Word: indonesia
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...bloody ethnic and religious violence, economic sclerosis, inept politicians, corrupt police and military, a looming environmental apocalypse. Add to that the devastating impact of the detonations in Bali on Oct. 12 that killed nearly 200. Whoever turns out to be responsible, it is easier now than ever to view Indonesia as a place where Islamic militants and terrorist groups like Jemaah Islamiah have a free hand...
...public life of the country. That in turn would mean stepping down from his pulpit and dirtying his hands in politics, something the preacher has so far shown a deep reluctance to do. An advocate of tolerance and forgiveness, Aa Gym is one of the only Muslim leaders in Indonesia to have publicly spoken at a Christian church. In late September, he attended a reconciliation ceremony held near Poso in Central Sulawesi, where thousands have died in recent years in clashes between Christians and Muslims. He has broad appeal, too. Considering his military background?his father was an army lieutenant...
...lessons learned from those early performances were reinforced by his success as a university debater. To this day, Aa Gym displays a professionalism in his public appearances that must be the envy of many of Indonesia's current crop of less-than-media-savvy rulers. Watch Aa Gym as he tapes his minisermons in the small television studio run by one of his 15 companies. Hopping onto a motor scooter?his preferred ride is a hulking black Kawasaki Eliminator, which remains under its dust cover on this day?Aa Gym putters slowly through his little empire, a patch of about...
...bravura performance is at the core of the man's mystery. Is he just "the Britney Spears of Islam," as he is characterized by Ulil Abshar-Abdalla, head of Indonesia's Liberal Islam Network? Is he merely a feel-good merchant who uses religion for his commercial ends? Or is Solahuddin Wahid, vice chairman of the 40 million-member Nahdlatul Ulama, right when he says that Aa Gym's "sincerity is his strength. He's creating a society based on his words and deeds...
...declared that "Indonesian leaders fall because they wear masks to hide weaknesses in their characters." His goal, he says, is "to build their characters and prepare a generation of professional Muslims." It's a noble goal. At a watershed moment in the history of a troubled nation, Indonesia can ill-afford another leader who hides behind a mask...