Indonesian Islamic groups stone ministry over alcohol sales

[News_Editor]

Indonesian Islamic groups stone ministry over alcohol sales

2012-01-14 03:43:14 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAKARTA (BNO NEWS) -- Members of Indonesia's hard-line Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) on Thursday stoned the Ministry of Home Affairs in Central Jakarta after the minister accused religious groups of "spreading lies" during an ongoing dispute over alcohol sales, local media reported on Friday.

Around 1,000 people, including members of the FPI and Islamic People's Forum (FUI), pelted the building with stones, breaking windows. The protest ended about an hour after the attack began when police arrived, with demonstrators praying in the middle of the road, causing a traffic chaos, according to the Jakarta Globe.

Earlier this week, the ministry rejected allegations by religious groups that it had revoked regional bylaws that limit or ban the sale of alcohol in direct contravention of national legislation or presidential instructions. The ministry said it was simply revising the bylaws.

FUI's secretary general Muhammad Al Khaththath said the sale of alcohol is against Islamic teachings and should be banned. "The Home Affairs minister should repent, and apologize to everybody," Al Khaththath said.

But Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi lashed out at the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), the country's top Muslim clerical body, for "spreading lies". MUI chairman Amidhan accused Gamawan of indirectly siding with alcohol producers.

"The nation has not recovered from the multi-dimensional crisis of moral degradation. Alcoholic beverages are one of the sources of addictive crime," Amidhan said.

The MUI, he continued, will stage meetings with local governments and regional representatives councils and urge them to defend such bylaws. The MUI has issued a fatwa, or religious edict, against alcoholic beverages and demands the government to enforce it.

After Thursday's attack, the Indonesian government signaled that it may finally act against the hard-line FPI and FUI. Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi told the Jakarta Globe that the ministry would "evaluate" both groups, which could result in a freeze on their activities.

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