Indonesian ministers ban Television gossip shows.

Bailey Massey

28 July 2010

the noisy Indonesian Ulema Council declared gossip shows about the intimate details of races non-public lives -- a popular genre on Indonesian TV -- were unethical and threatened society. We considered it vital to pass the fatwa as infotainment programs may contain unethical material and violate the journalistic code of ethics, MUI official Asrorun Niam Soleh asserted. Weren't against all infotainment programs Whats haram ( prohibited ) is material thats gossipy and exposes shameful details about folks. When people start spreading rumors, the joints holding a country together will be crushed. Earning profits from infotainment shows is also banned under the declaration, posing a theological puzzle for the media industry in the worlds most populous Muslim-majority country. Gossip shows are permitted only if they defend the law, warn the general public and help folks, Soleh declared. The ruling will be presented to the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission as an axiom for future infotainment programs, he explained. Another fatwa passed at an MUI meeting late Tues. forbade receiving or conducting a sex-change operation unless there's a good medically-based reason. The council is the top Islamic authority in Indonesia and while its edicts are typically ignored, they can be cited by spiritual hardliners to make a case for vigilante-style crackdowns on un-Islamic activities. It has lately issued a powerful stream of fatwas including bans on inter-faith unions, smoking and yoga. It was coerced into a humiliating apology earlier in the month when it corrected a fatwa ordering Muslims to wish to the west, when actually the Islamic holy sites in Saudi Arabia are northwest of Indonesia. Rajawali Citra Televisi Indonesia programming head Banardi Rachmad claimed the announcement on celebrity gossip shows was confusing and the station would continue to provide and broadcast such content. Well continue broadcasting infotainment programs but well guage the content and see the best way to improve it, he claimed. Whats fact to us could be categorized as lies by others, how will we know for certain what represents a rumor? Reports on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook Buzz up. Your Mohammed was a killing terrorist and a low life child molester. Your QURAN is a terrorist instruction manual.

The QURAN should be placed in each, rest room. Latrine, and outhouse, so that the paper can be used.