Mahfud MD Affirms Government Continues To Cooperate With MUI After Ahmad Zain An-Najah Arrested By Densus 88

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Mahfud MD, emphasized that the government will continue to cooperate with the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) after the arrest of Ahmad Zain An-Najah and two others by the National Police Anti-terror Detachment 88.

This was conveyed by Mahfud in response to the widespread issue in the community regarding the arrest. The arrest dragged MUI because Ahmad is a member of the Fatwa Commission.

"The government will continue to cooperate with the MUI according to their respective functions to build Indonesia Baldatun Toyyibatun (a good land that God has forgiven), namely a good, safe, peaceful country, united in the forgiveness and protection of Allah the Almighty", said Mahfud in a press conference broadcast on the YouTube Ministry of Political, Legal and Security Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Monday, November 22.

The former chairman of the Constitutional Court said that Ahmad's arrest had nothing to do with MUI.

"The arrests of the three suspected terrorists were not carried out at the MUI office, so don't think that it was a raid at the MUI office and not related to the affairs of the MUI because there really is no connection between the terrorists and the MUI", said Mahfud.

Moreover, he said that since the beginning Densus 88 had never mentioned the identity of Ahmad Zain An-Najah as an MUI administrator and has now been deactivated.

"Densus never announced and said that the person concerned was an MUI board member, never. Neither the police nor the Densus had ever been", he said.

Mahfud also emphasized that the government will not talk much about the arrest because the legal process is currently underway. He said that if the government talked about this, it was feared that it would disrupt the legal process.

Even so, Mahfud asked all parties to understand that the investigation of terrorism allegations was carried out by Law Number 5 of 2018 concerning the Eradication of Terrorism Acts. "Including when can be accompanied by a lawyer, how long the examination and so on", he said.

"The government will ensure that the legal process against the three suspected terrorists will run openly and by applicable legal procedures", added Mahfud.

As previously reported, the National Police's Anti-terror Detachment 88 arrested three people related to the terrorist activities of the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) group in the Bekasi area on Tuesday, November 16. Those arrested were Ahmad Zain An-Najah, Farid Ahmad Okbah, and Anung Al Hamat.

The results of the investigation of Densus 88 Ahmad Zain An-Najah is the Chairman of the Sharia Board of the Baitul Mal Amil Zakat Institution, Abdurrahman bin Auf (LAM BM ABA), while Fadir Ahmad Okbah is a Member of the Sharia Board of LAM BM ABA. Meanwhile, Anung Al Hamat is the founder of Perisai Nusantara Esa.

LAM BM ABA is a funding institution managed by the JI group. Meanwhile, Perisai Nusantara Esa is a wing organization of the JI group.