Fajar Nusantara Movement (GAFATAR): What Government Needs to Do ?

In the past month, the people of Indonesia were being shocked by media coverage with reports about the number of people going missing in several regions in the country. Those people are suspected to have joined the Gerakan Fajar Nusantara (Fajar Nusantara Movement) famously known as GAFATAR. The reports about this issue are so massive that make people get curious about GAFATAR's track record. In this article, I will try to assess GAFATAR's background, ideology, and activities. In addition, I will also give inputs to the government in order to handle this classic phenomenon  according to my perspective.

GAFATAR is a Civil Society Organization (CSO), which was  established on August 14, 2011 and declared for the first time in JIEXPO Kemayoran Jakarta on January 21, 2012. The development of  this group was quickly enough because in December 2013,  it claimed to already have representatives, called Regional Leadership  Council (DPD) in all provinces throughout Indonesia. Nevertheless, the existence of GAFATAR has widely been neglected by public since it is considered as a deviant organization, the incarnation of Al Qiyadah Al Islamiyah which then changed its name to the Community Millah Abraham (Komar).

Komar itself had been led by Ahmad Mushadeq, a spiritual leader who currently live in Depok, West Java, and had ever been jailed for four years in 2008 for religious blasphemy.  It is worth noting that  Ahmad Musadeq comes from Al-Zaytun Islamic boarding school, which belongs to a banned Islamic movement called Islamic State of Indonesia (NII) KW-9.

After being declared as heretical and forbidden organization, Ahmad Musadeq who posted out of custody in 2011, changed the name of Komar to GAFATAR by enthroning his student Mahful M. Tumanurung as the chairman. With this new name, they managed to deceive the government to enable it to carry out social activities in various regions across Indonesia.

GAFATAR in essence still follows the teachings of Ahmad Musadeq, i.e syncretism or merging three religions: Islam, Christianity and Judaism. By adopting the concept of NII KW-9, Mushadeq aspires to establish an independent country that he called Negara Karunia Tuhan Semesta Alam (NKTSA). The gathering of thousands of GAFATAR's followers in West Kalimantan is part of the concept of "Hijrah Akbar" (massive migration) towards the establishment of NKTSA.

Most of this organization's administrators are the former members of Al-Qiyadah Al-Islamiyah. Muis Mahful Tumanurung is one of those pledged to become the follower of Ahmad Mushadeq as Almasih Almawud in the teachings of Al-Qiyadah Al-Islamiyah, and a leader of Al-Qiyadah Al-Islamiyah Makassar, South Sulawesi. Similarly, Yudishthira Arif Rahman Hakim (Chairman GAFATAR Yogyakarta) is also a follower of Al-Qiyadah Al-Islamiyah, while some other followers became caretakers in this group's Central Leadership Council (DPP). Among them are Rev. Sandjaya (Vice-Chairman of the DPP GAFATAR), Berny Satria (Secretary General) and Muchtar Asni (Treasurer).

GAFATAR was suspended by the Home Minister in November 2012. However, several parties undertook a judicial review of The Law No. 17 Year 2013 on Civil Society Organizations which resulted in a decision to preserve the freedom of establishment of CSOs like GAFATAR. According to that Constitutional Court's decision, GAFATAR continues its activities and keeps expanding its movement.

Attractions of GAFATAR for People to Join

GAFATAR claims that its focus is on social and cultural fields, with the vision of the realization of peaceful, civilized, fair, and dignified life of the community, state and nation under the auspices of Almighty God through the union of the noble values of the nation, improving the quality of science and intellect, as well as understanding and practice of universal values in order to be a mercy to the worlds. However, there is an issue being "sold" by GAFATAR in order to attract people as well as at the same time to trick the government from a ban, namely the Food Resilience program. They held a National Meeting and conducted a socialization program themed "GAFATAR is victorious; GAFATAR to Serve the Country in Order to Bring Peace In the Name of God Almighty through Enhancing Food Sovereignty Program 2015.

Regarding recruitment, GAFATAR has a special method to recruit its followers. Highly educated people who are interested in religion but lack of basic knowledge are the top priority of the GAFATAR recruiters. They are offered an easy to do concept in practicing religion or fait, such as not obliged to pray 5 times a day, and perform fasting during the holy month of Ramadan as well as Hajj (pilgrimage). GAFATARs financial strength allegedly comes from this upper middle class group, whose GAFATAR managed to recruit. Even a noted figure like Bibit Samad Rianto (former KPK leader) was once registered as a member and board of GAFATAR whose position was the Board of Trustees. Bibit at the end, however, realized the GAFATAR's deviations, thus he decided to quit and declared that he had no longer been associated with the organization.

