M

uslim clerics across the nation have urged law enforcement agencies and courts to be steadfast in dealing with corruption and money laundering, and bold enough to hand down death sentences to those found guilty of corruption.

The religious leaders from the country'€™s largest Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) said corruption and money laundering were extraordinary crimes against humanity because of their adverse impacts on the nation, state and community.

'€œWe clerics are in favor of the death penalty if conditions are supportive and requirements are met,'€ NU Syuro board chairman for legal affairs Ahmad Ishomuddin told the media in Yogyakarta on Wednesday.

The recommendation on the death penalty for those involved in corruption was one of the seven points of the '€œRecommendation on Prevention and Eradication of Corruption and Money Laundering'€ directed at the government.

The recommendation was part of the conclusion of the two-day Nusantara (archipelago) Cleric Assembly themed Building Pesantren Anti-corruption Movement, organized by the NU and the Gusdurian Network National Secretariat in Yogyakarta, which began Tuesday. Gusdurian is a network of activists who promote the ideas on peace and pluralism of former president Abdurrahman '€œGus Dur'€ Wahid.

The meeting was attended by 30 religious figures from 27 cities in 10 provinces across the country.

'€œAmong the requirements [for the death penalty] are if corruption and money laundering are committed at a time when the country is in peril, during economic or social crises, or committed repeatedly,'€ added Ishomuddin.

Meanwhile, Umar Faroeq, from the Ma'€™had Jami'€™ah Pesantren STAI Mathali'€™ul Falah Islamic boarding school in Pati, Central Java, said Nusantara clerics also studied about the death penalty handed down to corrupt people from the viewpoint of Muslim clerics long ago.

'€œIt exists in the Maliki and Hanafi [Islamic teaching] schools, and the condition is very clear, that is, when it is done repeatedly,'€ said Umar.

He added that an edict on the death penalty for corrupt people had not been issued by clerics from long ago because they were very careful and paid attention to aspects of human rights.

'€œBut now we are in a time of crisis and it'€™s time to implement it,'€ he pointed out.

Umar said the recommendation also described various forms of corruption, such as bribery, embezzlement, looting, extortion, power abuse, theft and fraud.

Money laundering is categorized as a sin according to Islamic perspectives, because it is part of a conspiracy of sin and enmity, harms the government, business world and economic system, encourages crime and puts people in danger, he added.

Gusdurian Network coordinator Alissa Wahid said the recommendation also served as a basis for the NU to carry out anti-corruption measures based in Islamic boarding schools.

'€œThe recommendation will enable Islamic boarding school caretakers and Islamic-based schools as well as members of the NU community to understand corruption,'€ said Alissa.

The eldest daughter of Gus Dur added that the recommendation would also be conveyed to clerics attending the 33rd NU Congress in Jombang, East Java, in early August.

Meanwhile, Yogyakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Yogyakarta) director Hamzal Wahyudin said he agreed that serious measures needed to be taken to eradicate corruption, but disagreed with the death penalty for such offenses.

'€œThe death penalty is against basic human rights so it is not feasible in Indonesia,'€ said Hamzal.

He said there were alternative forms of punishment that could serve as deterrents, such as a life sentences, deprivation and revoking the political rights of those found guilty.

'€œI believe they are sufficient,'€ he stressed.