Jakarta  - Tear-jerking religious soap operas and slapstick comedies featuring effeminate men fill the schedules of Indonesian TV stations during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, a time when the faithful are expected to increase religious activities.

Comedies are popular during Suhoor, the pre-dawn meal before the start of fasting and just before Iftar, the breaking of the fast at the end of the day.

"People prefer entertainment at Suhoor time. Even if we show religious sermons, people may not be able to get the message because they can't concentrate," said Hadiansyah Lubis, a spokesman for Trans TV, whose Ramadan package focuses on entertainment.

Ramadan began on August 22 in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, with more than 85 per cent of its 230 million people adherents of Islam.

RCTI, the country's largest television network, offers a romantic religious series, Manohara, in prime time this Ramadan.

The eponymous hero Manohara, played by Manohara Odelia Pinot, is a teenage model who became a household name after she claimed that she had been raped and physically abused by her husband, a royal prince from the Malaysian state of Kelantan.

Manohara plays a low-paid factory worker who is forced by her mother to marry a rich man, even though her heart is already set on a co-worker.

The series deal with the popular themes of love, power, and revenge common in many other Indonesia soap operas, known as Sinetron.

"I find Ramadan Sinetrons amusingly absurd, even more so than regular Sinetrons, which are sometimes too violent," said Vini Amelia, a housewife.

Critics, such as the Indonesian council of Islamic Scholars and the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission, have said that Ramadan-themed shows in the past were made for the sake of advertising money, not education.

These bodies have slammed these shows for containing violence, abusive language, and scenes depicting women in revealing clothing.

Meanwhile, conservative Muslims have also criticized the prominence of transgender TV personalities on the shows.

One of the very few Ramadan series which has been praised for its message of compassion is para Pencari Tuhan (The God Seekers). Shown on SCTV, the show tells the story of three repentant former convicts struggling in their daily lives.

RCTI spokesman Gilang Iskandar said his station had made improvements for this year's programming to meet guidelines set by the broadcasting commission.

"Comedies and dramas are only for entertainment. We don't mix them with religion because we can't make religion the subject of jokes," Gilang said.

"For religious programmes, such as Koranic studies, we have invited experts to speak," he said.

The Council of Muslim Scholars warned television stations this month not to air programmes that contain violence, mysticism or pornography during Ramadan.

"We will monitor the shows. If there are violations, we will take action," said council chairwoman Amidhan, who like many Indonesians uses one name.

"Television must make use of Ramadan to nurture public morality by offering educational programming," he said.

Islamic clerics have also expressed concerns about the proliferation of gossip and mystic shows.

In 2006, Islamic scholars issued an edict declaring that gossip shows are haram, or religiously forbidden, because they expose celebrities' dirty laundry. But stations have ignored it and continued to air the programmes. (dpa)