Morality Police: Idiots or Attention Seekers?

(Warning: Strong languages, sexual references and rants ahead)

            Okay. Hear me out for a second. I believe human beings are born with different levels of intelligence and different ways of thinking. Therefore, everybody has their own opinions when it comes to specific issues or problems, that otherwise would require a full understanding in order to find a specific solution. We are also having different standards on some aspects, like hygiene and cleanliness, food preferences, or our way to conduct our daily activities. On the moral side of things, it depends on what ideology someone might have in their minds. If it’s someone living in a more predominately Muslim region, most of their moral standards are more likely based in Islamic customs, or if that same individual live in a more liberal setting, It would be like “as long as you are not walking around buck naked, it’s okay”. Same with someone’s sexual life, with both scenarios in play.  But some people just want to shove their standards to non-consenting society; or forcing everyone to follow certain things against their will. 

            Just yesterday we celebrated what would have been Australian wildlife conservationist Steve Irwin’s 57^th birthday. He passed away in 2006 after an accident involving a manta ray during a filming process. To celebrate the occasion, Google decided to post a doodle depicting Irwin holding a crocodile chewing the letter “L”. One organization in particular, PETA (acronym for People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) responded the doodle with tweets seemingly targeted to tarnish the Australian’s legacy and life. One of which even stated that he was killed while “harassing a ray”. They ended up getting roasted by the Internet. Hilariously, this same “animal rights” group is also known for blatant hypocrisy. While fighting for “animal’s rights”, they are also known for high euthanasia rates for animals, whether stray and wild animals, or “rescued” pets (PETA didn’t believe in pet ownership, stating it as “an abysmal situation”). One source even revealed that in total, from 1998 (second half only) to 2019, there are as many as 41.539 animals were killed from 49.737 received, that is 83,5% of total animals on PETA’s shelters. But what grinds me the most is they are also notorious to promote veganism to the point of actually unbearable to look. Few of their campaigns involving trying to turn the society into vegan diets, claiming that by eating meat, they support animal cruelty. Now listen here, you little shits! Yes, there are some type of birds, four-legged animals, fishes, or any types of animals that are not suitable for human diets for numbers of factors. Pork (or any pig-based ingredients for that matter) is strictly forbidden according to the Islamic Sharia diet, because of the fact that the pigs actually showered in their own fecal remains. Eagles are not suitable either, because of their sharp claws. Chickens, cows, certain types of fish (or any sea creatures) and goats or lambs are mostly raised in farms as kettles for eggs, milks, wool, and meat. And during the process, they are treated with utmost care and as humanly as possible. And it depends on someone’s personal taste to be a meat eater (I am one, and I’m fucking proud of it.) or a vegetarian. One more thing that makes me want to go on a manhunt for these PETA assholes is their dairy campaign, ignorantly linked the consumption of milk with autism, which is both a hilarity and a total bullshit on its own. From what I understand, autism (officially known as Autism Spectrum Disorder) is a mental/neurological condition that mainly affects someone on the social level. It means, it’s mainly a neurological matter, not something that can be easily triggered by outside factor (Same for those crazed anti-vax mobs, but that is for another story). I wonder what kind of weed they must be smoking when they made this campaign. Must be stronger than the ones Snoop Dogg used to smoke. 

            You think that’s the only case of morality police on patrol? Oh boy, I’m just getting started. There is one current uproar in Indonesia involving the Indonesian Commission for Child Protection (Komisi Perlindungan Anak Indonesia, KPAI in Indonesian) commissioner for health, narcotics and addictive substances Siti Hikmawatty. Her controversial statement claims that if women went to the same swimming pool as men, she would end up pregnant. If there is an award for the bullshit statement of the year, this would take the top prize. She even continued the otherwise head-scratching comment by stating that some men might get sexually excited and ejaculate on the pool, with some sperm that are said to be strong enough to actually impregnate a woman. She later apologized, claiming that the statement is not on behalf of the commission, but as a personal statement. But alas, the fire has started, and memes and roasts started to flood all social media channels. On a more serious note, the Indonesian Doctors Association executive Nazar stated as documented by The Jakarta Post that it is impossible for women to get pregnant in a swimming pool. I think what dr. Nazar said is consistent, unless you have the pool for yourself with your wife, and actually engaged in a full sexual contact (intercourse involving penile penetration into the vagina), there is no goddamn way in hell that a woman can get pregnant inside a swimming pool. For those of you who wonder who this woman is, this is the same woman who accused the renowned clove cigarette company Djarum for child exploitation over their badminton scholarship program, citing that the move actually promotes smoking among the youth (In opposite, the Djarum Badminton Club outlaws smoking inside their premises). Many of you might think that she is just some idiot with limited knowledge, but she actually has a master’s degree in early childhood education. So, either she did it for sensation, or blatant ignorance. There are many other cases like this that makes you laugh and embarrassed to be an Indonesian at the same time. One of which is the proposed Family Integration Bill, that is viewed as a possible intrusion of privacy and slight traces of misogynist views (the bill has a verse stated that the husband is the traditional breadwinner, and the wife as the more traditional “housewife”). Few “sketchy” bills including a move to outlaw sperm and ovum donors, a rehabilitation plans for LGBT community and outlawing whips and bondage (as well as rehabilitating those who are engaged with BDSM/Bondage, Domination, Sadism and Masochism). Let me stress one thing out. When it comes to sexual activities between a married couple (husband-wife), it should be their own business to handle. You perverts thought that this supposed “bill” would further enforce all families in Indonesia, but instead, it would only be viewed as a step back for women’s rights. The government should not dictate a happily married family on how they run their own household. And to make things worse, when it comes to proper sexual education, we are still stuck in the Neanderthal era (and by that, I mean whenever a sex-related topic is being brought up, it would be quickly dismissed as immoral and sinful). 

            Clearly, while everyone keeps their moral standards to themselves and not boasting too much about it, some deranged fuckers are more than happy to enforce their standards, shoving them to every non-consenting people’s throats, and complain and moaning if there are something that is not suit their approval. Whether animal treatment to someone’s sexual life and preferences, there is always one idiot that always nagging on little things. While some are highly educated and intelligent for their own right, they are willingly to drop some IQ points to that of a Neanderthal to post sketchy statements, questionable beliefs, confusing remarks, and rage-triggering opinions. Safe to say that morality police are doing nothing but being a total pain in the ass. 

