Jakarta, Indonesia - West Java clerics from dozens of organizations under the Indonesia Muslim Cleric and Worshipper Forum have warned people to stay away from what they consider to be the spread of a Shiite teaching movement. The warnings are apparently driven by religious differences between the Shiite and Sunni Islamic sects, the latter of which is the dominant Islamic sect in Indonesia.
“There are at least three objections to Shiite teachings. First, Shiite sect considers that the current Koran has been corrupted. Second, it recalls that only Shiite clerics hold the ultimate authorities to interpret the hadiths,” forum head Athian Ali told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
And the third, he added, was because the Shiite sect acknowledged contract-based marriage, where they could perform marriages to their own preferences.
“This could be used to legalize prostitution,” he added.
Separately, Rafani Akhyar from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) West Java chapter, confirmed that they needed to be alert of Shiite teachings spreading because it could bring a negative influence on Indonesian Muslims.
“We should be alert toward the Shiite political agenda because it could harm the idea of the Unitary State of Indonesia (NKRI),” he said.
In the Shiite perspective, it is the clerics, and not the government, who hold the ultimate authority to rule the country.
In Sampang, Madura, a hearing for Ustadz Tajul Muluk, a local Shiite cleric, is currently ongoing. Tajul was brought to court simply because the police considered that his religious beliefs could provoke the Islamic mainstream to take violent measures.