faith

Should you be trekking through the thick forests of Magelang, Indonesia, try not to be too alarmed if you stumble upon a titanic, rotting building, shaped like a chicken. Known as Gereja Ayam (unsurprisingly, “Chicken Church”), this mouldering titan was probably whimsical once, but now it seems like the creepy lost temple of a goofy cult.

Women's Life pic.twitter.com/Y686CxMSlv

— དར་མདོ། Dartsedo 康定 (@Taya77003Tha) 29. November 2016

Place unknown, probably in Indonesia, in Aceh.

In Aceh beten Gläubige für Frieden und gegen Terror. Bisher gilt Indonesien als Hort eines toleranten und friedlichen Islam, doch auch hier versuchen Extremisten Unzufriedene anzuwerben. (Foto: Junaidi Hanafiah/Anadolu

Der IS versucht mit seinen Hassbotschaften auch im bevölkerungsreichsten muslimischen Land Fuß zu fassen. Doch bisher kann sich Indonesien wehren - seine Islamverbände sind im Netz gegen die Extremisten aktiv.

Von Arne Perras, Jakarta

A law that makes gay sex punishable by public caning took effect Friday in a conservative Indonesian province.

The law in Aceh province stipulates that anyone caught having homosexual sex can face up to 100 strokes of a cane, a fine of up to 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of gold (about $37,400) and imprisonment of up to 100 months. Adulterers are also subject to 100 lashes of a cane, but not to the fine or imprisonment.

Aceh is considered more devout than other areas of Muslim-majority Indonesia and is the only province allowed to observe a version of Islamic Shariah law.

By Erich Follath, see Indonesia's Secret: In the Kingdom of Gentle Islam

Nowhere in the world are there more Muslims living in one place than in the Southeast Asian island nation of Indonesia, which will be a guest of honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair this fall. Can a cosmopolitan faith assert itself against Islam? A journey.

An excerpt from chapter three ('East of Krakatoa'), of the documentary 'Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey'. Watch full documentary here:

Legendary John Chang, shows Chi energy

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