Patterico's Pontifications

11/17/2009

Obama Plans to Visit Indonesia

Filed under: International,Obama,Religion — DRJ @ 2:00 am



[Guest post by DRJ]

President Obama accepted an invitation to visit Indonesia next year where he hopes to show his wife and daughters his “old haunting grounds.” He also took the opportunity to praise Indonesia:

“As one of the world’s largest Islamic nations, it has enormous influence and really is, I think, a potential model for the kind of development strategies, democracy strategies, as well as interfaith strategies that are going to be so important moving forward.”

It’s been said that Indonesia is proof a Muslim country can embrace democracy, but it’s also been said Indonesia’s democracy is too weak to stand up to militant Muslims. I doubt that’s what Obama meant by “interfaith strategies” so let’s consider how the U.S. Department of State views Indonesia’s religious freedom:

“The Constitution provides for freedom of religion. The Government officially recognized only six religions, and legal restrictions continued on certain types of religious activity.

The Government generally respected religious freedom in practice; however, ongoing government restrictions, particularly among unrecognized religions and sects of the recognized religions considered “deviant” were significant exceptions to respect for religious freedom. Since the previous reporting period the Government convicted and sentenced the leaders of a hardline Muslim organization to 18 months in prison, including time served, for their role in organized violence against a peaceful demonstration in support of religious freedom. The Government also prosecuted terrorists responsible for religiously tinged violence in Sulawesi and the Malukus. In some cases, however, the Government tolerated discrimination against and the abuse of religious groups by private actors and failed to punish perpetrators, although the Government prevented several vigilante actions during Ramadan. Aceh remained the only province authorized to implement Islamic law (Shari’a), although non-Muslims in the province are exempted from Shari’a. Many local governments outside of Aceh maintained laws with elements of Shari’a that abrogated certain rights of women and religious minorities; however, no new laws based on Shari’a were known to have passed during the reporting period. Even though the central Government holds authority over religious matters, it did not try to overturn any local laws that restricted rights guaranteed in the Constitution. Members of minority religious groups continued to experience some official discrimination in the form of administrative difficulties, often in the context of civil registration of marriages and births or the issuance of identity cards.”

This is the “potential model” for “interfaith strategies” Obama praises?

— DRJ

30 Responses to “Obama Plans to Visit Indonesia”

  1. Perhaps calling it a “potential” model reflects the same pollyana-ish utopian idealism he continually tries to present in so many of his dealing with other countries. Such that Inodnesia can be brought into a more tolerant frame of mind through dialogue and engagement.

    And capitulation and enabling and turning a blind eye to abuses. Etc.

    Steve B (5eacf6)

  2. No Jehovah’s Witnesses ringing the doorbell? That’s a good thing.

    Seriously, a lot of countries, and I mean European ones right now, have official religions and forbid proselytizing and, to some degree, blasphemy. Our First Amendment is the exception, not the rule, in the history of the world.

    nk (df76d4)

  3. Memo to POTUS
    Subject: Frequent Flyer Miles

    Recommendation:

    The in-box is full. Time to park the jet and make some decisions. Do some homework or voters will take away the keys to the plane and ground you with a GOP Congress.

    DCSCA (9d1bb3)

  4. ROTFLMAO!!!!!

    Someone needs to talk to the non-Muslim ethnics who are the brunt of violence!

    POTUS is an turd of a human and a liar. He is unfit for the job.

    Indonesia a model????? Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaa……………………

    HeavenSent (01a566)

  5. are = bare the

    HeavenSent (01a566)

  6. “old haunting grounds”?? Is this a new phrase I missed somehow?

    cassandra in MT (b1a7ad)

  7. I’m actually inclined to give Obama a pass on this one. The best working examples of democracy in the Islamic world are Indonesia, Turkey and Iraq (if it doesn’t explode into violence in the next 18 months), so you work with what you have. And regardless of whether Indonesia is a model for democracy, it may be politically advantageous to say it is, for purposes of refuting the claim that our strategy amounts to a holy war.

