T

he Jakarta Police said on Wednesday that they have been questioning the alleged victims of sexual abuse involving a well-known cleric in the capital, identified only as Habib H.

“We are questioning 11 witnesses, all of whom are young men, who reported that they were victims of the abuse,” police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto told reporters at the police headquarters.

The report was filed by the families of the alleged victims on Dec. 16 last year. The police have yet to call Habib H in for questioning over the allegations.

Chief general crimes detective, Sr. Comr. Gatot Edy Pramono, said that the police had yet to name Habib H a suspect in the case.

“He’s not yet a suspect because the police are still investigating the case and gathering evidence,” he said as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Habib H has allegedly been sexually abusing underage boys over a long period of time, starting
in 2002. He allegedly groped the bodies of his disciples and performed oral sex on them in what he reported was part of an alternative healing therapy.

Habib is an honorific title for the descendants of Prophet Muhammad. In Indonesia, the title is commonly used by clerics of Yemeni descent.

The case over the alleged sexual abuse first gained attention after widespread reports on online forums and social media websites.

The reports stated that the alleged abuse took place in Kampung Kandang in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, where Habib had set up his own Islamic study group.

The study group was among the largest in the capital that often held sermons in public places and blocked roads, which caused severe traffic congestion.

According to the reports, the families of the alleged victims — aged between 14 and 19 — had reported the case to the Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI) and the Islam Defenders Front (FPI).

Habib H allegedly confessed to the abuse in front of the victims’ parents in mid-November, reportedly saying that his actions were in the name of his “holy guardianship”.

Habib H is known to have close ties to FPI chief patron Habib Rizieq Shihab.

FPI is a hard-line group notorious for its violent crackdowns on nightclubs and massage parlors that it deems sinful places.

MUI chairman Amidhan Shaberah confirmed that the organization had received the alleged victims’ reports on Jan. 30.

“However, we still have to clarify the reports [to Habib H] before making any statements,” he told The
Jakarta Post over the phone.

The FPI declined to comment on the matter, and Habib Rizieq did not respond to the Post’s calls and text messages.

Rikwanto said that the police would seek the help of criminologists and linguistic experts to help them during the investigation.

“We need help from linguistic experts to find out whether the terms used by Habib H in the alleged abuse can be used to charge him,” he said.

The Criminal Code stipulates a penalty of seven years in prison for underage sexual abuse. (mim)