Muslim sect braces for Indonesia Ramadan violence

	August 02, 2011 Tuesday Updated 11.29 pm

SE Asia

Home > Breaking News > SE Asia > Story

Aug 02, 2011

Muslim sect braces for Indonesia Ramadan violence

Ahmadiyah leaders said they feared the worst after a court last week handed down sentences of only a few months in jail to hardliners who killed three sect members in a vicious mob attack. — PHOTO: REUTERS

JAKARTA - AS MOST Indonesian Muslims started the fasting month of Ramadan peacefully this week, followers of the minority Ahmadiyah Islamic sect braced themselves for hatred and bloodshed.

Ahmadiyah leaders said they feared the worst after a court last week handed down sentences of only a few months in jail to hardliners who killed three sect members in a vicious mob attack.

‘The extremists say this is a holy month, everything must be pure and sacred. So we, the Ahmadiyah followers, must be cleared out,’ Ahmadiyah spokesman Firdaus Mubarik told AFP.

The sect is unorthodox in that it does not believe Mohammed is the last prophet of Islam. It claims 500,000 followers in Indonesia, where it has existed in relative calm since the 1920s.

Islamic vigilante groups, emboldened by a decree ordering the sect to stop spreading its beliefs in the Muslim-majority country, have recently started targeting the Ahmadiyah in an ugly wave of hate crimes.

‘For us, the fasting month doesn’t mean there’ll be peace for us to perform our religious obligations. On the contrary, there are more opportunities for Muslim extremists to mobilise and incite people to attack us,’ Mr Mubarik said. — AFP

URL: www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_697509.html

Indonesian Muslims demand Ahmahdiyah be outlawed

	July 30, 2011 Saturday Updated 3.30 pm

SE Asia

Home > Breaking News > SE Asia > Story

Jul 30, 2011

Indonesian Muslims demand Ahmahdiyah be outlawed

Members of Indonesia's Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) rally on the streets in Jakarta July 30, 2011. Members of the FPI are demanding the government to disband Ahmadiyah sect. Indonesia's Assembly of Indonesian Muslim Clerics (MUI) considers the Ahmadiyah sect to be 'heretical' for believing that Mohammad was not Islam's final prophet. — PHOTO: REUTERS

JAKARTA — HUNDREDS of conservative Muslims held a noisy but peaceful rally in Indonesia’s capital on Saturday to demand the government outlaw an Islamic sect they consider heretical.

Nearly 1,500 white-robed protesters - gathering days after a court sentenced 12 men to less than six months in jail for lynching three Ahmahdiyah sect members - marched through the streets until they reached the presidential palace.

Some held placards that said ‘Disband Ahmadiyah or Revolution’ and ‘War against Ahmadiyah.’

Cleric Muhammad Rizieq Shihab shouted through his bullhorn that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should ‘not be a coward.’ ‘Disband them!‘ he said, as the crowd of 1,500 cheered and chanted ‘Allah Akbar’ or ‘God is great’.

Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim and secular nation of 240 million, has a long history of religious tolerance.

But experts say a small, extremist fringe has grown more vocal in recent years and is seeking - with some success - to impose its will on police, the judicial system and the government. They’ve been emboldened by the inaction of Mr Yudhoyono, who relies on the support of Islamic parties in Parliament, and does not want to offend conservative Muslims by taking sides. — AP

URL: www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_696548.html

The tipping point, terrorism and crimes against humanity

OPINION Thu, 10/07/2010 10:28 AM

The tipping point, terrorism and crimes against humanity

Jennie S. Bev, Palo Alto

It’s mind-boggling that the National Police have claimed they are one of the best police forces in the world in tackling terrorism and that the government has claimed it is an administration that governs a pluralistic country. Their claims are far from factual conditions. Otherwise many people wouldn’t be puzzled.

The Islam Defenders Front’s (FPI) acts of terror are rampant and have reached a point where religious minorities, including both non-Muslims and Muslims, have no place to stand and breathe. Recently, the places of worship and private residences of the Ahmadiyah Muslim sect have been ransacked, destroyed and burned. People have been abused physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Nothing the FPI does projects an image of peace, which is what Islam stands for. The FPI are more than religious extremists. And the Indonesian government has not acted properly to ensure they no longer perform acts of terrorism in the future.

The government must ensure that future acts of terrorism are eliminated, including those that may be perpetrated by the FPI on any civilian and any minority group. Only in this way could the country be called an integrated and pluralistic nation. Today, Indonesia is merely a segregated pluralistic country, or in other words, it looks pluralistic on the surface only.

To this day, a joint ministerial decree issued in 2008 banning Ahmadiyah members from practicing their faith in public or spreading its beliefs is still in force. In 2005, the MUI (Indonesian Ulemas Council) also issued an edict that said Ahmadiyah was heterical and blamesphemous.

Let me humbly remind the government that it allegedly “condoned” those brutal acts legally (through the joint decree) and morally (through the MUI’s edict). It might be true that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono previously expressed his sympathy to victims and asked the police to maintain security.

However, by upholding the joint ministerial decree, the government became the perpetrator of so-called “legalized persecution.” It violated the 1945 Constitution (the right to worship), principles of democracy (the protection of minorities) and principles of human rights.

Of course, the government has not signed the 1998 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Otherwise, Indonesia would have to ratify and enforce the statute. Upon enforcement, crimes against humanity could be brought to ICC in the Netherlands.

The Rome Statue defines crimes against humanity as offenses that constitute a serious attack on human dignity or cause grave humiliation to one or more human beings.

Crimes against humanity are not isolated or sporadic events, but are part of a government policy

(although the perpetrators need not identify themselves with this policy) or are part of a wide practice of atrocities tolerated or condoned by a government or a de facto authority.

Murder, extermination, torture, rape, political, racial, or religious persecution and other inhumane acts may reach the threshold of crimes against humanity only if they are part of a widespread or systematic practice.

Let me underscore this phrase: the wide practice of atrocities tolerated or condoned by a government or a de facto authority. Not performing sufficient measures to prevent attacks by the FPI falls under this definition.

At this point, we need to keep pressuring the government and Yudhoyono to use their consciences, maintain security and respect the Indonesian people’s sense of justice. International human rights watchdog organizations are working hard to pressure the government. And we, the people, are now waiting anxiously for a tipping point.

The “tipping point” is a theory popularized by Malcolm Gladwell, which refers to the moment of critical mass, threshold or a boiling point. Certain individuals or situations may trigger the boiling point for sociological change.

