In late October, one of the regional Islamic organizations in Indonesia spoke out against the possession of digital currencies by Muslims.
The clergy issued a fatwa urging citizens not to buy bitcoins and other virtual coins or make transactions with such instruments.
Now all Muslims in Indonesia are prohibited from owning any digital assets. The corresponding decision was published this week by the Council of Religious Leaders of the country, which is responsible for the observance of Sharia law.
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The head of this organization, Asrorun Niam Soleh, told reporters that cryptocurrencies could be traded only if this instrument was subject to Islamic law. Due to its decentralized nature, it was decided to ban it.
Currently, Indonesia is home to about 237 million people, and almost all of them are Muslims (12.7% of the world's population).
Since 2017, the number of holders of bitcoin, ether, and other cryptocurrencies has been growing in this state. In January 2018, the authorities banned digital assets, and more recently it became known about their plans to tax traders.