This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/12/world/asia/indonesia-sets-stage-for-crack-down-on-hard-line-islamist-groups.html
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Indonesia Sets Stage for Crackdown on Hard-Line Islamist Groups | Indonesia Sets Stage for Crackdown on Hard-Line Islamist Groups |
| (about 13 hours later) | |
| JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia’s central government announced a decree on Wednesday that will make it easier for the president to disband religious and civil society organizations, in an apparent effort to challenge hard-line Islamist groups who oppose President Joko Widodo’s pluralist administration. | JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia’s central government announced a decree on Wednesday that will make it easier for the president to disband religious and civil society organizations, in an apparent effort to challenge hard-line Islamist groups who oppose President Joko Widodo’s pluralist administration. |
| The presidential decree was met with concern by human rights groups, which worry it is overly broad and could easily be used to disband any religious or civil society groups, whether they are hard-line Islamist or not. | The presidential decree was met with concern by human rights groups, which worry it is overly broad and could easily be used to disband any religious or civil society groups, whether they are hard-line Islamist or not. |
| “This threatens the legal rights of all NGOs in Indonesia,” said Usman Hamid, the Indonesia director of Amnesty International, referring to nongovernmental organizations. | “This threatens the legal rights of all NGOs in Indonesia,” said Usman Hamid, the Indonesia director of Amnesty International, referring to nongovernmental organizations. |
| For the last two months, administration officials have talked of banning Hizbut Tahrir, a conservative transnationalist Islamic organization active in Indonesia, on the grounds that the group’s desire to create a caliphate contradicts Indonesia’s Constitution and pluralist state ideology. | For the last two months, administration officials have talked of banning Hizbut Tahrir, a conservative transnationalist Islamic organization active in Indonesia, on the grounds that the group’s desire to create a caliphate contradicts Indonesia’s Constitution and pluralist state ideology. |
| But existing law makes it difficult for the government to disband such groups, requiring the state to issue numerous warnings, followed by a lengthy court case, with no guarantee on how judges will rule. | But existing law makes it difficult for the government to disband such groups, requiring the state to issue numerous warnings, followed by a lengthy court case, with no guarantee on how judges will rule. |
| The presidential decree changes the existing law so that the executive branch of government can disband groups without judicial oversight, greatly speeding up the process. | The presidential decree changes the existing law so that the executive branch of government can disband groups without judicial oversight, greatly speeding up the process. |
| Mr. Joko’s administration has been struggling to contain Islamist groups since late last year, when several hard-line Islamist organizations, including Hizbut Tahrir, mobilized against Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, a high-rising Christian politician who is a close presidential ally. | Mr. Joko’s administration has been struggling to contain Islamist groups since late last year, when several hard-line Islamist organizations, including Hizbut Tahrir, mobilized against Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, a high-rising Christian politician who is a close presidential ally. |
| The Islamists were extraordinarily successful, and they managed to propel their preferred candidate for governor to victory over Mr. Basuki, as well as begin a successful blasphemy case against Mr. Basuki that led to him serving two years in prison. With presidential elections in 2019, Mr. Joko appears intent on dismantling hard-line Islamist groups who are opposed to his pluralist vision for society, even if it means eroding civil liberties in the process. | The Islamists were extraordinarily successful, and they managed to propel their preferred candidate for governor to victory over Mr. Basuki, as well as begin a successful blasphemy case against Mr. Basuki that led to him serving two years in prison. With presidential elections in 2019, Mr. Joko appears intent on dismantling hard-line Islamist groups who are opposed to his pluralist vision for society, even if it means eroding civil liberties in the process. |
| The country’s security minister, Wiranto — who, like many Indonesians, goes by only one name — did not specifically mention Hizbut Tahrir when announcing the presidential decree, and it remained unclear when exactly Hizbut Tahrir would be banned. | The country’s security minister, Wiranto — who, like many Indonesians, goes by only one name — did not specifically mention Hizbut Tahrir when announcing the presidential decree, and it remained unclear when exactly Hizbut Tahrir would be banned. |
| What is clear is that Indonesia’s executive branch now has significantly more power to swiftly disband civil society groups, alarming rights groups. | What is clear is that Indonesia’s executive branch now has significantly more power to swiftly disband civil society groups, alarming rights groups. |
