by Mathias Hariyadi

Following the fatwa of the Council of ulemas and attacks by extremist group’s Indonesian authorities decide to outlaw the Muslim group who do not believe that Mohammad was the last Prophet. The case of Al Qiyadah is not an isolated one; the government concerned by a growth in sects and social tensions provoked by fanaticism.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) –The Muslim sect Al Qiyadah Al Islamiyah has been officially outlawed in Indonesia because it is considered heretical.  The decision was made by the Attorney Generals Office (AGO), the only authority capable of ruling on illegal groups in the country.  The decision seems to have been heavily influenced by religious groups.

The Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) had declared the teachings of Al Qiyadah as heresy weeks ago, fanatical groups had attacked its branches in Bogor (West Java) and Padang (West Sumatra) and police had arrested dome of its members.  Two of the country’s biggest Muslim groups, Nahdatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, had joined the MUI fatwa.  The sect’s leader, Ahmad Musadheq, was forced to turn himself over to police in Jakarta after having received death threats from extremists.   

Al Qiyadah is considered a deviant of Islam, because it doesn’t consider the pilgrimage to Mecca, fasting and prayers 5 times a day, as being obligatory; Moshaddeq moreover considers himself to be the new prophet, after Muhammad.

But Al Qiyadah’s case is not isolated and seems to fall into the category of an ongoing campaign against Islamic heresy.  Yesterday the MUI office in Pekanbaru, Sumatra also declared the Islamic school of Al Haq as heretical, guilty of having said that the teachings of the NU and Muhammadiyah do not reflect “pure” Islam.  This tendency risks provoking serious social tensions.  Fatwas launched by the MUI against various groups are often closely followed by attacks carried out by fanatics against the same groups.

Even Indonesian authorities seem worried by the phenomenon.  According to vice president Kalla, supporters of these Islamic sects are on the rise particularly among students, but “the problem cannot be dealt with through violence”. The Indonesian minister for religious affairs Maftuh Basyuni, shares this view, who has guaranteed that the government will continue to help those people who have been deviated to return to the right path, “but anarchical initiatives will only worsen the situation”.

 

• indonesia
• islam
• heresy
• sects
• attorney
• general
• extremeists