Indonesian police have slapped a cordon around a huge landmark banyan tree in the capital after members of a Muslim youth group attacked it to prove it had no special mystical powers.
The governor of Jakarta filed a complaint with police after youths hacked and damaged the 100-year-old banyan, on a traffic island in the capital, in a bid to dispel rumours the tree harbored special powers.
“The city government tried hard not to cut the tree when we built a new bus lane. It is more than 100 years old and it is important for the environment,” said Susi Marsitawati of Jakarta’s park agency.
“But later rumors spread that the government was unable to fell the tree because it has supernatural powers and is sacred,” the official said, adding that Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso had filed a complaint with police.
Jeje Zainudin, chairman of the United Islam Youth, said the group had carried out the attack to counter superstitions surrounding the tree.
“It is not a matter of chopping down the tree but this is to counter a popular belief such as if [we] touch it, [we] will get sick or your cleaver will break.”
I’m never surprised when a superstitious mob does something really destructive and ignorant; but, I think this dude’s cleaver was already broken.
This would have made sense if the muslims were gathered in a remote location, prayed and prayed, and lo and behold; the tree turned blue or something.
As the reality shows, their prayers are as worthless as any prayer to a higher goddish creature.
The faith brings nothing but a good feeling of believing in the right god. Any religious person has to take action for himself as god is senile at best, and doesn’t respond to prayers in real life.
IMHO god is an illusion, and these muslim youths just proved it.
And mankind stumbles on….
People who are superstitious can “rationalize” ANY outcome to their favor. Look at God-believers. They believe God is all-loving but when
6,000,000 Jews die in the holocaust
250,000 people died in the 2005 tsunami
38,000 children starve to death EACH DAY
etc,
they write it off as “God works in mysterious ways”. Superstitious people get what they deserve: feardom.
What is it with that word. First the Bamiyan Buddhas, now a banyan?
This fits into the Virgin-Mary-In-Your-Cheese-Sandwich category.
So, one group of superstitious idiots feels the need to prove that another group’s idiotic superstitions are false?
“It is not a matter of chopping down the tree but this is to counter a popular belief such as …
As these idiots claim to be Muslims [which must be exasperating to most Muslims], I’m sure they would be outraged by anyone taking action to disprove any of their “popular beliefs” …
How can one set of religious believers attack the holy symbols of another set of religious believers without setting off their own internal irony alarms? I mean, I get that religion can play out in aggressively irrational ways. So do a lot of human behaviors (“freedom fries” and other absurdities of the Land of Feardom come to mind). But sometimes the irony gets so thick it gets hard to breathe.
That tree has at least as as many supernatural powers as, oh, say, Mohammed.
#6
“it gets hard to breathe”
Yeah, it’s Big Time Allergy Season all over the place 😉
#1-7
Pretty much my thoughts as well.
And what would these youths think if somebody blew up the Ka’bah to show that it too has no special mystical powers?
#10
Chances are that you would be beheaded 😉
Incidently, that famous Joshua Tree on the cover of U2’s album by the same name has seen its destruction too, but by natural means. Here is a link to see that famous isolated tree, before and after:
http://www.joshuatreenationalpark.net/u2tree.htm
Even laying down, it is sublime.
Fucking muslim’s have to be the dummest people on earth 🙁
#13
… or the dumbest 😉