Considering the current state of frustration with and distrust of government by concerned citizens, it is not an exaggeration to predict that a tipping point for Indonesia is near. Such an occurrence might manifest itself in various forms, among which include the possibility of a revolution.

A revolution itself is a fundamental change in power that takes place in a short period of time. How and when it will take place is a big question mark.

It is simply a historical fact that change occurs periodically. Indonesia has endured far too long and is ripe for a major change where every citizen is equally protected. Things are boiling now and the tipping point is near.

The writer is an author and columnist based in northern California in the US and can be reached at www.jenniesbev.com

URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/10/07/the-tipping...-against-humanity.html

Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) asks Ahmadiyah to leave Islam

HEADLINES Wed, 10/06/2010 4:13 PM

NU asks Ahmadiyah to leave Islam

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) has suggested that Ahmadiyah followers no longer claim themselves as part of Islam, citing widespread rejection from Muslims in the country.

NU deputy secretary general Enceng Shobirin told a discussion on settlement to Ahmadiyah problems on Wednesday followers of the religious sect would suffer from isolation if they insisted on associating themselves with Islam while violating the basic teaching of the religion.

Enceng said violence against Ahmadis would recur as mainstream Muslims deemed the sect as a threat to Islamic teachings.

“Let’s conduct a study to find a win-win solution. In other countries Ahmadiyah followers could behave themselves,” Enceng was quoted by kompas.com.

Another speaker in the discussion, NU deputy chairman Slamet Effendi Yusuf, said Muslims across the world did not recognize Ahmadiyah as part of Islam.

“Even in Pakistan, where Ahmadiyah was born, the religious sect is not recognized as part of Islam, but its followers could practice their religious teachings. This could be the best solution to the Ahmadiyah problem,” Slamet said.

The government is reviewing a joint ministerial decree on Ahmadiyah in a bid to find a permanent solution to the issue, following the latest attack on an Ahmadi enclave in the West Java regency of Bogor last Friday.

Unlike Islam, Ahmadiyah does not recognize Muhammad as the last prophet.

URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/10/06/nu-asks-ahmadiyah-leave-islam.html

Politics Seen in Ahmadiyah Violence

August 1, 2010
Farouk Arnaz & Antara

Politics Seen in Ahmadiyah Violence

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Kuningan, West Java. The forcible closure of Ahmadiyah mosques, which led to rioting in Manis Lor village in Kuningan, West Java, was most likely fueled by the political desires of district head Aang Hamid Suganda, an official from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence alleged on Sunday.

“We found a fact [regarding Aang’s political designs]. We need to confirm it, but we believe it to be true,” said Sinung Karto, a member of the commission also known as Kontras.

“After two years of peace, anarchy occurred last Thursday.

This was triggered by instructions issued by the district head to seal off Ahmadiyah mosques,” he said, adding that the commission had undertaken two days of intensive research and investigations at the scene of the violence.

Sinung said that Aang had promised to close the mosques during his campaign for the 2008 district head election, in which he won a second term.

Aang’s term ends in 2013, and even though he cannot run for a third term, he is believed to be preparing the way for his wife, Utje Ch, to succeed him.

Closing down the Ahmadiyah mosques, Sinung suggested, was an effort by Aang to achieve this by courting public support.

Indra Listiantara, from the Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy, said that having investigated the case, Setara had come to the preliminary conclusion that Aang had ordered the mosques closed for political reasons.

“We suspect that once his term as Kuningan district head ends, Aang will run in the West Java gubernatorial election,” Indra said.

“He wants to keep his support base intact, and gaining political support from Muslim hard-liners by openly opposing and taking action against Ahmadiyah is key to that.”

Both Indra and Sinung have called on the police to take action and investigate the mosque closures and subsequent violence.

“Even though the police were a little slow in preventing what transpired on Thursday, we have to give them credit for stopping the scuffles from degenerating into a full-blown riot,” Indra said. “They should, however, find the person responsible for the incident.”

Police officers, acting on orders from Aang, on Thursday sealed off Ahmadiyah mosques in Manis Lor after having failed to do so on Monday due to resistance from the group’s members.

But as the protesters blocked police attempts to shut down their mosques, groups of hard-line Muslims flocked to the village and scuffles broke out.

Amid pressure from Muslim groups, the government in 2008 prohibited members of Ahmadiyah from practicing their faith in public or proselytizing, but stopped short of banning the sect.

Many mainstream Muslims consider Ahmadiyah deviant because its members recognize the sect’s founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, as a prophet.

Kuningan Police Chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Yoyoh Indayah confirmed that Aang issued an official letter last Thursday to seal off the mosques, “based on the demands of a certain Islamic group.”

“I do not want to speculate about what was behind the letter or those demands. I don’t know about political motivations,” Yoyoh told the Jakarta Globe.

“Nobody was arrested because I prefer to [keep the peace]. Those who sealed off the mosques, by the way, were not locals. They were from Tasikmalaya, Sumedang and Ciamis.”

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) said that if the government did not take action against the hard-liners, it was in effect endorsing further violence.

“We believe that violence against minority religious groups will continue if the government does not do anything,” Erna Ratnaningsih, from the YLBHI, said on Saturday.

Ifdal Kasim, from the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), said he regretted a recent statement by Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali, in which he declared Ahmadiyah haram, or forbidden.

“The government must admit to the existence of Ahmadiyah in Indonesia. It is the government’s job to allow the Ahmadis to hold their prayer services,” Ifdal said, a day after Suryadharma declared Ahmadiyah was haram because it was a misguided sect that did not consider Muhammad to be the last prophet.

Suryadharma urged police to take action against Ahmadis found spreading their teachings, even as he warned residents in Kuningan not to take the law into their own hands.

Hasyim Muzadi, who formerly led Nahdlatul Ulama, the largest Muslim organization in Indonesia, also said that even if Ahmadis veered away from mainstream Islamic teachings, Indonesians must not take the law into their own hands.

“Violence will cause those ideologies to turn even more militant, because they are pressured through physical means,” Hasyim said.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe

URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/politics-seen-in-ahmadiyah-violence/388928

Indonesian President: Hit Back at West Java ‘Anarchy’

July 31, 2010
Camelia Pasandaran

Police form a line between Ahmadiyah protestors who want their mosque reopened and mainstream Muslims who want to make sure it stays closed. (AFP Photo/Yonda)

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Indonesian President: Hit Back at West Java ‘Anarchy’

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Jakarta. Amid rising tensions in Kuningan, West Java, following the closure of Ahmadiyah mosques there by security officials, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Friday called for firm police action.

