Muhammadiyah: There Is No Need To Overreact About FPI, What The Government Does Is Not Anti-Islamic Action

ILLUSTRATION / FPI High Priest Rizieq Shihab with his supporters (Diah Ayu / VOI)

JAKARTA - PP Muhammadiyah Secretary General Abdul Mu'ti asked the public not to overdo it in responding to the prohibition of all activities and attributes of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) by the government.

"The public does not need to overreact and react. What the government is doing is not anti-Islamic action. But it enforces laws and regulations," wrote Abdul Mu'ti, quoted by Antara, Wednesday, December 30.

According to Mu'ti, if the FPI ban is due to not having a permit or a Registered Certificate (SKT) has expired, then the social organization (Ormas) can automatically be declared non-existent or illegal.

"So actually the government does not need to dissolve it because legally the FPI has disbanded itself," he explained.

What is important, he said, is that the government is fair. Don't just be strict with FPI, but leave other organizations without an SKT or carry out disturbing activities.

"Likewise, if there is an organization whose activities are unsettling to the public, they like to do sweeping and take justice into their own hands. Everything must be taken firmly. The law must be enforced on all of them," said Mu'ti.

Meanwhile, Chairman of PP Muhammadiyah Abdul Munir Mulkhan supported the prohibition of FPI activities because there was no legality of their existence.

"A firm stance in enforcing the law is needed in a critical social situation like this. Obviously this is in accordance with the law on mass organizations," he said.

According to him, the government needs to educate FPI members so that they are more righteous as citizens of the nation.

On the other hand, said Mulkhan, FPI needs to be open in developing dialogue and more persuasive in implementing sharia in the midst of the plurality of Islam among Muslim citizens.

The government has officially banned all FPI activities. The government says that FPI now has no legal standing as a mass organization.

The decision was said to be in accordance with the Decision of the Constitutional Court (MK) No 82 / PUU112013 dated 23 December 2014. The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud Md asked all security forces to reject any activity of mass organizations on behalf of FPI.

"With the prohibition and no legal standing to the central and regional officials, if there is an organization on behalf of the FPI, it does not exist and must be rejected," Mahfud said in a press conference at his office, Wednesday.