In Indonesia, a Muslim cleric, Panji Gumilang, has been apprehended on allegations of blasphemy and hate speech subsequent to his endorsement of women’s participation in preaching and praying alongside men.
The majority of orthodox Islamic educational institutions worldwide practise gender segregation during prayer sessions, hence prohibiting women from leading prayers or delivering sermons in mixed-gender settings.
With 231 million Muslims, Indonesia is the country with the greatest Muslim majority in the world.
It is nominally secular and officially recognises six religions, including Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, despite the country’s overwhelmingly Muslim population.
According to Djuhandhani Rahardjo, an officer from the Indonesian National Police, Panji Gumilang, aged 77, was apprehended on Tuesday, August 1. Gumilang is the proprietor of the Al-Zaytun boarding school located in the Indramayu district of West Java. The arrest took place outside the Criminal Investigation Agency in Jakarta, as reported by Rahardjo to the press.
“Investigators took legal action,” Djuhandhani said on Tuesday. “(Panji will be) detained in the Criminal Investigation Agency’s detention facility for 20 days,” Djuhandhani Rahardjo said.
According to reports, the police have declined to disclose the specific words or actions attributed to Panji that allegedly constituted blasphemy. However, they have indicated that their actions were prompted by complaints from the public.
In June, Indonesia’s Islamic Clerical Council said it was investigating Al-Zaytun for “misguided religious practices,” according to CNN Indonesia. If found guilty of blasphemy and hate speech, Panji faces a maximum 10 years in prison.
Panji’s lawyer Hendra Effendy called for calm from his supporters.
“He is after all, a public figure with millions of supporters… With all this happening, we don’t know what could happen,” he told CNN Indonesia.
