FPI leader named suspect

A long murmur has yet to dissapear from the Indonesian public. Agree and disagree are two different ways of expression. People are still talking and discussing about a shameful incident which occured in the National Monument precinct on 1 June 2008 which was coincident with the birthday of Pancasila.

It was a group of people from the National Alliance for the Freedom of Religion and Belief who spoke up about pluralism and the importance of religiously multicultural Indonesian communities. Suddenly, they were attacked by the proponents of FPI (Islamic Defender Front). This incident brings about a much longer story when the FPI leader Habib Rizik humiliated the most prominent ulama, Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur). Habib believes that Gus Dur and other scholars are of the blasphemy against Islam through their invidual worldviews and organizations. Moreover, Habib criticizes a lame-duck attitude shown by the government that is seemingly reluctant to ban Ahmadiya.

Habib's impious utterance about Gus Dur has ignited spontaneous sentiment among the NU's supporters. They need to revenge and give lesson to FPI for their radical and pompous attitude. Banser (NU's paramilitary) demand the banning of FPI throughout the country otherwise they will use their force to deplete this hardliner organization. It seems to become the outbreak of horizontal violence.

I am anxious if this incident turns to be a horizontal conflict between two Muslim brothers. Indonesian Muslims must take seriously the impacts of such a conflict. Not only do they stake the reputation of Indonesian Islam which has long been known as a peaceful and moderate Islam, but also show immature behaviours of their Islamicness. If you think Islam is a peaceful religion, so hold yourself and steadfast.



Desy Nurhayati , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 06/05/2008 1:14 AM | Headlines

SWEET SURRENDER: Police round up 59 members of the FPI at the group's headquarters in Petamburan, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday. The detained put up no resistance after saying on Monday they would "fight to the last drop of blood". (JP/R. Berto Wedhatama).


Police on Wednesday questioned Islam Defenders Front (FPI) leader Habib Rizieq Shihab, declaring him a suspect in Sunday's attack on a peaceful rally for religious tolerance.

Rizieq was among 59 members of the radical group who were rounded up by an 800-strong police force at its headquarters in Petamburan, Central Jakarta, earlier in the day.

The police said they released four of the 59 people later in the day because they were not involved in the incident.

However, Rizieq was still questioned at the Jakarta Police office at around 10:30 p.m, according his lawyer Ahmad Michdan.

"We have named Habib Rizieq Shihab a suspect in protecting and hiding the attackers," National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Abubakar Nataprawira said.

He said Rizieq would not be detained because he was only threatened with a prison term of nine months.

"We would detain a suspect whose potential punishment term is five years or more," he said.

The FPI was blamed for a violent attack on activists of the National Alliance for the Freedom of Faith and Religion (AKKBB), who were rallying Sunday at the Monument National (Monas) to mark the 63rd year of Pancasila state ideology.

The peaceful rally was also in support of Jamaah Ahmadiyah, a minority Islamic sect dubbed "heretical" by a government panel that also recommended a ban on it.

The police had earlier said they had identified 20 suspects for playing significant roles in the incident, including Rizieq and Islam Troop Command leader Munarman.

National Police chief Gen. Sutanto said Munarman, a former human rights activist, was a "fugitive" and currently the target of a police manhunt.

"We ask him to immediately surrender himself to the police, the sooner the better," he told the press at the State Palace.

"He publicly said he was responsible for the attack. The police are currently processing this case, so we urge him to give up," Sutanto added.

Michdan said he had been contacting Munarman's family members since Tuesday evening but still could not find him.

Wahid Institute executive director Ahmad Suaedy, who was among some 70 activists injured in the Sunday attack, voiced disappointment with the police for their decision not to detain Rizieq.

"The police should not only charge him with protecting and hiding the perpetrators. They should also hold him as a suspect who must take the responsibility for the incident," he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

"He is the top leader of a group that often commits violence in the country. It doesn't make any sense that the police would release such a person."

Legal Aid Center for the Press expert Hendrayana said Article 221 of the Criminal Code allows police not to detain a suspect threatened with less than five years' imprisonment.

"But they have the authority to detain the suspect if deemed necessary. It depends on the case. If the suspect is believed to protect criminals, police could detain him or her," he added.

Police raided the FPI headquarters early in the morning and detained 59 alleged extremists without significant resistance.

Only three days ago, Rizieq said his followers would resist arrest "to our last drop of blood" but as police moved in Wednesday he called for calm.

"Please, there should be no one obstructing the duties of the police," he told supporters at the scene.

On Monday night, several police officers had met Rizieq in his house and left after a one-hour talk without making any arrests.

The police said they would announce the number of official suspects in the incident on Thursday.

