Call for Disbandment of MUI Is an Exaggeration: Zainut Tauhid

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Official of Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) Zainut Tauhid Sa'adi considered the call for the disbandment of MUI is an exaggeration. The demand was recently circulated on Twitter under the hashtag #BubarkanMUISarangTeroris following the arrest of the council member, Ahmad Zain an-Najah, over affiliation to a terror group.

“I think the demand to dissolve the MUI is too much. Like a house full of rats, it is not the house that is burned,” said Zainut in a written statement on Friday, November 19.

He asserted that the accusation of MUI being exposed to terrorism is baseless as the council has an edict or fatwa No. 3 of 2004 on terrorism. It underlines terrorism as an act of crime against humanity and civilization and poses a serious threat to state sovereignty and is declared haram.

“I believe that what Ahmad Zain’s (AZA) did had nothing to do with the MUI and it was his personal responsibility,” Zainut, who is also the Religious Affairs Deputy Minister, remarked.

MUI supports the authorities in processing the case in accordance with the prevailing law while prioritizing the presumption of innocence.

Zainut further appealed to all to remain calm and not be provoked by parties wishing to create chaos and divide the unity. “Let's maintain peace and harmony by prioritizing the spirit of brotherhood,” he said.

The National Police’s counterterrorism squad Densus 88 last Tuesday arrested Zain An-Najah in Bekasi, West Java over alleged involvement in the terror group Jamaah Islamiyah.

Read: MUI Terminates Member Allegedly Involved in Terrorist Group

DEWI NURITA