M

arwah Daud Ibrahim, a US doctoral graduate and a prominent female politician in the early years of the Reform era, met Dimas Kanjeng Taat Pribadi in 2011.

She was then looking for money to fund her environmental project to plant trees from one village to another when a friend told her about Dimas and his alleged mystical ability to multiply banknotes.

“At first I didn’t believe it either. Could it be true? I was afraid that it was something negative,” Marwah told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

She said she was heavily skeptical at first because of her academic and professional background.

Marwah, who once led the Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals Association (ICMI), has a masters and doctoral degree in international communications from American University in Washington, DC.

She used to work as a research assistant for both the World Bank and the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT).

She was also a member of the House of the Representatives from 2004 to 2009, representing the Golkar Party, in which she was a member of its executive body.

It took her one year of regularly meeting Dimas and seeing him in action before she started believing in him, saying that he had been blessed with extraordinary gifts from God.

“I slowly [started to] believe him. And it is a rational thing. And it is also not against religions. In the Qur’an, there’s a saying that if God is willing, then it will be,” Marwah said.

As her belief grew stronger, Marwah’s role in the ritual group expanded and she was eventually appointed as the head of an organization named after Dimas.

Marwah said she still believes in Dimas, even though the police have charged the cult leader with murder, fraud and money laundering.

The police have alleged that many people, including members of the military, have fallen victim to Dimas’ trickery.

“We are still looking into them one by one,” National Police spokesman Comr. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said as quoted by Antara.

Marwah’s statements have baffled her colleagues and friends, which may reflect the gullibility of people in the country regardless of their education and stature.

“She used to be rational. She’s smart — she graduated from [a US university],” ICMI head Jimly Asshiddiqie told the Post.

Dimas’ ritual group is the latest cult phenomenon in the country.

In a rather similar case, Gatot Brajamusti, the leader of Padepokan Brajamusti, was recently arrested on drug charges. Gatot lived away from the spotlight until certain actors and singers, including Elma Theana and Reza Artamevia, made him their spiritual guru.

Indonesian society has not completely transitioned into a modern society that champions rationality over superstition, National University sociologist Nia Elvia said.

“It is no surprise there are academicians or public officials believing in mystical things,” she said.

Gadjah Mada University sociologist Sunyoto Usman said religious leaders should have already instilled rational values in their followers.

“Lessons on hard work are getting less and less common in our society. So our religious leaders should be more creative in giving those lessons back,” he said.

Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) chairman Din Syamsuddin said he was worried about the cult phenomenon growing in the country as cults are often disguised as religious groups.

Therefore, he implores all Indonesians, especially Muslims, to be cautious when it comes to claims of mystical powers.

He argues that Islam is a rational religion and that its followers should maintain their rationality.