The Jakarta Flooding: Who to Blame?

(Warning: Strong languages and Rants ahead)

            I know that I shouldn’t write this, but let’s face it. After several years, the phenomenon is back, and it’s even worse than ever. It has been a known fact that the Special Capital Region of Jakarta, which is known as the capital city of Indonesia and one of the busiest cities in the world, also known for its floods. But years prior to today, all flood cases are handled quickly and efficiently, without having to fear of another one every time the rain comes. During the first three months of a new year, the Jakarta flooding is almost certain will make the news on a daily basis. 

            I have to say, I’ve been to this situation where floods are everywhere in your surrounding areas (although my own neighborhood is located in fairy higher ground, which is a good thing on its own), and few of my friends have been struck with this type of natural disaster. Whether in Manado or Bogor (where I live now), I always cherish the fact that my home is free from the flood. I can vividly recall the 2014 Manado Great Flooding on January 15, 2014, which claimed 19 human lives and damaging over 1.000 houses, with estimated loss of around IDR 1,8 Trillion. And let me tell you, it was hailing nonstop from two days prior, and intensified with windstorms on the morning of the day. Communication broke down, road networks disrupted, flights being cancelled, and blackouts are the thing we have to endure during those treacherous days. The flood recorded the highest ever at over 4 meters high. That is twice more than the depth of an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Both the Indonesian Government and local authorities did their maximum to restore the city; and is now thriving with marine tourism and currently emerging as the new tourist destination. 

            The flooding in Jakarta is, quite frankly, not really a new issue, because the city is infamously known for it. But the way the current administration handling this matter is making my blood boil. The case can be traced back to December 31, 2019 during New Years Eve celebration. The next day, Jakarta is flooded in several key areas, including a taxi pool in Kramat Jati. Today, after an overnight rain, the city is once again flooded, with puddles reaching thigh level of an adult. Several key toll roads are also flooded, including the oldest toll road in service, the Jagorawi (Jakarta-Bogor-Ciawi) Toll Road. While some are worrying about evacuation, others took to social media to once again criticize the current Governor Anies Baswedan, who are deemed “incompetent” on running the government, especially on issues like this. Now bear in mind, this guy won the Jakarta Election by the means of racism, taking a complete advantage on the blasphemy case of Basuki Tjahja Purnama a.k.a. Ahok, the current governor at the time who happens to be of Chinese descent and of Christian faith. He was also backed by the FPI (yep, those dickheads. I heard that their leader is still on Saudi Arabia on a self-imposed exile, but I guess he is too scared to come back), that same hard-lined “Islamic” group who is responsible for the 212 Movement, referencing their protest on December 2, 2016. At the time, he was perceived as someone that has the highest amount of respect to the Islamic society and to true Indonesians/pribumi (or so they claimed), while Ahok was perceive as a Chinese dictator and a blasphemer. And the racism didn’t stop there. They are also willing to persecute fellow Muslims to an extent of abandoning one’s funeral who happened to support the incumbent governor, claiming by doing so, they justified the blasphemy. 

The way he run the capital is also a notorious one. He infamously slashed the flood mitigation funds in favor of the preparation of the FIA Formula E race slated to take place in the Monas Street Circuit in Central Jakarta on June 6, 2020. Despite being a fan of this series, and motorsport in general, this is a head-scratching move for me. Yes, Indonesia is slowly recognized on the international stage thanks to the 2018 Asian Games, but doing this while sacrificing the more important matter like environmental issues is straight up nuts. Earlier on the month of February, he instigated a revitalization project at the National Monument, WITHOUT consulting to the State Secretary. And the way he conducted the project? He cut all the trees situated on West Medan Merdeka Street. He is also not above making controversial statements either. He once stated in response of the New Year’s Day flood that water is supposed to flow and to be absorbed to the ground, not directing it to the sea because it will violate God’s will (now this is the most fucked up statement of the decade so far). The ones who supports him are even crazier, claiming that the flood is actually “God’s gift”. The Ciliwung River Normalization started during the Ahok Era is since discontinued under Baswedan, replacing it with the more weaker “Naturalization” Project. At the time, only 16 km (10 miles) of riverbed that are successfully dug and enforced with dams surrounding the riverside settlements.

            I have to say that although Baswedan deserves all the bashing due to his alleged incompetence and constant diversion on issues at hand, we have to consider our role as normal citizens. Blaming the flooding solely on someone’s incompetence is not really a wise decision, although it played the most part. We are also (partially) responsible for all these things, such as littering, logging, building settlements on riverbeds, and less attention on water irrigation. So, for those of you who wants to bully the governor, think about this: have you done enough to prevent the flooding on the small scale? And for Mr. Baswedan, quit joking around, pull your head from your ass, and actually, just for once, focus on the mitigation of the floods. Formula E can wait, it will still be held. Put all your efforts on all things necessary for either mitigation or future prevention of the floods. And for those of you who might ask if I want to vote for him on the next election? Nope. Not only because the fact that he is just another under-performed governor, but my ID is a North Sulawesi ID, therefore ruling me ineligible for the Jakarta Election, and not to mention that I currently live in West Java. And to close this, remember to always spread good vibes, even in a situation like this.

Valentine’s Day: A Day for Love with Bloody Past

The day of love and romance. Quite frankly, if you disregard this one day, every day can be a good time to show your love and affection to your loved ones. Everywhere around the world, February 14^th is known as the Valentine’s Day, where for this day alone, people celebrate the gift of love, either to their lifelong partners or closest family members. It is viewed as mainly a Christian holiday, but nevertheless, this particular day is celebrated around the world by all people of various backgrounds. This is also the only day where chocolates and flowers are being sold out, with the two are reviewed as the integral symbols of gifts of love. The name of this particular day is derived from Saint Valentine of Terni, an Italian priest who was martyred after refused to denounce his Christian faith.

