Petition circulated against JIL's eviction<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
An aggressive attempt by Muslim hard-liners to evict the Liberal
\nIslam Network (JIL) from the Utan Kayu area in East Jakarta has
\nreceived a major blow as local residents have begun to show
\nsupport for the group there.<\/p>\n
Utan Kayu community unit head Syamsul Alam said on Monday he
\nbelieved that most local residents were not opposed to the
\npresence of JIL.<\/p>\n
As of Monday, nearly 100 people have signed a petition in
\nsupport of the group in the understanding that it does not teach
\na deviant form of Islam, he added.<\/p>\n
Syamsul said the petition had been circulating since Friday
\nnight and people could sign it until the end of the month.<\/p>\n
JIL activist Nong Darol Mahmada gave a similar assurance --
\nafter his group met recently with Utan Kayu residents -- that
\nthey would not evict JIL as demanded by Muslim hard-liners mostly
\nfrom the Islam Defenders Front (FPI).<\/p>\n
"I believe members of the local community will respond
\npositively and support us, because they have no objections to our
\nway of thinking," Nong told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
"We have nowhere to go. But we have the documents to legally
\nstay here and we pay tax. So, what reason can the (hard-liners)
\ngive for our eviction," he added.<\/p>\n
Nong said that if the FPI was uncomfortable with JIL's
\nreligious interpretations then it was best to meet and talk face-
\nto-face.<\/p>\n
JIL has been branded by the FPI and other hard-line groups as
\na deviant organization for spreading liberalism, pluralism and
\nsecularism in the country.<\/p>\n
The hard-line groups increased their opposition to JIL after
\nthe Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued in July a much-
\ncriticized decree outlawing liberalism, pluralism and secularism.<\/p>\n
Last month, FPI supporters had reportedly planned to attack
\nthe JIL office, but changed their minds due to the building's
\ntight police security.<\/p>\n
The hard-line groups later sought the support of cleric Ustadz
\nTandjung, who heads the Al-Muslimun mosque in Utan Kayu, to stop
\nJIL's activities.<\/p>\n
They even warned the liberal group to leave the area before
\nthis year's Muslim fasting month, which starts on Oct. 5.<\/p>\n
Apart from JIL, the extremists also targeted Radio 68H, which
\nis headquarter in the same compound as the liberal group.<\/p>\n
The hard-liners demanded that the private radio station stop
\nairing a weekly talk show that discusses issues on Islam and
\npluralism, otherwise they too would have to leave Utan Kayu.<\/p>\n
The management of Radio 68H, however, said they would continue
\nairing the program, which often features noted moderate Muslim
\nscholars, including former Muhammadiyah leader Ahmad Syafii
\nMaarif and Musthofa Bisri of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).<\/p>\n
In addition to JIL and Radio 68H, two other institutions
\nGaleri Lontar and the Institute for the Studies on Free Flow of
\nInformation (ISAI) -- both also headquartered in the Utan Kayu
\nCommunity complex -- were also on the FPI's "eviction list".<\/p>\n
JIL was founded in 2001 by young Muslim thinkers Ulil Absar
\nAbdalla, Hamid Basyaib, Abdul Muqsith Ghazali, Novriantoni,
\nGuntur Romli, Lanny Octaviany, Burhanuddin and Annick HT. They
\nare mostly activists of the NU and Muhammadiyah.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/petition-circulated-against-jils-eviction-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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