City In “Moderate” Muslim Indonesia Considers Making Islamic Prayers Five Times Daily Mandatory

The Muslims Are Restless

So fucking MODERATE:

Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi said on Friday that he objected to a Bengkulu municipal bylaw currently under deliberation that would require all residents of the capital of southwest Sumatra’s Bengkulu Province to attend Muslim midday prayer gatherings every Friday. 

“If it is only a call advising people to go to the mosque to pray, or to go to the church for the Christians, it’s fine,” he told the Jakarta Globe. “But it’s not fine if they issue a bylaw which carries sanctions. They don’t have the authority, as religious affairs are under the authority of the central government.” 

Gamawan said that if the Bengkulu government passed the bylaw, his ministry would review it and decide whether it should stand or face annulment. The Religious Affairs Ministry’s Bengkulu office said the bylaw would oblige resident to pray five times daily in addition to joining in public prayer on Fridays. 

“Yes, the bylaw is being prepared,” Mukhlis, head of the office, told news portal Kompas.com. “The name of the bylaw is ‘Bengkuluku Religius.’ It will not only [applied] for mass prayer, but also five times [daily] prayer. There’s a tax bylaw; why not a bylaw about mass prayer?”

AND THEN THERE' THIS:

Indonesia is forcing girls to take “virginity tests” before they can go to high school