            Despite the loving nature of the holiday itself, the history suggests that the origin of the Valentine’s Day is actually the exact polar opposite than our perspective over the years (it’s actually a lot bloodier than we think it is). According to several legends, The story revolved around a priest named Valentine of Terni, at the time in the 3^rd century AD, was the one who opposed Emperor Claudius II’ order to outlaw marriages for young men while citing that single men are made for better soldiers than the ones with family. Realizing the injustice nature of the decree, Saint Valentine performed Christian marriages in secret for young lovers. Other stories revealed that Valentine was an evangelist, spreading the words of Christianity. On one occasion, he was put to a test by a judge named Asterius to proof God’s existence by tasking him to restore his adopted daughter’s eyesight. He completed the task successfully, and thus converted the judge and his family to Christianity, and in turn, using his newfound faith, Arterius released all Christian inmates in his custody. He was taken to Rome to meet Emperor Claudius II, and after trying to convince the emperor to embrace Christianity (to which the emperor refused), He was executed by beheading on February 14, 269 outside the Flaminian Gate, for not denouncing his faith. Before his execution, he wrote a note to Asterius’s daughter signed “from your Valentine”, which is said to have “inspired today’s romantic missives”. 

            Although the namesake saint’s stories are anything but affectionate and caring, the Valentine’s day celebration is derived from a pagan festival in February, with main purpose to commemorate Saint Valentine’s death as a martyr. This is also done to “Christianize” a pagan festival called Lupercalia. The festival itself was an archaic rite connected to fertility. It was mainly consisted of sacrificial of goats (for fertility) and dogs (for purification) by the members of Luperci, an ancient order of Roman Priests. The rites then continued by stripping the goat’s hide to strips; and slapping them after being dipped into the sacrificial blood to women present in the festival, hoping for fertility. Later in the day, the women placed their names in a big urn, and would be draw each by city bachelors to be paired. These pairings often ended up married. It was later outlawed (deemed “Un-Christian”) by Pope Gelasius by declaring that the date of the festival, which is February 14 as the “Saint Valentine’s Day”. It was not until much later, that the day became definitively associated with love. 

            One more interesting legend tied to The Day of Love is the legend of Cupid. Known in the Greek mythology as The God of Love Eros, son of The Goddess of Love and Sex Aphrodite, He was depicted as a handsome man (or a naked and mischievous little boy in some depictions) armed with bow and arrow with a task of shooting golden arrows to unsuspecting lovers. It has been said that the ones who got struck with his arrow would be madly in love with one another. One Greek legend told the story on how he shot an arrow to the God of the Sun Apollo, who fell in love with a nymph named Daphne, but fired a leaden arrow to her, in hoping that she would be repulsed by him. Another allegory told us the tale of how Aphrodite’s jealousy on a mortal named Psyche, she tasked Eros to induce her to fall in love with a monster. In a surprise turn of events, he instead became so enamored by Psyche’s beauty, they actually married (with one condition. In under any circumstances, Psyche was not allowed to see his face). Eventually, Psyche’s curiosity cost her, by stealing a glance, earning the deity’s wrath and flee in anger. They were later reunited and granted the gift of immortality. 

            A typical Valentine’s Day gifts consist of greeting cards (known as Valentines) and various gifts, most commonly confectionary such as chocolates or candies and flowers, most commonly red roses. This practice developed as early as the 19^th century in early modern England, later spread through all English-speaking countries. In the later 20^th to early 21^st centuries, the practice spread to other countries, but with limited effects comparing to other holidays like Halloween or Christmas. In East Asian countries like China, Japan and South Korea, this norm instead being offered by women to men, rather than their western counterparts (Where men offer the gifts for women, either wife, girlfriend, or other female relatives), either as an obligatory gift or an expression of affection. There is also a favor-returning day called “White Day”, where the men are expected to return the favor started by their opposing gender, still with the two intentions mentioned above. It is celebrated exactly one month after the fateful day, on March 14. Hence the name, the men would offer either confectionaries made from white chocolate or other gifts bearing the color white. This is typically given to the same girl who gave him her Valentine gifts. 

            To be honest, after the red string of fate article, writing about the day of love can really make you appreciate all the love in the world, since Valentine’s Day is probably the most associated thing when it comes to feelings of mutual affection. And yet, some of them are doing it for the sake of obligation. And on this day, and hopefully the next and the rest of the year, love is in the air. And it started as a reminder of a priest’s sacrifice for the people. And to close this, share the love to your relatives and lifelong partners. You deserve to be loved and to love each other.

Celebrities and Drug Abuse: A Vicious, Endless Cycle

Well, this is it. I have never wanted to touch on this subject for mainly two reasons. The first is I have sort of swear to myself to never expose myself to drug abuse and misconduct, and the other is, when it comes to news or anything involving today’s celebrities in the entertainment industry, I tend to ignore it. Partly because of all of those news contents contained nothing but controversies and sensations being served on an oversized silver platter to people that instead in need for quality journalism. But with recent case, I have to point out how celebrities often caught (in few instances, caught red-handed) using illegal drugs or abusing drugs that otherwise require a prescription from the doctor. This is a universal case, even Indonesian celebrities once convicted with these highly addictive substances. 

            Let’s start with the recent raid conducted at Thamrin City Apartment in West Jakarta. During the bust, the West Jakarta Police’s Narcotics Force arrested 4 suspects, one of them being the former singer turned controversial public figure Lucinta Luna. Subsequent urine test revealed that she is positive with psychotropic substances, and currently placed under custody at Jakarta Metro Police Department. But what makes her highly controversial then? She is known for starting feuds with other celebrities, like the not-less controversial Barbie Kumalasari, whose common-law husband, Galih Ginanjar is currently on trial for his derogatory statement on his ex-wife Fairuz A. Rafiq, referring her private organ “smells like salted fish” (they even engaged in a cat fight on one occasion). Another more-renowned name feuded with this “highly deluded Instagram celebrity” is Former magician turned Talk Show Presenter Deddy Corbusier. On one Instagram video, she was confronted by Corbusier, and instantly lost it when the former mentalist slipped, stating that she was “acting like a guy”. It is a well-known secret that Luna is actually a transgender woman, born Muhammad Fatah, but over the last few years, she constantly denies this, even when strong evidence being presented in front of her eyes, like when fellow transgender celebrity Melly Bradley post a video depicting someone that is similar to Luna recovering from what looked like a gender reaffirmation surgery procedure on her Instagram account. The allegations only getting stronger after a court archive from the West Jakarta State Court surfaced. In that statement, the court ordered the Citizen Archiving Department of the Jakarta SCR Province to change the birth certificate No. 9879/KLT/JS/2013/1989 from a male named Muhammad Fatah to female named Ayluna Putri, Luna’s female name. But in a desperate attempt to cover the digital tracks, she withdrew the state application on January 4, 2017. Only on November 22, 2019, she reapplied for legal status on her gender reaffirmation on the South Jakarta State Court. The application registered to the court’s database on November 26, No. 1230/Pdt.P/2019/PN.Jkt.Sel. She is not above being delusional either, once comparing herself to K-Pop group BLACKPINK’s Thai born main dancer and main rapper Lalisa Manoban. She even snubbed another Indonesian transgender celebrity Dena Rachman (At least Dena is being honest on who she is anyway) when being compared to her. Instead, Luna demanded to be compared alongside more established women like fellow Indonesian Luna Maya or actress Angelina Jolie. 

