The Indonesian government on Wednesday banned Hizbut Tahrir, an organisation that wants to establish a global caliphate, under a new presidential decree criticised as draconian by rights groups.
The decree signed last week by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo gives the government almost unfettered power to ban organisations deemed against the constitution and the official state ideology Pancasila. Rights group say governments could easily abuse the decree’s power.
The measures follow months of sectarian tensions that shook the government and undermined Indonesia’s reputation for practicing a moderate form of Islam.
