Indonesia's bid to root out Islamists throws spotlight on universities

A group of protesters holds a Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia flag during a protest against the President Joko Widodo's decree to disband Islamist groups in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 28, 2017. REUTERS/Beawiharta

NUSA DUA, Indonesia, (Reuters) - When students at Indonesia's prestigious Institute of Agricultural Studies swore an oath to support a caliphate in the world's largest Muslim-majority country last year, a video of the event went viral and the government grew alarmed.

Months later, Indonesian President Joko Widodo banned the decades-old hardline group Hizb ut-Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), which organised the student pledge, and declared its goal to set up a caliphate was incompatible with the constitution and could threaten security.