Editing Eden Community (section)

==History==
The original story of Eden was told by Lia, when one day in 1974, she, an ordinary housewife known for her creative dried flower arrangements, was relaxing at her in-laws’ residence when she saw a ball of bright yellow light hovering above her head before vanishing. Some 20 years later, on the night of 27 October 1995, the ball of light returned, enveloping her while she was deep in daily prayer. Her spiritual guide Habib al-Huda, revealed himself to be the archangel Gabriel, calling her to the divine.<ref name="Ibrahim-JP-2021"/><ref name="RNB-2006"/>

In its early days, the cult had as many as 100 followers—including "celebrities, cultural experts, intellectuals and students".<ref name="RNB-2006"/> The socio-economic turbulence of the times, a monetary crisis and a government on the verge of collapse, gave the group an opening. "As the certainties of the old political, economic and social orders began to crumble, a desire for dramatic change and novelty took over."<ref name="Ibrahim-JP-2021"/>

In 2000 Lia proclaimed Eden a new religion—Salamullah.<ref name="RNB-2006"/> Lia's sermons drew hundreds, including some of the Indonesia's "leading intellectuals, revolutionaries and artists".<ref name="Ibrahim-JP-2021">{{cite news |last1=Ibrahim |first1=Raka |title=Lia Aminuddin: Life after Eden (part one)  |url=https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2021/04/28/lia-aminuddin-life-after-eden-part-one.html |access-date=23 September 2023 |work=Jakarta Post |date=28 April 2021}}</ref>

But as her teachings "veered even farther into fringe religion", the religious and political (Islamic) mainstream became "unrelenting" in their attacks. "Her followers were ostracized, her teachings reviled, her public appearances ridiculed. She was jailed twice for blasphemy."<ref name="Ibrahim-JP-2021"/>

In 1997, the MUI had issued an edict declaring Eden's religion deviant.{{NoteTag|"As expected, in December 1997 the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) condemned Salamullah for spreading false Koranic teachings".<ref name="RNB-2006"/>}} In December, 2005, the group's meeting place was surrounded by thousands of locals. Police forcibly evacuated followers to prevent them from being attacked by the people, who claimed that Lia and her followers were teaching heresies of Islam.<ref name="AI-2005"/>

Lia served sixteen months in prison after being convicted of blasphemy for proselytising her religion by the Central Jakarta District Court on 29 June 2006.  Lia's right-hand man, Wahyu Andito Putro Wibisono was given a two-year prison sentence for the same charge.<ref name="Jakarta" />  On 2 June 2009, the Court convicted her again for the same crime and sentenced her to two and a half years in prison.<ref name="Jakarta">{{Cite news |last=Wisnu |first=Andra |date=3 June 2009 |title=Lia Eden sentenced to prison, again |work=[[The Jakarta Post]] |url=http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/06/03/lia-eden-sentenced-prison-again.html |accessdate=2009-06-23 |archive-date=28 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090628074922/http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/06/03/lia-eden-sentenced-prison-again.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
Lia died on 9 April 2021 "almost unnoticed", according to the Jakarta Post.<ref name="Ibrahim-JP-2021"/>