Djoko Suyanto, coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, said the president had instructed him to order the police to take resolute action against the unrest.

“In my opinion, anarchy — no matter by whom or where — should be handled firmly,” the minister quoted Yudhoyono as saying.

The Kuningan Police have already been told of their duties, Djoko said, adding that he had confidence they would be able to contain the situation.

Police officers, acting on orders from the Kuningan district head, on Thursday sealed off Ahmadiyah mosques in Manis Lor village after having failed to do so on Monday due to resistance from the group’s members.

But as the protesters blocked police attempts to shut down their mosques, groups of hard-line Muslims flocked to the village and scuffles have broken out. Police have since been busy preventing an escalation in violence.

Amid pressure from Muslim groups, the government in 2008 prohibited members of Ahmadiyah from practicing their faith in public or proselytizing, but stopped short of banning the sect that many mainstream Muslims consider deviant.

Unlike other Muslims, members of Ahmadiyah recognize the sect’s founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, as a prophet.

While ordering the police to be firm, Djoko recognized they also faced difficulties in containing the situation. “If there are only five officers up against 500 people, they cannot be firm,” he said. “So they have to adjust to the conditions in the field.”

Kuningan’s district head, Aang Hamid Suganda, who had ordered the mosques sealed, called on all parties to avoid violence.

“We must make all Kuningan people feel secure,” Aang said. “Violence is not the best way to solve problems, so let us discuss it and go through legal channels.

Dedeh, a resident of Manis Lor, said it had been four days since villagers had boarded up their windows to protect them from stones being thrown by protesters.

According to Dedeh, Thursday’s clashes were relatively minor compared to the violence that occurred last year and in 2007.

The Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) on Friday urged the government to punish people who resorted to violence or infringed on freedom of worship.

“It is not only about the right to have a religion or faith, but also about the right to feel secure, to be protected, to be free from discrimination, and the right to be protected as a minority,” said Nurkholis Hidayat, LBH’s director.

He said both the central government and regional administrations should be responsible for protecting and promoting human rights, as well as all religions and faiths, including Ahmadiyah.

The Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy also said on Friday that the state should safeguard freedom of religion.

“The president should be embarrassed if there are citizens who are unable to worship because of pressure from unruly masses.”


Additional reporting by Antara

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe

URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/sby-hit-back-at-w-java-anarchy/388732

Minority Islamic sect under fire in Indonesia

Minority Islamic sect under fire

in Indonesia

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Achmad Ibrahim, Associated Press Writer — Fri Jul 30, 11:03 am ET

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MANISLOR, Indonesia – A minority Islamic sect told followers Friday to prepare for war after rock-throwing mobs attacked one of their mosques in central Indonesia, calling its members heretics.

The weeklong violence in Manislor, a village in West Java province, peaked Thursday after more than 500 hard-liners from the Islamic Defenders Front, known as FPI, clashed with 3,000 Ahmadiyah sect followers.

At least eight people were injured, including three police.

“We have to defend ourselves and our mosques,” said Deden Sujana, who heads security for the sect, saying hard-liners have “gone too far.”

“We call on Ahmadiyah followers to fight against them in the name of Allah,” Sujana said.

Indonesia, a secular state of 235 million, has more Muslims than any other in the world.

Most people practice a moderate form of the faith, but a small but vocal extremist fringe has gained influence in recent years because the government relies heavily on Muslim parties in parliament.

Ahmadiyah, which has roughly 200,000 members, is considered deviant by conservatives because it does not recognize Muhammad as the final prophet. Perpetrators of violence against the sect often go unpunished.

Tensions started building around Manislor after local authorities sealed Ahmadiyah’s An-Nur mosque, saying they had violated a 2008 government decree that stops short of banning the group but orders members to stop practicing.

That gave FPI, hard-liners known for attacking nightclubs and bars, the unspoken go-head to target the sect.

Mobs threw rocks over the wall. Police, who are bracing for more violence over the weekend, responded by firing tear gas.

It is surprising to note that reporter mis-quoted Jamaat Ahmadiyya’s view and misunderstood it a “call for war”. Ahmadiyya Muslims in Manis Lor are trying to save their Eight Mosques from destruction by unruly mobs coming from other cities.

URL: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100730/ap_on_re_as/as_in...eligious_violence

Ahmadiyah Clashes Continue in Indonesia

July 30, 2010
Nurfika Osman, Ronna Nirmala & Camelia Pasandaran

A group of people believed to be Ahmadiyah followers fight back as Indonesian mainstream Muslims try to attack their mosque in Manislor village, Kuningan district, on Thursday. (AFP Photo/Yonda)

Ahmadiyah Clashes Continue in Indonesia

As the standoff between West Java villagers and followers of the Ahmadiyah sect entered its fourth day, the Ministry of Religious Affairs said it was trying to mediate the week-long dispute, which flared into violence again on Thursday.

Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali said the tension was essentially a “political problem.” He did not elaborate further but urged the warring parties to settle their dispute peacefully.

“Differences of opinion over religion should not be solved with violence but through discussion,” he said.

The Ahmadiyah is perceived as a deviant sect by mainstream Islam. The government has stopped the group from worshiping in public but has fallen short of banning it altogether.

After a failed attempt to seal the sect’s mosques in a village in Kuningan on Monday, police and the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) followed through with the closures on Wednesday, meeting fierce resistance.

“Government officials have an obligation to protect citizens without looking at their beliefs,” Ifdhal Kasim, the chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) told the Jakarta Globe on Thursday. “Sealing their house of worship is against the Constitution.”

Ahmadiyah followers and security forces clashed again on Thursday as groups opposed to the sect joined local police and Mobile Brigade (Brimob) units trying to close several mosques.

Groups claiming to support a pure form of Islam against the Ahmadiyah gathered around the entrance to Manis Lor village in Kuningan in the morning, following the sealing of eight Ahmadiyah mosques in the village, a local police officer said.

“At first, the anti-Ahmadiyah groups pelted the mosque with stones. The followers of Ahmadiyah were angry because their mosque was attacked, and there was fighting,” the officer said of Thursday’s violence, which reportedly stopped just after midday prayers. Ifdhal said Ahmadiyah followers were the real victims in the violence.

