Indonesia bans Valentine’s Day

Clerics say observance of Valentine's Day goes against Islamic teachings, and thousands of high school students rallied to reject the day.

CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN / AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Indonesian Muslim students campaign against the celebration of Valentine's Day in Banda Aceh on February 13, 2016.

By: Associated Press, Published on Sun Feb 14 2016

JAKARTA, INDONESIA—Officials and clerics in the world’s most populous Muslim nation have banned young Indonesian Muslims from celebrating Valentine’s Day, arguing that the observance runs against Islamic teachings.

In Banda Aceh, the capital of the devout Muslim province of Aceh, thousands of high school students held rallies rejecting the celebration of Valentine’s Day.

Samalona Island

Samalona is a small island in the Straits of Makassar, precisely on the southwest coast of South Sulawesi . Administratively, this island including the city of Makassar, South Sulawesi. Position more precisely located on the west district Wajo, Makassar, a distance of approximately 2 km and can be seen clearly from these districts. To reach this island could use fishing boats (boats with outboard engines) and required travel time not more than 0.5 hours. On this island stands a lighthouse that is used as a sign of land boundary for big ships.

Mentawi Islands

Mentawai Islands are a chain of about seventy islands and islets off the western coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. Siberut (4,030 km2) is the largest of the islands. The other major islands are Sipura, North Pagai (Pagai Utara) and South Pagai (Pagai Selatan). The islands lie approximately 150 km off the Sumatran coast, across the Mentawai Strait. The indigenous inhabitants of the islands are known as the Mentawai people. The Mentawai Islands have become a noted destination for surfing.

Pulau Gili Labak Sumenep, Serpihan Surga Di Madura

Surga kecil ini terletak di kota Sumenep Madura, yaitu Wisata Pantai di Pulau Gili Labak (Labek) yang keindahannya merupakan kreasi Tuhan Yang Maha Sempurna. Letak Pulau Gili Labek ini berada di Desa Kombang, Kecamatan Talango Kabupaten Sumenep. Tepatnya, lokasi pulau yang hanya dihuni oleh sekitar 35 kepala keluarga dan memiliki luas 5 hektar ini berada di sebelah tenggara kota Sumenep. Pulau ini dapat ditempuh dalam waktu 30 menit dengan berjalan kaki.

Five largest cities in Indonesia

The largest cities in Indonesia by population (2010 census)

1. Jakarta (Special Region Jakarta) - Appx. 9,6 million

As capital city of Indonesia, Jakarta has largest population with diversities ethinic and races. Indonesian ethinc groups, Tioanghoa (Chinese hybrid/ Indonesian-Chinese), Arab (Indonesian-Arab), India (Indonesian-India), Japanese (Indonesian-Japan), Korea, and others foreign ethinic.