“In May 2016, Zulfa Nur Rohman, a vocational secondary school student in Semarang Central Java, failed the 11th grade for a religious reason. He could not continue to 12th grade since he refused to reading the Quran and perform prayers in the mandatory Islamic studies classes.”
To listen to the self-appointed “Islamophobia” watchdogs in the West, one would get the idea that Muslim students in the U.S. were failing classes because they were refusing to participate in mandatory Bible studies. That, of course, is not happening anywhere. But what happened to Zulfa Nur Rohman is real, and is happening in a reputedly “moderate” Muslim country. But no one will be particularly concerned. It isn’t as if something really serious such as “Islamophobia” were going on.
“Speak up on religious discrimination at school,” by L. Nugraheni, Jakarta Post, August 9, 2017:
Sati (not her real name) is a Hindu living in Jakarta. In 1991, she had to pose as a Muslim when she enrolled in a public elementary school for safety reasons. Consequently, she should attend every hour of the Islamic class and participated in the various activities of Islamic worship such as prayers and reading the Quran. This went on for ten years until she enrolled in senior high school.
At the age of 17, when she applied for the national ID card, her father suggested her to fill Islam in the religion column. At that point, she refused and insisted on becoming her true self, a Hindu — a decision that she regretted later when her sister miserably became a target in a riot involving Muslims and Hindus in South Lampung, Sumatra in 2012. The mobs burnt her sister’s house to ashes, forcing her to flee and hide for weeks. Sati’s sister suffered a miscarriage on the run.
Nowadays, to be a non-Muslim in Indonesia implies the inevitability of a troublesome and unjust daily life. Discrimination against non-Islamic communities has been so prevalent that children are becoming easy targets. The blatant religious discrimination is quite expansive, harming students’ educational rights.
In May 2016, Zulfa Nur Rohman, a vocational secondary school student in Semarang Central Java, failed the 11th grade for a religious reason. He could not continue to 12th grade since he refused to reading the Quran and perform prayers in the mandatory Islamic studies classes.
Zulfa became a victim of an unjust policy at his school because he is an adherent of a traditional faith, Hayu Ningrat. When enrolled in kindergarten, his parents had to declare their religion. Since Indonesia’s 1965 Blasphemy Law does not accommodate his faith, Zulfa’s parents claimed themselves as Muslims. Zulfa then had to follow all the Islamic studies classes and participate in every worship activities. When he refused to perform the prayers and recite the mandatory declaration of faith or shahadah, his teacher gave a zero score. Thus, he could not continue to the next grade.
These cases by no means only belong in the past. Just last June, a public junior high school in Banyuwangi, East Java, rejected a girl because she was not a Muslim. The student identified as NWA, complained to local education authorities who ordered the school to enroll her. However, the school required her to wear the hijab even though she is a Christian.
When she returned to the local education office, the officials refused to take any actions and suggested she enroll in another school. Fortunately, the incident was all over the news. Regent AZWAR ANAS expressed outrage and the school withdrew its nonsensical policy – though the student applied and was accepted at another school.
Sati, Zulfa, and NWA are just a small number of students who experienced religious discrimination in Indonesia schools.
The abusive behavior often targets minority students, both in verbal or physical forms of bullying by other students of the majority group. Bullying worsens when the system endorses the discrimination by default, as happened to Sati and Zulfa. The government has so far shown no serious intention to alleviate those cases….
dumbledoresarmy says
Islam. The ‘religion’ that sacralises bullying. That encourages and licenses its adherents to stamp down hard on the faces of those identified as non-adherents… and gives them every encouragement to *enjoy* so doing. To have fun *hurting* others. Islam: the religion that teaches human beings to be – and revel in being – sadistic bullies and thugs.
John A. Marre says
Many people don’t get it. This is what ALWAYS happens when Muslims become the majority.
