M Yusuf Manurung, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) deputy Amirsyah Tambunan gave an official response to the supposed blasphemy by Diah Mutiara Sukmawati Soekarnoputri who reportedly compared the country's first president Sukarno to Islam's Prophet Muhammad.

"There needs to be a clarification or tabayyun (seeking clarification) regarding Sukmawati's statement. This aligns with MUI's standard operating procedure," said Amirsyah in a text message to Tempo on Sunday, November 17.

Amirsyah also wrote that he, and many others, hopes Sukmawati no longer makes statements that could potentially create public disorder.

He asserts that MUI respects the legal proceeding currently facing Sukmawati after a police report was filed against the daughter of Sukarno on November 15 by a member of the Korlabi (coordinator to defend Islam).In response, Sukmawati denies that she intentionally tried to defame the Prophet and defends that she used the Prophet Muhammad as an example in the context of her father's enormous struggle to help Indonesia gain independence.

"I was only asking, the context was about Indonesia's independence history, how is that considered an issue?" said Sukmawati to Tempo on Saturday, November 16.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1273441/mui-responds-to-sukmawati-soekarnoputris-alleged-blasphemy