Indonesian Islamic scholars warned Muslims not to use Internet networking sites for flirting or gossiping. A resolution issued after a meeting of hundreds of Islamic scholars from Java and Bali islands warns that using such sites can lead to pornography. “We forbid the use of such social networking sites unless they are being used to foster Islamic teaching,” a spokesman for the scholars, Abdul Muid Shohib, said. “So, spreading ill words about others, gossiping and other things that go against religious teachings on social networking sites in the virtual world are forbidden according to Islamic law.” Shohib acknowledged that the networking sites, where people can set up their own profile pages and share comments and pictures with their friends, was also popular among students and imams at Indonesia’s conservative Islamic schools. “We realise that the virtual world is hard to control,” he said. The scholars will monitor the use of such websites and will urge the government to close them down if they became a threat to Islamic teachings, he said.
ULEMA CONDEMN MISUSE OF INTERNET
Indonesian Islamic scholars warned Muslims not to use Internet networking sites for flirting or gossiping. A resolution issued after a meeting of hundreds of Islamic scholars from Java and Bali islands warns that using such sites can lead to pornography.
