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Jakarta (dpa) - Indonesia's highest Muslim authority on Monday urged the government to take legal action against the publisher and the editors of Playboy Indonesia magazine, accusing the US-based publication of violating the country's laws.
The July edition, the third, hit newsstands two weeks ago, with its cover featuring a woman wearing black underpants and a grey jacket, but not wearing a bra. Muslim hardliners described the magazine as more vulgar than the two previous editions.
"I don't care who is the owner and the management (of the Playboy Indonesia magazine). Should they violate the law, hence the government must take legal action against them," said Din Syamsuddin, deputy chairman of the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI), the highest Muslim authority in the country.
Playboy was first published in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, in April with an edition specially created for local customs, meaning no photographs of nude women.
When Playboy unveiled plans for a nudity-free Indonesian edition earlier this year, it was denounced by politicians and conservative religious leaders as a threat to traditional values.
Syamsuddin said the MUI assessed that the publication has violated the law by spreading indecency. The magazines is sold throughout the country and is even hawked by street vendors at traffic lights.
In the past, a number of Muslim leaders, including hardliner activists, have urged the police to take stern measures against the magazine, on the grounds the iconic magazine was "insulting" to Muslims.
Syamsuddin "demanded the government to carry out its obligation and take legal action," the state-run Antara news agency reported. Should no action be taken, he feared it will trigger a certain group within the society to take the law into their own hands.
Muslim leaders have previously accused Playboy Indonesia of "intentionally provoking Muslim followers."
Indonesian police have formally named Erwin Armada, Playboy's editor-in-chief in Indonesia, and Kartika Gunawan, a model who posed in lingerie for the first edition, suspects for violating anti-indecency laws that carry sentences of up to two years in prison.
The magazine has been criticized even by some who acknowledge that it is no more pornographic than other tabloids sold in the country that often feature explicit photos and stories.
Rock-throwing protests after the first edition was published in April prompted the publisher to relocate Playboy Indonesia's editorial offices from Jakarta to the predominantly Hindu island of Bali.
Copyright 2006 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