Beauregard says
There should be a ban on all Islamic activities in Western Countries this nonsense has to be stopped it is worse than a Cancer it is like a wildfire out of control.
mortimer says
Quote: “The mobs burnt her sister’s house to ashes, forcing her to flee and hide for weeks. Sati’s sister suffered a miscarriage on the run.”
This is JIHAD. This is a perfect example of VIGILANTISM in Islam … which is authorized by Sharia law.
Westman says
Normal Islam is characterized by aggression, from small competitions against believing and unbelieving neighbors, pushing for special rights and advantages, to the schadenfreude of persecuting unbelievers, Jews, apostates, or, other sects of Islam. It puts the world in a continuous, never-ending barganing until the world tires and gives up another small capitulation. When refused, it plays the victim and starts again.
Perhaps that is why there has never been a successful pushback to Islam that didn’t require organized force when the harassed were finally out of patience. Muslims speak of the Crusades as if Islam was spread by love instead the violent force that was finally, belatedly, opposed.
I won’t be around to see the inevitable clash that is coming between Islam and the West. Western Oligarchs foolishly think they can contain the developing animosity and use Islam for cheap labor and segway Muslim immigrants into the new “pawn” class in the current Feudal System of consume-debt-work-consume.
miriamrove says
Look. It is very simple. I just got back from Iran about 3 weeks ago. All minorities are treated like s… period. Here is an example: All minorities must serve in the military. There is a 2 year mandatory service for all men. That said minorities are not allowed to become officers!
Here is another example: Minorities must obey to all Islamic laws and holidays. m
gravenimage says
And it is also dangerous for Infidels to serve in the military in Muslim countries. Remember this story, from just a few days ago?
“Egypt: Muslim military officers beat soldier to death upon learning he was Christian”
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2017/07/egypt-muslim-military-officers-beat-soldier-to-death-upon-learning-he-was-christian
Ade says
Coming to a town near you soon ?
Monty says
The west has rejected centuries of Christian values. It has lost its moral compass and fibre. When you stand for nothing you’ll fall for anything, so the saying goes. The western world has obediently submitted to the noisiest, pushiest, most violent and harsh taskmaster of all. Islam just fills the void once occupied by Christian values and principles. Indonesia was once reasonably moderate. Not any more. It’s not yet Saudi Arabia or Pakistan, but it’s headed that way. I live in Australia, virtually next door. Oh joy. We reap what we sow.
johan elzinga says
I do not believe in those so called Christian values as the Christians were still burning women as they believed they were witches. Please try to remember this happened only a few hundred years ago. I strongly believe that ANY religion is stupid, dangerous and people should only be allowed to have their religion at home, not in schools and not in public organisations. Religion is like a xancer. It is an addiction and it kills.
WPM says
When was the last witch burned to death by Christians 1670? 1750? how many were killed in all those years of Christian witch hunting? Millions have been killed in the last 1400 years in the name of Allah, millions in the 20 century alone ,the killing are going on ever day by the thousands. You cannot put Islam in the same catalogue as Christianity , Jewism ,Hinduism,, Buddhism. Islam is violent and spread by violence or threat of violence .In most of the non Islamic western world you have the separation of church and state. It is only Islam in every part of the world today Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa the Americas that is killing in the name of their religion. In America we had slaves before 1860 we ban slavery no one alive today in America owned slaves. We grew in America we admitted slavery is wrong ,Christians of past eras did wrong to many people their leaders admitted it. No leaders in Islam will admitted to any wrong doing in the past or present, admitting to it that leader will face a death sentence himself. Islam in its books the Koran ,Hadiths , and Sharia law promote slavery , murder , rape , thief ,child brides, torture, and other violent acts. No other large scale religion in the last 300 years has in its teaching these acts as Holy and good as Islam has. Islam growth of tolerance of others outside of itself is not possible or permitted .Even tolerance of different sects for example Sunni and Shite have violence, murder, warfare for over a thousand years with no end in sight. Christians , Jews ,Hinduist, Buddhist and atheist live in the western world work together live in the same community without this conflict .Islam will not cannot accept peace with non believers it is in their teaching their books their culture.
