Tajul Muluk

Tajul Muluk's father Makmun was a Kyai (an expert in Islam) living in Sampang Regency. After coming to admire the Shiite Ayatollah Khomeini from newspapers sent by a friend in Iran in the early 1980s, Makmun sent his four children to a Shiite-dominated pesantren (religious boarding school) in Bangil, Pasuruan. Tajul Muluk later continued his studies in Saudi Arabia in 1993, where he lived doing miscellaneous jobs until 1999, when he returned to Sampang. ==School founding==

Following the request of some residents to speak about his religious education, he opened his own Shiite-oriented pesantren, Misbahul Huda, in the village of Nangkernang. In 2006, a kyai and other Sunni leaders of Nangkernang began to object to the presence of the Shiite school, calling it a "deviant sect", and in April 2007, a protest against the school's celebration of the birth of Muhammad was attended by thousands. In 2009, Tajul's brother Roisul left the Shiites to become a Sunni, and began to speak against Tajul. Tajul attributed Roisul's anger to a conflict over a woman Roisul had wanted to marry, while Roisul stated that the conflict stemmed from Tajul's proselytizing. The resulting conflict was settled by the mediation of the Indonesian Ulema Council. Several Sunni ulama demanded that Tajul sign an agreement that he would not proselytize, but Tajul refused. ==Arson attack==

On 29 December 2011, the pesantren was attacked by a group of armed anti-Shiite protesters. Following the attack, KONTRAS also requested that Tajul and 22 of his followers receive protection through the Witness and Victim Protection Agency. ==Blasphemy arrest==

On 1 January 2012, the Sampang branch of the Indonesian Ulema Council released a fatwa which called Tajul's teachings "deviant", and on 3 January, Roisul formally reported him to the police for blasphemy. On 6 March, the East Java police questioned Tajul about the potential blasphemy charges. which carries a sentence of five years in prison. He was required to report to the provincial police weekly. On 12 April, after reporting, he was arrested. As of 18 April, he was being held in a prison in Sampang until his trial. Tempo magazine notes that several pieces of evidence are expected to be used as evidence against Tajul, including several books he has written and formal letters. == August 2012 attacks ==

On 26 August 2012, Tajul's community in Sampang was attacked again by a 500-person mob. One man, Muhammad Hasyim, was killed and another hospitalized. Amnesty International called on Indonesia to investigate the attacks and take steps to protect the community in the future. ==References==