Mujahiddin congress calls for Islamic law
Mujahiddin congress calls for Islamic law
YOGYAKARTA (JP): A three-day Mujahiddin Congress ended here on
Monday after recommending that the Criminal Code (KUHP) be
replaced with Syariah Islamic law and the National Commission for
Human Rights (Komnas HAM) be disbanded.
Chairman of the congress' organizing committee Irfan S. Awwas
said that the KUHP was a Dutch colonial inheritance and needed to
be discarded because it was against the teachings of all
religions.
"Every religion in the world forbids its followers from
engaging in illicit sex. Yet the KUHP does not proscribe a
punishment to those proven to have taken part in such illegal
deeds if they were done voluntarily or by way of mutual consent,"
Irfan said.
Komnas HAM, he said, had harmed Muslims. "Fearing it is
breaching human rights, the commission has done nothing to stop
things which, according to the Islamic world view, are against
Syariah law," Irfan said, not giving any more detail.
The 1,500 Muslims attending the congress agreed that Syariah
law was the only solution to all problems relating to society,
politics and human rights.
Fifteen of the participants came from Malaysia, Singapore and
the United States. The rest were from Indonesia.
Demands for the application of Syariah law have been made by
certain Muslim groups in the country since independence.
The Mujahiddin group also asked that the Jakarta Charter be
included in the constitution. The charter, formulated by Muslims
on June 22, 1945, explicitly required Indonesian Muslims to apply
and practice Syariah Islam. It was included in the draft version
of the 1945 constitution but was dropped from its final version.
Amendment
On the first day of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)
Annual Session in Jakarta on Monday the application of Syariah
Islam was also discussed.
Some factions from Islamic-based parties at the Assembly urged
that Article 29 of the 1945 Constitution be amended by adding an
explicit requirement that Muslims apply and practice Syariah law.
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the
military factions proposed that the statement 'The state ideology
is Pancasila' be added to Article 1 of the 1945 Constitution.
Article 1 describes the form and sovereignty of country.
Paragraph 1 of Article 29 says "The State shall be based upon
belief in the One Supreme God", and Paragraph 2 says "The State
shall guarantee freedom to every resident (citizen) to adhere to
his respective religion and to perform his religious duties in
conformity with that religion and that faith."
The Mujahiddin congress strongly demanded the application of
the Jakarta Charter to the constitution, or the amendment of
Paragraph 2 of Article 29.
In a bid to promote Syariah law and to instill leadership
among Muslims, the congress established a ahlu hali wal aqdi
assembly, a forum supposed to have 36 members.
Abu Bakar Ba'asyir of Ngruki Pesantren (Islamic boarding
school) in Sukoharjo, Central Java was elected as Amirul
Mujahiddin (temporary chairman) until the assembly manages to
recruit 36 members.
Ten Muslim scholars became members of the assembly, including
Deliar Noor, Mawardi Noor and Ali Yafie from Jakarta, and Teuku
Ibrahim Banda from Aceh.
Abu Bakar Ba'asyir told a media conference after his election
that the government had only two choices. "Apply Syariah law or
we (Muslims) will die on Allah's way."
When asked if the two choices were meant to legitimatize the
taking up of arms should the government fail to respond to their
demand, Abu Bakar said 'no'.
"It's just an expression of our (Muslim) determination to
struggle for the application of Syariah law." (swa/sur)