Sunday, January 18, 2009

Palestina in Indonesia


This text says: "Palestina is waiting for MUI!" The Indonesian Muslim Scholars Council (‘Majelis Ulama Indonesia – MUI’) is founded in 1975 by Soeharto, but it is not clear what the legal status is of the organization or its decrees, as Bowen asks: “Does an MUI decree have the force of law […], or is it only advisory to the government, and to Muslim citizens […]?” See John R. Bowen, Islam, Law and Equality in Indonesia, An Anthropology of Public Reasoning (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), 235. It is also not clear what MUI could mean for the people living in the Gaza strip and I cannot imagine that these people are indeed waiting for MUI. But perhaps the text does not read "Palestina menanti MUI," but "Palestina menantimu!", which means: "Palestina waits for you!"

1 comment:

Alaksir said...

Roy, that looks like an exclamation mark rather than an 'i' so the text actually reads "Palestina menantimu!" or Palestine is waiting for you...