    Sean P (50f5d9)

  8. Perhaps Obama can be convinced to stay there and we can get some adults in charge of the government.

    the wolf (54094c)

  9. Reverend Wright definitely believes in an interfaith strategy – just ask the Jews.

    Dmac (a964d5)

  10. “old haunting grounds”?? Is this a new phrase I missed somehow?

    “Old hunting grounds” wouldn’t be PC.

    Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. (0ea407)

  11. Maybe Obama is going to tell Indonesia the secrets of his stimulus plan, which is so successful it created/saved jobs in nonexistent congressional districts.

    Exclusive: Jobs ‘Saved or Created’ in Congressional Districts That Don’t Exist
    Human Error Blamed for Crediting New Stimulus Jobs to Nonexistent Places
    By JONATHAN KARL
    Nov. 16, 2009—

    Here’s a stimulus success story: In Arizona’s 15th congressional district, 30 jobs have been saved or created with just $761,420 in federal stimulus spending. At least that’s what the Web site set up by the Obama administration to track the $787 billion stimulus says.

    There’s one problem, though: There is no 15th congressional district in Arizona; the state has only eight districts.

    And ABC News has found many more entries for projects like this in places that are incorrectly identified. . .

    Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. (0ea407)

  12. So if I say something mean about Obama, is that blasphemy?

    How about global warming? If I raise my hand and ask a question about the science do I get caned in the public square?

    What if I decide that evolution doesn’t answer the question of cause and effect? Does Richard Dawkins get to send me to a re-education camp?

    I’m fine with diversity, peace, love and whatever
    I live on the west coast and everyone is weird here anyway and if it isn’t enough I can go down to Venice or up to Big Sur… you know the one belief that gets the crowd at Esalen (who went 100% for Obama) looking like someone farted?
    Tell them you are Christian…

    Obama is an idiot. Sorry, but there it is.
    He cannot stop himself from saying stupid soft feelgood pabulum that fits in wherever he goes and he forgets that people record his contradictory words. He campaigns everywhere compulsively and tailors white lies to the audience.

    He’s the Chad OchoCinco of politics

    SteveG (97b6b9)

  13. Obama Plans to Visit Indonesia

    And stay there!

    Official Internet Data Office (b3941f)

  14. Is he going to tell them his citizenship was changed when his adopted father took him there?

    Is it any wonder that Obama doesn’t do American?

    bill-tb (365bd9)

  15. My wife is in Bali (did you think I was kidding?) so knock it off with any and all anti-Indonesian rhetoric or I will find out where you live and throw rocks through your windows. (Not you, DRJ, though.)

    nk (df76d4)

  16. My wife is in Bali (did you think I was kidding?) so knock it off with any and all anti-Indonesian rhetoric or I will find out where you live and throw rocks through your windows.

    Heh.
    But Bali is Hindu. Also the target of several Islamic terrorist attacks.
    A friend there told me they let the pigs roam around the yards and houses in Bali to dissuade Muslims from moving there.

    MayBee (1f5ee5)

  17. 17,508 islands. If only I were twenty years younger ….

    nk (df76d4)

  18. As a baptized Christian, I am a monotheist. As a Greek, I am a pantheist. As an educated person, I am an agnostic.

    Help!!!!!

    nk (df76d4)

  19. Comment by Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. — 11/17/2009 @ 7:42 am

    Those are the Cong.Districts where all of that credit-card money came in from during the campaign.

    AD - RtR/OS! (138fbd)

  20. Obama Plans to Visit Indonesia

    so he can get his passport renewed.

    AD - RtR/OS! (138fbd)

  21. “…As an educated person, I am an agnostic…”

    Nothing self-serving about that statement.

