Vice President Ma'ruf Amin: Demands For Dissolution Of MUI Are Very Irrational

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin/PHOTO VIA ANTARA

JAKARTA - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin, who is also Chairman of the Advisory Council of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), stated that the demands of a group of people to dissolve the MUI, because one of its administrators was involved in the alleged criminal act of terrorism, was very irrational.

"Recently, there is a group that wants the MUI to be dissolved. This demand is very irrational," said Ma'ruf Amin in his statement quoted by Antara, Tuesday, November 23.

Ma'ruf Amin explained that MUI is a religious community organization (ormas) consisting of more than 60 Islamic organizations, with various scholars and Islamic clerics.

"This means that MUI is an organization that gathers, in addition to the representation of mass organizations and such great leaders, which in its principle of struggle is based on so-called government partners, as well as serving the community," he explained.

Regarding the handling of terrorism, he continued, MUI has long issued a fatwa that acts of terrorism are unlawful acts and not including jihad.

"This fatwa is then used as a reference, a reference for various counter-terrorism efforts and eradication," he said.

This statement was made by the Vice President in response to the arrest of MUI Fatwa Commission member Ahmad Zain An Najah, along with two other preachers, by the Special Detachment (Densus) 88 Anti-Terror Police of the National Police on Tuesday, November 16 in Bekasi, West Java.

The National Police imposed Article 4 of Law No. 9 of 2013 concerning the Prevention and Eradication of Terrorism Financing Crimes to the three clerics.

The results of the investigation of Densus 88 Antitetor, Ahmad Zain An Najah is the Chairman of the Sharia Board of the Baitul Mal Amil Zakat Institution Abdurrahman bin Auf (LAM BM ABA), which is a wing organization under Jamaah Islamiyah (JI).