Hangga Brata, Klaten, Central Java – Andreas Guntur, the leader of Amanat Keagungan Ilahi, a spiritual group which draws upon certain verses of the Koran, was sentenced to a four-year jail sentence for blasphemy on Tuesday at the Klaten District Court.
Andreas's attorney Suwardi said he would appeal. He said the panel of judges rejected all of his client's defense and gave him the maximum possible sentence of four years in jail. "The defendant and the panel of judges still have a difference of opinion. AKI is still not considered a belief," Suwardi said.
According to a Web site maintained by AKI group members, AKI is not a religion but draws on divine inspiration allegedly received by founder R. Usman in 1969. The group's references to Koranic verses but rejection of conventional Islamic rituals has led it to be condemned by bodies such as the Indonesia Council of Ulema (MUI), which issued a fatwa against it in 2009.
The court trial was heavily guarded by Klaten Police to prevent any possible clashes as tens of Muslim activists attended the proceedings.
The supposed blasphemy was discovered last October when several Islamic mass organizations stormed Andreas's house after his neighbors complained about religious activities that Andreas performed with his colleagues in the house.
Local residents said Andreas would perform his activities until 3 a.m. and they would sometimes hear people cry. When the sect was disbanded, there were 23 people in Andreas's house.
Last month, an artist fell victim to hard-line religious organizations after he was attacked outside the headquarters of Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia's office in Yogyakarta.
Bramantyo Prijosusilo, an East Java-based artist and journalist who has published a number of opinion pieces in the Jakarta Globe, was attacked by dozens of MMI members. Bramantyo said the performance was intended to inspire people to fight against radicalism, anarchy, intimidation and violence by extremists.
The MMI, headed by convicted terrorist Abu Bakar Bashir before he was ousted in a power struggle, has filed blasphemy charges against Bramantyo and demanded that he apologize.