“They face many forms of discrimination. Their access to education and livelihood is limited and at the same time they are facing a government that facilitates the discrimination,” he said.

Bonar Tigor Naipospos, deputy chairman of the Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy, said the state should guarantee religious freedom to all, including the Ahmadiyah.

The group is often a target of orthodox Muslims worldwide because of its claim that the sect’s founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, is the last prophet, a view many consider blasphemy.

The government passed a decree in 2008 prohibiting the sect from practicing its faith in public or trying to convert others to its beliefs. [**]

According to Setara, which monitors religious tolerance, the past month has seen a sharp increase in acts of violence against the Ahmadiyah, especially in West Java.

“The use of public pressure and regional government power has been a systematic pattern in violations of religious freedom recently,” Bonar said.

The Kuningan district government has used pressure groups to back its effort to close the Ahmadiyah mosques in Manis Lor, but Bonar doubts they are local villagers. “According to our sources, these people did not come from Kuningan, but from other areas such as Ciamis and Tasikmalaya,” he said.

Bonar urged President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to show his commitment to pluralism by speaking out against the violence.

The statement is erroneous. Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian did not make any such claim of being last prophet. Please visit Alislam.org/messiah for further info.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe

URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/ahmadiyah-clashes-continue-in-indonesia/388538

Rights Commission Urges Authorities to be Strict on Sectarian Attack

Rights Commission Urges Authorities to be Strict on Sectarian Attack

Friday, 30 July, 2010 | 13:13 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta — The National Human Rights Commission has responded to a renewed attack on the banned Islamic sect the Ahmadiyah yesterday (29/7) in West Java which involved thousands from different islamic organisations in Kuningan Regency.

Stanley Adi Prasetyo a commissioner with the national body said today (30/7) “even law enforcement apparatus could not curb certain belief of faith let alone those who are not part of the authority.”

Thousands of people from different islamic group which are against the Ahmadiyah sect attacked a group of people after a religious gathering by the Ahmadiyah group in Manis Lor Village on Thursday (29/7). Attacks on the group have been reported since 2007.

Stanley said authorities should take strict measure against those who take the law into their own hands radically which he said will affect those outside the conflict.

ARIE FIRDAUS

The statement is erroneous. Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian did not make any such claim of being last prophet. Please visit Alislam.org/messiah for further info.

Copyright © 2010 TEMPOinteraktif
URL: www.tempointeractive.com/hg/nasional/2010/07/30/brk,20100730-267511,uk.html

Indonesia mob attacks Muslim sect

UPDATED ON: Thursday, July 29, 2010 21:18 Mecca time, 18:18 GMT

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NEWS   Asia-Pacific

Indonesia mob attacks Muslim sect

The mob stoned the mosque of Ahmadiya sect, whose beliefs contradicts mainstream Islam [AFP]

Indonesian police have clashed with about 200 people trying to attack a mosque used by a minority Islamic sect known as Ahmadiya.

The mob hurled stones at the mosque in Manislor village in Kuningan district in West Java, prompting an hour-long confrontation with police, a local Ahmadiya official said.

“About 200 people pelted stones at our mosque and clashed with the police for about an hour. It is not clear yet who was the organiser of the mob,” Nurahim, the local general secretary of the sect, told the AFP news agency.

“The police were able to secure the mosque and handle the people. The situation, however, is still tense now.”

Nurahim said the village’s 3,000 Ahmadiyah followers were ready to help the police if needed but would not respond to the violence.

“We had a similar experience before in 2007, in which our mosque and houses were attacked. A house was burned and several were damaged at the time,” he said.

The Ahmadiyah sect, which claims 500,000 followers in Indonesia, believes that its founder Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the final prophet and not Mohammad, contradicting a central tenet of mainstream Islam.

Ahmad claimed to be a reincarnation of Prophet Mohammad, a claim rejected by Muslim authorities and scholars.

He also claimed to to be the Christian messiah. His sect believes that Jesus did not die on the cross, but he moved to India where he died at the age of 120.

Indonesia’s top Islamic body issued a fatwa in 2008 describing the sect as “deviant”.

Ahmadiyah has had a presence in the country since the 1920s.

Aljazeera.net/english 2003 - 2010 ©

URL: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/07/2010729151640257216.html

Hundreds attack mosque

	July 29, 2010 Thursday Updated 11.17 pm

SE Asia

Home » Breaking News » SE Asia » Story

Jul 29, 2010

Hundreds attack mosque

JAKARTA - INDONESIAN police clashed with about 200 people on Thursday as the mob tried to attack a mosque in West Java belonging to a minority Islamic sect.

The crowd hurled stones at an Ahmadiyah mosque in Manislor village in Kuningan district, leading to an hour-long conflict with police, said local general secretary of the Ahmadiyah sect, Nurahim.

‘About 200 people pelted stones at our mosque and clashed with the police for about an hour. It’s not clear yet who was the organiser of the mob,’ Mr Nurahim, who goes by one name, told AFP.

‘The police were able to secure the mosque and handle the people. The situation, however, is still tense now,’ he said.

Mr Nurahim said the village’s 3,000 Ahmadiyah followers were ready to help the police if needed and were not carrying out counter-attacks.

‘We had a similar experience before in 2007, in which our mosque and houses were attacked. A house was burned and several were damaged at the time,’ Mr Nurahim said. – AFP

URL: www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_559341.html

Situation in Manis Lor Remains Tense as Ahmadi Hold Firm

July 29, 2010

Situation in Manis Lor Remains Tense as Ahmadi Hold Firm

The stand-off between locals and followers of the Ahmadiyah sect in Manis Lor village, Kuningan, West Java, is continuing.

On Thursday, 300 Islamic activists from Kuningan, Ciamis and Indramayu districts gathered at the village to protest against the continued existence of the Ahmadiyah community.

Ahmadiyah is seen as a deviant sect by mainstream Muslims. The government has banned the group from holding its rituals in public but has stopped short of banning it altogether.

Metro TV reported that Kuningan district head Aang Suganda arrived at the village to meet with both sides of the dispute.

He urged the parties to discuss their differences peacefully and avoid resorting to violence.

Meanwhile, in front of the An-Nur Mosque, 200 Ahmadiyah followers remained on guard, along with Kuningan Police and local Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) officers.

Many villagers were forced to erect signs in front of their homes. The signs read: “The residents in this house are not Ahmadiyah and please do not damage our house.”

