Now, Arqam declared banned in all of Java

Now, Arqam declared banned in all of Java

JAKARTA (JP): Yogyakarta has now banned all the activities of
the Al Arqam, an Islamic movement headquartered in Malaysia,
closing off the entire island of Java to the group which many
Moslem leaders consider to deviate from true Islam.

In a decree dated Oct. 13, the Yogyakarta High Prosecution
Office said that the ban was imposed because Al Arqam has the
potential to disrupt religious life in the area, the Antara news
agency reported yesterday.

Jakarta, West Java, Central Java and East Java are among the
13 provinces which have outlawed Al Arqam's activities.
Yogyakarta became the 14th province in Indonesia.

The government has stressed that it has no intention of
imposing a nationwide ban of Al Arqam and will leave the matter
entirely in the hands of local governments.

Sunarno, an assistant in the intelligence section of
Yogyakarta's High Prosecutor's Office, said the ban was imposed
after hearing recommendations from the Ministry of Religious
Affairs and the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI).

Staff from the prosecutor's office also reported that dialog
between local leaders of Al Arqam and university students in
Sleman took place last month and that they found this
disconcerting.

"Such discussions could upset religious harmony and disturb
peace and order," Sunarno said. (par)