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Indonesia tightens security for Muslim clerics

Move prompted by Islamic religious leader's brutal murder in January, death list targeting religious men
Indonesia tightens security for Muslim clerics

Indonesian anti-terror policemen conduct a raid in Surabaya in this Dec. 9, 2017 file photo as security was strengthened for Christmas and the New Year. (Photo by Juni Kriswanto/AFP)

 

Published: March 06, 2018 03:22 AM GMT
Updated: March 06, 2018 03:27 AM GMT

Indonesia has tightened security for Muslim clerics after a man was brutally murdered during a home invasion in February and as death threats against religious leaders continue to pour in.

The latest incident occurred on March 4 when a letter was found in Depok of West Java Province containing the names of 10 clerics who it said would be killed. It is unknown who sent the letter.

Police say the number of reports of persecution against clerics is rising this year.

National police chief Tito Karnavian said during a speech on March 4 at a Muslim boarding school in Banten Province that 45 reports have already been made this year.

However, only three of these cases — one in East Java and two in West Java — have been confirmed as targeting clerics, he said, adding that a special unit has been set up to investigate them.

Those responsible have been arrested and exhibited signs of being mentally disturbed, he said.

Responding to the threats, Ari Dono Sukmanto, head of a criminal investigation unit, told ucanews.com on March 5 that police nationwide have been instructed to beef up security for clerics.

"In the case in Depok, we are now investigating who sent the letter," he said. "We can guarantee religious leaders in Depok and other areas that security will be enhanced," he said.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs has issued an appeal to tighten security at mosques and track the movements of people who act suspiciously.

Fears for clerics' safety have grown this year after Ustadz Prawoto, chairman of Islam Unity in Bandung, West Java died after being attacked at his home on Feb. 18.

A few weeks earlier on Jan. 27, Muslim cleric Umar Basri sustained injuries during an attack at the boarding school he was residing at in Cicalengka, Bandung district.

Basri was a member of Nahdlatul Ulama, a traditionalist Sunni Muslim outfit which ranks as the largest independent organization in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, on Feb. 18 a man made an apparently unprovoked attack on Hakam Mubarok, a cleric in Lamongan, East Java. Mubarok was running a boarding school at the time overseen by Muhammaddiyah, the country's No. 2 Muslim organization.

Possible hoaxes in the mix

Karnavian acknowledged the attacks but said most of the reports received by police involved people with mental problems and had been twisted out of proportion on social media.

"The point is there is no massive and structured attack," he said. "But some people are trying to create this impression by scapegoating certain groups.”

He gave the example of the Cyber Army Muslims as one group that has been trying to sow social unrest by posting provocative messages on social media.

Police are now investigating the group and have arrested dozens of its members, he added.

Zainut Tauhid Sa'adi, deputy chairman of the Indonesia Ulema Council, urged security officials to thoroughly probe all cases.

"It is good that the police have found out the culprits are mentally ill people. But the question we need to ask is how people with mental disorders can carry out nearly simultaneous attacks on similar targets," he said.

Yati Andriyani, coordinator of the Commission for Disappearances and Victims of Violence (KontraS), a Jakarta-based human rights advocacy group, told ucanews.com the threats and attacks need to be taken seriously.

"The police should be able to map a pattern of these cases and find out who is responsible, ideally before the election," she said, referring to the regional election in June and the presidential election next year.

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