Pekanbaru – The Pekanbaru City Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) in Riau province has again embarked on a moral crusade by sweeping boarding houses and internet cafes that remain open late at night during the holy fasting month of Ramadan on Thursday May 16.
This time round the FPI targeted boarding houses where Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) couples gather.
Prior to raiding the boarding houses, the FPI conducted an investigation to first confirm the presence of LGBT communities.
At around 12 midnight scores of FPI member began to move off from the FPI headquarters on Jl Melur Labuh Baru in the direction of boarding houses located on Jl. SM Amin alongside the entrance gate to the Riau University campus.
As a result, upon arriving at the location the FPI members found scores of trans-women (waria) who were allegedly waiting for clients. Several trans-women even tried to escape or hid in bathrooms.
Speaking with Riau 24 through caliphate division deputy head Hendrik, FPI Pekanbaru chairperson Husni Thamrin said they were deeply disappointed at finding these places where the LGBT (waria) community gathers.
“It’s very disappointing indeed, the LGBT [people] are clearly deviant and are not in accordance with the teachings of the Koran and the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad”, he said.
Moreover, continued Hendrik, these locations are very close to a campus where the younger generation is demanding knowledge. “The location was very close to campus, this could destroy Riau’s younger generation”, he asserted.
Hendrik explained that the boarding houses are often used as a place for the LGBT community to gather and are also as a place of prostitution.
The 15 trans-gender women found by the FPI were warned not to repeat their activities, to leave the area and sign a statement to that effect.
“Accompanied by the RT [neighborhood association head] and the boarding house owner, we gave a stern warning to the waria. And also drew up an agreement stating that they must leave the boarding houses as soon as possible”, he explained.
Not stopping there, the FPI plans to hunt down and disperse other LGHT communities in Riau. “We don’t want an LGBT problem in Pekanbaru, and in particular Riau, because this is not in accordance with Islamic teachings”, he said in closing.
In addition to this, the FPI also raided several internet cafes that were still open late at night.
The Pekanbaru FPI’s activities were in the framework of following the instructions of Pekanbaru Mayor Firdaus MT who has said that that he does not want entertainment venues, including internet cafes, to be open late at night.
Most of all he does not want there to be places where perpetrators of maksiat (immorality, in violation of God’s law) gather in Riau, especially Pekanbaru.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was “Tegakkan Syariat Islam, FPI Pekanbaru Temukan Markas Waria Dekat Area Kampus”.]
