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View all search resultsGovernment must stay neutral in Ahok case
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Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin (right) talks with Presidential Advisory Board member Hasyim Muzadi at the ministry in March. Hasyim said on Friday the government must remain neutral on a case involving the Jakarta governor. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
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residential Advisory Board member Hasyim Muzadi says the government must remain neutral in an alleged blasphemy case involving Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama.
“The state represents the people of Indonesian, so its position should be neutral and it must protect its people,” Hasyim Muzadi, who is a former chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama Muslim organization said during a silaturahmi (gathering) between Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu and Muslim scholars in Jakarta on Friday.
Besides urging the state to remain neutral, he also asked people to stay focused in their demands.
“All actions and demands are vulnerable. It is easy to be manipulated by other parties,” he added. Thousands of Muslims staged a rally in front of Presidential Palace on Nov. 4, demanding the government prosecute Ahok for alleged blasphemy.
(Read also: Police question 10 more people on Ahok’s blasphemy case)
Meanwhile, Ryamizard said the public should not mix politics and religion.
“Religion is the finite truth as it is from Allah, while politics is a perception, assumptions and interests,” he said.
He said Muslim scholars and preachers should encourage people to filter information in mainstream and social media. (jun)
