JIL finds support from local, district officials

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

East Jakarta officials came to the defense of the Islamic Liberal Network (JIL) on Thursday, saying that the organization was legal and could not evicted from the Utan Kayu area as demanded by a group claiming to represent local residents.

"District officials have recognized that we have all the necessary legal documents and therefore there is no reason for any eviction to take place," deputy coordinator Nong Darol Mahmada said after a public meeting with Utan Kayu district officials.

Utan Kayu Utara sub-district and East Jakarta municipality officials supported the statement, telling the meeting that "JIL is legally recognized."

Previously, the Utan Kayu Muslim Forum led by Ustadz Syafruddin Tandjung, who claimed to represent residents, branded JIL an illegal group and threatened to evict it from the area.

At a meeting last week with several district and police sub- precinct officials, JIL presented documents showing the group had been legally registered. Tandjung and Imam Pambudi, a representative from a neighboring mosque, failed to show up.

Nong told the meeting he hoped the support from district officials would resolve the issue positively.

Muslim hard-liners have been pushing for the eviction of JIL since the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued a much-criticized edict in July, outlawing all forms of liberalism, secularism and pluralism.

Reports surfaced earlier last month that members of the religious vigilante group, the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), planned to attack the JIL office. The building was put under tight police guard and the threat failed to materialize.

Established in 2001, JIL developed from interfaith dialog at the Institute for Free Flow of Information (ISAI). The group aims to promote an openness of ijtihad (interpretation) in all aspects of the Islamic faith.

At Thursday's meeting, JIL's legal representatives Todung Mulya Lubis and Nono Anwar Makarim said any attack against the organization would be a violation of the Constitution.

Nono cited articles from the Constitution protecting the freedom to practice one's religious beliefs. The group would deal with future violations of these human rights in the courts, he said.

"We have seen this official support as a positive sign and will not initiate any legal processes unless forced to," Nong said.

"After all, we are not aiming to offend anyone."