The Indonesian artist FX Harsono received an inaugural Freedom of Art award in Singapore on 20 January 2015. It was presented to him by the U.S. ambassador to Singapore and the director of Art Stage Singapore. The Joseph Balestier Award for the Freedom of Art honours an artist or curator from Southeast …

Indonesia has banned the release of the Hollywood blockbuster ‘Noah’, saying the biblical epic contradicts the teachings of the Koran and may mislead people. The ban in Indonesia follows similar moves in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain. » See on time.com » Guardian Liberty Voice – 8 March 2014: Academy …

Human rights organisations and journalist unions criticise the Malaysian government’s decision to ban a book on liberal Islam by the Canadian Muslim activist Irshad Manji. On 29 May 2012, Malaysian Home Affairs Minister Hishammuddin Hussein banned Irshad Manji’s new book ‘Allah, Liberty and Love’, saying it was “prejudicial to morality …

A student group at Diponegoro University, Kronik Filmedia, was banned from screening ‘Sanubari Jakarta’ (‘Heart of Jakarta’) on campus. Officials banned the film, which previously passed muster at the Film Censorship Board and screened in movie theaters, for discussing the taboo-topics of ethnicity, religion, race and inter-group issues. “We have …

  10 popular Dangdut songs were banned in a province of Indonesia for being ‘pornographic’, reported BBC News. In BBC-reporter Karishma Vaswani’s words, Dangdut music sounds like “a cross between techno and Bollywood, but it is 100 per cent Indonesian.” A growing and vocal group of conservative Muslims in Indonesia …

  Video from West Papua – a supplement to Clara Moksha’s Music Freedom Report which was published on 3 March 2012. Video by Clara Moksha  Music Freedom Report no. 4: West Papua   Can freedom be sung? – Part 1   Music Freedom Report no. 4 – 2012 With …

  Police in the Aceh province raided a punk concert, detaining 65 punk fans – shaving the young men’s heads and cutting the women’s hair, stripping away their body piercings and throwing them in pools of water for “spiritual cleansing”. After the bath and change of clothes, they were each …

The hip French lounge chain Buddha Bar is under pressure to close its only Asian branch, a club in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, amid corruption accusations and protests by Buddhists who say the use of their religious symbols are blasphemous. Associated Press reported from Jakarta that since the December 2008 …

One song and the use of one word – ‘anjing’ – has left two musicians of the rock band Ed Edy and Residivus facing 18 months in prison. Canadian radio correspondent Michael McAuliffe travelled to the Indonesian island of Bali to meet the musicians who are charged with violating Section …

Inul Daratista’s music career has overcome bans and censorship. Today she remains one of the most popular dangdut stars Indonesia has ever had   By Meredith Holmgren Her Muslim name is Ainur Rokhimah, meaning “eyes of blessed love”. Her stage name is Inul Daratista, meaning “the girl with breasts”. Before she …