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FPI finds itself out of government favor
Article 6 of the organization's principles states that the FPI's vision and mission is to "uphold Islamic sharia" under a "khilafah nubuwwah" (prophetic caliphate).
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Dozens of hard-line Islam Defenders Front (FPI) members express their anger in a recent protest. (Tempo/-)
T
he Islam Defenders Front (FPI), a hard-line group notorious for using violent measures, faces an uphill battle to obtain an extension of its permit after top government officials have expressed doubt over the organization's loyalty to the state ideology of Pancasila.
Presidential chief of staff Moeldoko, for example, said the FPI should clearly express its loyalty to Pancasila and, therefore, it should remove the terms caliphate and Islamic state from its organizational principles.
Article 6 of the organization's principles states that the FPI's vision and mission is to "uphold Islamic sharia" under a "khilafah nubuwwah" (prophetic caliphate).
FPI executives have rejected opinions that the phrase means the organization is against the concept of the Republic of Indonesia, saying instead that the phrase refers to strengthening cooperation among other Muslim nations.
However, the government seems unconvinced, with Home Affairs Ministry secretary-general Hadi Prabowo saying the ministry would form a team to evaluate the article.
"We will look at the mass organization's track record," he said recently, as quoted by Antara news agency. "Whether it is useful for society, or whether it contravenes [regulations]."
The hostile stance of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration toward the FPI is in contrast to the previous government's tacit and sometimes explicit approval of the organization's activities.
