Habib Rizieq Criticizes Mahfud MD: Says He Could Change If Given Another Position
BANDA ACEH – The Grand Imam of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), Habib Rizieq Shihab, has criticized former Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD. Habib Rizieq thinks Mahfud is inconsistent because now he criticizes the lack of Islamic organizations' role in preventing vice, even though when he was in office he was involved in disbanding the FPI. "Don't follow officials like this, brother. He's just angry because he didn't get a seat," said Habib Rizieq on Tuesday (July 28, 2026).
Habib Rizieq also hinted that Mahfud could change his attitude again if he gets a position in government. "Tomorrow if he's given a seat, he'll become a devil too, brother. Because it's been proven yesterday he was a devil, one of those who disbanded FPI as an organization for promoting good and preventing vice was the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs," he said.
Earlier, Mahfud MD said that Islamic organizations these days do more promoting of good but rarely prevent vice. He also thinks that criticism of the government mostly comes from podcasts. The government disbanded FPI on December 30, 2020, through a joint decree, one of whose signatories was Mahfud MD as Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs.
This exchange of barbs has reignited the debate about the role of Islamic organizations in voicing criticism and the dynamics of national figures' relationships after the change of government.
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