People gather for the homecoming of Rizieq Shihab, the leader of Indonesian Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) who has resided in Saudi Arabia since 2017 in Jakarta, Indonesia, November 10, 2020. (Reuters Photo: Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana)Indonesia on Wednesday banned the hardline religious group the Islamic Defender’s Front, raising the prospect of rising political tension in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation. What is the Islamic Defender’s Front? Cleric Rizieq Shihab, 55, has for years been a controversial figure in Indonesia. His role in 2016 mass rallies raised concern about the rise of identity politics and political Islam.

Source: Indian Express December 31, 2020 08:37 UTC