One of the overriding sentiments expressed by those saddened and upset by guilty verdict and 2-year prison given to former Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama at the conclusion of his blasphemy case is a sense that justice for all simply doesn’t exist in Indonesia anymore. As a point of comparison, many point to the way firebrand cleric and Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab, who was at the forefront of the anti-Ahok movement, has been treated by law enforcement.
Rizieq is currently a suspect in one defamation case and under investigation in several other cases, including one for blasphemy and one for pornography stemming from leaked information accusing him of being in an adulterous affair with a married woman. He has skipped numerous police summons for questioning, citing persuasive excuses such as “Nah, I’m too busy” each time.
But the Jakarta Police say they have finally had enough and have promised to forcibly detain the FPI leader for questioning in the pornography case after he failed to show up for a second summons on Monday.
The only problem is, Rizieq, according to one of his lawyers, is currently in Malaysia.
“He is abroad, meaning we will have to forcibly detain him as a person of interest,” Jakarta Police Public Relations Spokesperson Argo Yuwono said today as quoted by Tribun, adding that his detainment would be done as soon as he returned to Indonesia.
Rizieq and his fellow hardliners, many of whom have also fallen afoul of law enforcement in recent months on various charges including treason, have claimed that there is a conspiracy to “criminalize the ulamas”, in this case mostly referring to Islamist preachers backing the anti-Ahok movement.
The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has even said that they would seriously investigate the criminalization of the ulamas as a human rights issue. In fact, Rizieq invited members of the commission to meet him in Saudi Arabia or another country to discuss the matter with him (asking the government organization to pay their own way, of course).
Rizieq had claimed to be in Saudi Arabia on an umrah pilgrimage when he skipped Monday’s police summon, but now his lawyer, Kapitra Ampera, says that he’s in Malaysia working on a doctorate degree. Kapitra did not specify when the FPI leader would be returning to Jakarta but said he totally wasn’t avoiding the police and would eventually answer their summons. He also mentioned that Rizieq would still be open to meeting with Komnas HAM somewhere else abroad like, say, Geneva.
Rizieq may have more than just the Jakarta Police coming to haul him off for questioning about his alleged sex scandal once (/if) he comes back to Indonesia. He has also been named a suspect by the West Java Police in a defamation case and the prosecutor has just received the case dossier from the police. If the prosecutor agrees there is enough evidence to move forward, Rizieq may be facing trial soon as well.
Don’t forget, Rizieq was facing all of these charges (and carried a criminal record and two stints in jail for inciting violence) when the judges in Ahok’s blasphemy case decided to classify him a Koranic expert and use his testimony to justify sending Ahok to prison.
If there is any such thing as karma, Rizieq should be very, very afraid.
