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MUI supports govt's plan to leave religion column blank
The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) supports the governmentâs plan allowing the adherents of non-officially recognized religions to not state their beliefs on their identity cards
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T
he Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) supports the government's plan allowing the adherents of non-officially recognized religions to not state their beliefs on their identity cards.
MUI vice chairman Ma'ruf Amin said that his institution did not find any problems with people who refused to disclose their beliefs on the cards.
He said that his institution supported the plan because believing in non-officially recognized religions did not violate the 1945 Constitution.
'The most important thing is that they [the adherents of non-officially recognized religions] should register their names on the database of demographic administration,' he said on Thursday as quoted by kompas.com.
However, Ma'ruf warned the government to not remove column of recognized religions on the identity cards.
He made such statements in response to ideas echoed by several human right defenders, such as the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), who encouraged the government to remove the religion column.
Last week, newly installed Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo said that he was pushing local government officials to allow adherents of non-officially recognized religions to not state their beliefs on official documents.
Tjahjo, a politician with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), also urged officials to give equal treatment to those who wished to have the religion column on their ID cards left blank. (alz/nfo(+++)