Two previous attempts by local authorities and police to close the mosque have failed after they were met with fierce resistance.

The Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy recorded 33 cases of attacks against Ahmadiyah members last year and well as many other cases of religious discrimination against Christians.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe

URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/situation-in-manis-lor-rem...hmadi-hold-firm/388381

In Indonesia, Muslims, Ahmadis in standoff

In Indonesia, Muslims, Ahmadis in standoff

From Kathy Quiano-Castro, CNN
July 29, 2010 -- Updated 1355 GMT (2155 HKT)

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Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) – Sectarian tensions rippled through an Indonesian town Thursday, where groups squared off over the closing of a minority group’s mosques.

Groups of Muslims and Ahmadis threw rocks at each other in the West Javan village of Kuningan, with police standing guard between the two groups.

Indonesian TV showed scenes from the village and quoted police and others about the tensions.

The violence flared after the local government ordered the sealing and closing down of several Ahmadi mosques.

Ahmadis, a religious group loathed by many in the Muslim world, are considered heretical and have been persecuted.

Sunni and Shiites do not consider the Ahmadis part of Islam because they do not regard Mohammed as the last prophet sent by God. [**] As such, they have been targeted by Islamic extremists.

The Indonesians haven’t banned the group but have issued a decree banning the religion from holding public gatherings and spreading their beliefs. An Islamic council there also issued a fatwa against the group.

After the mosques were ordered closed, Ahmadis resisted, hurling rocks at police deployed there. Islamic activists came to the scene and demanded the closings.

Anti-Ahmadi protesters tried to break through the police barricade to get to the mosques. Residents fearing more attacks have put up signs in front of their homes, saying they’re not members of the Ahmadiya group.

Police officer Yoyo Indayah, from the Kuningan police, says officers were trying to persuade the activists to leave the site after evening prayers.

Slamet Effendy, head of the commission on inter-religious harmony in the Indonesian Islamic Clerics Council, said in a TV interview that he hopes for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

“Our security officers are still guarding the sealed mosques,” a police commander, S. Priyono, said on TV.

The statement is erroneous. Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian did not make any such claim of being last prophet. Please visit Alislam.org/messiah for further info.

© 2010 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
URL: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/07/29/ind...#fbid=c78-j6zQYaU

Hundreds attack Ahmadiyah mosque in Indonesia

INTERNATIONAL

Thursday ,Jul 29,2010, Posted at: 15:08(GMT+7)

Hundreds attack Ahmadiyah mosque in Indonesia

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JAKARTA, July 29, 2010 (AFP) — Indonesian police clashed with about 200 people Thursday as the mob tried to attack a mosque in West Java belonging to a minority Islamic sect.

The crowd hurled stones at an Ahmadiyah mosque in Manislor village in Kuningan district, leading to an hour-long conflict with police, said local general secretary of the Ahmadiyah sect, Nurahim.

“About 200 people pelted stones at our mosque and clashed with the police for about an hour. It’s not clear yet who was the organiser of the mob,” Nurahim, who goes by one name, told AFP.

“The police were able to secure the mosque and handle the people. The situation, however, is still tense now,” he said.

Nurahim said the village’s 3,000 Ahmadiyah followers were ready to help the police if needed and were not carrying out counter-attacks.

“We had a similar experience before in 2007, in which our mosque and houses were attacked. A house was burned and several were damaged at the time,” Nurahim said.

The Ahmadiyah sect, which claims 500,000 followers in Indonesia, believes that its founder Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the final prophet and not Mohammed, [**] contradicting a central tenet of mainstream Islam.

Indonesia’s top Islamic body issued a fatwa in 2008 describing the sect as “deviant”.

Ahmadiyah, which many conservative Islamic leaders in the Muslim-majority nation describe as their enemy, has had a presence in the country since the 1920s.

The statement is erroneous. Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian did not make any such claim of being last prophet. Please visit Alislam.org/messiah for further info.

The statement is erroneous. Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian did not make any such claim of being last prophet. Please visit Alislam.org/messiah for further info.

© Copyright 2005 SGGP English edition

URL: www.saigon-gpdaily.com.vn/International/2010/7/84302/

Tense Standoff in W. Java as Police Close Ahmadiyah Mosques

July 29, 2010

Tense Standoff in W. Java as Police Close Ahmadiyah Mosques

Jakarta. After having failed on Monday to seal off mosques belonging to the Ahmadiyah sect in a village in Kuningan, West Java, police and public order officers followed through with the closures on Wednesday but met with strong resistance from sect members.

An attempt to shut down the mosques on Monday failed after hundreds of men from the local Ahmadiyah sect blocked police from carrying out the operation.

“This morning, we returned to seal the mosques and we were assisted by other security forces such as the Mobile Brigade [Brimob], and the Public Order Agency [Satpol PP],” Comr. S Priyono, from the Kuningan Police, said on Wednesday, adding that about 250 personnel had been deployed.

According to Priyono, who heads the police’s operations division, the district chief, Aang Hamid Suganda, had ordered that the eight Ahmadiyah mosques located in Manis Lor village be shut down.

Ahmadiyah is seen as a deviant sect by mainstream Muslims. The government has banned the group from holding its rituals in public but has stopped short of banning it altogether.

Its followers believe its founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, was a prophet of Islam, a claim that contradicts orthodox Muslim beliefs.

The police succeeded in sealing the mosques early on Wednesday morning, but Ahmadiyah followers soon closed ranks and some began throwing sticks and rocks at the security forces.

A scuffle ensued and tear gas was used to disperse the crowd.

“Our security officers are still guarding the sealed mosques,” Priyono said, adding that tensions remained high between the security officers and Ahmadiyah members.

The Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy recorded 33 cases of attacks against Ahmadiyah members last year.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe

URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/tens...madiyah-mosques/388321

Tense Standoff in West Java After Police Attempt to Close Ahmadiyah Mosque

July 28, 2010
Jakarta Globe

In this file photo, protesters from Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) shout slogans during a rally to ban Ahmadiyah in front of Presidential Palace in Jakarta. (JG Photo/Jurnasyanto Sukarno)

Tense Standoff in West Java After Police Attempt to Close Ahmadiyah Mosque

Kuningan, West Java. Violent scenes erupted in Kuningan, West Java, early on Wednesday morning when police and local government security officers attempted to seal a mosque belonging to a branch of Islam considered deviant by mainstream Indonesian Muslims.

