"Langit Makin Mendung" ("The Sky is Increasingly Cloudy") is a controversial Indonesian short story. Published in
Sastra magazine under the pen name Kipandjikusmin in August 1968, it tells the story of
Muhammad descending to Earth with the angel
Gabriel to investigate the decreasing number of Muslims entering
heaven, only to find that Muslims in Indonesia have begun
fornicating, drinking alcohol, waging war on Muslims, and otherwise going against the tenets of Islam because of
nasakom, a government policy during
Sukarno's administration that combined nationalism, religion, and communism. Unable to do anything to stop the rampant sinning, Muhammad and Gabriel watch the political maneuvering, crime, and famine in
Jakarta in the form of eagles. Upon publication, "Langit Makin Mendung" drew heavy criticism for its depictions of
Allah, Muhammad, and Gabriel.
Sastra was banned in
North Sumatra, and the magazine's offices in Jakarta were attacked. Despite published apologies from the writer and publisher, the head editor of
Sastra,
HB Jassin, was tried for blasphemy; he was later sentenced to a one-year
suspended sentence. Critical views of the story vary; the story has been compared to
Dante's
Divine Comedy for its depiction of a man on a spiritual quest with a spiritual companion, yet criticized for depicting Allah, Muhammad, and Gabriel in a negative light. The legal case itself has been subject to debate, with both sides arguing
freedom of expression and the scope of imagination.
