Challenging_Diversity.pdf (700.41 kB)
Challenging Diversity?: Indonesia's Anti-Pornography Bill
Version 2 2023-06-23, 10:52
Version 1 2023-05-25, 22:24
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-23, 10:52 authored by Pamela AllenPamela AllenBy the time this article goes to press, Indonesia’s Anti-Pornography Bill [Rancangan Undang-Undang Antipornografi dan Pornoaksi, known in Indonesia as RUU APP] may well have become law. My discussion here, however, goes beyond the details of the various versions of the Bill to its wider symbolism. I argue that the rhetoric both for and against the Bill is symbolic of a deep concern about the future of the nation. The stated articles and clauses of the Bill are of less concern to most Indonesians than what is “unstated” in it. For many, the “unstated” is the influence that a growing Islamic conservatism can wield on those in power. Indonesia may have the largest Muslim population in the world but resistance to this Bill sends a message that there is widespread alarm in the country at the prospect of a religious hegemony in which Islam not only sets moral standards but also drives state policy.
History
Publication title
Asian Studies ReviewVolume
31Issue
2Article number
2Number
2Pagination
101-115ISSN
1035-7823Department/School
Global Cultures and LanguagesPublisher
Routledge Taylor & Francis GroupPublication status
- Published
Rights statement
Definitive version available online at http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/10357823.aspRepository Status
- Open