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Police careful to charge Dimas Kanjeng with blasphemy law
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Dimas Kanjeng Taat Pribadi responds to a journalist's question while being escorted for investigations at East Java Police station in Surabaya, East Java, on Sept. 28. (tribunnews.com/Ahmad Zaimul Haq)
T
he National Police have yet to investigate allegations that cult leader Dimas Kanjeng Taat Pribadi might have committed religious blasphemy during gatherings with his ritual group Padepokan in Probolinggo, East Java, a police official has said.
National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said the force was still focused on investigating Kanjeng for allegedly ordering the murders of two of his followers, fraud and money laundering.
Extending the investigation to allegations of religious blasphemy would first require the opinion of related religious bodies, such as the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), who have the capability to assess whether a certain religious teaching has deviated from Islamic values, Boy said.
"Maybe MUI can probe into the details of [Kanjeng's] teaching methods and rituals, should they relate to Islamic teachings. Let MUI analyze [the allegations] while we focus on the fraud and murder suspicions," Boy said on Friday.
If the assessment from religious experts concludes that Kanjeng’s mystical teachings were heretical, he could also be charged with religious defamation for deviating from certain religious practices, Boy said.
Dimas Kanjeng had reportedly attracted over hundreds of people due to his supposed mystical ability to multiply banknotes. He was arrested by East Java Police and was reported for fraud allegedly causing total financial losses of Rp 1.5 billion (US$115,500). (evi)
