Ulemas protest juvenile court bill on adoption

JAKARTA (JP): An influential association of Moslem organizations yesterday demanded that the House of Representatives drop an article in the juvenile court bill which it is now deliberating, citing potential public unrest.

Forum Ukhuwah Islamiyah (The Islamic Brotherhood Forum) said the government-sponsored bill, which strove to regulate matters such as adoption, covered areas already subject to existing law, including law on Islamic courts and marriage.

Lead by Geys Amar of the Muhammadiyah, 60 ulemas from more than a dozen organizations met legislators yesterday from the Moslem-based United Development Party (PPP), including Ismail Hasan Metareum who promised that PPP House members would carefully deliberate the bill.

"We urged the House to drop the bill's Article 21 on adoption, custody, delinquents and neglected children," Geys Amar said.

"However, were the article to be included one way or another in the bill, it should be stated clearly in the bill that Moslem parents and children are exempt from the ruling," Geys said.

"If the article is passed, the public, especially Moslems, may be outraged," he said.

Earlier this year, the Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI) protested the bill, which was introduced by Minister of Justice Oetojo Oesman in March to improve regulations on the adoption of a child from one religion by people of another faith. The council said the bill was "dangerous" to national unity.

The article, if passed, may allow the adoption of children of any faith. The council said this was an overwhelming worry for Moslems.

Yesterday, PPP legislator S.K. Effendy said the ulemas' appeal was in accord with the faction's stance in deliberating the bill.

"We told the government that we refuse to deliberate the issue, unless the government introduces a provision which exempts Moslems from the ruling," Effendy said.

But rather than demanding the article be dropped, the PPP legislators decided to firstly deliberate other issues in the bill, he said.

He said the House was deliberating the criminal and civil aspects of the bill.

"None of the factions in the House have a problem deliberating the criminal aspects of the bill, but there is still a difference of opinion on its civil aspects," Effendy said. (26)