JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesia's parliament has endorsed a presidential decree that gives officials sweeping powers to ban organizations deemed as threats to national unity.
The decree, signed in July by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, has already been used to ban Hizbut Tahrir, an Islamic organization that advocates for a global caliphate. It required parliamentary approval to become permanent law.
The decree allows officials to sidestep the courts when banning organizations, and rights groups have criticized it as draconian.
Lawmakers from 10 parties, including Widodo's governing coalition, voted 314 to 131 on Tuesday to amend a law regulating mass organizations in line with the decree. More than three quarters of lawmakers in the 560-seat legislature were present for the vote.
About 1,000 people from Muslim groups protested outside parliament.
Fox News' "Antisemitism Exposed" newsletter brings you stories on the rising anti-Jewish prejudice across the U.S. and the world.