Police to Question Noted Cleric over Sexual Abuse

By Dicky Christanto
Jakarta Post
February 20, 2012

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/02/20/police-question-noted-cleric-over-sexual-abuse.html

The Jakarta Police will summon Hasan bin Ja’afar Assegaf, an influential cleric accused of sexually abusing some of his male students.

“We must watch our every step carefully. Right now, we have questioned 11 victims and plan to examine their psychological state and determine the validity of their reports,” Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said on Saturday.

He said that once the police felt that they had solid evidence, they would summon Hasan for questioning.

“If he is indeed the perpetrator, then he will face hard time, thus give us room to complete the preliminary examinations first,” he said.

Hasan has allegedly been sexually abusing underage boys over a long period of time, starting in 2002. He allegedly groped his disciples and performed oral sex on them in what he claimed was part of an alternative healing therapy.

The victims filed reports with the Jakarta Police last December. Besides filing a report with the police, the victims also filed reports with the Indonesian Children Protection Commission (KPAI).

Following the report, the KPAI summoned Hasan Assegaf on Feb. 13 but he failed to appear.

The case began when Hasan sent a letter to his fellow religious teacher because she had prohibited her students from joining in Hasan’s group. Instead of answering the letter, the other teacher told the public that Hasan had sexually abused his students.

The case over the alleged sexual abuse first gained attention after widespread reports on online forums and social media websites.

The reports stated that the alleged abuse took place in Kampung Kandang in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, where Hasan had set up his own Islamic study group.

The study group was among the largest in the capital, often holding sermons in public places and blocking roads, which caused severe traffic congestion.

According to the reports, the families of the alleged victims — aged between 14 and 19 — had reported the case to the Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI) and the Islam Defenders Front (FPI).

Hasan allegedly confessed to the abuse in front of the victims’ parents in mid-November, reportedly saying that his actions were in the name of his “holy guardianship”.

He is known to have close ties to FPI chief patron Habib Rizieq Shihab. The FPI is a hard-line group notorious for its violent crackdowns on nightclubs and massage parlors, which it considers sinful places.

MUI chairman Amidhan Shaberah previously confirmed that the organization had received the alleged victims’ reports on Jan. 30.

“However, we still have to clarify the reports with Hasan before making any statements,” he said.

The FPI declined to comment on the matter, and Habib did not respond to the Post’s calls and text messages.

Rikwanto said that the police would seek the help of criminologists and linguistic experts to help them during the investigation.

“We need help from linguistic experts to find out whether the terms used by Hasan in the alleged abuse can be used to charge him,” he said.

The Criminal Code stipulates a penalty of seven years in prison for underage sexual abuse.