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JAKARTA: Six supporters of Indonesian Islamic cleric Rizieq Shihab were killed in a shooting on Monday, police said, raising concerns the standoff could reignite tensions between authorities and Islamist groups in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country. .
Since his return from self-exile in Saudi Arabia last month, Rizieq has declared plans for a “moral revolution” that has caused unrest in the administration of President Joko Widodo as Indonesia battles the coronavirus pandemic and an economic recession.
Who is Riziek Shihab?
Hardline Islamic cleric Rizieq Shihab has been a controversial figure in Indonesian politics for years.
Rizieq heads the group Front of Islamic Defenders (FPI).
He was jailed in 2008 for inciting violence and left Indonesia in 2017 after facing charges of pornography and insulting state ideology, which were later dropped.
With a reputation for raiding bars and brothels and violently repressing religious minorities, the FPI has become politically influential.
In 2016, Rizieq was the leading figure in the 212 mass movement against the former Christian governor of Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, or Ahok, who was jailed on blasphemy charges for isolating Islam.
The 2016 mass demonstrations, the largest since Suharto’s fall in 1998, raised concerns about the rise of identity politics and political Islam.
The president, known as “Jokowi”, saw the demonstrations as one of the biggest threats to his government.
What happened in the shooting?
When Rizieq returned to Indonesia, he was greeted by tens of thousands of supporters and several events were held in the days that followed, which were also attended by thousands.
Hard hit by the pandemic and amid restrictions on mass gatherings, police have twice summoned Rizieq for questioning for alleged violation of health protocols.
The cleric ignored the requests, the most recent on Monday, the day of the shooting in which police said six of his supporters were killed.
Police say they were following a convoy of Rizieq supporters on a Jakarta highway shortly after midnight after hearing that they were preparing to mobilize, when guns were pointed at them.
Police say they acted in self-defense when they opened fire and killed six people.
The FPI claims that Rizieq was heading to a dawn prayer when they were attacked by unknown assailants who “kidnapped” six of their bodyguards.
A spokesman for the FPI described the incident as an “extrajudicial execution”.
Amnesty International Indonesia and Indonesia Police Watch have called for an independent investigation.
How strong is Islam in Indonesian politics?
As the largest Muslim-majority nation in the world, Islam has always been important in Indonesian politics.
Every president has been a Muslim. The 2016 rallies against the governor of Jakarta saw Islam take on an increasingly prominent political role.
In a move widely seen as an attempt to attract Islamic voters, President Jokowi selected a high-ranking Islamic cleric, Ma’ruf Amin, as his running mate for vice president in 2019.
To further neutralize the threat posed by Islamists, in 2019 Jokowi appointed the fiery former general Prabowo Subianto as defense minister.
Prabowo had won the support of Islamist groups when he ran against Jokowi.
While Rizieq was abroad, hard-line Islamic groups like the FPI have been relatively quiet and Jokowi had been able to rule without much pushback until the pandemic hit.
What could happen now?
Political analysts say that given the opposition vacuum, the coronavirus, and the first recession in 22 years, Rizieq can take advantage of frustrations with the government and pose a threat.
The 55-year-old cleric has already met with several key opposition figures and there is a feeling that the politicking for the 2024 elections is already underway.
More immediately, Monday’s fatal clash with the police may create six “martyrs” and give the FPI a rallying point.
According to sources and analysts who spoke to Reuters, the government grossly underestimated Rizieq’s continued appeal and, after receiving it, realized that it would have to carefully calibrate its response, fearing that taking strong action could backfire.
Despite the increased backlash from pluralists and moderate Islamic groups like the MUI toward Rizieq this year, it is unlikely that Monday’s incident met the careful approach that the president and his key ministers had been seeking.
