Indonesian Police will not Allow Meeting to Promote Caliphate

Police in Bogor, Indonesia, said Tuesday they would not issue a permit for a two-day Muslim gathering billed for this weekend as a discussion on ushering an Islamic caliphate into the country, saying such a meeting was illegal.

A little-known group that calls itself Khilafatul Muslimin and says its leader is a caliph who oversees chapters across Indonesia and other countries is organizing the meeting. It is planned for Saturday and Sunday at the Az-Zikra mosque in Sentul, a suburb of Jakarta near the city of Bogor.

A Singapore think tank has described the group as a supporter of the extremist group Islamic State (IS), and two mosques in Jakarta have turned down requests to host the meeting whose theme is “Indonesia: Ushering in the rise of Islam.”

The gathering would not be allowed, Bogor police chief Andi Muhammad Dicky told BenarNews.

“The event has to do with the intention to change the system of government, from democracy and Pancasila to the caliphate,” Dicky said. Pancasila is the Indonesian state philosophy, which rests on pillars that include national unity, the belief in one God, democracy and social justice.

He said police feared potential clashes between participants and people opposed to the event.

“We will disband the event if the organizers go ahead with it,” Andi warned.

Full story: BenarNews

Arie Firdaus
Jakarta