Police Investigate Alleged Blasphemy at Al Zaytun Islamic Boarding School

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department Head Comr. Gen. Agus Andrianto claimed to have received orders from Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud Md and the National Police Chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo to investigate alleged blasphemy at Al Zaytun Islamic Boarding School.

“Pak Coordinating Minister has discussed this, and he directs us [to examine it],” Agus told reporters at the National Police Headquarters, on Monday, June 26, 2023.

Agus said Mahfud Md would establish a team to support the police officers in investigating the case.

“We received a public report yesterday regarding the alleged criminal act of blasphemy committed by the leader of Al Zaytun Islamic boarding school, and we will carry out investigative steps,” he explained.

The Islamic Boarding School leader, Panji Gumilang, is considered to have spread heretical teachings, such as allowing men and female to perform mass prayer in the same row, allowing adultery in which sins can be redeemed with money, and planning to establish a Christian boarding school. In his speech, Panji also openly claimed to be a communist, while such an ideology is long banned in Indonesia.

According to the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) on its website mui.or.id, Al Zaitun Islamic Boarding School has been a source of controversy since decades ago. In 2002, the MUI team discovered it is affiliated with the radical Indonesian Islamic State (NII) and spread heretical teachings. “Some parties consider this boarding school to be heretical and dangerous,” MUI said.

ADE RIDWAN YANDWIPUTRA | M JULNIS FIRMANSYAH

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