Buya Syafii Talks About Ma`ruf Amin, MUI Fatwa, and 212 Movement
15 October 2018 13:24 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Muhammadiyah known public figure Syafii Maarif, also known as Buya Syafii, is scheduled to meet with the incumbent’s vice presidential hopeful Ma’ruf Amin in Yogyakarta today.
Prior to their meeting, Buya Syafii said that he will talk about religious tolerance. “Religious tolerance must be preserved. An MUI fatwa should not be a country’s guidance,” said Buya Syafii on Monday, October 15.
His statement is based on his belief that Indonesia is a country established from the values of Pancasila (five national principles) and not from the concept of caliphates.
Buya said that he received input from established critical figure in Nahdlatul Ulama, with one of it being the fatwa that refuses to accommodate Shiite groups and Ahmadiyah groups.
“That would make an MUI fatwa as a non-positive law wouldn’t it. But because it’s a fatwa, the people the adhere to it see it as a positive law. Which eventually caused the birth of the 212 movement. One of their figures is about to arrive,” said Buya Syafii who referred Ma’ruf Amin as a former 212 movement member.
Ma’ruf Amin was the Chairman of the Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI) prior to him running as VP candidate. During his leadership, MUI once took an official stand that cited Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama had actually conducted blasphemy against Islam.
The fatwa drove a group of people to form a group and name themselves the National Movement to Secure MUI Fatwa, which had Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab as one of the group’s initiators. This movement is what is now known as the protestors that rallied against Ahok in three different occasions.
MUH. SYAIFULLAH