            If we talk about the most memorable drug bust involving Indonesian celebrity, I have to mention senior actor Roy Marten. Known also as the father of public figure Gading and grandfather of Gempita, Gading and ex-wife Gisel’s daughter before their divorce. He was arrested twice during 2006 and 2007 (his first arrest was dated at February 2^nd,2006, while his second stint with the law as occurred on November 13^th, 2007). His second arrest being an irony on itself. Exactly three days before the drug bust, Marten was present during an event organized by the National Narcotics Board, even gave a testimony on his first ordeal. He served a combined prison sentence of 3 years and 9 months from both cases, which consisted of 9 months of incarceration from the first bust, and the additional 3 years in the second case. 

            Indeed, drug abuse (as well drug possession, even drug dealing in that matter) is a common problem when it comes to these celebrities’ well-being. Not only some of them are busted, few of them even died from overdosing these drugs as well. Among many well-known names in the industry, rapper Snoop Dogg is probably the most well-known public figure known for his habit of smoking marijuana (otherwise known as weed). He was arrested and subsequently banned in Norway for trying to bring 8 grams of marijuana through the airport. However, he wasn’t the only one busted for weed in an airport. The legendary bassist Paul McCartney of The Beatles was busted in Tokyo with a half-pound of the drug, resulting in 9 days of imprisonment. Many cases showed that celebrities who use drugs extensively (not necessarily for long periods of time) would result in an overdose, which more times than not, lead to death. In 2016, the flamboyant, yet charismatic pop star and guitarist Prince died as the result of an accidental overdose of fentanyl, which is known to be a lot more potent than heroin or morphine. He was 57 by the time of his death. Corey Monteith also suffered the same faith as the artist mentioned above. the Canadian based actor was just 31 years old when he was found dead at the Fairmont Pacific Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 2013. His death was ruled as an overdose with a “mixed dug toxicity” mainly consists of heroin and alcohol. What saddens me the most about is death is at the time, he was just dating fellow Glee star Lea Michelle. But some are just lucky enough to survive drug overdose, just ask Marshall Bruce Mathers III, or as everyone know him as Eminem. He was hospitalized in 2007 after a methadone overdose. In his own words, he would be dead if he arrived in the hospital 2 hours later. His addiction mainly consists of prescription drugs, like Vicodin, Ambien and Valium. He is currently clean and sober for the last 11 years. 

            So, what lesson can we take from those stories above? It seems that when it comes to how humans cope with their daily lives, everyone has their own coping mechanism, whether engaging in hobbies that would relax them or just rest to recuperate themselves. But some of them, whether a celebrity or not, chose drugs as their way to cope with the hardships of life. What began as controlled prescriptions designed to make them feel better can spiral out of control if it becomes addictive, to the point of losing your own well-being. Prescription medicines can be taken with a direction from the doctor to recover from a medical condition; but taking it way beyond the prescribed dosage will cause an addiction, as some of these drugs might have addictive substances. Drugs that are deemed illegal (for some countries) in the first place (like marijuana, ecstasy, and methamphetamine) if being abused by the same guys, would result in overdose, which in turn, causes death. Just remember, some medication is best taken with a prescription and don’t take it above the desired dosage. Stay away from drugs, because your future literally depends on it. There are too many of my friends who died from an overdose (mostly alcohol abuse), and as a member of the younger generation, I am encouraging fellow youths to stay away from illegal drugs and narcotics. It’s not worth your life and your future by abusing these drugs. There are only two options once you fell to this hell hole, whether ended up incarcerated or dead. And both options are a lose-lose situation. 

Good Riddance: Those Crazed Radical Muslims Are not Coming Back!

(Warning: Strong Languages and rants ahead)

            First of all, I have to say that I’m writing this while feeling a little bit under the clouds (relax. It’s not that goddamn virus. Probably just a little fatigue). When I first encounter the news about a plan to bring back around 600 former ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) members who happened to be of Indonesian nationality, I had my doubts on how these men and women (and children) are planned to be reintegrated to the society. At the time, the government was still determining the best possible options for the ordeal, even went as far as activating the deradicalization program once those 600 are back on home soil. But this morning when I wake up (still a bit tired), the news broke out: The Indonesian government has come to an agreement to NOT bring back 600 (former) Indonesian citizens. And my first-time reaction for this? Good. Fucking. Riddance. 

            I did mention in my previous piece about how an ideology, once it has been planted to someone’s conscience all the way to their sub-conscious, then it is borderline impossible to perform a deradicalization process on said person. And apparently, this is one of the concerns voiced by not only the masses, but also political figures themselves. When the bill was announced, Coordinating Minister for Politics, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD reasoned that this move is to prevent new “viruses” (ideologically) from entering the island Nation. And this is consistent with the Indonesian constitution, mainly the Decree No. 12/2006 about the Citizenship of the Republic of Indonesia (The bill is in Indonesian). Another base used for this particular reasoning is the Decree No. 6/2011 about Immigration, which is also in Indonesian (there is a verse on that bill that allows the minister in charge to prevent specific person or group from entering the country. One of the main reasons this can be done is whether that individual has been involved in an organized trans-national crime, which includes terrorism). 

