Muslim Indonesia Still Going Nuts Over Playboy

Since the first press run sold out a week ago, the Indonesian edition of Playboy has been causing lots of controversy in the world's most populated Muslim nation. Last week, 300 men from the Islamic Defenders Front threw rocks and broke windows at Playboy's Jakarta headquarters forcing the magazine to close the office and move to a new location. Jakarta's chief of police is urging Playboy publisher, Ponti Carolus, to suspend publication in order to avoid further violence.

Though the majority of the nations citizens practice a moderate form of the faith, extreme Muslim groups have been gaining more and more social power over the past few years. There influence can be seen in a draft law currently being considered by the Indonesian parliament. If passed, the law would require heavy fines and jail time for anyone possessing or distributing pornography, impose strict guidelines for what kinds of clothing women can wear, and make homosexuality illegal.

Ironic sidenote: A porn site that claims to have received 46 million hits last month lists Indonesia as its #1 source of viewers.