As police and Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) officers moved in on the Ahmadiyah mosque in Manislor village, enraged followers began pelting them with rocks and sticks.

Ahmadiyah is a controversial sect that believes its founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, was the last prophet of Islam [**], a claim that contradicts mainstream Muslim beliefs.

Outnumbered, policemen and Satpol PP finally withdrew but the group chased them to the village boundary.

According to Metro TV, the order to seal the mosque came from Aang Hamid Suganda, head of Kuningan district.

As of 10 a.m. this morning, the sect followers were still guarding and blocking the street leading to the mosque.

It was the local government’s second attempt to seal the mosque in the past three days. On Monday, the officers were forced to abort the plan because hundreds of people blocked the street.

On Monday, the Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy released a report saying that the government’s one-way system of monitoring religious harmony was ineffective.

“It seems that people and the government do not realize that the right to worship, as stipulated in the Constitution, comes with the right to have a house of worship,” Setara’s Bonar Tigor Naipospos said.

The statement is erroneous. Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian did not make any such claim of being last prophet. Please visit Alislam.org/messiah for further info.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe

URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/tense-st...hmadiyah-mosque/388168

Local govts ‘main actors’ in faith attacks

HEADLINES Tue, 07/27/2010 8:57 AM

Local govts ‘main actors’ in faith attacks

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The trend of employing violent means to suppress the religious freedom of minority groups is escalating, with local governments acting as the greatest violator, a report shows.

The research, carried out by the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace, shows there were 28 attacks on Christian churches between January and July this year. The figure is higher than 2009’s year-end total of 18 cases and 2008’s 17 attacks.

According to Setara deputy chairman Bonar Tigor Naipospos, the trend was troublesome because it reflected a continuing trend of violations against the constitutional and human rights of certain citizens.

“It’s true that no congregation members were hospitalized from being beaten up. But isn’t intimidation, the banning of houses of worship, and the sealing of churches by government a form of violence?” The sealing of churches and the refusal to grant building permits top the list of major violations.

The forceful closure of churches, the burning of churches and obstruction of services are next, with three cases each.

As an example, Bekasi administration sealed the Filadelfia Batak Protestant church in January after protests from hard-line religious groups contested the absence of the church’s building permit. Church officials said they had obeyed all the government’s requirements.

A 2006 joint ministerial decree outlines requirements needed to build a house of worship, including obtaining signatures from congregations and residents living nearby, as well as approval from the local administration.

The research supports the finding that name local administrations, organizations and citizens as the main violators, with 12, 10 and five cases attributed to each.

“The puritan and radical Islamic movement is strong in West Java,” Bonar said. “Sixteen cases were seen in Jakarta’s satellite cities of Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi and even in Karawang.”

Political motives, economic interests involving illegal extortion, and ideological clashes of “intolerant groups” refusing the presence of those with different religion mired most cases, he added.

“The local administration sees these groups as assets for local elections,” he said. “They bow to pressure from mass organizations that insist the churches’ presence and activities have caused unrest.”

Bonar said churches in Jakarta mainly faced trouble in renovating and expanding their buildings, which require building permits.

“They have to start over again by obtaining 60 signatures from residents living around the church and sometimes residents refuse to provide signatures,” he said.

Bonar urged the government to take legal action against violent groups as a deterrent for future cases.

However, the government has remained unresponsive to intolerant groups who violate the Constitution.

“We have a hesitant President. He is too busy maintaining his image,” he said. “It’s time to show a strong and definite leadership that would decide the political future of the country.”

The report recommends President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono review the 2006 joint ministerial decree and facilitate the establishment of houses of worship that have suffered rejections from local administrations and society.

A Catholic priest from the Indonesian Bishops Council, Father Beni Susetyo, said the problem lay in regional administrations’ inconsistency and lack of commitment to complying with regulations on the establishment of houses of worship.

“We are witnessing the politics of negligence, which makes people feel discrimination has taken place because the Constitution grants everyone the right to practice religions. If [local] administrations can be intimidated by those who commit violence, this country is doomed,” he said. (gzl)

URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/07/27/local-gov...-attacks.html

The Sealing of Eight Ahmadiyya Mosques in Manis Lor Village is Postponed

Translated from Indonesian by Lisa Latief

The Sealing of Eight Ahmadiyya Mosques in Manis Lor Village is Postponed

Monday, 26 July 2010 | 14:27 WIB

Jamaat Ahmadiyya of Kuningan, West Java, smeared their faces with toothpaste while obstructing the closing of their house of worship. TEMPO/ Widodo Djatmiko

TEMPO Interaktif, Kuningan — The sealing of the mosque belonging to Jamaat Ahmadiyya in Manis Lor Village, Jalaksana Subdistrict, Kuningan Regency, West Java, is finally postponed after holding dialogue. However, some members of Jamaat Ahmadiyya are still worried if their house of worship will be closed.

Today the government of Kuningan Regency planned to close and seal eight mosques belonging to Jamaat Ahmadiyya in Manis Lor Village. The closure is based on the warrant from Kuningan regent number 45/.2/2065/Satpol PP containing the order to close and seal eight mosques belonging to Jamaat Ahmadiyya in Manis Lor Village. This is based on the recommendation of Indonesian Ulema Council number 38/MUI-Kab/VI/2010 dated on June 24th 2010.

Based on that warrant, the Head of Civil Service Police Unit, Indra Purwantoro, along with other members came to Manis Lor Village to close up the mosque.

However, before they could reach the mosque, hundreds of Jamaat Ahmadiyya men blocked the way to the village. They also smeared their face with toothpaste in order to save themselves from effects of tear gas and held each other’s hands to block the way to the village.

They collected the blocks of beams and tires and placed behind the lines of human; while the women were reading Koran and praying in An Nur Mosque, the biggest mosque belonging to Jamaat Ahmadiyah in Manis Lor village.

One member of Jamaat Ahmadiyya managed to grab the warrant of Kuningan regent, Aang Hamid Suganda. He took it and wanted to tear it but the head of Civil Service Police Unit, Indra Purwantoro quickly chased and saved the warrant.

The Head of Ahmadiyya Center Security Commission, Deden Sujana said that they can not accept the sealing of the mosque which is the House of God before the dialogue started. “Mosque is the house of worship, why should it be sealed?“ he said.

Therefore, his side demanded for dialogue first, to know the reason of sealing of their mosque. Deden also claimed that whenever they had insistence from other groups, they always are blamed. “Why is it us to always be insisted?“ he asked.

