Rizieq's Story About Banning Him At The 212 Reunion

JAKARTA - The Grand Imam of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) Rizieq Shihab apologized for not being able to attend the 212 Grand Reunion at Monas Silang Park, Monday, December 2. He was absent among them because the Saudi Arabian government was still banned.

"I am still being banned by the Saudi Arabian government for security reasons at the request of the Indonesian government," said Rizieq via a video played by the organizers of the 212 Grand Reunion at Taman Silang, Monas, Monday, December 2.

Rizieq asked the government to put an end to the lies committed against him. He claimed that the old Saudi Arabian Ambassador had spoken to him and said that the Saudi Arabian Government was actually ready to return him and his family to Indonesia.

"He stated that we, the Saudi (government), are ready to return Habib Rizieq to Indonesia at any time. However, please ask the attitude of your own government," he said.

Rizieq denied the accusations against him, which he said had never reported. He said, when he first found out that he was being banned, he immediately contacted the Indonesian authorities, namely the Indonesian Ambassador to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. After that, Rizieq said, a Head of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) post from the Indonesian Ambassador came to his residence.

"The Indonesian Ambassador who is domiciled in Riyadh has sent an official envoy, namely the Head of the State Intelligence Agency to my house to ask for information," explained Rizieq.

Apart from asking for information from Rizieq, this person also asked for a number of immigration documents to be given in the form of photocopies. "I have given all of that," he said.

Not only talking with official envoys, Rizieq admitted, he also had time to talk with the Indonesian Ambassador based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to stop at his residence. In addition, the Indonesian Ambassador who spoke with himself reminded that all information conveyed to the ambassador's delegation was complete.

"That's why I was surprised when there was a report at this time regarding the ambassador stating that HRS had never reported it. In fact, Pak Mahfud MD also later stated the same thing," he said.

In the video played in front of thousands of participants in the grand reunion action, Rizieq said the ban against him and his family was like an exile soap opera directed by the government.

So he asked, questions about when the ban ended could be asked of the Indonesian government not to the Government of Saudi Arabia, DPP FPI, GNPF Ulama, or to PA 212.

"Ask the Indonesian government which is running this exile soap opera with the packaging of this ban," he said.

Rizieq Shihab once spoke about the ban in Saudi Arabia through a video broadcast by Front TV. In the broadcast, Rizieq was seen holding two pieces of paper which he called a letter of prevention from Saudi Arabia and a letter of prohibition from Indonesia. It's just that he didn't show this letter to the camera.

"So once again, I was banned here. Not because I committed an immigration violation, not because I committed a criminal or civil offense, not because I committed a crime in Saudi or a mistake, no," Rizieq said in his video.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menkopolhukam) Mahfud MD said the government had not made any restrictions on Rizieq Shihab's return.

"Earlier in the discussion, checking all the lines, the lines we have, the Ministry of Religion, the Minister of Home Affairs, the Menkopolhukam route, it turns out that there is absolutely no restriction that has been carried out by the Indonesian government," Mahfud told reporters at the Coordinating Ministry for Political and Security Affairs Office, Jalan Medan. Merdeka Barat, Central Jakarta, Wednesday, November 27.

Mahfud added that Rizieq had never reported the ban to the Indonesian government. Rizieq, said Mahfud, prefers to convey about the ban through social media.

"Habib Rizieq himself never reported on the problem."

Mahfud MD

"We hear from YouTube, from social media. If we don't report how we want to act," he said at the time.

On April 26, 2017, Rizieq left for Saudi Arabia to carry out the Umrah pilgrimage with his family. Since then, he has not returned to Indonesia. At that time, Rizieq left for Umrah in order to fulfill his vows for the defeat of Basuki Tjahja Purnama (BTP) alias Ahok in the 2017 DKI Jakarta Pilgub.