Indonesia does not need caliphate, says its ulama council chief

National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) head Comr Gen Suhardi Alius (left) and Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) head Ma'ruf Amin in Jakarta on March 22. - The Jakarta Post

Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) chairman Ma'ruf Amin stated on Saturday that a caliphate, a system of Islamic rule under a leader considered a successor to Prophet Muhammad, was not suitable for Indonesia, since the country had adopted the system of a republic.

"A republic as the foundation of the nation has been agreed. We don't need to talk about a caliphate anymore," he said after the opening of an economic congress in Jakarta.