| “First and foremost, this is not an effective way of protecting democratic values while trying to contain radicalism,” Marcus Mietzner, an associate professor of political science at the Australian National University, wrote in an email. “Out of all the options available to a democratic state, issuing an executive order that temporarily bypasses both judicial and legislative processes is probably the worst.” | “First and foremost, this is not an effective way of protecting democratic values while trying to contain radicalism,” Marcus Mietzner, an associate professor of political science at the Australian National University, wrote in an email. “Out of all the options available to a democratic state, issuing an executive order that temporarily bypasses both judicial and legislative processes is probably the worst.” |
| He added that the quality of Indonesia’s democracy “is now indisputably in decline.” | He added that the quality of Indonesia’s democracy “is now indisputably in decline.” |
| The question over how to ban Hizbut Tahrir has divided Indonesian civil society, including its two largest moderate Muslim organizations. | The question over how to ban Hizbut Tahrir has divided Indonesian civil society, including its two largest moderate Muslim organizations. |
| Nahdlatul Ulama, a deeply pluralistic organization, has taken the firmest line against Hizbut Tahrir, wholeheartedly supporting Mr. Joko’s decision to disband the organization. | Nahdlatul Ulama, a deeply pluralistic organization, has taken the firmest line against Hizbut Tahrir, wholeheartedly supporting Mr. Joko’s decision to disband the organization. |
| In an unusual move, Said Aqil, Nahdlatul Ulama’s chairman, held a news conference on Tuesday to announce that the president would be issuing the decree, doing so instead of the president’s office. Some analysts interpreted that as an effort by Mr. Joko’s administration to have a Muslim organization lead the charge so that Mr. Joko could not be accused of being anti-Islam. | In an unusual move, Said Aqil, Nahdlatul Ulama’s chairman, held a news conference on Tuesday to announce that the president would be issuing the decree, doing so instead of the president’s office. Some analysts interpreted that as an effort by Mr. Joko’s administration to have a Muslim organization lead the charge so that Mr. Joko could not be accused of being anti-Islam. |
| But efforts over the last two months by Mr. Said to persuade the leadership of Muhammadiyah, Indonesia’s second-largest Muslim organization, to support the steps the government is taking to ban Hizbut Tahrir have apparently been unsuccessful. While numerous leaders of smaller moderate Muslim organizations joined Mr. Said in announcing that the president had signed a new decree, no leaders of Muhammadiyah were present, according to news reports. | |
| Muhammad Darraz, the executive director of the Maarif Institute, a progressive think tank affiliated with Muhammadiyah, said he supported efforts to ban Hizbut Tahrir and other hard-line groups but was bothered by the government’s decision to override legal protocol. | Muhammad Darraz, the executive director of the Maarif Institute, a progressive think tank affiliated with Muhammadiyah, said he supported efforts to ban Hizbut Tahrir and other hard-line groups but was bothered by the government’s decision to override legal protocol. |
| He said the decision smacked of politics, comparing the presidential decree to a recent effort to humiliate another cleric, Rizieq Shihab, the leader of the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front, whom the police named as a suspect in a pornography case in late May. | He said the decision smacked of politics, comparing the presidential decree to a recent effort to humiliate another cleric, Rizieq Shihab, the leader of the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front, whom the police named as a suspect in a pornography case in late May. |
| Gregory Fealy, a senior fellow in Indonesian politics at the Australian National University, warned that the decree may not be smart politics for Mr. Joko after all. | Gregory Fealy, a senior fellow in Indonesian politics at the Australian National University, warned that the decree may not be smart politics for Mr. Joko after all. |
| “The risk here is this causes an Islamic backlash against him, and this doesn’t look like a thing a nation of laws should be doing,” Mr. Fealy said. Over the last few months, hard-line Islamist groups have set up posters around Jakarta that say the current administration is “criminalizing” religious scholars. | “The risk here is this causes an Islamic backlash against him, and this doesn’t look like a thing a nation of laws should be doing,” Mr. Fealy said. Over the last few months, hard-line Islamist groups have set up posters around Jakarta that say the current administration is “criminalizing” religious scholars. |
| Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia’s spokesman, Muhammad Ismael Yusanto, predicted that his organization would shortly be broken up by the government. | Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia’s spokesman, Muhammad Ismael Yusanto, predicted that his organization would shortly be broken up by the government. |
| “Based on the authority of the presidential decree, Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia will soon be disbanded,” he wrote in an email when asked about the group’s response to the decree. | “Based on the authority of the presidential decree, Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia will soon be disbanded,” he wrote in an email when asked about the group’s response to the decree. |