TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Hundreds of participants of Defend Ulema Rally 96, staged on Friday, June 9, 2017, have gathered at Istiqlal Mosque in Central Jakarta. The participants are from a group called the Presidium of 212 Alumni.
On a command vehicle, the rally coordinator welcomed Hizbut Tarhrir Indonesia’s (HTI) representatives.
“Welcome Ustad Rahmat Latief from HTI,” the orator said.
Read: Istiqlal Mosque Bans the Defend Ulema Rally (Aksi Bela Ulama 96)
Earlier, Coordinating Political, legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto announced a plan to disband HTI for planning to establish a caliphate and allegedly posing threats against the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.
Ansufri Idrus Sambo, chairman of the Presidium of the 212 Alumni, stated his rejection of the HTI disbandment and a suspect naming against Islamic Front Defender (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab in an alleged pornographic chat case.
The orator also stated that the rally was aimed at forming a national committee to welcome Rizieq who is expected to return from Saudi Arabia.
Earlier, Rizieq reportedly would return from Saudi Arabia on the seventeenth day of Ramadan. However, Rizieq’s lawyer said that his client would not be coming home soon and plan to extend his visa in Saudi Arabia.
The Jakarta Police earlier announced that they had made preparations to secure two airports where Rizieq would be picked up.
IRSYAN HASYIM
