Muslims attack offices of Playboy Indonesia from Planck's Constant

Wednesday Apr 12 2006
Even though Playboy Indonesia is milder than most magazines already available in the city, Muslim militants (redundant) today attacked Playboy's new Editorial Offices in the Indonesian Capital of Jakarta.

Several Muslims that obtained the first copies at local kiosks earlier last week felt themselves provoked by the erotic men's magazine. Of course, they should do what good Christians in America do when they see obscene material: don't buy it or they change the channel. [I can't help sarcasm sometimes] At least our Christian Taliban doesn't burn down the offices of our local skin rags.

The Islamists broke windows and tore copies of the magazine in the street. The local militants are notorious for similar attacks against bars and clubs that serve alcohol during Ramadan and even attacking unlicensed churches.

Indonesia has other skin magazines going back years now and this edition is milder than most. The first edition has a serious interview, in-depth articles and color pictures of women, including a fold-out. But no nipples were exposed in the photos, let alone anything approaching full nudity. It is more a reaction against the Playboy image than anything else. Now that Playboy is in town the sex can really get hot - is what they're worrying about. Like most Muslims, they like they're child porn and female bondage kept quiet and out of the limelight.

Despite several campaigns against pornography tons of cellphone shops and kiosks sell porn and other magazines and this largest Muslim country has a booming sex industry.

See Video. Don't worry it looks like it's in Danish but the commentary is in English.

Members of the Islamic Defenders Front tear an edition of the Indonesian version of Playboy magazine apart during a protest outside the building housing the magazine's office in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Wednesday.Achmad Ibrahim / AP

A 40-year-old housewife, Maya, disapproved. "Surely it is against the new anti-pornography law,” she said.
Condemnation also came from Chamammah Soeratno, head of the women’s wing of major Muslim moderate group Muhammadiyah.

"Everyone knows it’s a pornographic magazine. The first edition may not have any nudity. That’s a very clever move by the publishers,” she told Reuters.

Rest of Story MSNBC

According to the Australian site smh.com.au:

A proposed version of Playboy magazine in the world's most populous Islamic nation will respect Muslim values and not contain photos of naked women, the publishers said.

The only way to respect Muslim values is to show photos of women being beaten and killed after being raped.

But there are complaints from those who feel cheated:

Indonesia's first edition of the monthly features pictures of underwear-clad women baring at most midriffs, thighs and cleavage, making it no more risque than local editions of British men's magazines FHM and Maxim already on sale here.
And for some that was the problem.

While Muslim hardliners prepared to protest the launch of the magazine, some readers who paid 39,000 rupiah (about four dollars) were disappointed by the lack of saucy pictures.

"It's sinful to read Playboy if there's no nudity!" a caller to Jakarta's 68H radio said.

"It's a scandal! There's no nude women in the magazine. I think we have been deceived," another caller complained.

Planck's Constant

Muslims attack offices of Playboy Indonesia

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