Ahmadi schoolteacher shot dead in Sheikhupura

Pakistan

Ahmadi schoolteacher shot dead in Sheikhupura

By Rana Tanveer
Published: October 3, 2011

Dilawar Hussain was shot twice at the government school where he taught.

LAHORE: As his students watched, a recent convert to the Ahmadi faith, Dilawar Hussain, 42, was shot dead at a government primary school in a village in Sheikhupura on Saturday.

According to the FIR registered, the deceased was shot twice while he was taking a class at the primary school in Dere Golianwala.

Hussain, along with his wife, Ishrat Bibi, and four children, had recently converted to the Ahmadi faith. His family was the only one in the village belonging to the Ahmadiyya community, Sheikhupura’s Ameer Jamaat Ahmadiyya Chaudhry Abdul Hameed Bhatti told The Express Tribune.

He said the deceased’s siblings boycotted him after his conversion and other relatives went against him when local clerics declared him “liable to be killed”.

Bhatti said even his brothers, one of whom is a police officer, did not want to register an FIR and become a complainant. Instead, they made Ishrat Bibi the complainant and prepared the application themselves.

Hussain’s relatives refused to own his body. At the same time, they created obstacles for his widow to take the body away from the village to Rabwah, the headquarters of the Ahmaddiya community. However, under police security, she finally managed to take the body away.

Sheikhupura SHO Shahid Zafar Gujjar said that as the FIR was registered against two unidentified people, they had no information about the murderers.

The SHO said authorities will be able to trace out the assailants once the witness identifies them. He added that the police had completed the legal requirements by getting autopsy of the body and registering the FIR. He revealed FIR # 1146/11 under section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code had been registered against the assailants.

Saleemuddin, a spokesperson for Jamat-e-Ahmadiyya Pakistan, condemned the murder and demanded the immediate arrest of the accused. He said fatwas declaring members of the Ahmadi sect “liable to be killed” were being issued in different parts of the country and these religious edicts were being published in vast numbers. This, according to Saleemuddin, has resulted in target killings of many Ahmadis.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3rd, 2011.

Copyrighted © 2011 The Express Tribune News Network
URL: http://tribune.com.pk/story/265652/ahmadi-schoolteacher-shot...

Home minister rejects US influence on Ahmadiyah issue

NATIONAL Sat, 03/19/2011 10:57 AM

Home minister rejects US influence on Ahmadiyah issue

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian government reserves the right to treat the Ahmadiyah religious sect however it likes, Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi says, following a recent call by US congressmen demanding the Indonesian government revoke all laws that discriminate against Ahmadiyah and religious minorities.

Gamawan was quoted by kompas.com as saying on Saturday that he was not sure whether the letter from the US congressmen even existed.

Speaking on the sidelines of a ceremony where he received an honor from Padang State University in West Sumatra, Gamawan admitted that he had not seen the letter sent by 27 congressmen to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono via the Indonesian embassy in Washington on Tuesday.

In the letter dated March 15, the congressmen expressed their “deep concern” over decrees issued by provincial authorities, including East and West Java governors banning Ahmadiyah from practicing its religion publicly.

“We also ask that you immediately revoke the decree that bans Ahmadiyah from conducting religious activities in the country and repeal the country’s long-standing blasphemy law, which is used to prosecute religious minorities who exercise their right to freedom of religion expression,” they said in a statement received by The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

The congressmen also referred to the brutal attack on Ahmadiyah members in Cikeusik, Pandeglang, Banten, last month that killed three Ahmadis in the presence of police officers.

They also said that the decree that banned Ahmadiyah had led to escalating violence against religious minorities.

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URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/03/19/home-minister...

Int’l groups ask RI to stop prosecuting Ahmadis

NATIONAL Fri, 03/18/2011 11:35 AM

Int’l groups ask RI to stop prosecuting Ahmadis

Bagus BT Saragih and Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The international community has turned its eye on Indonesia’s continuing persecution of minority sect Ahmadiyah with 27 members of the US Congress signing a letter to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to revoke “prosecuting” bylaws.

In the letter dated March 15, the congressmen expressed “deep concern” on decrees issued by provincial authorities, including the East and West Java governors, banning Ahmadiyah followers from practicing their religion publicly.

“We also ask that you immediately revoke the decree that bans Ahmadiyah from conducting religious activities in the country and repeal the country’s long-standing blasphemy law, which is used to prosecute religious minorities who exercise their right to freedom of religion expression,” they said in the letter made available to The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

The congressmen also addressed the brutal attack on Ahmadiyah followers in Cikeusik, Pandeglang, Banten, last month, in which three Ahmadis were murdered in the presence of police officers. The congressmen also contended that the decree banning Ahmadiyah had led to escalating violence toward religious minorities.