The banning of GAFATAR that had been authorized by the Ministry of Domestic Affairs in 2012 did not necessarily eliminate and stop the organization from carrying out its activities. On the contrary, GAFATAR continues to exist in the community through various programs that are packaged in the form of social and agricultural works. Supposedly, the discharge prohibition to GAFATAR would automatically revoke its Registration Certificate (SKT) from all provinces in Indonesia. This can be seen as an indication that GAFATAR has successfully infiltrated into the regional governments to influence and embrace the decision makers.

Resistance Against GAFATAR

Why is GAFATAR being widely neglected in recent time? One of reasons is its deviant doctrine which is assessed to have degraded Islams concept. In addition, the rampant cases of people who were reported missing by their relatives after allegedly being recruited by GAFATAR and reportedly migrated to the West Kalimantan might have also caused the negligence. The disappearance of Doctor Rica Tri Handayani and her baby boy at the end of 2015 in Jogjakarta is among numerous cases that have been shown up the GAFATAR involvement.

The resistance over GAFATAR's existence is quite hard in Aceh. On April 7, 2014, six members of GAFATAR were being charged of blasphemy against Islam by Banda Aceh District Court. They could face five years in prison. Meanwhile, the forced dissolution over this organization's activities was going on in some regions. Its declaration in Solo, for example, was being dissolved by one of the Islamic organizations in the city. Similarly, in Bali, the Gianyar district police dissolved a seminar that GAFATAR held, while in West Kalimantan in mid January 2016, hundreds of people attacked GAFATAR's followers in the subdistricts of Mempawah Hilir and Mempawah Timur in Mempawah Regency.

The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has conducted a deep study and research related to the fatwa (Islamic Judgment) on GAFATAR. Once the fatwa is issued by UI, it is expected to become a reference for the government to issue a prohibition for Gafatar immediately. According to Tim Pakem Pusat (Monitoring team on religious sects), it will soon formulate SKB 3 Menteri (a three-minister joint decree) which contains a prohibition on the presence and any kind of activities to GAFATAR. Violating the regulations will be charged with a crime based on Law No.1 / the 1965 About Prevention of Abuse and / or blasphemy.

Strategic Policies Needed

Amid its position which seemly comes to an end, GAFATAR, especially its founder Ahmad Mushadeq and other leaders such as Mifta Tumanurung, will hardly try their efforts to obtain a legal standing as well as continue to gain legitimacy from the society. Otherwise, they will  go into hibernation from the public attention which now is going on but they then reform and reborn just like the incarnation of Al Qiyadah al Islamiyah to Komar and now GAFATAR. Therefore, the government needs to formulate a strategic policy in order to overcome the growing of GAFATAR and its potential to get reborn/reformed in the future.

The government needs to immediately issue a legal status for GAFATAR to clarify whether to forbid the organization because it harms one particular religion (Islam), or to only prohibit its activities. Additionally, national-level Islamic organization such as Muhammadiyah and the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) need to release a statement of rejection over GAFATAR. Furthermore, the Home Ministry must revoke the Registration Certificate of GAFATAR in all regions. On the other hand, the whole local stakeholders such as local government, the Early Awareness Society Forum (FKDM) and the Inter-Religious Harmony Forum (FKUB) must take concrete steps in line with the central government's stance on the presence of this group.  While at the same time, the Government must ensure the safety of former members of the GAFATAR since the angry mob burned down their village in Mempawah, West Kalimantan, recently.

The next important thing is the handling of the former GAFATAR's members/followers. According to the latest information, more than 3,500 ex-followers of GAFATAR have been sent back home from the so-called holy land at Mempawah, West Kalimantan. Whereas, not less than 1,500 others are still waiting in temporary shelters in several areas in West Kalimantan for being repatriated to their respective areas including East Java, Central Java, Jakarta, Banten, West Java, and Lampung. Hundreds of them, however, refuse to return to their hometowns because they are afraid of being excommunicated.

In this regard, the Government's measure to immediately give instruction to each local government in funding the ex-members of GAFATAR is considered quite well though it still needs an intensive monitoring from the central government. On the other hand, another important thing to do is the rehabilitation and development of a comprehensive review of the ex-GAFATAR - both personal and group - by involving all relevant stakeholders. Handling the personal guidance is done through education and the termination of the chain to GAFATAR ideology and doctrine while the group can be handled through coaching and charity. Last but not least, the role of Islamic organizations, particularly MUI, in providing guidance to whole ex-followers of GAFATAR is significant in order to not spread their perverted belief, and to return them to the right path.

*). International Relations Postgraduate Student at University of Indonesia.