            When we trace back stories of their notorieties, I guess the move to leave those same deranged minds that leave the safety of Indonesia to join what can be described as the most dangerous terrorist organization in the world (whether willingly or forcefully, even the latter categories should be consider as an accomplice, although not completely exposed) is right on the money. One of the stories that still lingers to me personally is the 2018 Surabaya attacks targeting three churches in the East Javanese capital, the Sidoarjo Regency, and the Surabaya Police Headquarters, carried out by three families with corrupted ideologies. This was also the first instance (according to the Indonesian National Police) where a terrorist used his own family as co-participants of a terror attack. What makes me sick to the stomach is all the children that were involved as suicide bombers are around the age of 8-18 years. In an even more sickening turn of events, some jackasses began to accuse the government and the Police Force that the attack was a false flag. Some of them even went as fa r as saying that the government itself orchestrated the attack as a false flag. One asshole from the 212 Guard (These guys again? Give me a break) even stated that the terrorists were innocent; and should not be blamed. He also stated that the attack was deemed as a false flag made to suppress those who are against the sitting government and demanding new president. Before the Surabaya attacks took place, in Depok, West Java, there was a 3-day long standoff at the Mobile Brigade Corp’s Headquarters between the police’s Detachment 88 Counter-Terrorism Force and roughly 155 inmates, all of them are convicted to terrorism. Five brave policemen lost their lives at that fateful three days, as well as one terrorist who met his well-deserved end by a headshot. At the time, many Indonesians are worried, because that was the same place where former Jakarta Capital Governor Basuki Tjahja Purnama served his prison sentence for (alleged) religious blasphemy. But why so, you may ask. The reason was if the inmates were crazy enough, some of them would attack him as well. 

            I guess what Minister Mahfud MD said earlier is relevant. Just imaging one day in a peaceful community, a former ISIS fighter who went through deradicalization actually influenced (brainwashed) his neighbors to join his “jihad” (by that, I mean mass, unadulterated genocide), and ended up blowing himself up inside a shopping mall, with follow-up attacks at various public places, even police stations. Few who weren’t involve in that attack might started to post sympathy to those who blew themselves to pieces, rather than their victims. No matter how hard or intense those programs may be, those misleading values won’t simply be forgotten. In the end, the main goal these fuckers had in mind is to change the state ideology from the more celebrated Pancasila (means the five principles) to the stricter version of the Islamic Sharia Law. Although being a Muslim myself, I can’t seem to imagine living my daily lives under complete control of ISIS’ version of an Islamic regime, where killing those who are said to be against Islam (whether non-Muslims or fellow Muslims with different opinions) is not only permissible, but rather encouraged. I don’t want to be that type of idiot that always sugarcoating everything with religious values (I have to stress one thing. I am not encouraging you all to not study your own religion. But please, if you want to do it, don’t just took one verse blindly without taking it to a proper context or situations You have to fully understand your own holy book). Hell, If I ever met one of those guys, the only thing that they will get from me is a police report and a kick in the nuts. And I haven’t even mention what these bone-headed jackasses done to the women. Those same “brave men” (I refer those guys as horny beasts who can’t even control their own boners) actually raped women in their captivity. They are also sold as slaves, either for labor or as a living sex doll (you read this right, no one is messing with your eyes). And what did I say about children being involved in a terror attack? Don’t let those smiles fool you for one bit. They might be children, but they were actually taught by ISIS about warfare, and mostly how to kill someone either at far or point-blank range. There is even a video surfaced on various social media platforms of children of various nationalities burned their own passports (this effectively nullifies their own citizenship; the Indonesian citizenship bill also recognizes this). 

            And to end this rant (not exactly one, I guess), I have to say that after days of consolidation, what President Jokowi said as a personal statement has finally come to reality. Roughly 600 ex-Indonesian citizens who pledged their allegiance to the Islamic State are not coming back to this 18.000 island clusters. This was their own choice to make, and by doing so, denouncing their own citizenship. Now that this is sorted out, those same number of individuals are now awaiting trial for the crime of Terrorism. And I believe the Syrian government still institutes death penalty by hanging. As I said earlier at the top of this piece, Good. Fucking. Riddance. Now leave us alone and don’t ever come back and spread those toxic values. We don’t want our fragile minds and delicate brains to be polluted with those trash you call “true Islamic values”. For us, it’s just terror propaganda sugarcoated by religion.

Cold-Hearted Killers: Those who Disregard the Right for Others to Live

(Warning: Rants ahead)

            During the process of writing my previous article, I caught a sniff of a tragic news happened in neighboring country Thailand, and this one is pretty sickening too: A military officer stormed a shopping mall in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima (also known as Korat) and starting a barrage of fire killing at least 29 people and injuring 58 others. This is the first shooting incident since the racially motivated attack of two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand on March 15^th, 2019, with both cases being rare ones of its kind. As I write this piece, my thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victims at this terrible time. While the New Zealand case is mostly related to religious hate and possible extreme right movement, this current case is (both ironically and hilariously) believed to be the shooter’s way to channel his aggression due to his financial problems. This article might be a rant, but I will still provide you examples of these heartless monsters either still facing the court of law, currently incarcerated, or already perished due to natural causes or death penalty execution.

            Let me address one thing first. Under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations, the Article 3 clearly stated that everyone has the right to life, liberty and the security of person. Which means, every single men and women has their own rights to live and to feel safe. This is the basic right that everyone obtained upon their birth to this world. This is further enforced in Article 5, which reads “No one shall be subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”. But apparently, this Thai military sergeant named Jakrapanth Thomma disregarded these two fundamental decrees as he lashed out to innocent bystanders inside the Terminal 21 Mall. But his killing spree started way back on Saturday Afternoon, killing three people, one of them was also military personnel. The weapons he used for the shooting is revealed to be stolen from the Suatham Phithak Military Camp right after he committed those murders, as well as a Humvee type vehicle he drove to the crime scene. After around 17 hours of engagement, Thomma was shot and killed by the Thai Security Forces, effectively ending the terror. Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan speculated that the shooting happened due to Sgt. Thomma’s personal problem linking to debts over military residence sales. The previous case in New Zealand involved an Australian extremist Brenton Tarrant who went on a rampage in the Al Noor and Linwood Mosques in Christchurch during Friday prayer services, killing 51 worshippers and injuring 49 others. This was more of a racially charged attacks, since years before the painful event occurred, he went to various places across Asia and Europe, allegedly brainwashed with the far-right ideology along the way, as well as became obsessed by terrorist attacks committed by Islamic extremists. His (alleged) manifesto, titled “The Great Replacement” references the “great replacement” and “white genocide” conspiracy theory, was filled with mostly hate remarks on races other than white, and cited Anders Breivik, the Norwegian heartless bastard who claimed responsible for the 2011 Oslo attacks as an inspiration. 