“Not only do the decrees recently issued in East and West Java run contrary to the principles of international human rights, but we also fear that they will only serve to embolden extremists and exacerbate violence against the Ahmadiyah community,” they said.

Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said Thursday he had not received any letter from US congressmen.

Bylaws banning Ahmadiyah have been issued in five of the country’s 33 provinces, including West Java and East Java, the country’s most populated provinces. Administrations in seven regencies and four cities have also followed suit.

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo earlier mulled issuing similar regulations but dropped the idea last week.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto said banning Ahmadiyah violated the Constitution. Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali and Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi, however, backed the regulations, saying they were in line with a controversial 2008 joint ministerial decree banning Ahmadis from propagating their religious beliefs.

International human rights groups have also protested Indonesia’s lack of willingness to investigate the Cikeusik incident and the recent report over the Indonesian Military’s (TNI) involvement in intimidating Ahmadis in West Java.

Amnesty International urged the Indonesian government to “investigate reports that the military in West Java were involved in the intimidation of Ahmadiyah followers and had forced them to renounce their faith”.

A coalition of several Indonesian human rights groups previously reported that soldiers had carried out Operasi Sajadah (Operation Prayer Mat), which was aimed at converting Ahmadis to the “right path” of Islam.

The coalition claimed they had recorded at least 56 acts of intimidation by soldiers against Ahmadis in the province after the Cikeusik attack.

West Java’s Ahmadiyah Indonesia Congregation (JAI) protested the acts and filed a complaint to the West Java Legislative Council.

The TNI denies its soldiers were ordered to influence people’s decisions, adding that its involvement was acceptable provided no coercion was involved.

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URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/03/18/int%E2%80%99l-groups...

Indonesia faces a looming constitutional crisis

OPINION Fri, 03/18/2011 9:40 PM

Indonesia faces a looming constitutional crisis

Moh Yasir Alimi, Semarang

The nation is holding its breath. Within the space of a week we were confronted by two shocking events: the involvement of the Siliwangi Military Command in the alleged persecution of Ahmadiyah in West Java and a letter bomb sent to liberal Muslim activist Ulil Abshar Abdalla. Both evince the changing face of the nation’s society, politics and religious life.

The Siliwangi Military Command for a long time has taken pride as a guardian of the Indonesian people and the national motto of unity in diversity. The legendary command was on the front lines of the fight to save the new Indonesian nation from attempts to set up an Islamic state led by Kartosuwiryo in West Java and Kahar Muzakkar in South Sulawesi.

The command today seems disoriented and has lost sight of its fundamental values and history. Its presence in an operation to “purify” Ahmadiyah followers in West Java might have been unintentional, but in any event was misplaced, scary and might have led to persecution.

We might ask how this disorientation is connected to terrorists who attempt to assassinate people with different ideologies. Both incidents occured because Indonesia is now experiencing constitutional anomie.

Anomie, as Durkheim said, is a condition where there are no norms and the regulatory framework decays. Everyone “aspires to everything and is satisfied with nothing”.

Constitutional anomie, as I define it, is a disruption of the constitutional framework of a nation. In our case, it means that the fundamental principles embodied in the Constitution are no longer effectively realized in the day-to-day organization of politics and public life.

Constitutional anomie has manifested itself in Indonesia in six ways.

First, recent bylaws and statements from the elites contradict the spirit of the Constitution, particularly in terms of tolerance and diversity, and are becoming more open and more confidently expressed.

Second, officials manipulate the process so that it seems that the rules they create accord with the Constitution. Officials at many levels are confusing their religious and constitutional commitments.

Third, as a result of such manipulation, fundamental constitutional principles such as tolerance, religious freedom and diversity have been turned upside down. What is right and wrong has become unclear unconstitutionally.

Fourth, state officials are not on the same wavelength on realizing the Constitution.

For example, the President has made strong remarks on violence while elites talk, smile and offer open arms to extremist groups.

Further, governors have adopted bylaws that violate the spirit of constitutional diversity while top state officials in Jakarta, including the President stand mute.

The President seems to believe that Ahmadiyah, as a colleague said, is “a nuisance to his presidency and wishes they’d just go away.”

Fifth, elites have been sending confusing signals on the principles buttressing the Constitution, leading to state hesitation in cracking down on extremists.

Sixth, a warm reception from state officials has made religious vigilantes more confident.

Underlying these six symptoms a tendency of the elite to exploit violence as political commodity to raise their popularity. The Constitution has been subordinated to constituents and bartered for short-term and myopic political interests.

Above all, constitutional anomie has been exacerbated since the principles of the Constitution have no longer been supported by words and action at the Palace and the House.

We are puzzled why the President himself rarely invokes Pancasila and principles of the Constitution as the foundation of Indonesian values. I am not questioning the President’s commitment to Pancasila, only his inaction.

