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MUI orders evictees to vacate mosque, return it to 'its proper function'
The local chapter of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) said the order was due to requests from many mosques across the city.
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Bandung Public Order Agency workers demolish dozens of buildings in Taman Sari subdistrict, Bandung, West Java on Dec. 12, 2019 to make way for a housing project. (JP/Arya Dipa)
T
he Bandung Wetan office of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has issued a letter ordering evictees of Taman Sari subdistrict in Bandung, West Java to leave a mosque they have been using as a shelter to “return the place of worship to its proper function.”
One of the evicted residents, 45-year-old Eva Aryani Effendi, said she and 57 residents of community unit (RW) 11 of the subdistrict had been taking shelter temporarily in Al-Islam Mosque in Taman Sari after authorities evicted them and demolished their homes
They were forcefully evicted on Dec. 12 as the city administration is planning a rumah deret (row houses) project in the area. The eviction led to a clash between security personnel and residents who refused to be relocated.
The rumah deret project began while former Bandung mayor Ridwan Kamil was in office. Ridwan, who currently serves as West Java governor, previously promised there would be no evictions.
“We have asked [Al-Islam’s] DKM [mosque welfare council] if we can reside temporarily on the mosque’s second floor because we don’t have anywhere to take shelter from the weather,” Eva said on Monday.
She added that members of the DKM had granted their request. “We were asked to write a letter to the MUI regarding our request. However, they sent us a letter [ordering us to leave the mosque] before we even sent ours.”
Read also: Activists call for Bandung to be stripped of human rights title