    AD - RtR/OS! (138fbd)

  22. I have never made it a secret that the world exists only for me, AD.

    nk (df76d4)

  23. Well, you’re standing on my continent, and your rent-check is late…
    Again!

    AD - RtR/OS! (138fbd)

  24. God is in His Heaven and the Czar far away. Enjoy your life.

    nk (df76d4)

  25. He’s got to be feeling fairly omnipotent by now, being the Most Powerful Earthling and all that, so he’s not likely thought this trip through.

    An Islamicist seeking to upset many western applecarts at one time could do far worse than to knock Obama off during his Indo-tripping. Even if such an effort failed, it would surely destabilize quite a few shakey and tenuous social boundaries that currently work to keep the dissimilar masses from each others’ throats.

    But a successful attack on Obama in any one of the contested areas would probably leave us staring into the maw of WWIII.

    bobby b (4baf73)

  26. If Bambi got offed by “Muzlim Freedom Fighters” Libtards would turn the Obama’s into the new Kennedy’s. The stories, the pictures, little John John growing up to be a handsome young man …… prefer to avoid all that again. May he serve his 4 in peace and enjoy the private sector upon forced retirement.

    HeavenSent (01a566)

  27. Every time Obama opens his mouth he says something really stupid.

    Perhaps the safest approach for him is to just be quiet, lest he begin to get Biden-esque sorts of reactions: Eye rolls from his press secretary; clarification or outright correction statements issued after the fact from his communication staff; apology statements released to smooth over inadvertant offenses to important allies; tight control of press access by the adults in the administration. It’ll soon become “the usual”.

    MTF (17058c)

  28. it has enormous influence

    This is one of Obama’s wishful thinking certainties akin to his statement that no nation can dominate another.

    With Indonesia’s population and resources the real question is why it does not have enormous influence. Has it ever before had a presidential visit?

    Amphipolis (b120ce)

  29. Maybe Indonesia is one of the 57 states where Obama has saved or created a million jobs? Maybe the lamestream media will interview childhood friends of Obama from his childhood mosque visits? Maybe they’ll investigate his old school records to see him getting As on his muslim history tests. This is not to suggest that Obama is presently a muslim or a practicing muslim. I mean Hasan wasn’t a muslim or a practicing muslim either. He just snapped. And we heard yesterday how stressed out Obama has been because of those BushCheneyHalliburtonHitler fiends who left him with a mess and no mop to clean up with. We certainly don’t want Mr. Obama to snap from that pressure. So let’s give him another taxpayer trip where he can have a beer (if that’s legal in ‘democratic’ ‘tolerant’ Indonesia) and shoot the breeze and plan for his Dec. 3, job summit which Mr. Obama tells us now is not about coming up with any plans to actually save or create any new jobs.

    eaglewingz08 (39833d)

  30. Obama was NOT adopted while he was in Indonesia.

    This is what the Wall Street Journal said about that: “After the president’s parents divorced, his mother married an Indonesian man and moved the family to Jakarta, where Barack lived from ages 6 through 10 (1967-71), at which point he returned to the U.S. The hypothesis–based on thin evidence and fat speculation–is that Obama was adopted by his stepfather and therefore became an Indonesian citizen.

    Even if that were true, however, it would not deprive him of his status as a natural-born citizen of America. As the State Department Web site notes:

    Parents cannot renounce U.S. citizenship on behalf of their minor children. Before an oath of renunciation will be administered . . ., a person under the age of eighteen must convince a U.S. diplomatic or consular officer that he/she fully understands the nature and consequences of the oath of renunciation, is not subject to duress or undue influence, and is voluntarily seeking to renounce his/her U.S. citizenship.

    It is outlandish to suggest that a boy under 10 could persuade a diplomat of all that. It is only a tiny bit less outlandish to think that Obama came back to the U.S., spent eight or more years here, and then decided to renounce his citizenship.

    Besides, the oath of renunciation is administered in writing. What are we to conclude about someone who refuses to accept an official state birth certificate as proof of birth but expects us to accept utterly preposterous theories with no documentary evidence whatever?”

    smrstrauss (666d3e)


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