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More Clebrities, Rock Stars Turn to Islam
The Jakarta Post ^ | Fri, May 27 2016

Posted on 05/28/2016 11:49:54 AM PDT by nickcarraway

Until very recently, Teuku Wisnu was known mostly for his role in a humdrum soap opera broadcast by local television channels.

Three years ago, Teuku underwent a transformation by appearing less on television and developing the habit of wearing typical Muslim garb and growing his beard long.

Soon, he started appearing on television playing a different kind of role, that of a Muslim preacher.

Last year, Teuku caused a stir after stating on national television that Muslims should not recite Al Fatiha, the first chapter of the Koran, as a prayer for the dead.

This week, the 31-year-old Aceh native made the transformation complete by deciding to change his name into Teuku Al-Fatih.

Due to administrative and paperwork issues, Teuku expects that he will receive the name next month during the Ramadhan fasting month.

“God willing, it will be done during the fasting month,” he said, adding that his family had given him their stamp of approval.

Teuku said he took the name from his son.“It is actually not a surprise. I will take my son’s name, Al-Fatih, so my name will be Teuku Al-Fatih,” he told kompas.com.

Teuku married actress Shireen Sungkar in 2013 and they have a son named Teuku Adam Al Fatih.

Teuku is the latest example of an actor, musician or someone involved in the country’s entertainment industry who has had enough of excess and has turned to religion.

In recent years, members of some of the country’s most high-profile rock bands like Pure Saturday, Sheila On 7, Rocket Rockers and Rumahsakit have decided to “break on through to the other side”.

Some of the former rockers began to take up preaching conservative Islamic teachings.

Kang Ucay, the former lead singer of Bandung-based pop-punk band Rockcalled et Rockers, who now goes by the name of Noor Al Kautsar, serves as the coordinator for the Bandung chapter of Indonesia Tanpa JIL ( Indonesia Without JIL ). Indonesia Tanpa JIL is a conservative Islamist movement opposed to the liberal Islam, promoted in Indonesia by Jaringan Islam Liberal ( Liberal Islam Network ).

Some other musicians who have decided to lay down their instruments recently set up a movement and identified themselves as Al Ghuroba, or The Strangers.

These former musicians’ primary campaign theme is the prohibition of music.

Members of this organization promote a literal reading of the Koran and hadith ( the sayings and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad ) that forbids the act of listening to or playing music, saying it could lead the faithful away from faith.

In the late 1980s, two of the biggest names in the music scene, Gito Rollies and Harry Moekti, quit the industry and became well-respected preachers with a large following.

In the late 1990s, Irfan Sembiring of the thrash metal band Rotor, who opened for Metallica in 1991, left show business and traveled to places like Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and India to study Islam in madrassas.

Irfan, however, did not disown music and he recently released a thrash metal album with pietythemed lyrics. “I want to meet with everybody involved in this business, musicians and fans and I want to do silaturahmi [building connections],” Irfan said in a recent interview.

Syafiq Hasyim of the State Islamic University ( UIN ) Syarief Hidayatullah said that celebrities’ newfound piety, especially those who chose to become preachers, may be motivated by pragmatism.

“There are two types of piety, exclusive and inclusive and the latter is always better. But I suspect that for some of those preachers, they have financial motivations,” Syafiq said.


TOPICS: Music/Entertainment; Religion; TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: islam; muslimworld
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1 posted on 05/28/2016 11:49:54 AM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

Most celebrities are stupid.

It’s not news.


2 posted on 05/28/2016 11:50:34 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (Nation States seem to be ending. The follow-on should not be Globalism, but Localism.)
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To: nickcarraway
The message is clear: Terror Works
3 posted on 05/28/2016 11:52:58 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: nickcarraway

Wow. Such high-profile names.