Deden denied that it was Jamaat Ahmadiyya that opened the seal attached by Kuningan regency government in December 2007. “It was Litbang Depag, not us.” He said.

However, Indra Purwantoro denied that there was no dialogue before. “The dialogue has been held many times,” he said. But the result of the dialogue was that the order to seal the Ahmadiyya mosque was released by Kuningan regent.

Beside, Indra also said that in Ahmadiyya Articles of Association and bylaw, there is an article stating recruitment to convert to Ahmadiyya. “It has violated Indonesian Joint Ministerial Decree, because it is prohibited to recruitment from another religion,” he said.

Indra denied that the sealing happens because of the insistence from other Islamic groups. “I think it is not an insistence. It is an aspiration,” he said. Kuningan government, Indra thinks, should accommodate every aspiration. About the opening of seal by Litbang Department of Religious Affair, Indra admitted that he has not received any warrant yet from the department.

After holding tough dialogue for more than an hour, it was finally agreed that the dialogue will be conducted first and the sealing of the mosque is cancelled.

IVANSYAH

Original Indonesian Version

TEMPO Interaktif, Kuningan — Penyegelan masjid milik Jemaah Ahmadiyah di Desa Manis Lor, Kecamatan Jalaksana, Kabupaten Kuningan, Jawa Barat, akhirnya ditunda setelah dilakukan dialog. Namun sejumlah anggota jemaah Ahmadiyah masih was-was jika rumah ibadahnya akan ditutup.

Hari ini Pemerintah Kabupaten Kuningan berencana menutup dan menyegel delapan masjid milik jemaah Ahmadiyah di Desa Manis Lor. Penutupan tersebut didasarkan pada surat perintah Bupati Kuningan Nomor 45/.2/2065/Satpol PP yang berisi perintah menutup dan menyegel delapan masjid milik jemaah Ahmadiyah di Desa Manis Lor. Penutupan tersebut didasarkan pada rekomendasi Majelis Ulama Indonesia Nomor 38/MUI-Kab/VI/2010 tertanggal 24 Juni 2010.

Atas dasar surat perintah itulah Kepala Satuan Polisi Pamong Praja Kuningan, Indra Purwantoro, mendatangi Desa Manis Lor bersama dengan anggota lainnya untuk menutup masjid.

Namun sebelum sampai di masjid, ratusan kaum lelaki jemaah Ahmadiyah menutup jalan masuk ke desa. Mereka juga mencoreng muka dengan menggunakan odol, untuk menghindari jika dilempar gas air mata, serta bergandengan tangan untuk menutup jalan masuk ke desa tersebut.

Mereka pun mengumpulkan bongkahan balok dan ban yang diletakkan di belakang barisan manusia. Sedangkan para wanita terlihat mengaji dan berdoa di Masjid An Nur, masjid terbesar milik jemaah Ahmadiyah di Desa Manis Lor.

Sempat terjadi saling kejar saat seorang jemaah Ahmadiyah mengambil dan hendak merobek paksa surat perintah Bupati Kuningan, Aang Hamid Suganda. Namun Kepala Satuan Polisi Pamong Praja Indra Purwantoro segera mengejar dan mengamankan surat perintah tersebut.

Ketua Komisi Keamanan Ahmadiyah Pusat Deden Sujana mengungkapkan mereka tidak terima jika masjid yang merupakan rumah Tuhan disegel sebelum dilakukan dialog terlebih dahulu dengan mereka. “Masjid itu tempat ibadah, kenapa harus disegel,” katanya.

Karena itu, pihaknya pun menuntut dilakukan dialog terlebih dahulu untuk mengetahui alasan dilakukan penyegelan terhadap mesjid milik mereka. Deden pun mengklaim jika setiap ada desakan dari kelompok lain, merekalah yang selalu disalahkan. “Kenapa kami yang selalu didesak?“ tanyanya.

Deden pun membantah jika Jemaah Ahmadiyah Manis Lor yang membuka segel yang sudah ditempel Pemerintah Kabupaten Kuningan pada Desember 2007. “Yang membukanya Litbang Depag, bukan kami,” katanya.

Sedangkan Indra Purwantoro membantah jika belum dilakukan dialog. “Dialog itu sudah berkali-kali dilakukan,” katanya. Namun hasilnya tetap surat perintah untuk penyegelan masjid Ahmadiyah tetap dikeluarkan oleh Bupati Kuningan.

Selain itu Indra pun mengungkapkan jika dalam anggaran dasar dan rumah tangga Ahmadiyah terdapat klausul yang menyatakan perekrutan untuk masuk ke Ahmadiyah. “Ini sudah melanggar SKB 3 menteri. Karena tidak boleh ada perekrutan terhadap agama lain,” katanya.

Indra pun membantah jika penyegelan dikarenakan adanya desakan dari kelompok Islam lainnya. “Saya kira itu bukan desakan. Tapi aspirasi,” katanya. Setiap aspirasi menurut Indra harus ditampung oleh Pemkab Kuningan. Mengenai segel yang dibuka oleh Litbang Departemen Agama, Indra mengaku selama ini belum pernah menerima surat dari Litbang Departemen Agama tersebut.

Setelah dialog yang alot, hingga memakan lebih dari 1 jam, akhirnya disepakati jika dialog akan dilakukan terlebih dahulu dan penyegelan mesjid dibatalkan.

Ivansyah

Copyright © 2010 TEMPOinteraktif

URL: www.tempointeraktif.com/hg/bandung/2010/07/26/brk,20100726-266332,id.html

Blocking the Road to Village, Jamaat Ahmadiyya of Kuningan refuses to get their Mosque sealed

Translated from Indonesian by Lisa Latief

Blocking the Road to Village, Jamaat Ahmadiyya of Kuningan refuses to get their Mosque sealed

Monday, 26 July 2010 | 10:00 WIB

Some of Jamaat Ahmadiyya members held Id Prayer 1429 H in Al-Kautsar Mosque, Pontianak, West Kalimantan, on Wednesday (1/10). Until now, Jamaat Ahmadiyya Indonesia in West Kalimantan has 500 members and they hold Id prayer and daily activity as usual. FOTO ANTARA

TEMPO Interaktif, Kuningan — Hundreds of members belonging to Jamaat Ahmadiyya in Manis Lor village, Jalaksana Sub district, Kuningan regency are preparing to prevent the sealing of their Mosque by Kuningan Government, on Monday (26/7) today.

