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President reaches out to more Islamic groups
Jakarta Post - November 10, 2016
The allegation sparked nationwide protests last Friday, forcing the President to postpone a state visit to Sydney and Canberra, Australia.
After visiting Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) on Monday and Muhammadiyah on Tuesday, Jokowi invited 17 other Islamic organizations to the State Palace for a dialogue.
The groups -- among others, Al-Washliyah, the Tarbiyah Islamiyah Association (Perti), the Indonesian Islamic Preaching Council (DDII), the Islam Union (Persis), Al-Irsyad Al-Islamiyyah and Syarikat Islam -- were established before independence and played a part in the nation's history.
"Because the President believed there are [Muslims] who still feel the pain and [such a feeling] is normal, we are trying to calm them [as] the President has promised to be fair [in this matter]," Yusnar Yusuf of Al-Washliyah said.
"[The President] indeed showed seriousness in the meeting," said Yusnar, who revealed that initially he doubted Jokowi would act fairly.
The Wednesday meeting at the palace did not involve the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) or the Muslim Students Association (HMI). The FPI had spearheaded the anti-Ahok rally in Jakarta, which saw more than 100,000 people swarming Jakarta's streets, while HMI members have been charged with instigating violence during the rally.
The President has instructed the National Police to conduct a fair and transparent investigation, as rumors were rife that another protest would be held on Nov. 25.
Yusnar said he could not promise there would not be another rally and that the groups have yet to hear information about one. "We should see first [if another rally occurs]. What actions could we take? What would be the problem, the demands and the goals [of the rally]?" Yusnar asked.
The President said he was hoping the ulema (muslim scholars) could help calm the public over the blasphemy brouhaha.
"Currently, we need calming statements from ulema that will cool down [the situation] amid the various issues and statements that are actually sharpening differences among members of the public," Jokowi, who earlier expressed hope that there would be no more such rallies in the near future, said in Wednesday's meeting.
Jokowi has said that he will not tamper with the ongoing police investigation into Ahok's case. "I hope tomorrow, during National Heroes Day, we can maintain unity in all our diversity, remain united in our brotherhood and be an example for the world that we can build a diverse society that lives in harmony," he added.
Separately on Wednesday, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), which has issued a formal statement accusing Ahok of committing blasphemy, gathered 70 leaders of Islamic organizations across the country and 29 Islamic scholars.
The council stands by its contention that Ahok committed blasphemy when he accused people of using a Quranic verse to "deceive" other people to convince them not to vote for him in the gubernatorial election.
The chairman of the MUI advisory board, Din Syamsuddin, praised Jokowi's efforts to initiate political communications to bring him closer to Muslim communities in Indonesia. However, he said in his view the President made his move too late.
Besides, he explained, since Jokowi only invited figures from a small number of Indonesian Islamic groups, out of the hundreds spread across the country, the move seemed unfair, especially after he refused to meet with Muslim protesters from other organizations who were involved in the rally on Friday.
"I regret [Jokowi's choice] to refuse to meet [the demonstrators]. The move could be viewed as abandonment or neglect. It should not be like that. It is an injustice when there were other groups invited to the State Palace," Din said.
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/11/10/president-reaches-out-more-islamic-groups.html.
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