Jakarta – The government is facing mounting pressure in cities across the country to dissolve the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) for its repeated in violent acts.
In Yogyakarta, an unidentified group stormed the FPI office in Sleman at around 11 p.m. on Monday apparently in response to the attack by an FPI-related group on inter-faith activists at the National Monument (Monas) in Jakarta on June 1.
One person was injured in the office attack and police held five more. The attack reportedly involved about 100 people with motorbikes and wearing black jackets.
The group did not attack FPI members but destroyed the office signboard. They left to avoid a clash with FPI members, who came out with sharp weapons. The attackers were unarmed. However, FPI members stopped five men, beating them with sticks, iron rods and swords.
"We were holding prayers when the thugs attacked us and damaged the signboard. We likened this to waking up a sleeping tiger. We will be harsher and avenge this," Yogyakarta FPI commander Bambang Tedi said. The Sleman Police are still identifying the attackers.
On the following day scores of people staged a rally in Yogyakarta demanding the government disband the FPI. "We condemn the (Monas) attack and demand the organization which has damaged democracy and shown disrespect for the spirit of unity in diversity be dissolved," said rally coordinator Maulana.
In Banyumas, Central Java, a group of 50 people, calling themselves Banyumas Independent Council (Libas) Tuesday stormed the FPI office on Jl. Pungkuran. During the raid no FPI members were present. "We condemn any form of violence. The country upholds religious tolerance, so we must fight any form of violence and coercion," Libas leader Sumbadi said.
In Malang, East Java, hundreds grouped in the Greater Malang Anti-Violence People's Alliance on Tuesday held a rally at the local legislature demanding the government forcefully disband the FPI.
They also threatened to take the law into their own hands if the government and police failed to immediately take stern action against the group led by Habib Rizieq. They burned an effigy representing Rizieq and forced councilors to address the crowd in support of their action.
"What is happening now reaches the limits of our patience on violent acts committed by them in the name of Islam. There should never be such violence in Indonesia. It puts the nation in jeopardy," said rally coordinator Muhammad Syafiq.
In the Central Java provincial capital of Semarang, some 30 students took to the streets Tuesday demanding that government disband the FPI. They likened the recent violence committed by the FPI to acts of thuggery.
In front of the provincial legislative building, they unfurled banners saying "Outlaw thugs in robes", and "Islam denounces violence", and repeatedly chanted "Disband the FPI".
In Jakarta, dozens of FPI members came to the city police headquarters on Tuesday to report the National Alliance for the Freedom of Faith and Religion (AKKBB) as being responsible for the Monas incident.
Achmad Michdan, a member of the Muslim Legal Team who is defending Islamic organizations involved in the Monas incident, said he reported 289 activists whose names were in the AKKBB's newspaper advertisements as the masterminds behind the clash.
"They openly had invited a massive number of people in the newspapers and did not get permission from the police to hold the event," he said. The FPI also reported Tempo daily newspaper for libel after the newspaper published a photo of the commander of the Islam Troop Command Munarman, choking a man with hundreds of people dressed in white in the background.
"It's a slander. Munarman did not choke a member of AKKBB. The man on the photo is a member of his troop and he did it to prevent the man from taking unauthorized action in the Monas incident," Habib Rizieq said.
The FPI members brought along with them a man named Nasrullah or Ucok, whom they claimed was the man choked by Murnaman in the photo. (ind)