Finally Apologizing To Christians, Yahya Waloni: Hopefully I Can Be An Exemplary Preacher
JAKARTA - Preacher Yahya Waloni apologized to the people of Indonesia because the contents of his lecture which had gone viral on social media touched on issues of ethnicity, religion, race and intergroup (SARA).
"I apologize to all Indonesian people, special representatives to my brothers, countrymen, and homeland Christians," Yahya said after attending a pretrial hearing at the South Jakarta District Court, Jakarta, Monday.
"Hopefully in the future, Allah SWT will give me wisdom (so that) it is better to be a preacher who (can) be an example," Yahya said in front of the Criminal Investigation Police investigators, the South Jakarta District Court Pretrial Judge, and a number of journalists covering the trial. .
On that occasion, Yahya admitted that he was wrong and made a mistake when delivering da'wah that offended other religions.
Yahya said that his actions had exceeded the boundaries of decency and ethics of living in society, nation and state.
"This is what I really regret after seeing the video, it doesn't seem to match what I have been pursuing so far as a preacher. The Prophet (Muhammad) taught us (Muslims) to always prioritize Ahlakul Karimah (good deeds)," said Yahya. , Yahya invited all parties to remain united and not be easily pitted against each other. "In lectures, I often say don't want to be pitted against the Police and the TNI," he said.
The police brought Yahya Waloni, a suspect in hate speech and SARA, to the South Jakarta District Court, Monday, to attend a pretrial hearing.
During the trial, Yahya confirmed that he asked the chairman of the South Jakarta District Court to withdraw the pretrial application. He also revoked his power of attorney for the team of lawyers from the Indonesian Muslim Advocates Association.
After hearing this, the Pretrial Judge of the South Jakarta District Court Anry Widyo Laksono decided to withdraw the pretrial application for the determination of the suspect and the detention of Yahya Waloni. The judge also ordered the clerk of the South Jakarta District Court to withdraw the case file number 85/Pid.Pra/2021/PN JKT.SEL.
Yahya Waloni has been detained by the police since last month and he is languishing in the Police Criminal Investigation Unit, Jakarta.
Yahya was named a suspect by the police in May 2021 for cases of blasphemy, spreading hate speech and racial intolerance.
The police named Yahya as a suspect after a party reported a video containing a recording of Yahya Waloni preaching. The contents of the lecture delivered by Yahya Waloni allegedly contained hate speech and racial intolerance, as well as blasphemy.