4 posted on 05/28/2016 11:53:39 AM PDT by refreshed
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To: nickcarraway

“When you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”


5 posted on 05/28/2016 11:54:51 AM PDT by PROCON (Proud Vietnam Vet! Please Remember & Honor Our Fallen this Memorial Day.)
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To: nickcarraway

Why? because izzlam is the “oppressed” religion? most proponents are mentally deficient? it vows to replace Christianity? it promotes the violent overthrow of constitutional governments?
Or are they full of self-loathing and run to anything non-natural?


6 posted on 05/28/2016 11:59:14 AM PDT by I want the USA back (The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it. Orwell.)
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To: nickcarraway

Cat Stevens was an early “embracer”. What a jerk.


7 posted on 05/28/2016 12:05:49 PM PDT by corkoman
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To: nickcarraway

Teuku Wisnu (Indonesian) - No wonder no one has ever heard of him.

8 posted on 05/28/2016 12:06:45 PM PDT by Robert DeLong (u)
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To: nickcarraway

Am supposed to know any of these people? Am I showing my age? (Glad I am)


9 posted on 05/28/2016 12:08:31 PM PDT by Exit148 ((Loose Chnge Club founder) Put yours aside for the next Freepathon!)
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To: All

How are these people called “high profile” or even “biggest names in music”???

I don’t know who any of them are...

I have never heard of any of them......


10 posted on 05/28/2016 12:11:34 PM PDT by JBW1949 (I'm really PC....PATRIOTICALLY CORRECT!!!!)
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To: nickcarraway

Bmk


11 posted on 05/28/2016 12:12:57 PM PDT by Popman (Christ alone: My Cornerstone...)
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To: Exit148

No, these are apparently Indonesian stars. The headline is totally misleading for an American website.


12 posted on 05/28/2016 12:15:16 PM PDT by miss marmelstein (Richard the Third: With my own people alone I should like to drive away the Muslims)
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To: JBW1949; nickcarraway
It's from a foreign paper.

That should have been indicated in the title or first comment.

As Indonesians, they were probably already Muslims to begin with.

13 posted on 05/28/2016 12:15:16 PM PDT by x
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To: nickcarraway

When John Smith changes his name to Teuku al-Fatih, I will really be worried.


14 posted on 05/28/2016 12:15:44 PM PDT by The_Media_never_lie (Apparently, most people are fine with what Obama is doing, while he ignores our problems.)
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To: Exit148
Am supposed to know any of these people?

This is from the Jakarta Post, so a " celebrity " over there, is a 'who dat' over here.

15 posted on 05/28/2016 12:17:30 PM PDT by El Cid (Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house...)
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To: nickcarraway

Absolutist type of thinking; I’ve just become vegetarian, therefore NOBODY around me can eat me, because suddenly, it offends me! He has chosen the wrong religion for salvation.
He has chosen the correct religion for surrendering one’s free will or ability to use basic logic. Let’s check back with him in 10 years, if he hasn’t been ‘gifted’ with a Bomb Vest.


16 posted on 05/28/2016 12:17:44 PM PDT by lee martell
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To: x

Well, no wonder....Yeah...That should’ve been in the title...


17 posted on 05/28/2016 12:17:45 PM PDT by JBW1949 (I'm really PC....PATRIOTICALLY CORRECT!!!!)
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To: lee martell

Should read “eat meat”.


18 posted on 05/28/2016 12:18:46 PM PDT by lee martell
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To: nickcarraway

For what reason did you post such foreign, trivial stuff, nickcarraway?????


19 posted on 05/28/2016 12:19:59 PM PDT by JBW1949 (I'm really PC....PATRIOTICALLY CORRECT!!!!)
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To: nickcarraway

Bah, they just want to be popular. Indonesia has the largest Muslim population of any country in the world, with approximately 200 million moehammedans.

Indonesia is where B0 Stevedunhambarrybathhousesoetorobarryhusseinsoebarkah learned that islamn is such a beautiful and tolerant faith.


20 posted on 05/28/2016 12:21:06 PM PDT by Zuse (I am disrupted! I am offended! I am insulted! I am outraged!)
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