Ibrahim Abu
Mohamed: Forgiveness lies at the heart of Islam for those who repent
Jakarta Globe, Mar 11, 2015
Jakarta. With an appeal to the spirit of “mercy and forgiveness” that “lies at the heart of Islam for those who repent and have reformed their ways,” Australia’s top Muslim leader on Wednesday called on President Joko Widodo to spare the lives of two Australian drug convicts on death row.
Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifudin, right, shakes hands with Ibrahim Abu Mohamed, the grand mufti of Australia, in Jakarta on Wednesday. (AFP Photo/Adek Berry) |
Jakarta. With an appeal to the spirit of “mercy and forgiveness” that “lies at the heart of Islam for those who repent and have reformed their ways,” Australia’s top Muslim leader on Wednesday called on President Joko Widodo to spare the lives of two Australian drug convicts on death row.
“On behalf
of the Islamic community of Australia, we plead, with respect and humility, for
mercy for the lives of two young Australian men,” Ibrahim Abu Mohamed, the
grand mufti of Australia, said in a statement sent to media on Wednesday.
The grand
mufti led a delegation of Islamic clerics, including two Australia-based
sheikhs with an Indonesian background, that met with Religious Affairs Minister
Lukman Hakim Saifuddin in Jakarta on Wednesday.
“I
emphasize we are here on behalf of the Islamic community of Australia, a
nongovernment initiative independent of the Australian government,” Abu Mohamed
said in the statement.
Indonesia’s
ties with its southern neighbor are under increasing pressure over the pending
execution of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, who were sentenced to death in
2006 after they were caught trying to smuggle heroin through Bali.
The
Australian government has called on Joko to grant the men clemency, but to no
avail.
Australian
Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s recent reference to his nation’s generosity in
helping Indonesia recover from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and a subsequent
threat by a top Indonesian minister to unleash a “human tsunami” of asylum
seekers have further escalated the diplomatic conflict.
Indonesia
has long been used as a stepping stone by asylum seekers trying to reach
Australia from countries like Afghanistan.
“We as
Islamic leaders, respect the position of the Indonesian government in its firm
pursuit of the drug scourge in Indonesia. We offer no criticism of the justice
system in recent cases,” the mufti’s statement said.
“However,
we note that mercy and forgiveness lies at the heart of Islam for those who
repent and have reformed their ways. We urge that the heritage of mercy in our
religion is fully and deeply considered in the application of state law.”
The two
Australians are said to have turned their lives around during their lengthy
incarceration, but Joko and his administration maintain that the men cannot be
granted clemency because Indonesia is facing a drug emergency.
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