Indonesian government set to disband extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir
Indonesia is set to disband the Hizb ut-Tahrir extremist group, citing concerns that it undermines the state ideology and threatens the security of the Southeast Asian nation.
Chief security minister Wiranto said on Monday that a government panel had scrutinized Hizb ut-Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) and decided to take legal steps to disband it.
The minister also warned that the group does not abide by the Pancasila, Indonesia's state ideology which includes belief in God, the unity of the country, social justice and democracy, and which enshrines religious diversity in the world's biggest Muslim-majority country.
"The activities of HTI strongly indicate that they are in conflict with the Pancasila and the constitution," Wiranto stated, adding, "Their activities create tensions in society, threaten security and order, and unity."
The developments come as the group has already been banned in some Arab and Central Asian countries on suspicion of militant activities.
Reacting to developments, Iffa Nur, a spokeswoman for HTI, urged the government not to disband the group, saying the HTI was just delivering religious teaching. She also said there should have been dialogue before a legal process was started.
Some groups, banned under the authoritarian regime of former President Suharto, which ended in 1998, have expanded in recent years. Though usually small and on the fringes of society, such groups are seen as a threat to Indonesia's security and stability
The ban also comes as militants have launched several terrorist attacks across Indonesia over the past few years.
Last year, a gun and bomb attack, claimed by the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, left four attackers and four civilians dead in the capital, Jakarta.
Indonesian law enforcement agencies have arrested hundreds of militants during a sustained crackdown in recent years.
At least 400 Indonesians have reportedly joined the Daesh terrorist group in the two conflict-plagued Middle Eastern countries of Iraq and Syria. Dozens of the extremists have returned to Indonesia.
A total of over 30,000 foreign nationals have flocked to Syria and Iraq to fight alongside Daesh extremists or other foreign-sponsored terrorist groups.
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