Dharamshala: spiritual humanist and author Anand Krishna on Monday offered a 2.5 meter-high stone statue of Buddha to His Holiness the Dalai Lama as a token of spiritual and cultural ties between the peoples of Indonesia and Tibet.
UBUD ~ Once again, this year’s Ubud Writers and Readers Festival brought together a diverse mix of writers from all over the world. For four full days, Ubud was home to authors from Mexico, Africa, Europe, Indonesia, the Middle East, North America, Nigeria, Malaysia, India, Australia and beyond and were welcomed with the warmth of Ubud’s local community.
Radical Islam in Indonesia is on the march, and the religious pluralism enshrined in the doctrine of Pancasila is coming under direct attack. Last week the Indonesian government has issued a joint ministerial decree telling the heretical Muslim Ahmadiyya movement to ‘stop spreading interpretations and activities’ which deviate from orthodox Islam. That decree has implications for other minorities as well, including liberal and reformist Muslims, and the moderate Wahid Institute (named for former president Abdurrahman Wahid) says the country is on the brink of becoming an Islamic state.