Professor KH Ma’ruf Amin. | Photo: MUI
A very senior Islamic leader in Indonesia has spoken against LGBTI people saying they should be criminalized because of their ‘deviant behavior’.
Professor KH Ma’ruf Amin is the head of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI). The Ulema Council is Indonesia’s top Muslim clerical body and very influential in the Muslim-majority country.
Amin is also the current chairman of the advisory council of Nahdlatul Ulama, the world’s largest Islamic organization.
Speaking at a the MUI’s sixth Fatwa Committee, Amin said homosexuality should be criminalized.
‘The view of the MUI is LGBT is deviant behaviour not approved in all religions,’ he said.
He also said LGBT goes against ‘Pancasila’, the official, foundational philosophical theory of the Indonesian state.
The MUI issued a fatwa against LGBTI ‘behaviors’ saying they are considered criminal in Islam
A fatwa is an Islamic legal pronouncement, issued by an expert in religious law such as, a mufti. The fatwa is about a specific issue, usually at the request of an individual or judge to resolve an issue where Islamic law is unclear.
Criminalizing homosexuality
Although homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia, a growing tide of intolerance has seen persecution against LGBTI people increase in the past two years.
The Indonesian parliament will soon debate amendments to the criminal code to criminalize homosexuality.
They are amendments that Amin endorses and he called for them to happen quickly.
‘Especially the draft Criminal Code changes to same-sex sexual intercourse, adultery and rape as a crime,’ he said.
Amin also said that LGBTI sex leads to diseases such as STIs and HIV, which is another reason he argues the community must be criminalized.
