TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The mass protest surrounding City Hall, Arjuna Wijaya Chariot Statue, and the State Palace on November 4, 2016, went smoothly. Police and military personnel guarded the protesters that demand Basuki ‘Ahok’ Tjahaja Purnama be legally processed on his alleged religion defamation. Some of the security personnel were fully armed with firearms, but some of them ‘armed’ themselves by uttering 99 names of God (in Islam) or Asmaul Husna.

They are the 'Asmaul Husna Squad'. They wore Islamic hajj caps with a white turban covering their shoulders instead of arming themselves with weapons.

General Inspector M. Iriawan introduced the 400 Islamic attribute personnel as the Dhikr (Islamic prayers) Team. They stand on the front line of defense, along with 300 policewomen wearing hijab. “When they (protesters) start to get hostile, we would counter them with this team,” Iriawan said.

Without firearms and bullets, Iriawan reassured, police will behave humanly in guarding the protest. “We brought in the Dhikr Team from the Banten and West Java’s Mobile Brigade (Brimob),” he said.

Head of Police's Public Information, General Agus Rianto, said that the ‘Asmaul Husna Team’ exists as a reminder that the police are equal to the civilians who are also conducting spiritual observance. East Jakarta Police Chief Comm. Arif Rachman also said, “other squads shoot with bullets, they shoot with compassion.”

Head of Police's Public Relations, Comm. Awi Setiyono explained that this is a creative breakthrough from the West Java Police Brimob in order to maintain a violence-free protest. This special squad has had once deployed for demonstrations in Bandung and Surabaya.

He also said that the Dhikr Team is included in the early crowd control team and is not armed. The men recite their dhikr, while the women are ‘armed’ with candies and bottled waters that are available to be distributed to the protesters.

REZKI ALVIONITASARI | INGE KLARA | FRISKI RIANA | SUBEKTI