Candra Malik, Indonesia – Hundreds of supporters of hard-line Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir have lashed out at the police over his "unholy" arrest, while his family has vowed to continue pressing for his release.
The protesters from the fundamentalist group Jamaah Anshorut Tauhid, which Bashir founded to campaign for the universal implementation of Shariah law, as well as from other groups, held a mass prayer on Thursday evening after breaking the fast at the Baitussalam Mosque in Solo.
The prayer, which began with the obligatory Ramadan evening prayers, known as tarawih, included calls for National Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri and counterterrorism czar Brig. Gen. Tito Karnavian to repent for the arrest.
The supporters warned that "the arrest of a cleric can cause natural disasters and draw God's wrath."
Sholeh Ibrahim, the deputy head of the JAT's Solo branch, said the police had violated Bashir's rights by preventing him from taking part in the tarawih at a mosque.
"This prohibition is a racist one," he said. "In the holy month of Ramadan, God ordains Muslims to spend more time in the mosque and pray together... Whoever forbids a Muslim from doing so challenges God's will."
Sholeh also claimed that Bashir's arrest on Monday had disrupted his busy preaching schedule and deprived Muslim faithful across Java from meeting with the cleric.
Thursday's event was led by two of Bashir's sons, Abdurrashid and Abdurrachim. Abdurrashid said JAT would hold similar prayers over the next three nights, possibly at mosques around Solo.
"This spiritual act will support our ongoing legal actions to free our father of all charges," he said.
Bashir is charged with helping fund a militant group in Aceh that was allegedly planning Mumbai-style attacks on key government and foreign-interest targets.
However, Abdurrashid said the allegations were baseless. He also backed Bashir's decision to remain silent during police questioning. "If the police really have evidence against my father, then there's no need to wait any longer," he said.