Muara: Indonesia’s bid to lure more visitors by spreading halal tourism across the archipelago is facing a backlash, with a Christian celebration of pigs – forbidden for Muslims – the latest act of dissent.
The weekend festival-cum-protest in Sumatra, featuring pig racing, chubbiest hog contests and a porcine fashion show, comes as holiday hotspot Bali pushes back against rolling out more Muslim-friendly services on the Hindu island.Critics say a government plan to cash in on halal tourism – part of a broader campaign to replicate Bali’s success nationwide – is another threat to minority rights in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation.