Bali tourism rocked as Islamic law banning alcohol to be introduced

[ErikJ]

Source: Daily and Sunday Express

Tourist hotspot Bali is to ban alcohol under a draconian Islamic laws which would ruin the island’s economy, experts warn.

The Indonesian island could soon be deserted if a controversial new bill is passed, prohibiting the production, sale and consumption of alcohol.

If approved in Indonesia, anyone flouting the ban faces 10 years behind bars.

The move affect all of Indonesia’s 34 provinces, including popular destination Bali, famed for its scenery and nightlife.

Industry experts have warned that the move would effectively kill the tourist trade.

And even if the resort managed to secure an exemption, it would force the price of alcohol to skyrocket.

Haired Sukamdani, of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association, said: “No matter how beautiful the country is, if they can’t find alcohol, they [tourists] won’t want to come here.”

The Idyllic island welcomes around four million visitors each year, including more than 100,000 Brits, and is heavily dependent on the tourism industry.

Read more: http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/709831/Bali-alcohol-ban-Islamic-law-tourist-beach-Indonesia?platform=hootsuite

---

It might make it better for us non-drinkers. We could have the whole island to ourselves.

[Uponthegears]

1. Sounds like North Carolina

[masmdu]

27. How so?

[Uponthegears]

45. . . . religious bigotry

bringing economic disaster

[RKP5637]

51. Often religion = bigotry = disaster IMO. n/t

[msongs]

2. full on sharia law will be next. burkas for all the women asap nt

[ErikJ]

4. And burkinis for the beach. Ugh.

[patsimp]

16. no dancing

[randome]

36. Nuh-uh! Burkas are a fashion choice!

[hr][font color="blue"][center]“If you're not committed to anything, you're just taking up space.”
Gregory Peck, Mirage (1965)[/center][/font][hr]

[Skittles]

3. religious nuttery

[ErikJ]

5. But women are fundamentally evil ya know.

Cant tempt their pedophile marrying men. Thank the Old Testament for all this shit. Mohammed got most of it from the OT.

[Lucky Luciano]

6. Assholes. I despise all religion. I piss on all holy books - then spit on them. nt

[Megahurtz]

58. I feel the same. In fact I loath it.

And all Religion needs to stay out of Government business.

[Ford_Prefect]

7. That will put a big hole in the economy. Not sure why the sudden shift in law

or the seemingly intended consequence of destroying Bali's economy. Dry resorts are not as much fun as you might think. As a non-drinker I have seen both.

Without a transition plan and the severity of offending the law being such I doubt Bali will survive at all. You may as well plow under all the hotels and bungalows since there will be no-one to afford living in them or to pay for other services on the island. A lot of people gonna have no jobs there too.

[ErikJ]

8. Islamic fundamentalist Wahhabism is spreading

The Saudis began funding Wahhabi schools all over the place with all their petro wealth 40yrs? ago. Now ISIS is biting them in the butt for it.

[Ford_Prefect]

10. Ok, but where are they in Indonesia? Wahhabism doesn't seem to translate so well into S.E. Asia

where there are and have been a multitude of religions and cultures living together for some time.

Pax Victoria may have taken many things from that part of the world but it also left a heritage of common law entitling all.

[Feeling the Bern]

15. You'd be surprised. I lived in Malaysia.

They have it there, except their Wahhabist wackos direct their insanity at different things than the middle east wackos.

[muriel_volestrangler]

24. Aceh province uses Sharia law for criminal justice

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_of_Islamic_law_by_country

It's a faction there.

[Ford_Prefect]

29. And from there to Tulsa is a leap I didn't expect. But I suppose one extreme begets another?

[muriel_volestrangler]

34. I don't get the reference to 'Tulsa'. Sorry.

And so I don't know what "but I suppose one extreme begets another?" means, either.

[Ford_Prefect]

35. In 2010 Oklahoma passed an amendment that banned Sharia Law from use in state courts.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8575701

see also

http://abcnews.go.com/US/Media/oklahoma-pass-laws-prohibiting-islamic-sharia-laws-apply/story?id=10908521

Oklahoma is poised to become the first state in the nation to ban state judges from relying on Islamic law known as Sharia when deciding cases.

It was overturned by a federal court in 2013 as unconstitutional. The point remains that religious extremism seems to beget more of the same insanity. As such I suspect Indonesia is in for a period of difficulty and financial decline similar to that in Oklahoma and Kansas where religious dogma has determined public policy much to the detriment of the local economy and the citizens of those states.

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2013/08/16/oklahoma-ban-on-sharia-law-unconstitutional-us-judge-rules/

[Feeling the Bern]

9. I guess Kalibo, Maledives, Langkawi, Phuket and Angkor Watt will get a shot in the arm for tourism

Way to bite off your nose to spite your face. Malaysia tried this. . .and Kota Kinabalu is now pretty much dead compared to Langkawi and Penang.

[ErikJ]

12. Isnt Penang in Malaysia?

I was just reading about it tonight what a great place it is.

[Feeling the Bern]

14. It is. Georgetown is where most people stay, then they go to Penang Island by ferry.

Redang is great too.

[romanic]

11. Islamic fundamentalism strikes again.

Ugh

[Taitertots]

54. Fundamentalism is only a problem when the fundamentals are bad

If the Islamic texts/traditions didn't call for prohibition, there would be no Islamic fundamentalist forcing this view on other people. The deficit is in Islam, not the people who have been indoctrinated into Islam.

