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n organization promoting interfaith dialogue has been forced to cancel an interfaith forum in Yogyakarta after the local branch of the Islamic People'€™s Forum (FUI) threatened to forcefully disperse attendees.

Ibnu Ghulam Tufail of the YPIC said the organization had learned of the threat after being notified by the management of the Indonesian Islamic School (PIRI) Foundation'€™s Yogyakarta branch, which initially agreed to lend the school'€™s compound as the venue for the event, slated for Dec. 19, a week before the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, or Maulid Nabi, and Christmas.

The school'€™s management, according to Ibnu, said that the FUI had threatened to attack the event, arguing that it was against Islamic teaching.

The management, he added, had finally decided to retract their permission for the event to be held on the school'€™s grounds.

'€œWe have no intention of combining the two religious celebrations, Maulid Nabi and Christmas. We just want to reflect the teachings of the two religious figures, the Prophet Muhammad and Jesus, such as peace, tolerance and love,'€ Ibnu told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

This year'€™s Maulid Nabi falls on Dec. 24, the day before Christmas. Both religious celebrations have been declared national holidays in Indonesia, which is home to the world'€™s largest Muslim population.

During the event, the YPIC, Ibnu said, was to have held a screening of short biopics of the Prophet Muhammad and Jesus, as well as choir performances and sholawatan (recitals of praise for the Prophet Muhammad).

Ibnu, however, admitted that the forum had not asked for police permission for the event, arguing that it was too small, with around 100 invitees, to necessitate a permit.

He added that the YPIC was currently looking for an alternative site at which to hold the event this weekend.

Yogyakarta PIRI Foundation spokesperson Asgor Ali, meanwhile, said that several officers from the Yogyakarta Police had recently visited the school, informing him that the FUI had announced its plan to attack the event via the Facebook account of FUI Yogyakarta leader Muhammad Fuad Andreago.

'€œI conveyed the information to the event'€™s organizing committee so they'€™d know not to hold the event here. Another consideration is that the event coincides with the release of students'€™ academic performance reports, and parents will be coming to the school to collect the reports,'€ Asgor said.

Yogyakarta Police intelligence unit chief Comr. Wahyu Dwi Nugroho said that the organizing committee had not yet asked for a police permit for the event.

'€œReligious celebrations conducted with invitees from outside the community require a police permit,'€ Wahyu said.

If the organizing committee insisted on going ahead with the event, he said, he would offer technical advice to ensure that the event could proceed safely.

Institute for Interfaith Dialogue in Indonesia (Interfidei) director Elga Sarapung expressed concern at the indication of intolerance.

'€œYogyakarta has again bowed to pressure. The mayor and religious leaders did nothing,'€ said Elga, expressing hope that major Muslim organizations like Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) would offer their protection.

The Wahid Institute ranked Yogyakarta as the second-most intolerant city in the country after Bogor, West Java, in 2014.

Separately, Fuad reiterated that should the event go ahead, his group would use force to disperse it. He added that the FUI had coordinated with the Yogyakarta Police chief and Yogyakarta mayor, claiming that both were opposed to the event.

'€œWe will most certainly disperse the event. Mixing Maulid Nabi and Christmas runs contrary to the teachings of Islam,'€ he said.
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