Constitutional anomie will be fatal for Indonesian democracy. So far we have seen how the abandonment of constitutional values and confusing signals sent by state officials has made the National Police hesitate to take action against violent groups because they do not have enough political support.

The Siliwangi Military Command is disoriented, which, as Durkheim said, happens is the first step on the road of anomie.

Constitutional anomie is like a river; it can sweep away anything standing in its way. Only those who hold to the Constitution and resist mingling it with their political interests will survive.

The most critical result of constitutional anomie is that the nation no longer shares the same spirit or sentiments. If this is not corrected, and the authority of the Constitution is not restored, the nation can fall into an irreversible and vicious circle of violence.

To stop this, soldiers should hold solidly to their basic values. They should not allow their integrity to be manipulated by the whims of Indonesian elites.

And state officials at many levels should stop running roughshod over the Constitution and commoditizing violence as political strategy.

History tells that the use of violence as political commodity will not only endanger the country, but also those who play with it.

If you play with fire, you get burned.

The writer is a lecturer at the School of Sociology and Anthropology at Semarang State University and active in Jamaah Mujahadah Asmaul Husna.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved
URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/03/18/indonesia-faces...

Soldiers’ roles in Ahmadiyah program ‘voluntary’

HEADLINES Wed, 03/16/2011 12:20 PM

Soldiers’ roles in Ahmadiyah program ‘voluntary’

Ina Parlina and Arya Dipa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Bandung

Soldiers involved in an operation initiated by the West Java administration to convince local Ahmadis to change their beliefs was “voluntary”, the Indonesian Military (TNI) said on Tuesday, emphasizing that they did not violate any regulations.

Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Wiryantoro told The Jakarta Post that the central command did not order the soldiers to assist the West Java administration in carrying out the Operasi Sajadah (Prayer Mat Operation), which aims at returning the Ahmadis — who have been deemed heretical — to the “right path” of Islam.

Wiryantoro added that the soldiers’ involvement was acceptable as long as they did not coerce people and were only trying to help educate the Ahmadis.

“The Ahmadis who converted did it voluntarily,” he said.

But the move drew strong criticism, mainly from legislators and human rights activists. Tubagus Hasanuddin, of the House of Representatives’ Commission I, said the action was wrong because “it intimidated people”.

“Even though the TNI claimed that they only helped the local administration, it’s wrong because their presence would definitely create fear among the Ahmadis” he told the Post, adding that the military should never be involved in such an operation or anything related to religious affairs.

Tubagus said the commission, which was scheduled to meet Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro on Wednesday to discuss the bill on intelligence, would question him about the incidents. He added that the commission invited the TNI chief to the meeting.

A coalition of several human rights groups accused the military of 56 acts of intimidation against Ahmadis in West Java after the attack of Ahmadiyah in Cikeusik, West Java, recently.

West Java’s Ahmadiyah Indonesia Congregation (JAI) protested intimidation by TNI officers during the deployments, complaining to the West Java Legislative Council on Tuesday.

Ahmadiyah spokesman Rafiq Ahmad Sumadi Gandakusuma told the regional councilors in the province about the intimidation they had experienced. “We don’t want the TNI or the police to interfere with our right to worship. They have to do their job, which is to protect the citizens,” Rafiq said, adding that Ahmadiyah also objected to West Java’s gubernatorial decree banning the spreading of Ahmadiyah teachings.

Syarif Bastaman, from the West Java regional council, concurred with Rafiq, saying he regretted that the decree had justified intimidation. “The decree surely needs to be reviewed.”

The human rights coalition, consisting of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation, human rights NGO Imparsial and the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence, recently published data of at least 56 cases of military officers in West Java working in the program.

They condemned the military for involving itself in religious matters. “President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono must order TNI Chief Adm. Agus Suhartono to stop their actions immediately and investigate the deployment due to alleged human rights and constitutional violations,” said Imparsial program director Al Araf who also represents the coalition.

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URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/03/16/soldiers...html

TNI should not be involved in Ahmadi conversions, says House official

NATIONAL Tue, 03/15/2011 2:00 PM

TNI should not be involved in Ahmadi conversions, says House official

The Jakarta Post

House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Pramono Anung says he regrets the deployment of military officers in West Java in a program aiming to convert Ahmadis to mainstream Islam.

“[The Indonesian Military] should not be involved in religious affairs. This move is regrettable,” he said Tuesday, as quoted by tribunnews.com.

So far under the program, named “Operation Sajadah” (prayer mat), around 15 Ahmadis have declared their conversion to mainstream Islam.

The campaign encourages followers of mainstream Islam to conduct their Friday prayers at Ahmadiyah mosques.

Pramono said the military should instead offer to protect the community.

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URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/03/15/tni...official.html