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Rizieq is my old friend: Wiranto
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Islam Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab (center) speaks to journalists after being questioned at the Jakarta Police headquarters on Jan. 23. (Antara/Reno Esnir)
T
wo days before conservative Muslim groups are set to stage a mass prayer within the confines of Istiqlal Mosque on Feb. 11, a senior minister has held a friendly meeting with the event's initiators, including firebrand Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) patron Rizieq Shihab.
Coordinating Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto welcomed Rizieq and the members of National Movement to Safeguard the Indonesian Ulema Council’s Fatwa (GNPF-MUI)--the group behind two large-scale rallies against Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama last year--at his official residence in South Jakarta.
"These are my old friends, especially Rizieq whom I have known since well before 2000. We had fought together as we shared the same concerns with our country's condition before the reform era," Wiranto explained during a press conference on Thursday.
(Read also: COMMENTARY: Thanks to Rizieq, Gen. Tito's political career to skyrocket)
The minister, who served as both defense minister and military commander during Indonesia's transition in 1998 to 1999, told the journalists that the GNPF-MUI and FPI shared the same commitment of preserving the country's unity.
The GNPF-MUI and FPI have been in the spotlight for being the loudest advocates pushing for blasphemy charges against Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, a Christian of Chinese descent who currently is seeking re-election in the Feb. 15 Jakarta gubernatorial election .
The General Elections Commission has declared Feb. 12 to 14 a cooling-off period before voting day, but some conservative Muslim groups intend to rally to remind Muslims of Verse 51 of the Surah Al-Maidah in the Quran, which prohibits Muslims from voting for a non-Muslim. (dan)
