My following article is published in the Huffington Post: In a collection of just released work by Acehnese writer Azhari, Nutmeg Woman, we are brought into a world before the devastating 2004 tsunami that killed over 220,000 Indonesians. Civil war wracked the province. Indonesian occupation was brutal and fought against the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).…
Showing all posts tagged Indonesia
Introducing…Miss Aceh
My following article in New Matilda is about the Indonesian province of Aceh: Despite recently implementing sharia law — including the stoning of adulterers and homosexuals — Aceh does not fit the stereotype of an Islamic state, finds Antony Loewenstein Muslim extremists in Aceh were outraged when a young woman from the province, Qori Sandioriva,…
Jewish graves in Aceh, Indonesia
One of four Jewish graves (note the Hebrew) in a Dutch-era cemetery in Banda Aceh 17 October
Reflections in Aceh
Two leading, Acehnese intellectuals and writers at a popular Banda Aceh cafe 17 October
Early days in Aceh
I’m in Aceh, Indonesia, a strongly Muslim area with strict views on gender, politics and religion (ie. here). I’ll be conducting a number of public events and media interviews during my time here, engaging with local Indonesians on issues related to sharia law, the Middle East conflict, gender and resistance to Islamisation. I’ve already been…
Spreading the word across Indonesia
Post the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, that finished last night in wonderful fashion, I’m now here for this tomorrow night: “Global Voices in Borobudur” will bring ten writers from around the world and five Indonesian writers to the world’s largest Buddhist temple at Borobudur to present their work on October 13, 2009, as an…