Govt bans group seeking caliphate

JAKARTA: The Indonesian government yesterday banned Hizbut Tahrir, an Islamic organisation that wants to establish a global caliphate, under a new presidential decree criticised as draconian by rights groups.

Hizbut’s legal status was revoked to protect national unity, said Freddy Haris, a director-general at the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.

The decree signed last week by President Joko Widodo gives the government almost unfettered power to ban organisations deemed against the constitution and the official state ideology known as Pancasila, which enshrines democracy and social justice.

Rights groups say the decree undermines the right to freedom of association and governments could easily abuse its power. But mainstream Muslim groups have supported it.

Mr Haris said Hizbut Tahrir’s activities “were against Pancasila and the soul of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia”.

The measures follow months of sectarian tensions in the world’s most populous Muslim nation that shook the government and undermined Indonesia’s reputation for practicing a moderate form of Islam.

Hizbut Tahrir, along with groups such as the violent Islamic Defenders Front, was behind a series of massive protests against the Jakarta governor, a minority Christian and Widodo ally who was accused of blaspheming Islam. He subsequently lost a bid for re-election to a Muslim candidate and was imprisoned for two years for blasphemy despite prosecutors downgrading the charge to a lesser offence.

Spokesman Ismail Yusanto said the group “ill not remain silent” and plans to challenge the decree in the Constitutional Court. He criticised the ban as an arbitrary decision.

About 2,000 people from Islamic groups protested against the decree in Jakarta on Tuesday, denouncing the government as repressive and tyrannical.

National police spokesman Setyo Wasisto said all Hizbut activities, including protests, would be prohibited.

“Police will not allow them to hold protests since their organisation is already illegal and unrecognised,” Mr Wasisto said.