Guy Forester says
This article did not mention the school girls that had their heads wacked off on the way to a school a few years ago on Celebes. They were Christian and going to a Christian high school. Christian churches and schools have been burned down and permits to build or repair these structures are often denied. I could go on, but I think you get the picture.
Skeptic says
Here’s the real story about Indonesia as a “successful” Muslim country: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkVtAc-uWBw
And here’s what it’s like being an atheist in Indonesia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msF5Ml2E0nY
gravenimage says
Yes–Atheists are oppressed along with Christians, Hindus, and all other Infidels.
gravenimage says
“Nowadays, to be a non-Muslim in Indonesia implies the inevitability of a troublesome and unjust daily life”
……………………..
Yes–and this is a comparatively “moderate” Muslim country. In most of Dar-al-Islam, things are *even worse* for Infidels–they often face kidnapping and forced conversion or out and out slaughter.
Matthieu Baudin says
Today’s Indonesia is less secular and therefore less fair to religious minorities than was the former Indonesia of several years ago, when the military effectively ruled the roost. Indonesia’s socially progressive program of Nation Building has become stalled by the growing influence of Jihad Identity Politics. The supremacist aspect of traditional Islam has inverted the newly acquired democratic process to force minorities to demonstrate submission and to lose face within the broader community. Those who lauded Indonesia as an example of the compatibility of democracy and traditional Islam made their call too early.
Paulina says
Well said.
Indonesia was a moderate Muslim country under the rule of dictator President Suharto. He did not allow any Muslim political organizations. He stressed out the importance of Pancasila (the official, foundational philosophical theory of the Indonesian state, thus allowing space for all of Indonesia’s major religions). Growing up in Indonesia during the Suharto’s regime, I almost never saw women with hijab. I did, however, receive religious instruction in Islam because I went to public elementary and secondary schools.
Suharto, as a dictator, like many dictators in Muslim majority countries, bent the garden hose and as a result, the water cannot flow through the hose. He held the Muslims tight preventing them from becoming radical. However, after he was ousted, no one bent the garden hose and the water flow through. So, without a dictator, Islam just went back to its normal and natural state, as it is happening in Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, etc.
gravenimage says
Actually, there was some pretty ugly stuff under Suharto, as well–including attacks on non-Muslim Chinese and the attempted genocide of the majority non-Muslim East Timorese.
Paulina says
True, there were many non-Muslim Chinese and East Timorese died during Suharto’s regime. However, they were killed because of Suharto’s political ambition and hunger for power, not because they were non-Muslims. The non-Muslims Chinese were killed or purged during the anti-communist movement in 1965.
I remember in 1976 when our Social Study teacher told us that East Timor had just become Indonesia’s 27th province. She said East Timorese wanted to join Indonesia after their independent from Portugal. Then, Suharto started a program that allowed Muslims from Indonesia to settle in East Timor. There were many Muslims participated in the program and they built mosques there.
These killings of non-Muslims, although not religiously motivated, also helped Suharto in gaining support among the Muslims population. Suharto couldn’t care less about Islam. His main goal was to enrich himself and his family.
Matthieu Baudin says
Thanks Paulina. The Indonesian non Muslims that I’ve met recently have all lamented the fact that there is no-one and no institution in Indonesia today that is strong enough to secure their basic human rights, even to life and limb. As Gravenimage has said (above) Suharto is not someone to hold up for emulation; but the broader picture nonetheless is that democracy in Indonesia has come without an appreciation for universal dignity and freedom and has therefore degenerated into a weapon with which to strip minorities of their self respect, social mobility and opportunities in life. It’s a type of ‘winner takes all’ mentality and an unfortunate feature of Traditional Islam in Indonesia and elsewhere.