            Some killers are not necessarily had either hatred to other races or religion or even have personal vendetta over unrelated issues, but most of them can be straight up evil. Take Ted Bundy for instance. Bundy was known as a serial killer and rapist, confessed to 30 homicides of young women in the span of 1974 to 1978 in seven states, with true numbers still unknown (but possibly more). His biographer Ann Rule described him as “a sadistic sociopath who took pleasure from another human’s pain and the control he had over his victims, to the point of death, even after”. He even referred to himself as “the most cold-hearted son of a bitch you’ll ever meet”. For his crimes, he was sentenced to death by electrocution, and subsequently executed on January 24, 1989 in Florida State Prison, Bradford County, Florida (When the execution was carried out, hundreds of revelers sang, danced and cheered when a white hearse with Bundy’s corpse departed the facility). Other name known for his cruel crimes is one Carl Panzram. He already had criminal record in the young age of seven, and was known as an arsonist, robber, serial killer and rapist. His confession letter began with a spine chilling yet straightforward statement read “In my lifetime I have murdered 21 human beings, I have committed thousands of burglaries, robberies, larcenies, arsons and, last but not least, I have committed sodomy on more than 1.000 male human beings. For all these things I am not at least bit sorry”. Even in the face of death, he allegedly spat on an officer in charge for his execution while that same man trying to place a black hood over his head, which is done by hanging. He even muttered the more notorious final statement of “Yes, hurry it up, you Hoosier bastard! I could kill a dozen men while you’re screwing around”. While committing murders is a hefty crime on itself, masterminding few of them can also land you a lifetime in prison, like Charles Manson. This deranged cult leader masterminded the Manson Family murders in July and August 1969. He initially was sentenced to die, but later commuted to life sentence due to the abolition of death penalty in California. He later perished due to cardiac arrest from respiratory failure and colon cancer on November 19, 2017. He was later cremated on March 20, 2018 (he died slow and painful death at the end. Good for him). 

            Clearly, those examples mentioned above is both a blatant disregard of the basic human rights and a cruel way to end someone’s life. And for me, it’s more than enough to determine that these pile of donkey turds don’t deserve to remain roaming around cities and neighborhoods. It seems that for this cold-hearted waste of space, other people’s pain and suffering is their own pleasure. Some are motivated solely by economic difficulties, others might commit them with the base of ethnic superiority, and many of them committed them with just the thought of plain evil intentions and the desire to rebel against the society, claiming that they don’t deserve the life that they had. While the first reason can be highly justified (but still, it’s just plain wrong to end a life for having a debt over someone), the latter two is an undeniable proof of how some human beings have no regard of others’ basic rights for life and safety. Hell, some of these bastards are not remotely sorry for the actions they did. 

            I have to say that despite the intentions of upholding peace and justice, there are still few deranged minds and soulless beings who wants to commit an atrocity of the highest level. Either robbing the society of their safety, their honor, or even their lives. And for these things, and also for the recent events in Thailand, I am condemning all acts of terrorism, whether from a racially charged ones or just pure crimes against humanity. These heartless human beings should not have the right to rob others of their basic rights. If you still want to commit either of those crimes mentioned above, I believe an appointment with a firing squad is in order. 

The Jewel in The Crown: A Tale of Prestigious Events of Different Calibers

When a new year rolls around, a few of us immediately think of award shows, in which artist of different platforms and genres are honored for their hard work and dedication to the platform of their choosing. But what others might think at this time of the year is the milestone events of a specific sporting event. What set these events apart is the former is actually the platform of appreciation for the best of the best, while the other is about the competition and sporting spirit. In this month alone, there are currently two crown jewel events from two different worlds in a span of three weeks. One is for honoring the best of the filming industry, the other is the greatest American motor race ever held. 

Last month we witnessed the Grammy Awards Ceremony by The Recording Academy, honoring the best artists of the music industry (but to be honest, with today’s music standards, I don’t think there is any to be proud of). Tonight, by the time of writing, we are just hours away for the most prestigious award shows ever witnessed, the Academy Award Ceremony, also known as the Oscars. This particular ceremony specifically presented for the filming industry, organized by the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences. The history of the Oscars can be traced back to 1929, where the first ever award took place at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, California. At the time, the ceremony took place at a private dinner, honoring the best of the industry of 1927 and 1928. Emil Jannings and Janet Gaynor were the first recipient of Best Actor and Best Actress Award respectively, and the silent war movie Wings directed by William A. Wellman won Best Picture Award (Outstanding Picture Award at the time). At last year’s awards, Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek snatched the Best Actor Honors with his role as the ever-flamboyant Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury from the movie Bohemian Rhapsody (the movie shares the title with the 1976 hit single from the album A Night at The Opera by the band). On the women’s side of the spectrum, Olivia Coleman was the 2018 winner for Best Actress on the movie The Favourite as Queen Anne of England, Scotland and Ireland. Best Picture went to the comedy-drama movie Green Book, starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali. On this year’s edition, method actor Joaquin Phoenix is predicted to win the award for his brilliant acting as the sadist clown Joker from the namesake movie, directed by Todd Phillips. For the Best Actress, the field is pretty much competitive, with names like Cynthia Erivo, Scarlett Johansson, and Saoirse Ronan currently aiming for the honor. On the Best Picture field, there is a prediction that the award is coming to either the aforementioned Joker, Ford V Ferrari, or the Korean comedy/thriller Parasite.

Another aspect of events this caliber is to establish a legacy and put their names in the history book as the fastest from the rest. In the world of motorsport, the Daytona 500 mile race is arguably one of the most prestigious racing events in history, alongside events organized by National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) like the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway or the Southern 500 in Darlington, South Carolina and similar events on the global scale like the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix or the 24 hours of Le Mans. Referenced by the name, this race event is held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, which covers 500 miles (800 km) and lasted for 200 laps. On the first edition of the race (dated 1959), Lee Petty (father of 7-time NASCAR Cup champion Richard and grandfather of Kyle) won the race driving an Oldsmobile. Richard would go on to win the event on a record total seven times, his final win happened in 1981. The race can be also considered as a curse for one Dale Earnhardt. His first and only win came in 1998, after what racing commentator Mike Joy described as “20 years of trying, 20 years of frustration” after a late race caution flag. Three years later, he succumbed to his injuries as a result of a horror last-lap wreck involving him and Elliot Sadler. At the time, beside competing as the driver of the #3 Goodwrench Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, he was also competing as Team Owner, fielding three Chevrolets for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. with Steve Park driving the #1 car, Michael Waltrip (who went on to win the race) with the #15 team, and his son Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the #8 car. The famed #3 Chevrolet returned to Daytona 500 victory lane in the hands of Austin Dillon, Childress’ grandson in 2018. For this year’s event, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin will start the race as the defending winner of the Harley J. Earl Trophy. His teammate Kyle Busch is the defending Cup Series champion and two-time Cup Series winner; but has yet to win the 500-mile race. Kyle’s brother Kurt won the race in 2017. 

