Paras Indonesia, 10, 26 2005 @ 10:25 pm
Cult Leader Eludes Capture After Deadly Clash
Roy Tupai
The young leader of an obscure Islamic sect that killed three policemen in a clash in
Central Sulawesi province eluded capture on Wednesday (26/10/05), while at least 10
of his followers surrendered to police.
Mahdi (27) alias Arifin, is the leader of the unnamed cult, which is based in Salena
hamlet in Buluri village, about 11 kilometers from the provincial capital of Palu. The
cult fuses traditional animistic beliefs with Islam, but does not adhere to basic Islamic
tenets, such as observing the fasting month of Ramadhan or praying five times a day.
Violence erupted on Tuesday when 16 police visited the hamlet to detain Mahdi for
questioning following complaints from local clerics that he had been spreading deviant
teachings about Islam.
Armed with machetes, sickles and poisonous blow darts, Mahdi's followers stabbed
three policemen to death and then fled to the jungles of nearby Mount Gawalise,
taking several wounded police with them as hostages. At least one member of the
sect was shot dead by police, while reports said an unidentified baby was found dead
on Wednesday near the scene of the carnage.
Detikcom online news portal reported that all of the police hostages and a civilian
hostage were found badly wounded but still alive over late Tuesday and Wednesday.
Central Sulawesi Police chief Senior Commissioner Oegroseno called on Mahdi and
his followers to surrender, promising that police would not seek vengeance for the
three slain officers.
"There is no revenge affair or repressive action. The plan is for police to invite
traditional leaders, religious leaders and community leaders to sit at one table to
discuss the resolution of the case involving Mahdi's sect, which has been
acknowledged as deviant," he said.
"If they [Mahdi and his followers] cannot attend the meeting, we hope they will
surrender and their case will be resolved in accordance with the prevailing legal
procedures," he added.
National Police chief General Sutanto said a team of detectives had been sent to
assist with the investigation into the incident. He said security would continue to be
handled by the Central Sulawesi Police because the local Mobile Brigade (Brimob)
unit had sufficient numbers to deal with the cult's 96 followers.
He said it was crucial that police stop deviant religious teachings. "We are looking for
the perpetrators. This must be stopped by us. It must not continue."
National Police deputy spokesman Brigadier General Sunarko Ardanto said 340
officers had been deployed to hunt down the suspects. He initially said Mahdi and 20
of his followers were detained on Wednesday.
But National Police spokesman Inspector General Aryanto Budiharjo later held a
press conference to clarify that Mahdi remained at large. He said one of the detainees
had initially claimed to be Mahdi, but withdrew his confession after interrogation.
"Witnesses also explained that he was not Mahdi," Budiharjo was quoted as saying
by Tempo Interaktif.
Ardanto subsequently confirmed that Mahdi had been arrested. "After being
interrogated, it was clear he was not Mahdi. Whereas 20 of Mahdi's followers, who
surrendered, are still in the jungle and have not yet been evacuated," he was quoted
as saying by detikcom.
He declined to name the arrested person whom police had thought was Mahdi. "The
name of the person who was suspected of being Mahdi is not yet known. He is now
being questioned with seven followers, who have surrendered, at Central Sulawesi
Police headquarters."
The spokesman later said 10 of Mahdi's followers being investigated. Tempo reported
that no one had been captured by the officers combing Mount Gawalise.
Detikcom reported that seven of Mahdi's followers had surrendered to police at Kalora
village in West Palu subdistrict at 11am Wednesday and were taken to provincial
police headquarters for questioning.
One of the detainees, named Arno, claimed he was not a member of the sect but had
surrendered because he was in the jungle at the time of the search and was afraid.
Police are now discussing Mahdi's teachings with members of the Central Sulawesi
chapter of the Indonesian Ulemas Council and the executives from the local
Al-Khairaat Islamic organization.
Religious Affairs Minister: Sect Very Deviant
Religious Affairs Minister Maftuh Basyuni described Mahdi's teachings "very deviant"
and contrary to Islam because the cult did not observe Ramadhan or daily prayers.
He said the sect was quite new and now being investigated by religious authorities.
Central Sulawesi Religious Affairs Office head Azis Godal also condemned Mahdi's
teachings as deviant and misleading. "What was taught by Mahdi was not religious
teachings. It would be more precise to say Mahdi and his followers were developing a
particular cult in the local community," he was quoted as saying by detikcom.
He urged local citizens not to worsen the situation by taking the law into their own
hands. "We ask all members of the public to allow police to handle this problem. Let
police deal with it and resolve it."
Police Criticized
In Jakarta, prominent Muslim scholar Komaruddin Hidayat criticized police for raiding
Mahdi's headquarters, saying it was understandable that the cleric's supporters had
felt threatened and therefore rebelled against the attempted arrest of their leader.
He said the government should have dealt with the sect through a persuasive
approach - such as inviting Mahdi to a discussion with local Muslim leaders - rather
than bringing in security forces and resorting to violence.
But he agreed that the sect is deviant because of its teachings. He said its popularity
was due to "a charismatic personality" appealing to people who are "isolated, poor
and uneducated".
The Attorney General's Office said it could not officially ban the sect until it had been
thoroughly investigated by the Religious Affairs Ministry and Central Sulawesi's
Bureau for the Supervision of Religious Movements.
Copyright (c) 2005 - PT Laksamana Global International. All rights reserved
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