Indonesia police say Islamist leader who led protests against Jakarta’s jailed Christian governor swapped nude photos with woman
Habib Rizieq, who has spent years preaching conservative Islamic values, is accused of violating Indonesia’s strict anti-pornography laws
Indonesian police yesterday named an Islamist leader as a suspect in the exchange of pornographic messages and photos, a new legal threat to a cleric who helped organise mass Muslim rallies against Jakarta’s former Christian governor.
Habib Rizieq, a firebrand cleric who heads the hardline Islamic Defenders Forum (FPI), has also been made a suspect in a separate investigation over allegations he insulted the secular state ideology in the Muslim-majority nation.
President Joko Widodo appears to be taking a tougher stance against fundamentalism and has said he would not tolerate any individuals or organisations that undermine the secular state ideology “Pancasila”, or threaten Indonesia’s tradition of pluralism.
The government recently moved to disband Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamist group that calls for a state based on sharia and also backed the protests against Purnama, an ally of Widodo.
Rizieq, who has spent years preaching conservative Islamic values, is accused of violating Indonesia’s strict anti-pornography laws by exchanging graphic messages and nude pictures with a woman.