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The long arm of the law may have finally caught up with the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front following their shocking attack on the of Home Affairs Ministry building in Jakarta on Thursday.

Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi has rightly vowed to investigate the incident, bring those responsible for the attack to justice and freeze their activities if necessary. We urge the minister and the government to take stern action against the group, which has run roughshod over the nation’s laws in promoting its own agenda.

Not only has the group known as FPI caused property damage with its actions both recently and in the past, it has attacked individuals who have had the courage to stand against it. This is wholly unacceptable and in direct opposition to what this nation stands for.

Although the group has apologized for what it termed the “high emotions” of its younger members, there can be no more excuses. Attacking a government institution is an act of anarchy, as the minister said, and the punishment must be in accordance with the crime.

No group or individual is above the law. As a nation and as a society, we cannot condone acts of violence, no matter what the grievance. There is a due process of law for individuals and groups to abide by if they have reason to feel aggrieved.

The FPI and the Islamic People’s Forum (FUI), another hard-line fringe group, have been strong opponents of many of the government’s policies. The FUI has also led the campaign against the GKI Yasmin church in Bogor and prevented church members from worshipping there despite a Supreme Court ruling instructing the local government to reopen the church.

Militancy in any society should not be tolerated. When it is practiced to torment and intimidate other members of society, the government must act to ensure all citizens have the protection guaranteed by the Constitution. Democracy does not mean the freedom to do anything one pleases.

Indeed if we cherish the freedoms afforded to us by democracy, we must not allow groups such as the FPI and the FUI to break the law at will without any consequences. If we do, we are risking total social disorder.