It’s safe to say that whenever an event is called a “crown jewel” one, there is going to be something of a prestige and glamour, yet competitive. Whether you are honoring the best the entertainment business has to offer, or to be recorded in history as the fastest race driver of them all, these two events are setting the tone of what has been a great year of entertainment or as the teaser of what we are going to experience during the course of one year. What we are witnessing is history, and will be forever be remembered. 

Another Tale of Some of the World’s Worst Musical Acts: Scraping the Bottom of The Piss Bowl

(Warning: Strong Languages and sexual references ahead)

            Around last year, I wrote something similar to this topic I am about to present you with, but mainly points out how some genres that produced great artists and musicians also have someone who is questionable to say the least, on how one bad stunt overshadows their achievements on the music industry. But this time on the second part, I am literally diving into the very bottom of the totem pole. Meaning that some of these so-called “musicians” are just plain bad to the point of being unbearable. Usually, I am pointing out the best and the worst these guys have to offer, but let’s be honest, when you are scraping the very depths of the musical pissing bowl, you will only find the absolute worst of the worst, and I’m not even being sarcastic just yet. However, there are also some who is not necessarily despised for bad production or boring songs, it’s just when a single controversy ruined a prospect career of a certain group.

            In the previous post, I’ve pointed two rappers with shady track records. Even with that, they have an amazing discography of their own, and held their own in the industry. But even within Hip-Hop, there are even more rappers who are not only hated and ridiculed; but ended up as the worst ever rappers ever existed. Some of them are not even started out as rappers to begin with. YouTuber Jake Paul once released a diss track It’s Everyday Bro featuring his entourage Team 10, aimed at his ex-girlfriend Alissa Violet and fellow YouTube personality Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg on 2017. Unironically, it received mostly with negative reviews, even earned fourth place on Most disliked YouTube videos of all time. His brother Logan is no better. After the backlash of his video at the Aokigahara Forest in Japan (Also known as “The Suicide Forest”, he exposed a corpse of a hanged man inside the forest, as well as being culturally insensitive during his Japanese trip), he started a feud with British personality Olajide Olatunji (known as KSI), which ended up with two boxing fights, both won by KSI. His diss track, Goodbye KSI is reviewed as a desperate attempt to gain attention, and how the track is actually managed to roast himself rather than his intended target. 

Those who ARE rappers themselves also not spared from this either. At first, I wasn’t aware of this, but rappers who use Plotagon-animated music videos are quite a thing, and along with it, comes bad (and I mean really bad) production quality, awful lyricism and extreme (and I mean to the max) level of auto-tuned vocals. The most notable example of this is Submarine Man, whose songs are revolved around one thing and one thing only: foot fetish (this is even worse than K-Pop sasaengs writing a fan note with menstrual blood). His latest album Barefoot Worlds was released in 2019 and was reviewed by users of the website Album of The Year 14/100. Some even called the album “an abomination that should never exist”. I looked up this “rapper” out of pure curiosity, and stumble upon one song called Stinko Foot. The moment I press play, I instantly regret it. Not only the song is quite unbearable (same with the accompanying music video), but all vocals either by Submarine Man or the featured artists (Lama Doodle and Sakooni!) are auto tuned in such an extent, it produced an annoying robotic sound to it. He is also a type of rapper that constantly ripping off songs and beats from another artist. This particular song is a rip-off from Travis Scott’s SICKO MODE. No wonder YouTube channel HipHopHQ placed this “rapper” as number 1 for their list of “Worst rappers of all time”. Canadian rapper Lil Meerkat, although not being a Plotagon artist, are also notorious for bad quality songs, rip-offs and severely auto-tuned vocals (and doing a bad job in the process. His rapping can be either off-key, off-beat, or both at the same time). He even went as far as covering (and by that, I mean ruining) Queen’s eternal masterpiece Bohemian Rhapsody, naming his version Lil Vohemian Brrrrappussi and Lil Vohemian Trrrapsody. From those titles alone, his poor attempt to pay homage to the band and Freddie Mercury is instead being translated as blatant disrespect. The lyrics was also changed to suit his otherwise laughable lyrical content of Japanese anime, hentai, fanfictions (and how he loves it), Sonic the Hedgehog and flexing on how rich he is. It also contains a product placement for a porn site of all brands (What the hell is he thinking (or smoking) when he made this song?). He also (hilariously) has a diss track aimed at the Japanese animation series Love Live called Todokete (the title rips off one lyric part of one song of the show called Snow Halation). The song itself is (unsurprisingly) a rip-off of the aforementioned PewDiePie’s diss track Bitch Lasagna aimed at Indian Music Label T-Series when he was feuding with the company on who got the most subscribers on YouTube. All of the songs including these two are included on his debut album Weeaboo Paradise, Vol. 1, and got the abysmal rating of 38/100 on Album of The Year (Previously, it got 1/100). I did mention about lyric repetitions before, didn’t I, Well, one rapper in particular who is famous for this is Nicki Minaj, with her song Stupid Hoe. In this track alone, she muttered the line “stupid hoe” for a record of 45 times. This is also one of just a slew of her songs with blatant sexual nature. Another rapper fitting this category is Cupcakke (real name Elisabeth Harris). She took the sex theme and max it to the more disgusting levels with songs like Spiderman Dick, Vagina and an awful remix of Lil Nas X’s Old Town Road, titled Old Town HOE. Other than artists mentioned above, “mumble rappers” (a derogatory term for rappers who rap incoherently to the point of just mumbling the lyrics) are also known to be hated the most. Rappers like Lil Xan (real name Nicholas Diego Leanos) and Tekashi 6ix9ine (real name Daniel Hernandez) are known as the “frontrunners” of this “genre”. What makes the genre and the artist hated is because of some songs like Betrayed by the former and FEFE by the latter contained overly simple lyrics, nonsensical phrases, awful beats, and (well, I’ve been accustomed to this) auto-tuned rapping. 

