Council calls for peaceful protests<\/p>\n
Antara, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Council of Mosques wants to see demonstrations
\nthat are orderly, peaceful and "well-intentioned" during the
\nongoing People's Consultative Assembly Annual Session.<\/p>\n
"Demonstrations are permissible so long as they are peaceful,
\ncontrolled and, most of all, do not turn into riots," Council
\nchairman Ahmad Sutarmadi said here on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Security officials are anticipating major demonstrations
\ninvolving hard-line Muslim groups that want to publicize their
\ndemand for syariah (Muslim law) to be discussed in the 10 days of
\nsessions.<\/p>\n
Islamic parties, such as the United Development Party (PPP),
\nJustice Party and Crescent Star Party (PBB) have sought
\nreinclusion of the controversial Jakarta Charter in the
\nConstitution. If the move succeeds, it would pave the way for
\nenforcement of syariah.<\/p>\n
Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama, the country's largest Muslim
\norganizations, have opposed the idea to reinstate the Jakarta
\nCharter into the Constitution.<\/p>\n
Minister of Religious Affairs Said Agil Husein Almunawar said
\nhe did not believe in an intelligence report that hard-line
\nIslamic groups were planning massive demonstrations in the coming
\nfew days for syariah.<\/p>\n
"I have not heard of the plan," Said said on Wednesday. He
\nadded it would be counterproductive for Muslims to hold street
\ndemonstrations because they could disrupt the sessions.<\/p>\n
But in the event that they had aspirations to convey to the
\nAssembly, he said he would be glad to become their broker. "Let
\nme handle the groups. I will communicate with them," he said.<\/p>\n
Ahmad called on Muslims to trust MPR members in defending
\ntheir interests. "Our representatives at the MPR know only too
\nwell what we want."<\/p>\n
The Council chairman argued that syariah would apply only to
\nMuslims and if it were effective it would not mean that Indonesia
\nhad become a theocracy.<\/p>\n
Ahmad said that for the Council, it would be all right if
\nsyariah were not formalized into the Constitution so long as
\npredominantly Muslim regencies had the freedom to practice it.<\/p>\n
So far some regencies in West Java, Banten and South Sulawesi
\nhave been seeking to apply syariah within their areas.<\/p>\n
The Megawati government has seen it as a threat to the unitary
\nstate of Indonesia and plans to revise the autonomy law.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/council-calls-for-peaceful-protests-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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