The Jakarta Post
The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) elected its new leadership this week, consisting of Muslim clerics friendly to the government who replaced a coterie of critics of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, including prominent Islamic scholar Din Syamsuddin. The MUI congress, which wrapped up on Friday, has also issued a number of recommendations that could be seen as a victory for Vice President Ma'ruf Amin, including an edict allowing the use of vaccines derived from human cells in an emergency situation, even though such vaccines are traditionally banned under Islamic law. Ma'ruf himself also managed to pull off a maneuver that allowed him to be elected to the council's advisory board, replacing Din, who served between 2015 and 2020. Prior to his election as chairman of the advisory board, Din served as MUI chairman between 2005 and 2010. While serving as chairma...