According to AsiaNews, on February 12, a local group of Dayak, a tribal people on the island of Borneo, the majority of whom are Christian, succeeded in preventing the opening of a local office of the Islamist movement Front Pembela Islam (FPI, Islamic Defense Front) in Palangkaraya, the capital of Central Kalimantan province. Hundreds of local people took to the streets with banners and signs to protest against the group, known to be behind many violent attacks on religious minorities, establishing an office in the area. The protesters also gathered at the local airport where a delegation of FPI leaders were due to land.
This is the first time anyone has dared to challenge the power of the Islamist group. The Dayak protesters loudly proclaimed, "Sorry, but you are not wanted here!" The protests led local security police to ask FPI representatives who had arrived by plane to attend the opening of the local office to stay on the plane until the other passengers had disembarked. The plane then left the airport and flew to Banjarmasin, the capital of the neighboring province of South Kalimantan, from where the delegation returned to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, where the members came from. The delegation included FPI Secretary General Ahmad Sobri Lubis.
Indonesian human rights institute Setara notes that the incident should not be seen as a violation of freedom of expression, but solely as a protest against FPI's violent actions, "which cannot be tolerated in a pluralistic society."
The Dayak protest was not against the presence of Muslims or a mosque, but solely against an extremist group. The incident is highlighted by the fact that over the past 12 years, Christians in Indonesia have experienced numerous instances of blockades and closures of Christian churches by Muslims with the backing of the authorities. Often it has been the FPI that has instigated riots against the presence of religious minority houses of worship. For once, the FPI has now seen popular protest hinder their visible presence in a community.
The demonstrations in Palangkaraya have now been followed by demonstrations against the FPI in Jakarta itself. Especially young people from various organizations and human rights groups took to the streets on 14 February to call for a ban on the FPI due to its violent tendencies and lack of respect for Indonesia's constitution. The demonstrations were peaceful and had the support of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, among others. It should be noted that he is seeking re-election in the upcoming presidential elections later this year.
Source: Asia News
