REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Deputy Secretary General Indonesian Council of Ulama (MUI) Tengku Zulkarnain said the organization did not enter the realm of politics. Last week (10/11), MUI has given its religious statement related to blasphemy by Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok).
MUI believed Ahok has insulted the Holy Quran and/or the clerics. Ahok's statement has a legal consequences. "Ahok was trespassing other religion territory, which is not his own faith," Tengku said via his Twitter account on Tuesday (10/18).
Also read:MUI: Ahok statement is a blasphemy and has legal consequences
Tengku hoped the case of religious blasphemy conducted by Ahok will be processed in legal action. He said people often say everyone should respect other people opinion because we are living in a democratic country. In the other hand, some parties urged the MUI not to let the authority process the perpetrator who insult the Quran.
Meanwhile, the Muslim Lawyer Team (TPM) is ready to backs MUI. "We've seen people tried to delegitimizing Muslim clerics and scholars, the MUI," Chairman TPM Muhammad Mahendradatta said on Twitter.
Mahendradatta said it was awkward to claim a demonstration held to protege religious blasphemy and not offending other religion was reviled as issues of ethnicity, religion, race and groups (SARA).
His statement was to response Vice Chairman Equivalents Institute (Setara) Bonar Tigor Naipospos opinion in a discussion on Sunday (10/16). Tigor has accused MUI involved in power politics because MUI stated the authority should crack down on the case of alleged blasphemy.