Jember Police Coordinate with MUI Regarding Blasphemy Case

The Jember Resort Police (Polres Jember) in East Java will coordinate with the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) regarding a blasphemy case reported by local residents to the authorities.

“Given the connection to alleged blasphemy, investigators will certainly coordinate with the Jember MUI to deepen the investigation into the methods used by the reported individual,” said Ipda Harry Sasono, Head of the Specific Crimes Unit of the Jember Criminal Investigation Unit, in Jember on Sunday.

Coordination with the Jember MUI is part of the investigators’ efforts to fully uncover the case, particularly to understand the context of the statements made in the social media content contested by the complainant.

“We have examined several witnesses, including the complainant’s witnesses, and in the near future, we will also examine the witnesses for the reported party. We are continuing to deepen our investigation into the case,” he added.

To anticipate any undesirable incidents or acts of vigilantism, the Jember Police are coordinating with the Sumberbaru Sector Police to implement prevention measures and educate residents on maintaining security and order, as the reported individual resides in the Sumberbaru District.

“We also urge citizens not to be easily provoked by the case, as the police authorities are still working to follow up on the matter,” he said.

Before residents pursued legal action, the MUI of the Sumberbaru District, along with the community, had attempted to seek clarification from the individual at the Sumberbaru Sector Police. This resulted in several recommendations, including advising the individual to apologise and delete content claiming to have met Allah SWT and Prophet Muhammad SAW.

“He dared to defy the consensus of the scholars (ijma ulama) and interpret the Quran solely through his own intellect. Therefore, we requested that the social media content be deleted, but the individual refused and remained steadfast in his position,” stated M. Taufiq Syam, Chairman of the MUI for the Sumberbaru Police Sector, in a written report.