Bahar bin Smith

On May 16, 2020, Bahar was released early on Prisoner Assimilation Program carried out by The Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna Laoly. Only to be re-arrested again 3 days later because he violates Large-scale social distancing restriction by gathering masses for a preaching. His lawyer, Aziz Yanuar suspected that his re-arrest was related to his speech after his speech on Saturday night went viral and greatly offended the authorities.

Habib Bahar is the founder and leader of the Prophet’s Defender Council since 2007. The headquarters of Council is located in Pondok Aren, South Tangerang. While the followers of Habib Bahar reached hundreds of people who live in Ciputat, South Tangerang; Pesanggrahan, South Jakarta; and Pondok Aren, South Tangerang. Together with members of the Prophet’s Defender Council, Habib Bahar often conduct raids and forced closure at several entertainment venues in Jakarta. His most prominent action was when he coordinate about 150 people of the Prophet’s Defender Council in Ramadan in 2012 to conduct raids in Cafe De Most in Pesanggrahan, South Jakarta. It was done them because the cafe was suspected as a nest of immorality, he then forcibly shut down Cafe De Most and requested that the place be closed for a whole month during Ramadan.

In November 2018, his video preaching in a mosque went viral. Amid an ill-tempered elections process, he described PDI-P cadre and President Joko Widodo as the nation's, state's, and people's traitor. He also denounced the president as a transgender and asked the congregation to open his pants to see whether he has menstrual blood on. Furthermore, he accused President Widodo to only prospers non-Muslims (kafir), Chinese Indonesians, and Western companies and enslaves the native Indonesians. He also blamed the Muslims for not electing FPI-backed Prabowo Subianto in the previous election. He was reported to the Indonesian National Police on 28 November 2018.

On 5 December 2018, Bahar was reported to the police after beating two teenage boys. On 18 December, Bahar was arrested after undergoing an investigation. Bahar claimed to exercise martial arts with the victims. Opposing party politician and Prabowo's right-hand man Fadli Zon said that Bahar's arrest is a proof of "ulama criminalization". On 9 July 2019, he was found guilty and sentenced to 3 years in jail.

As the leader of the Prophet's Defender Council, Habib Bahar and his followers often conduct sweeping action and forced closure of several nightclubs that operates in South Jakarta and South Tangerang that are considered to violate the Shari'a. Amid the month of Ramadan on 29 July 2012, at around 01:30 in the morning, he coordinated around 150 people of the Prophet’s Defender Council to conduct sweeping action accompanied by destructive action in Cafe De Most located at Jalan Veteran Raya, Bintaro, Pesanggrahan, South Jakarta. In the action, they demanded that the cafe closes its business for a whole month during Ramadan. In addition, the masses also equip themselves with sharp weapons such as celurit, machetes, golf stick and others. In fact, sharp weapons equipment was made especially before the action, like four swords that made a week before the incident.

In addition to engaging in sweeping action in 2012, in 2010, Habib Bahar has also been involved in the attack on the Ahmadiyya congregation in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta. In addition, in the same year, Habib Bahar has also been involved in Koja Riot related to Mbah Priok grave dispute in North Jakarta.

Habib Bahar bin Smith (Arabic: بحر بن سميط ‎, romanized: Baḥr bin Sumayṭ; Arabic pronunciation: [baħr bin sumajtˤ] full name: (Arabic: سيد بحر بن علي بن علوي بن عبد الرحمن بن سميط ‎, romanized: Sayyid Baḥr bin ‘Alī bin ‘Alawī bin ‘Abd ar-Raḥman bin Sumayṭ); born 23 July 1985) is an Indonesian preacher and Islamic scholar (ulama) from Manado, North Sulawesi. Habib Bahar is the leader and founder of the Prophet’s Defender Council headquartered in Pondok Aren, South Tangerang. In addition, he is also the founder of Pondok Pesantren Tajul Alawiyyin in Kemang, Bogor Regency. Habib Bahar is known as a preacher who often provokes the masses in a negative way. In each of his lectures, Habib Bahar was always accompanied and closely guarded by Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), and he was frequently accompanied by the Multipurpose Ansor Front when he preached in a place where his people were affiliated with Nahdlatul Ulama.

Police later ensnared Habib Bahar and his followers with Article 170 of the Criminal Code about destruction with the threat of a five-year sentence. In addition, they were also charged under Article 2 of the Emergency Law number 12 of 1951 with the threat of a 12-year sentence. Meanwhile, two minors who become suspects can be punished with the threat of six years in prison under the 1951 Emergency Act for carrying sharp weapons, and two and a half years for destroying private property. After brief detention and interrogation, Habib Bahar pleaded guilty and regretted not reporting to the police related to the violation committed by Cafe De Most for selling alcoholic beverages.