Al Zaytun And Sesat Flows In Indonesia: The Government Must Put State Laws Above Everything

The Fajar Nusantara (Gafatar) movement, a group that is considered a "village flow" in Indonesia long before the Al Zaytun case, was excited. (Between / Syaiful Arif)

JAKARTA The chaotic case of the Al Zaytun Islamic Boarding School, which is currently busy, has returned to the term "village flow". What do you really mean by the "village flow" and what are the conditions like in Indonesia?

The term village flow' or bidaah arises from the designation in Greek: Hairesis. This term contains meaning: a faction of an opposing adherent. A Christian priest from Gallia, a region now known as France, named Ireneus who lives 130-202 AD, is touted as the first figure to introduce the term Hairesis.

In a prayer entitled Contra Haereses, Ireneus mentions herself as an Orthodox who has the meaning of 'right thinking'. Ireneus here positioned himself as a straight party, while people who had different views of him were soft' or deviant. So there is indeed an assumption that village flow is not actually entirely objective.

According to researchers from the State Islamic University (UIN) Jakarta, Mabukin Subuki, the term village flow' or religious blasphemy' is commonly carried out by certain groups, which considers religious practices by a group not as understanding as they are.

"Even though it can happen only because of differences," said Subuki, as quoted by BBC Indonesia.

Taking the case of Al Zaytun, Subuki asked the Indonesian government to avoid the diction that places the pesantren and its leader, Panji Gumilang in a guilty position. The new Al Zaytun and Panji Gumilang can be said to be absorbing religion'' or violating sects' if they go through a fair trial stage.

Very many groups are labeled as'semitic sects' in Indonesia. There are already dozens of sects of beliefs, religions, or groups that have received stigma as hereticals.

According to data from Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), there have been 250 'village flows' in Indonesia only in the period 2001-2007. Some of them: Ahmadiyah Qadhiyan, Salamullah, Fajar Nusantara Movement (Gafatar), the Kingdom of Ubur-Ubur, and Hakekok Balakasuta.

President Soekarno in 1962 issued Presidential Decree No. 264 of 1962, which prohibits seven religious sects or religious organizations from developing in Indonesia. The seven religious and organizational sects are: Bahai, the Organization of the Democracy League, Rotary Club, Devine Life Society, Vrijmetselaren-Loge (Loge Agung Indonesia), Moral Reform Movement, and Anscient Mystical Organization of Rosicians (AMORC).

However, during President Gus Dur's time, the ban was lifted through Presidential Decree No. 69 of 2000. The religious organizations and sects that were banned during President Soekarno's time are now allowed to move again.

SETARA Institute also highlighted the term heretical and deviant, which is often used as the basis for persecution in certain groups. According to the Director of Ekescusatives at the SETARA Institute, Halili Hasan, in dealing with cases of 'village flows', the government should not place state law under the views and fatwas of non-state institutions.

"As in other religious-dimensional cases, the government should not put state law under the views and fatwas of certain religious institutions," Halili Hasan told BBC Indonesia.

Panji Gumilang as the leader of the Al Zaytun Islamic Boarding School who is considered to have taught the 'village flow', has been examined at the National Police Criminal Investigation Unit on Monday, July 3, 2023. Until now, according to Panji, the case he is currently investigating is considered unfinished.

Panji said that the current stage was only a clarification from the report received by the National Police. Panji Gumilang was reported by the Central Leadership Council of the Pancasila Defenders Advocate Forum (DPP-FAPP) on June 23, and Ken Setiawan NICC Center on June 27. The two reports relate to religious heritage'.

Because he assumed that his examination by the National Police was only limited to clarification, Panju Gumilang was reluctant to respond to the accusations of "religious blasphemy" that he was accused of.

"It hasn't gotten there yet," said Panji Gumilang, after being questioned for 9 hours at the Police Criminal Investigation Unit on June 3.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD said the government had not yet decided to revoke the permit for Al Zaytun Islamic Boarding School activities.

"There has been no decision until there, we (the government) have not come that far to decide. We have discussed it, but we have not decided on anything like that," Mahfud said after reporting the handling of the Al Zaytun polemic to Vice President Ma Ruf Amin at the Vice Presidential Palace, Jakarta, reported by Antara, Tuesday, July 4.

Mahfud said the government was also still accommodating West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil's proposal to freeze Al Zaytun's license.

"We accommodate it first. As good input because he knows in the regions. He knows in the West Java field. But look at the top again, how about other areas? Don't have the implications of one place being closed, why not other areas. We see like helicopters from above looking down. Ridwan Kamil really sees there is a problem that must be proposed, but we decided based on looking at all of Indonesia," he said.

Mahfud assessed that the Al Zaytun polemic does not need to be exaggerated anymore, because the main problem lies with the individual boarding school caregiver, Panji Gumilang.

"There's no need to exaggerate because actually the culprit is the person named Panji Gumilang. This has been handled. Regarding the institution, we will see the progress," said Mahfud.