Many musical acts are not necessarily hated because of bad product, some are ridiculed because of one big controversy that derailed their career. German Pop duo Milli Vanilli rose to popularity with their hit single Girl You Know It’s True, even earning a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1990. The beginning of the end for both members Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus was when they were performing in Bristol, Connecticut as part of an MTV performance, the backing track skipped, revealing that they actually lip-synced their performance. It was later revealed that all the vocals on their acclaimed album Girl You Know It’s True were not recorded by Morvan and Pilatus themselves. Instead, producer Frank Farian brought in session vocalists to perform vocal duties. Both Milli Vanilli duo were treated only as visual models for the band (this was also per Farian’s order). Before that, there are already doubts of the legitimacy of the singing, due to the duo’s English skills. They tried to recover by releasing songs featuring their own vocals to little success. This worsens after Pilatus’ death on April 2^nd, 1998. After his death, Morvan continued as a session musician with considerable success. On a funny note, the term “pull a Milli Vanilli” is used to describe an artist who caught lip-syncing a performance, and often lie about it. On the rock and metal spectrum, vocalist/rapper Kid Rock is also hated mainly of his poor attempt to fuse metal, rap and country music. He is also labeled as a “sell-out” by metalheads due to his shift from Rap Rock to Country. 

When we think about music, it’s supposed to be a beautiful, enticing melody that hooks the listeners from the beginning to the end, but what music fans get from these so-called “musicians” (save from Milli Vanilli, behind that fiasco, the real singers are awesome) is nothing than pure nausea and ear rape coming out of the speaker like a thousand hornets stinging your ear at the same time. I have to say that while I am not a fan of some genres but appreciates them anyway as forms of art, I am no way a fan of those artists, and by that, I mean I absolutely loathed them. Nobody in their right mind would take a great song from a great band, change the lyrics with themes referencing anime, hentai and all of the bad sides from the Japanese pop culture, present them in severely off-key, off-beat auto-tuned vocals with terrible beat, and proceed to call himself “the best rapper in the world” (Eminem would chew your ass for that statement. Look up Rap God if you know what I mean). As always, I will end this piece by constantly reminding you to never shove your own musical taste to non-consenting individuals, especially involving artists like those mentioned above. 

Deradicalizing Terrorists: Are We Up for It?

Like I said few posts ago, I’m totally not into politics. In fact, every time a political topic is being brought up to a conversation, I would see myself out, mainly because of my “sense of distrust” towards these “people’s representative”. While the rest of the world is currently dealing with the rapidly spreading Novel Coronavirus (Indonesia now has one confirmed case, but the one in question contracted it in Singapore), There is a quite a talk to bring back 600 Indonesian citizens who happened to be former ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) members. While others say that this might be a good idea, I have to be skeptical about this. Not because of me don’t want them back, but more like a concern that some, if not all of them is already corrupted by those toxic mindsets. This idea first came out from Fachrul Razi, current Indonesian Minister of religious Affairs and former military personnel of all people. It is still being discussed, but already some elements of the society are against this idea, even President Joko Widodo himself who personally denied that proposition if that same idea is being asked to him in person. Vice President Ma’Ruf Amin even stated that this issue, along with the coronavirus case must be treated carefully.

            But why so, you may ask? There is a possibility if these guys are back in the country without proper procedure, they end up spreading their (or ISIS) version of the Islamic values, which I can guarantee as the most incorrect and misleading values you’ve ever come across. To put this into a perspective, Indonesia is known for having six official religions recognized by the government (Islam, Catholic and Protestant branch of Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism). And by putting one religion above the rest of them will spark outrage. The ISIS’ vision of Islam is to make their Islam the global religion that must be practiced by literally everyone, whether willingly or forcefully. Any answers other than “yes” means death sentence. Some might say that the reason these guys joined them in the first place is because of the vision (or as I say illusion) of the true essence of being a Muslim under one large, global scale caliphate. They might be tired of current situation of their home country and proceed to join this group in hoping for a better life and freedom from religious oppression (some countries still have questionable figures who openly disrespect Islam, like Dutch politician Geert Wilders). Or maybe because of the desire to establish themselves as the force to be reckon with when it comes to global power. Other reason is to “purify” the world from any governmental system or even traces of previous culture and civilization as well as establish Islam as the true religion (kind of like when Hitler first rose to power with the Nazi Germany with the Aryan “Master Race”). 

            Currently, beside President Jokowi, other politicians also voice their concern, even as far as condemning the move, like former opposition Ferdinand Hutahaean from the Democrat Party. On his tweet as quoted in an article at suara.com, he asks the Jokowi administration to follow the footsteps of Australia, who passed the law effectively banning Australian citizens from coming back after joining the terror organization. He insists that if that same group of people ever came back, there will be a plague of clashing ideologies. The National Democrat Party is also on the same page as Hutahaean and President Jokowi. Representative Saan Mustopa told the media as reported by detik.com that their knowledge of Islam and ISIS that is still unclear might be a problem in future days. Golkar Party even voiced an extreme statement that those who joined ISIS is no longer an Indonesian citizen who have been exposed to the terrorist ideology, even as far as denouncing their Indonesian citizenship themselves. 

But for those who support the idea, they are also calculating the more suitable ways to bring those people home. Asrul Sani of the Unity and Development Party stated that there are two options on how to get them home. If there are those who are fully exposed to ISIS’ ideology and believes in them, they are ruled ineligible for the trip home, and must face the court of law in the country that they commit those crimes. On the other hand, if in that same group, there are some who were deceived and fooled to come to Syria (and ISIS) for better life and true Islamic values but ended up suffering from even harsher conditions should be consider as a priority. But even with all options present, deradicalization from that ideology remains the only vital process to fully bring those Indonesians back home.

            We can sit here and debating on whether we agree or not for hours, but quite frankly, I prefer to monitor the situation and hopefully, the Jokowi administration would come up with an effective order to bring back those 600 Indonesians from Syria, with a guarantee that these same group of people already deradicalized from those toxic ideas and values. In the bottom of my heart, I really wish that these men and women could come back home safely, but part of me also doubting this move, because once an ideology has been planted to someone’s heart and soul, it would be almost impossible to combat those ideas. It would be a waste move if majority of them ended up committing another religious-based hate crime. For President Jokowi and Minister Fachrul Razi, please consider the pros and cons of this move, the benefits and the possible losses, and of course, the implication of many other Indonesians living on this 18.000+ island. Indonesia must remain unite as one, and to give up in the presence of terror is not an option.