Based on what is observed, hundreds members of Jamaat Ahmadiyya, most of them men, seem to be blocking the roads leading to their village. The blockage is specially managed on the main road to their mosque.

Nur Rahim, General Secretary of Ahmadiyya Manis Lor, Kuningan explained that they just defend the house of God. “We defend the House of Allah,” he said.

They, Nur Rahim continued, will defend the house of Allah to the death. Kuningan government will seal it today. “We hope there will be no conflict, but we will definitely defend our house of worship till the end,” he said.

Meanwhile, according to what is seen, hundreds of policemen are still protecting the entry road to Manis Lor village. However, until now, the officials of Kuningan government who will manage the sealing have not been seen yet.

Ivansyah

Original Indonesian Version

TEMPO Interaktif, Kuningan — Ratusan jamaah Ahmadiyah di Desa Manis Lor, Kecamatan Jalaksana, Kabupaten Kuningan bersiap-siap menghadang penyegelan yang akan mesjid yang akan dilakukan Pemerintah Kabupaten (Pemkab) Kuningan, Senin (26/7) hari ini.

Berdasarkan pantauan, ratusan jamaah Ahmadiyah yang rata-rata terdiri dari kaum lelaki terlihat memblokir jalan masuk ke desa mereka. Pemblokiran dilakukan terutama sebelum jalan masuk ke mesjid mereka.

Nur Rahim, Sekretaris Umum (Sekum) Ahmadiyah Manis Lor, Kuningan,menjelaskan mereka hanya mempertahankan rumah Allah. “Kami hanya mempertahankan rumah Allah,” katanya.

Mereka, lanjut Nur Rahim, akan mempetahankan habis-habisan rumah Allah yang rencananya akan disegel oleh Pemkab Kuningan hari ini. “Kami tidak berharap terjadi kerusuhan, tapi yang pasti kami akan mempertahankan habis-habisan rumah ibadah kami,” katanya.

Sementara itu berdasarkan pantauan ratusan polisi pun masih berjaga-jaga di jalan masuk Desa Manis Lor. Namun hingga kini aparat dari Pemkab Kuningan yang akan melakukan penyegelan belum terlihat.

Ivansyah

Copyright © 2010 TEMPOinteraktif

URL: www.tempointeraktif.com/hg/bandung/2010/07/26/brk,20100726-266224,id.html

Toward a more open society

OPINION Mon, 07/26/2010 9:37 AM

Toward a more open society

Usman Hamid, Bogor

On July 7, I had a chance to meet Switzerland President Doris Leuthard during her visit to Indonesia.

The topic of the meeting was about today’s world’s most important issue: Islam and pluralism. Leuthard’s visit was crucial because the minaret referendum in Switzerland had become a controversy in Indonesia sometime ago.

Other participants, included prominent scholars such as Franz Magnis Suseno, Yenny Wahid and Goenawan Mohammad.

We expressed concern about the development of the issues of freedom of religion and of the tendency to disrespect principles of the rule of law, equality for all citizens and human dignity.

Religious intolerance seems to be growing stronger in our society, particularly here in Indonesia, although the context of history and politics and the threat to religious minority groups in our respective countries are very different.

Indonesia has a long history in recognizing diversity and promoting tolerance. It is unacceptable for the differences that have emerged to result in acts of violence for the benefit of a particular religion or group and to the detriment of all others.

Indonesia has developed into a stable democratic country and has begun to promote respect and recognition of universal human rights values.

In a democratic government, every citizen is allowed to choose their religious beliefs. The government should protect them, instead of interfering in such a domain.

However, the threats endangering freedom of religion have sometimes been generated through democratic institutions and mechanisms, including voting or polling. In this stage, democracy needs more values such as humanism to protect the weak, the minority, the marginalized and the oppressed.

Indonesia has seen a deficit in terms of constitutional democracy and freedom of religion such as sectarian conflict in Ambon and Poso. In other cases, hard-line groups have committed violence against minorities, both the internal and the outsiders, in which women have fallen victims.

The adoption and implementation of several new laws has contributed such to the deteriorating situation of freedom of religion in Indonesia. As an example, the imposition of a bylaw (Qanun) on Sharia in Aceh, which is followed by Islamic-centered policies at district or regency levels. The interest groups in Aceh use justification saying that the special autonomy law had become “the legal umbrella” to endorse the bylaw, let alone the Indonesian Constitution as the highest legal basis.

Another situation is found in the Constitutional Court’s ruling in 2010. The Court refused to annul the 1965 Prevention of Blasphemy and the Abuse of Religions Law that has been used to encourage persecution against non-mainstream religious groups, such as Ahmadiyah.

Using this contextual prism, we observe similar problems faced by Switzerland in relation to the Minaret referendum controversy. Such controversy also gave negative implications in religious freedom in Indonesia. Should such controversy, which indicates disrespect toward the freedom of religion happening even in a country like Switzerland, where human rights are well-established in its constitution; radical Muslim groups here would undermine democracy and human rights in Indonesia’s agenda.

In 2010 alone, eight cases of religious vigilante are recorded, including intimidation, physical assaults such as beating, and the illegal moves taken to dissolve meetings held by or for the minorities.

Recently, hard-line group claimed to be defenders of Islam dissolved a workshop on transgender issues, organized by the National Human Rights Commission and attended by legislators from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), using fake argumentation that communist followers attended the meeting.

Violent activities could easily happen because of the absence of law enforcement, in particular, omission by the police. Therefore, national authorities must take firm action against any incitement to violence committed by extreme groups. Last week, the National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri promised there would be no raid by mass organizations during Ramadan.

Apart from lack of law enforcement, peace education for all sectors of the young generation is essential.

Cultural education is an important precondition to take care of freedom. Like what our founding fathers often emphasized, freedom is not only political freedom, but also openness of mind and spirit, regarding the world without prejudice, unhampered by restrictions and narrow-minded distrust.

We hope that Leuthard’s visit to Jakarta will always remind us to give serious attention to the issues of religious tolerance. By promoting the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, this issue should be discussed in every human rights dialogue held between Indonesia and Switzerland, as well as inside the human rights framework of the European Union Comprehensive Partnership Agreement (CPA) so that we all move further toward a more open society.

The writer is the coordinator for the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras).

URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/07/26/toward-a-more-open-society.html