ISIS is not in line with sharia, NU senior figure says

Jakarta, NU Online
Member of the Advisory Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) KH Mar'uf Amin said the teaching and goal of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are against the Islamic sharia, as it uses violence to achieve its cause.<>

"ISIS ideology is not acceptable. In its effort to build an Islamic state, ISIS coerces and commits violence. Indonesia has a democratic commitment and does not resort to violence," Maruf said here recently.

He said that "the ISIS is banned for having been involved in coercive actions, violence, murder of innocent people, destruction of places considered sacred by Muslims, and undermining the nation state."

"Such actions have been condemned by Indonesia, so it is not allowed (based the sharia) to support the ISIS. However, it is not necessary for MUI to issue a haram fatwa (prohibition advice) because it is already clear that supporting ISIS is haram (not allowed). Something that is already clear need not be issued a fatwa," he said.

Meanwhile, the Religious Affairs Ministry held recently a seminar to raise people's awareness about Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) movement in the country, inviting around 280 representatives from various Islamic mass organizations in Indonesia to attend.

"We need to always be ready to anticipate such a movement. It is our duty to always warn the public [all Indonesian Muslims] and to provide a thorough understanding for them," Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Syaifuddin said on the sidelines of the seminar.

"Not only to spread information, the meeting also aims to provide a better understanding on the latest development of this radical movement," Lukman added. "So, here, we can express our perceptions [on ISIL] in order to prevent it [from spreading] by raising people's awareness."

The government recently announced a ban on support for ISIL movement, saying the group's beliefs posed a serious threat to the state ideology of Pancasila, as well as to the nation's cultural and religious diversity. He warned citizens not to join the rebel group’s fight in Syria and Iraq.

The announcement was made following a meeting at the State Palace led by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that  produced several strategies for curbing domestic support for ISIL, one of which included the creation of a campaign organized by the Religious Affairs Ministry in cooperation with several religious figures to raise public awareness of the perils of ISIL.

Editing by Sudarto Murtaufiq