BriefingAsia-Pacific

Presidential Run by Indonesian Cleric Would Be Referendum on Shariah Law

Presidential Run by Indonesian Cleric Would Be Referendum on Shariah Law

DENPASAR, Indonesia -- When, in May 1998, former President Suharto's 32-year rule came to an end, Indonesia, a secular nation with the world's largest Muslim population, started a democratization process that has been praised worldwide.

However, democracy has also opened the door for a previously dormant wing of radical Islam that wants to turn the country into an Islamic state.

The clash between the two could soon be played out in the voting booth if, as suggested late last month by Indonesian Mujahedin Council (MMI) spokesman Fauzan al-Anshori, radical Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir decides to run for president in the country's next election, slated for 2009.

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