MUI Grateful Police Set Panji Gumilang Suspect Of Blasphemy

The leader of the Al Zaytun Islamic Boarding School Panji Gumilang (center) is running while undergoing an examination at the Criminal Investigation Unit of the National Police Headquarters, (ANTARA).

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) appreciates the Indonesian National Police (Polri) because it is considered to have worked hard and was serious in protecting the people and maintaining conduciveness related to the leadership of the Al Zaytun Islamic Boarding School Panji Gumilang. "We give the highest appreciation to the Police who have worked hard and really in protecting the people and maintaining the conduciveness of the community, which for the past few months had been shaken and made noisy by Panji Gumilang," said Deputy Secretary General for Law and Human Rights MUI Ikhsan Abdullah, quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday 2 August. Ikhsan ensured that ulama and the people would always support the Police in resolving cases of alleged religious blasphemy by Panji Gumilang.

"Of course the ulama and the ummah accompany the steps taken by the National Police to oversee the legal process until the trial process in court," said Katib Suriyah of the Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board (PBNU). Previously, the Investigator of the Directorate of General Crimes (Dittipidum) of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the National Police named the head of the Al Zaytun Islamic Boarding School Panji Gumilang as a suspect in the alleged criminal act of blasphemy. Director of General Crimes (Dirtipidum) Brigadier General Pol. Djuhamdhani Rahardjo Puro at the National Police Headquarters, Jakarta, Tuesday night, said that the determination of the suspect was based on the results of the case title carried out that night. "The results of the case title process all stated that they agreed to raise (status) brother PG (Panji Gumilang) to become a suspect," said Djuhamdhani. Panji Gumilang was examined as a witness on Tuesday (1/8) afternoon until 19.30 WIB. Investigators then continued the investigation as a suspect against Panji Gumilang starting at 21.15 WIB. In the investigation of this case, investigators at the Dittipidum Bareskrim Polri have requested information of 40 witnesses plus 17 expert witnesses, including criminal experts, sociology, religion, and so on.

The head of the Al Zaytun Islamic Boarding School is suspected of having multiple articles, with a maximum threat of ten years in prison. The article suspected of Panji is Article 14 paragraph (1) of Law Number 1 of 1946 concerning Criminal Law Regulations where the threat is 10 years. Then, Article 45 a paragraph (2) in conjunction with Article 28 paragraph (2) of Law Number 19 of 2016 concerning amendments and Law Number 11 of 2008 concerning ITE.