Following Entry Posted 4/15/2008 03:28:00 PM

Muslims Padlock Masseuses to Deter Prostitution

(Batu, Indonesia) Vacationers and travelers to Batu in Muslim Indonesia, attention!

Be advised that massage parlor masseuses wearing padlocks are presumptive prostitutes.


Padlocked Skirt

MASSAGE parlours are asking their female masseuses to padlock their skirts and pants to make it clear that sex is not on offer.

But the move in an Indonesian town, has been opposed by the country's women's affairs minister, where massage parlours are often a front for prostitution.

TV footage and photos have shown several masseuses with small padlocks in the zip of their pants or skirts in recent days.

"The padlocking phenomena has been seen at various parlours and it is something we like," said Imam Suryono, the head of the town's public order authority.

Although prostitution is illegal, it has been generally unchecked in areas that cater to international visitors since local and regional authorities see them as cash cows.

Batu has been developing as a tourist destination for decades, meaning that permits for investors to build hotels, restaurants as well as entertainment centers have been issued for a long time. According to the procedures, permits for establishing such infrastructure start with recommendations from the lowest echelons of bureaucracy, including neighborhood chiefs, village heads, regencies and mayoralties.

The answer could lie in such establishment's alleged role as cash cows for administration officials involved in decision making, and members of certain organizations that reportedly conduct raids whenever the entertainment centers fail to provide them with a sufficient sum of money. Operation permits for entertainment centers are said to be costly and difficult to obtain.

That is why, if massage parlors are found to function as illicit prostitution houses, all levels of bureaucracy in Malang actually contribute to the transgression.

In any event, according to Meutia Hatta Swasono, the state Minister for Women's Empowerment, women should not be held solely accountable. Nevertheless, they are the ones being padlocked. And, of course it's symbolic because the idea of padlocking a skirt doesn't seem possible.

In summary, the morality police in a Muslim country will look the other way when there is enough money to be made from un-Islamic enterprises.

Tip: slwlion

Also: Jawa Report
|