AIDS, as well as to fight for equality and to combat the lifestyles’ negative stigma in the community.
Despite the controversy, the embattled organizers kept the festival going on Thursday, although they had to cancel Q! Gossip, a debate scheduled for Thursday evening, because some participants withdrew.
The topic for the debate was to be Queer vs Media, a discussion about how the gay, lesbian and transgender community is portrayed. (dar)
The Indonesian Ulema Council on Thursday waded into the controversy surrounding the Q! Film Festival, calling on the national censorship board to ban any movie that promotes homosexuality.
“Islam and Indonesia’s cultural values strongly reject any movie that showcases homosexuality,” council chairman Ma’ruf Amin told a news conference.<<>br />
Ma’ruf said the council, known as the MUI, also appreciated denouncements of the festival by Communications and Information Technology Minister Tifatul Sembiring and Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik.
On Wednesday, Tifatul was heavily criticized after posting comments on Twitter about homosexuality and its correlation with the spread of HIV/AIDS in Indonesia.
Data from the National AIDS Commission (KPA), however, show that unsafe sex among homosexuals was responsible for only 3.3 percent of infections in the country.
Ma’ruf also said the MUI would also send a letter to the Film Censorship Board (LSF) asking it to ban any movie that casts homosexuality in a positive light.
“LSF should put religion into consideration when censoring a movie — [it shouldn’t] approve a movie that goes against religious and the cultural values,” he said as quoted by the Jakarta Globe.
Meanwhile, MUI deputy secretary general Amirsyah Tambunan rejected criticism that banning the festival was a violation of human rights.
“It’s not true that banning this movie will violate human rights because free sex and homosexuality are abnormal sex behaviors, and they betray human nature because in the long run it could eliminate the next generation” he said.
Reproduction, he added, was a human right, and therefore homosexuality could be deemed a violation of human rights.
Ma’ruf added that art without moral values should not be justified. “Human rights are not without limit — the Constitution always has boundaries,” he said.
The festival’s organizers said on its official Web site that the festival was aimed to raise awareness among gay and transgender individuals about the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV/AIDS, as well as to fight for equality and to combat the lifestyles’ negative stigma in the community.
Despite the controversy, the embattled organizers kept the festival going on Thursday, although they had to cancel Q! Gossip, a debate scheduled for Thursday evening, because some participants withdrew.
The topic for the debate was to be Queer vs Media, a discussion about how the gay, lesbian and transgender community is portrayed. (dar)
Terpopuler
1
Kemenag Tetapkan Gelar Akademik Baru untuk Lulusan Ma’had Aly
2
LKKNU Jakarta Perkuat Kesehatan Mental Keluarga
3
Anggapan Safar sebagai Bulan Sial Berseberangan dengan Pandangan Ulama
4
3 Alasan Bulan Kedua Hijriah Dinamakan Safar
5
Kopri PB PMII Luncurkan Beasiswa Pendidikan Khusus Profesi Advokat untuk 2.000 Kader Perempuan
6
Abi Mudi Samalanga Dianugerahi Penghargaan Kategori Ulama Berpengaruh di Aceh
Terkini
Lihat Semua
