Miss Inul Is Testing the Nation's Morals

A new Indonesian pop idol is putting some sizzle into the predominately Muslim nation. Inul Daratista has sparked a backlash among Muslim clerics who denounce her singing and dancing and have made moves to ban her from cities around the country. By Maria Bakkalapulo

Inul Daratista is the biggest, and probably one of the only, pop sensations of its kind in Indonesia today. Fans love her and politicians are lining up to recruit her support for, but Inul's signature bump-and-grind dancing – or "the drill," as it's popularly called. Regardless, Inul continues to gain popularity among the masses.

Born-poor in East Java, Inul Daratista began performing at a young age, learning to swivel her hips, and the rest of her body, up and down at a remarkable speed by practicing on a hula-hoop. She started singing in the style known as "dangdut" at the age of 12.

Now at 25, she is one of the most popular and controversial performers in Indonesia today.

Her real name is Ainul Rokimah, but she goes by Inul Daratista, which means "the girl with the breasts."

A blend of Indian, Arab and Malay sounds

With very simple lyrics, often dealing with topic of love, dangdut is the danceable blend of Indian, Arab and Malay sounds that gives substance to the dance.

It is this beat that fuels her hip-shaking moves and has Indonesians glued to their television sets.

Meanwhile, the highest levels of dangdut music and religious elite in Indonesia are up in arms.

After two months of time off because of depression over the controversy and conflict, Inul recently returned to the cameras for a press conference and performance to support her new cassette release and upcoming VCD at Jakarta's Hard Rock Café.

Says Inul: "In my opinion, sexy is relative. It depends on who views it. A lot of people think that my body is very good, that my shake is lethal. I think this is a blessing from God. This is something that I have to keep doing."

Rhoma Irama, the King of Dangdut

Dangdut is the music of rural Indonesia that was cleaned up and rose in popularity among all social classes in the 1970s and 1980s, largely because of singers like Rhoma Irama, known as the King of Dangdut.

Rhoma Irama has been at the center of this controversy and has publicly denounced Inul's dancing as pornographic and has led a group of senior composers to ban Inul from singing any of their compositions unless she stops dancing.

At a press conference held to address questions about banning Inul from singing their songs, Hendro Saky, one of a group of eight dangdut senior composers, says that she is ruining the years of hard work it took to make dangdut respectable.

"Don't turn the swimming pool into a toilet!"

"Actually, we want to call and invite her. Singing is Inul's right. We cannot sue her, but we would like to ask Inul to be responsible in terms of 'moral.' So we will ask Inul to respect us. If you want to, you can swim in our swimming pool. Come as long as you want. Please, go ahead, because the swimming pool is everyone's. But you should not turn it into a toilet!"

Up the road from the press conference, a composer and musician sings one of Rhoma Irama's famous love songs "Ani", saying little because they fear a backlash toward supporting either side.

The controversy has only made Inul more desirable and her popularity continues to grow. The TV stations cannot get enough of her, seeing their ratings jump every time Inul performs on television.

This is part of what fuels the other side of the controversy – the religious one.

Professor Din Syamsuddin, Vice Chairman of the Islamic group, Muhammadiya and the Secretary General of Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI), does not make a direct statement about what Inul Daratista is doing, but is clear in what he says should not be on television.

Dress and behave decently, says the cleric

"Muslims should not show the part of the body that can attract other people to kind of have a sexual attire. They have to have responsibility for God in the here and hereafter. That's religion."

Earlier this year, MUI declared that Inul's dancing and costume were circumscribed by its July 2002 fatwa against pornography. This was sparked by their concern that Inul's performances were encouraging Indonesians to take part in lustful acts.

"If they tell you to stop and that your dancing is not good for Muslim woman – will that make you stop?" I ask her. Her answer is quite decisive.

"For me dancing is a calling"

"No No. I will not stop dancing or singing. No. No. It's my show. Because this is my soul. This is my spirit. Even if I sing rock or pop, I have to dance because this is a calling for me, even when I was a kid. This is my hobby. Ever since I was a little kid, I like sports. I like to do exercise because when I sing, I have to shake because I have to be healthy. If I sing a pop song or a soft song, I have to dance."

It is hard to say if Inul would have been this popular if it were not for the controversy. There have been few artists that have reached Inul's level of popularity in Indonesia.

In markets like Jakarta's Chinatown, the hot seller for the vendors is Inul VCDs at less than $1 a pop. Without the release of a single recording, it is estimated that over 3 million pirated VCDs have been sold of her performances.

As night falls on Chinatown, around the corner from the market is an area known for its prostitution. Here you can find the club ANTIQUE, known in the area as the only live performance dangdut club for the last 15 years.

Democracy as the freedom to choose

Here, 18-year-old Mike does her own version of the Inul dance to a group of onlooking men. She has been singing here since she was 12 and is now putting herself through law school with the money she makes working at the club.

To her the subject of morality and immorality is unimportant. She feels that Inul makes Indonesians happy and, as a growing democracy, Indonesians should be free to choose what they like.

There is no doubt that Inul-mania is now in full swing. With vendors at train stations preferring to selling rubber pencils in the shape of Inul and umbrellas with her picture instead of newspapers because they make more money, it doesn't look like she'll have to hang up her Lycra outfits any time soon.

Maria Bakkalapulo