Thousands Rally Against Porn In Indonesia

Thousands of conservative Muslims rallied to demand the passage of a strict anti-pornography bill in Indonesia's capital of Jakarta on Sunday. Protesters waived signs with slogans such as "Ban Pornography and the Sex Industry" and "Down With Liberalism and Secularism".

The bill, originally drafted in 1999, would ban kissing in public, erotic poetry, dancing, drawing writing, photos and film. In essence, it would make all forms of sexual expression a crime.

Organized in part by the ultra-conservative Islamic Defenders Front, the rallies are an indicator that the moderate Muslim country's hard-line fringe is growing.

Still, opposition to the bill is widespread with members of minority religions, liberal Muslims and artists expressing concern that it will wipe out many of the country's secular traditions. Critics also claim that the bill is a thinly veiled attempt to impose Shariah, fundamentalist Islamic law, on a culture that comprises over 400 ethnic groups with many diverse traditions.

Now just imagine for a moment that this kind of thing was going on in your neighborhood, community, country, wherever. (Oh, silly me, I forgot to look outside my door this morning). Wouldn't it piss you off to have to worry that a few fucked up conservative nut jobs were threatening to put you in jail for kissing your sweetie in the produce department? Or wearing a mini-skirt? Or buying a dildo? Or renting a porn?

Well that's just what's happening all around the world, from Jakarta to Colorado Springs to South Carolina. It makes me wonder which human impulse is stronger: the desire for freedom or the need to be enslaved. I'm hoping it's the former.

If you hope so too then do something about it. Tell someone about what's going on with our brothers and sisters in Indonesia then give them a big sloppy kiss. Who knows, maybe they'll kiss back.