Islamic Fundamentalism Workshop Banned by Police After Threats by Islamic Fundamentalists
Islamic People's Forum (FUI) demonstrators in Jakarta on Oct. 10. (Antara Photo/Whayu Putro)
“Police asked the committee to cancel the workshop three days ago,” the director of the Islamic and Social Study Institute (LKIS), Hairus Salim, told the Jakarta Globe on Friday. “We told them to issue a formal letter if they wanted to ban the event.
“They sent the letter yesterday [on Oct. 23].”
The letter was signed by the Yogyakarta Police’s security chief, Sigit Haryadi.
It is understood that police believed the Yogyakarta chapter of the Islamic People’s Forum (FUI Yogyakarta) planned to disrupt the event.
The workshop, titled “Media Literacy: Handling Religious Fundamentalist Content in the Media”, should had been part of an event called “Jagongan Media Rakyat” (People’s Discussion on the Media).
LKIS was invited only to manage the workshop, which was scheduled for 9 a.m. at Yogyakarta’s National Museum on Friday.
“The event was to inform youth on how to spot information spread by websites which often provokes and incites hatred against certain people or groups,” Hairus said.
FUI Yogyakarta broadcast a message calling on all Islamic people and organizations to come to the event and “drag the organizer out if there’s a slight indication that the event is mocking Islam.”
LKIS regretted the ban, saying that police should not have allowed the FUI to dictate what can or cannot be discussed in an open forum.
“The police should protect us, instead of bowing down to the pressure of the FUI,” Hairus said.
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