I have just spent three weeks on the island of Java in Indonesia. While I was there I saw many protests. The day they stormed the Danish Embassy in Jakarta I was there, I saw it. There were fewer than 100 people. Two weeks previous the government announced there would be a rate increase in electrical rates commencing in three months time. THOUSANDS of people spontaneously emptied their homes and took to the streets within minutes of hearing the news on the radio and tv. They have the balls to protest but honestly Indonesians, the world's most populous muslim nation LOVES the United States. They support the war on terror and it is a very small minority that are shown on the news around the world.

You could walk across the island from mosque to mosque. Every village has a mosque, every gas station on the roads has a prayer room, for every 20 houses there is one mosque. They believe in their religion very deeply, more so than any other people I have ever met.

I saw Popeye's fried chicken, A&W Fast Food, KFC, McDonald's, Ace Hardware, Sizzler steakhouse, Hard Rock Cafe, Planet Hollywood... not one or two but dozens all over the island in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Cilacap, Semarang... the most popular live music program on the biggest TV station in Indonesia is AMERICAN COUNTRY MUSIC, I saw personally muslim women wearing the jilbab headscarf with a COWBOY hat on top of it.

People saw me and smiled. They treated me with nothing but respect and when they heard I was from the US I heard nothing but praise and adulation for my country. Having been in China for four years and travelling about the world I can tell this was heartfelt and not some crap they spout off for tourists. There is more hatred for the corruption of their own government in their little pinky finger than they could ever muster for the US.

When the village got bombed in Pakistan, there were no protests in Indo. The most populous muslim country in the world- silence. Don't believe what you see on TV and what you read in the press. There is an agenda and they will frame the shot and write the story not to show you the truth but in order to further their cause.

What strikes me the most right now is the anger towards the West. It is not constricted to Danmark or Scandinavia anylonger. The European Union, United Nations and institutions like that are also victim.

I'll agree with Bulldogg that the few protestors do get a lot of air time. With proper shots it will look like thousands march the street. (And in Beirut they do..). But it is spreading and I just wonder where it will stop.


p.s. Good point IG, about our support for the ones who do speak up. They seem to get the short end of the stick regardless of what happens next.

p.s.s. It would be fun to have dinner one time LG, I wonder if we could agree on what to eat

Originally Posted by Ted

p.s.s. It would be fun to have dinner one time LG, I wonder if we could agree on what to eat

Probably! Some of the best pickled eel and creamed herring that I've ever eaten was found in Amsterdam. (The draft Amstel wasn't bad either! )

I just hope they don't hate their President since it sounds like he is a cool guy. And threatened by al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah.

Originally Posted by localgrizzly

Probably! Some of the best pickled eel and creamed herring that I've ever eaten was found in Amsterdam. (The draft Amstel wasn't bad either! )

I'll keep dinner liquid then and stick to the Amstel . I"ll skip the fish thing, but I am a minority on this acount....

Originally Posted by Ted

I'll keep dinner liquid then and stick to the Amstel . I"ll skip the fish thing, but I am a minority on this acount....

Meh pickled eel and creamed herring doesn't sound that appetizing. I have to concur with Ted here.

Originally Posted by Italian Guy

I just hope they don't hate their President since it sounds like he is a cool guy. And threatened by al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah.

They like him, by and large he is the first leader they have had since Suharto's regime fell. The others in between have been recognised for the puppets they were of various interests. The current big guy is actually making some in roads against the vested corrupt interests within the government and common Indonesians are unified in their voice that THAT is the reason for the "terrorists" targetting him.

He's not perfect but he is most definitely a big step in the right direction and the Indonesian people recognise it.

Very good.

No muslim outrage =BS

How can you complain about the extremists when you know that if you do, you are the next terrorist target???? THE TERRORIST COULD VERY WELL BE YOUR NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR.

FORGOT THAT DIDN'T YOU???