Sad but true commentary.

Fortunately, Indonesia stands between us and disturbing northern neighbors and would do well to recognize their ultimate independent interests lie, with other people of the book, not Godless empire builders, for whom they're just another brick in a wall like Tibet, earmarked for a nation expanding wrecking ball?

We have been here before and will survive if we and they put this religious pernicious persecution by radical ideologues, pretending to serve Islam, where it belongs. Down the nearest convenient sewer!
Alan B.

A case of when a firing squad is being organised and its target hands out the ammunition.

Yes - worrying news emerging from Indonesia where Ahok has been sentenced to two years imprisonment for blasphemy. I listened to a most intelligent interview on the ABC with Andreas Harsono - Human Rights Watch, Indonesia - who confirmed that these "bad laws" (his words) are being used more and more under the present administration to harass minority groups. Again, a sign of weak national leadership, which is pandering more to mob wishes, rather to appropriate processes that ensure the freedom for religious minorities to maintain their faith claims and practices.

Andreas Harsono also appealed for Canberra (particularly through Julie Bishop) to stop calling Indonesia a "model for acceptable and moderate Islam" as he sees a greater move in many of Indonesia's 34 provinces towards the adoption of stricter Sharia Laws.

In Acheh, for example, there is a massive push to introduce harsh laws against any homosexual practice, with flogging and severe caning to become a standard means to punish any gays that are caught. It seems that in Acheh at least this will become standard practice.

I do not believe in the wholesale discrimination against any person from any specific cultural or religious background - particularly here in Australia where our security agencies are well aware of any possible extremist activity, and who careful keep a watchful eye on any Muslim leadership in this country to maintain an allegiance to Australian law.

However, the present mob activities and successes in Indonesia by forces that insist on Sharia law and the non-acceptance of other cultural or religious minorities, must definitely be a worry for our own political leadership.

Shame how they treat the guy like the treatment of Yassmin Abdel-Magied's offensive Anzac Day tweet.

Hi Nick,

Do you mean the two-year sentence that Ahok has received for making a perfectly correct comment on the Koran ? Or do you mean the continued employment of Islamist apologists on government-funded bodies ? They are somehow equivalent - how exactly ?

Joe

So far as I know Australia has not made being Muslim a crime which stops employment. Do you ? Her list of countries on her private website is not Islamic is it?