Abubakar said three of the four released detainees, aged under 17 years, admitted they were FPI members, while one did not belong to the hard-line group. (ind/trw)

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A related article written by Anand Khrisna

Get well soon, FPI and other parties
Anand Krishna , Jakarta | Thu, 06/05/2008 1:14 AM | Opinion

June 1, 2008, will be remembered as a black day in the history of Indonesian democracy. A group of people from different walks of life -- Balinese Hindus, Javanese Catholics, Sumatran Protestants, Buddhists and Confucianists from Celebes and Muslims from all over Indonesia were beaten up by radicals.

What was their mistake?

They were not Ahmadis, as suggested by Munarman, published on Kompas online service. Indeed, one of them was a Muslim girl belonging to a family aligned with the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI). She was hysterical, she threw away her veil screaming, "I am ashamed to be a Muslim."

I wonder, if Munarman in the Kompas online article was the same Munarman of Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia. To my knowledge, and from what I have been reading about this organization -- they claim to be non-violent.

I hope he is not the same Munarman. For, if he is the same Munarman, that would put him on the spot, for defending the radicals who beat up our Indonesian brothers and sisters when they were demonstrating peacefully, defending and upholding Pancasila as our state ideology. If this is so then he may have to change the image of Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia, which he has so far portrayed as a peace-loving and non-violent organization.

The rally at Monas organized by the National Alliance for the Freedom of Religion and Belief was supported by dozens of organizations and many, many prominent citizens of the country. And, it was not to defend Ahmadiyah, or any other sect -- but to defend our state ideology.

My dear members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI); my dear Munarman, the defender of FPI and what they did; my dear members of Indonesian Ulema Council -- do please take time to talk to the victims of what happened last Sunday. I did, and my finding was astonishing. They represent our country in its entirety. They belong to different religions. They have different professions. Yet, they stood united to defend our country, its ideology and its Constitution.

What happened last Sunday is an insult to Islamic values, as I understand them, as also understood by all my Muslim friends, without a single exception.

The language used by Munarman, as published by Kompas in its online edition, does not at all reflect the law of the land. This is why I wonder if it is the same Munarman quoted, or misquoted. For, Munarman of Hizbut Tahrir, to my knowledge, is a man well versed in law. He is a man of law. Les us hope, it was not the same Munarman.

Violence is a sickness.

We all inherit it from our long evolution from amoeba. As humans, we must polish ourselves and overcome this inherent violence. All religions, all religious teachers and teachings are but tools and medication to that end.

FPI, and all the radicals, their supporters and their advocates -- are today in dire need of this tool to polish their souls. They need this medication to heal their beings. So, my dears, please get well soon!

His Excellency, our President, has been saying that violence is not the answer. To that I add, "Love is the only solution." Try love, my dear friends at FPI, MUI, HTI and other groups which are directly or indirectly, explicitly or implicitly defending or supporting violence and violent acts. Friends, if you feel you have not been doing that, have not been defending or supporting violence, then good for you. You are healed!

The police have been sluggish in their move against the FPI mob, quoting religious sensitivities, while religion was used as the justification of the FPI, while beating us, our people, the Indonesians... Reason: It could trigger more riots.

Not understandable, not acceptable.

If it was your wife, your child, your sibling or your parent being beaten up, what would you, my brother policeman, do? Wouldn't you arrest them on the spot?

One of my friends was beaten by an elderly person, in his fifties. One of the youngsters smashed a child against a wall. Several pictures, even videos have been given to the authorities, and now are on YouTube for everone to see and evaluate.

The political opponents of the present government see this incident as a "set up". The people who attacked the alliance members were prepared with nailed bamboo poles and stones. How could the police let them carry these weapons of violence?

"FPI is supported by some ...", if the allegations are true then those supporters better begin to count their days before they are exposed. Soon, very soon. The arrogance, with which these radicals, their supporters, defenders and sympathizers have been making statements, prove that they indeed enjoy support of certain people "up" there.

Many like to believe that all these incidents are set to divert our attention from the core issues faced by the country, such as the oil price increases, et cetera, and et cetera. If the blood of our masses are shed for that purpose -- then shame on all of us.

Know the truth, and it shall set you free -- the truth is, our country, our nation, our state, is presently very, very weak. We are unable to hospitalize these radical elements in our society suffering from the contagious sickness of violence. The truth is that if they are not immediately hospitalized, then this entire nation can suffer from the same sickness. There are bound to be reactions, as we have already seen happening in Cirebon.

Mr. President, please, please, please... Take up arms, save our nation! To my radical and violent brothers and sisters, one more time: "Get well soon! For violence is not the answer, as mentioned by our President. It is a sickness."

The writer is a spiritual activist (www.anandkrishna.org, www.californiabali.org, www.aumkar.org).