rudd must tackle islamophobia, page-28

Briter, it IS shameful. But when has Indonesia ever cared about outside opinion?
Obviously things have changed for the worse over there.
Under Suharto, religious tolerance was in their constitution.
Possibly that has changed?
When I worked in Java in '90 & '91, I met several Christians and even a 7th Day Adventist. From Bandung down to the south coast was the bastion of Islam in Java. Never saw/had any religious problems. Yet about 6 years back, when they had rioting over there, a friend who married a Muslim girl from Bandung was advised not to go there with his wife for a visit at the time despite his conversion to Islam (only done to marry the girl).So obviously intolerance to other religions is increasing.I think this is their reaction to world events that have convinced them of an "attack" on Islam.
Dont forget 15,000 Indonesians are veterans of the war against Russia in Afghanistan. Some of their former comrades are now possibly engaged in fighting against our coalition forces.
Indonesians (and Malaysians) had volunteered to fight in Kosovo and Iraq. To some of them, we are enemy.

But on the bright side, I just read in Arabnews that the ME Arabs decry the shameful punishment dealt out to the woman who was gangraped and subsequently sentenced to 200 lashes & jail for getting into that situation. They decry the shame that action brought down on them. Some know and care what we think of them. Indonesia as a whole certainly doesnt.

But back to my original theme: certain events have certainly been blown out of proportion by the media, almost certainly intentionally, to create a state of Islamophobia.
Obviously I'm the only one on HC that even considers that a possibility. But then, I always liked a good conspiracy theory.

GZ