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Growth of Islamism alarms moderate Indonesians
 [WaPo] In mid-February, Muhammad al-Khaththath, leader of the hard-line Muslim Community Forum, held court on the top floor of a Jakarta fast-food restaurant. With key deputies gathered around, he explained the direction in which he hoped to push relatively secular, democratic Indonesia.Sharia would become the law of the land, non-Muslims would lose their leadership posts and thieves would have their hands lopped off, he said. He also criticized Joko Widodo, Indonesia’s pluralist president. Widodo “isn’t a liberal Muslim,” Khaththath said. “He’s a Muslim who doesn’t get it.” Six weeks later, Khaththath was detained on treason charges, accused of plotting a coup. But in an April 19 runoff election for governor of Jakarta, his preferred candidate, Anies Baswedan, defeated the Christian incumbent, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, after a campaign fraught with religious overtones. Since then, hard-line Islamist organizations have gained stature; their ability to mobilize huge crowds was considered crucial to securing Baswedan's lopsided victory. But a strong backlash also has emerged, led by moderate Muslims who worry that conservative Islamists are wrecking Indonesia's tradition of religious tolerance. Posted by: ryuge 2017-05-09 |
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