Indonesian cleric's mass rallies anger Jokowi amid COVID crisis Two police chiefs fired for not 'upholding health protocols' at Shihab events Muslim cleric Rizieq Shihab, leader of the Indonesian hardline Islamic Defenders Front, gestures to supporters as he arrives to inaugurate a mosque in Bogor on Friday. © AFP/Jiji ERWIDA MAULIA, Nikkei staff writerNovember 17, 2020 14:52 JST JAKARTA -- Just a week after returning from exile in Saudi Arabia, an Indonesian Islamist leader is already creating a stir by holding mass gatherings of Muslims despite the country's coronavirus crisis. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has hit out at the events featuring Muhammad Rizieq Shihab, and two senior police officials have been dismissed for allowing the rallies to take place. TV and social media footage show zero physical distancing and people removing masks during the events, including the wedding of one of Shihab's daughters, that attracted thousands of his followers in Jakarta and Bogor, a city about two hours drive south of the capital. Shihab said Saturday that he and other leaders of the hardline Islamic Defenders Front, or FPI, are planning to nationwide tour to hold tabligh akbar (large-scale sermons) to garner support for what he calls a "moral revolution." He said that criminalization of ulema (bodies of Muslim scholars) by the Widodo administration were a major moral problem. "Do not intercept our tabligh akbar. Do not stand in our way for consolidation... we will not tolerate anyone attempting to thwart gatherings of the Muslim people," Shihab said in one fiery sermon early Saturday. ...more.... https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Indonesian-cleric-s-mass-rallies-anger-Jokowi-amid-COVID-crisis