MUI Drafts Academic Paper for LGBT Campaign Criminalisation Bill

The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) is officially drafting an Academic Paper for a Bill on LGBT Criminalisation. The move is an effort to fill a gap in Indonesia’s positive law regarding criminal sanctions for perpetrators and those who campaign for LGBT activities. Through an official statement uploaded to the central MUI’s Instagram account, the MUI stated that drafting this academic paper is a strategic step to ensure Indonesia has a firmer legal basis in handling the issue. The MUI explained that, to date, there is no national criminal regulation that specifically provides legal certainty in the form of sanctions for perpetrators or parties conducting LGBT campaigns. Therefore, a new regulation is deemed necessary to address the existing legal vacuum. The academic paper being drafted is targeted to serve as a foundation for the LGBT Criminalisation Bill to enter the National Legislation Programme at the House of Representatives. According to the MUI, the law is needed so that handling in the field is no longer partial, such as only through guidance by regional heads, but instead has binding national legal force. Furthermore, the MUI proposes that sanctions against LGBT movements and campaigns be strictly regulated. The council hopes this regulation will provide a deterrent effect while serving as a legal fortress to safeguard moral values, public health, and the human nature recognised in Indonesia. The MUI also emphasised that the drafting of the academic paper is part of a comprehensive step to encourage the presence of national regulation.