Riau’s Kampar District Mulls Bylaw to Ban TV During Praying Hour

Not so long ago touted as a model of Islamic values integrating well in a secular world, the country is being dragged back to the 7th century.  This news item illustrates just how invasive and controling Islam is in the daily lives of Muslims. 

FROM THEJAKARTAGLOBE.COM:

Riau’s Kampar District Mulls Bylaw to Ban TV During Praying Hour
Jakarta Globe | November 15, 2012

Worried about the rising crime rate, the local government of Kampar district, Riau, is mulling passing a bylaw that would oblige residents to turn off their television sets for an hour each day and instead pray.   

Kampar district head Jefry Noer told Metrotv.com on Thursday that such a bylaw would help address increasing public worry over the rising crime rate in the district, which he said was a social disease.   

The planned bylaw, he said, would instruct Kampar residents to turn off their television sets from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., during the Maghrib praying hour, and use the time to recite the Koran.   

Local officials have begun socializing the idea among residents.   

“When I visited the Bangkinang Seberang region, I told the people about the planned bylaw,” said Eva Yuliana, a member of the Kampar Legislative Council (DPRD Kampar), as quoted by katakabar.com.

“People welcome the plan. The elder ones have long been worried about the current conditions. During the Maghrib praying hour, Koran recitals are hardly heard from mosques.”   

She did not mention when they planned to pass the bylaw, saying they were still focused on socializing the plan.   

“During Maghrib, children are just watching TV and hanging around,” she said. “It’s so different from the old days, when they read the Koran during Maghrib. We want to go back to the way it was.”