Indonesian cleric adopts 'erotic' dancer

Indonesian cleric adopts 'erotic' dancer

An Indonesian Muslim cleric has fostered a dancer whose lively performances have led to a ban on her appearance in many of the country's provinces.

Zainal Abdul Ghoni, from Kalimantan, offered to become Inul Daratista's foster father if she attended classes at his religious boarding school, the Jakarta Post reported.

A journalist based in Jakarta, Devi Asmarani, told the BBC that Inul's dance involved gyrating her hips at breakneck speed.

"It drives her fans crazy and eventually it led some Muslim clerics to declare her dance immoral," she told the World Today programme.

Ironically their condemnation has boosted Inul's popularity, and has even led to a record deal.

But Devi Asmrani said the foster deal was in the interest of both the dancer and the Indonesian ulemas.

She explained that while the clerics must support the religious decree condemning her dancing, they do not want to appear to be restricting artistic freedoms, and at the same time Inul "needs this legitimacy".

According to the Jakarta Post, Inul has already attended one of Zainal Abdul Ghoni's classes in Banjarmasin, where she was staying after a concert.

But her new foster father may not be able to keep too close an eye on the dancer. Devi Asmrani said Inul is unlikely to want to go and live with him in Kalimantan, which is thousands of miles away from her own home.

The journalist said that, personally, she could not understand why Inul's dancing was deemed erotic.

"She just gyrates really, really fast, and to me, and to a lot of people, that doesn't seem very erotic at all, it just seems very fun to do," she said.