Rizieq Shihab Arrives In Indonesia

Rizieq Shihab arrives at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Tangerang (screenshot from Youtube FRONT TV)

JAKARTA - Rizieq Shihab arrived in Indonesia after more than 3 years in Saudi Arabia. Rizieq Shihab was greeted by a crowd of pick-ups who filled the Terminal 3 area of Soekarno-Hatta Airport.

Judging from the live streaming of Front TV's YouTube account, Rizieq Shihab returned to Indonesia with his family. Meanwhile, the pick-up crowd filled all sides of the arrival terminal area from the international route.

There were also lines forming a fence to make way for Rizieq Shihab from terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta Airport.

The crowd to pick up Rizieq Shihab had been moving since early this morning. It was reported that there was a total traffic jam towards Soekarno-Hatta Airport this morning. Prospective passengers even reportedly had to walk about 1 kilometer because the vehicle could not move.

The Ministry of Transportation will reschedule the flight schedule at Soekarno Hatta Airport due to paralyzed road conditions due to the movement of the masses to pick up Rizieq Shihab. Director General of Air Transportation Novie Riyanto, who was contacted by VOI, said the flight schedule was delayed by 3 to 4 hours due to total traffic jams.

"Everything was delayed, 3-4 hours," said Novie, Tuesday, November 10.

Meanwhile, the Garuda Indonesia airline exempts the cost of adjusting flight schedules and ticket refunds to passengers who cannot arrive at Soekarno Hatta Airport on time due to traffic jams this morning.

President Director of Garuda Indonesia, Irfaniaputra, said that this fee waiver policy was due to Garuda understanding that passengers would be left behind on aircraft schedules coinciding with the large number of people picking up the leader of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) Muhammad Rizieq Shihab.

Regarding the return of Rizieq Shihab, the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam), Mahfud MD said that as an Indonesian citizen Rizieq Shihab has the same rights and legal obligations as other citizens. Because of this, Rizieq Shihab came to Indonesia as a right that belongs to Rizieq and must be protected.

"Because in the past we gave him the right to leave, not because we asked him to go. Now we want to go home, we give him the right to return home because he is a citizen whose rights must be protected," Mahfud said in a written statement quoted on Monday, November 9.

Mahfud said that the government recorded Rizieq Shihab's return with the aim of carrying out a moral revolution and he hoped that this revolution would be good. "Therefore, everything must be in order," he said.

"Please pick up but orderly, harmoniously, and peacefully. As suggested by Habib Rizieq. If Habib Rizieq's followers must be good. It must be a moral revolution," he added.