[Coventina]

55. Agree, the Islamists are merely following the dictates of their religion, which in theory is fine.

However, when they then create legislation that dictates those beliefs and behaviors to those OUTSIDE of the Islamic faith, we have a major problem.

[Democat]

13. Right wing extremism. How are gay rights in Bali?

You may be able to have the whole island to yourself if they ban gays too, but that doesn't make it better.

[patsimp]

17. i wonder if the interests of the other religions will be considered e.g. wine in Judaism

[christx30]

20. What makes you think other religions

would be considered? Wahabists aren't exactly known for pluralism and tolerance.

[Warren DeMontague]

18. fucking control freaks

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

19. Non-drinkers could have the whole island ...

... as long as the women wear "burkinis".

And, of course, say goodbye to bacon.

[Nitram]

21. As the article points out, the Balinese aren't even Muslim.

The Balinese are Hindi. Sounds like Javanese Islamic fundies is punishing Bali for being non-Muslim (with an extremely successful tourist trade).

[Coventina]

25. How long until forced conversion?

I seriously believe that the days of vaunted "tolerance" in Indonesia are all but over.

[Nitram]

33. It will be intersting to see if the UN speaks up in Defense of Bali.

[awoke_in_2003]

48. Isn't there at least one Islamic country

on the Human Rights Council. I know for sure that Saudi Arabia is on it.

[christx30]

59. There are several Islamic countries on the HRC,

including Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Albania, UAE.
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Pages/CurrentMembers.aspx

Saudi Arabia's membership on the committee makes me question the validity of the HRC.

[Coventina]

60. Had the same thought. Is KSA's inclusion just a sick joke?

[awoke_in_2003]

62. Same here. nt

[Democat]

28. It's okay to enforce their religion on others

As long as they aren't Christians. That's the way some on DU think.

[Nitram]

30. Dem, that doesn't sound like anybody I've seen on DU. Can you give an example?

[LanternWaste]

46. I'd love to see an accurate example of your unsupported allegation

I'd love to see an accurate example of your unsupported allegation, else I might be left to conclude you're simply advancing a position to have something, anything to argue against, which seems a most corpulent waste of time, regardless of what "some on DU think..."

[Coventina]

23. Tell me again how Indonesia is a shining example of "liberal" Islam?

[Nitram]

31. Who told you that, Conventina?

[Coventina]

37. Whenever Islam, as a philosophy, is criticized as being intolerant on DU

there is inevitably someone who points to Indonesia as being a tolerant, liberal example of a Muslim-majority country.

It's a pattern that's existed for years.

[Nitram]

38. Sounds like you are amonmg those with the distorted view that Islam is inherently intolerant.

[Coventina]

39. I think the entire Abrahamic tradition is intolerant, so yes.

It is racist, misogynistic, and violent to its core.

On edit: Let me clarify that I am speaking here of the philosophy. As individuals, we each decide on our own whether to practice the intolerance taught by our particular belief system (if our belief system teaches intolerance).

[Throd]

41. Add me to that list. n/t

[EX500rider]

43. "....the distorted view that Islam is inherently intolerant."

You mean Islam, which translates as "submission".....where would anyone get that idea....lol...

Today, apostasy is a crime in 23 out 49 Muslim majority countries.
Yes, that sounds very tolerant..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostasy#Islam

[awoke_in_2003]

49. All religion

is inherently intolerant.

[Grey Lemercier]

52. It is. n/t

[BeyondGeography]

26. As long as you can still get magic mushroom tea they'll get some visitors

[Nitram]

32. Better to get it in an omelet in Thailand.

[Oneironaut]

40. More silly attempts to please the sky fairy

Anywhere fundie Islam or any other fundie religion touches begins to rot, like a spreading cancer.

[LanternWaste]

47. Almost as silly as attempting to appease a government, a nation or an economic philosophy..

"any other fundie religion touches begins to rot, like a spreading cancer..."

Almost as silly as attempting to appease a government, a nation or an economic philosophy... each also being wholly imaginary, faith-based constructs, and each with a shared, final agenda.

Though I realize we each of us maintains the pretense that some imaginary things are somehow more real than others, and base our daily lives on these secular sky daddies as well. Bias requires as much of us.

[packman]

42. Hey, I live in the Panhandle of Florida - no booze on Sunday

Monday thru Sat. 12 midnight you can get as drunk as you want - come Sunday it's THE LORD'S DAY. No booze sold - get thee to a church and pray. And this is a big step forward for this conservative county because until recently it was dry but the idiots running the county discovered they could make a few dollars more allowing the evil liquid.

[EX500rider]

44. But you can still drink on Sunday.

[tymorial]

53. Blue laws are stupid but no one is stopping you from drinking on Sunday

You just can't buy. It was this way here in Rhode Island until 10 years ago (or so).

[Sunlei]

56. So on Sundays the store owner gets executed if officials find booze in the store?

[packman]

57. No - just stupidity

they put red cones and tape on the booze aisles (beer and wine) on Sunday with a sign saying "No liquor sales allowed on Sunday".

[Odin2005]

50. Saudi-funded fundy BS strikes again! Bali isn't even Muslim.

[dembotoz]

61. was gonna make a joke about another place i can now boycott in in all truth and honesty

can not afford to do much of anything