Climate of fear over Pakistan blasphemy laws

South Asia

28 April 2011 Last updated at 09:25 GMT

Climate of fear over Pakistan blasphemy laws

The scene of Shahbaz Bhatti’s murder is festooned with banners and flowers commemorating his life

Earlier this year two prominent politicians in Pakistan were murdered over their opposition to Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws. The BBC’s Jill McGivering investigates how the abuse of these laws is creating a climate of fear among Pakistan’s religious minorities.

One stretch of road in a residential suburb of Islamabad has the air of a shrine.

This is where Pakistani Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti was shot dead in March. Bunches of flowers, many now dry and brown, are piled on the kerb. Large colour posters showing his picture are displayed alongside.

On seeing the media, guards from his mother’s home nearby rush out to explain what happened.

Mr Bhatti had just left her home, they say as they walk me through the short distance, when another car blocked his path at the junction and the gunmen inside it opened fire.

Mr Bhatti’s murder shocked Pakistan.

It came just weeks after the shooting of another prominent politician, Punjab Governor Salman Taseer.

Both men had dared to speak out about the need for debate and possible reform of the controversial blasphemy laws.

And both men paid with their lives.

Not long before his death, Mr Bhatti had a long phone conversation with one of his brothers, Paul, an affluent doctor based in Italy. I met Paul Bhatti in Shahbaz Bhatti’s old offices.

‘Victimised’

“We discussed his work and the threat to his life,” he told me. “I tried to persuade him to stop and move to Europe but he wouldn’t.”

Meher Aslam Nasir is pursuing a charge of blasphemy against some Ahmadi men

Now, as a result of his brother’s death, Paul Bhatti has decided to suspend his medical career, return to Pakistan and continue his brother’s fight.

“We need to change the laws,” he said, “and also change people’s thinking. Some people think we want to amend the laws so that people can commit blasphemy. Of course we don’t want that - why would anyone want to do that?

“But we do want to protect innocent people who are victimised by this law. Some people use it for personal revenge.”

The Bhatti family are Christians and particularly aware of false blasphemy charges made against religious minorities.

In terms of actual numbers, most cases are filed against Muslims - but groups like Christians and Ahmadis, a very small proportion of Pakistan’s population, account for a disproportionately high percentage of cases.

It’s not only Christians. It's also many Muslims who are suffering because of this”

Joseph Coutts
Roman Catholic Bishop of Faisalabad

The recent high-profile murders have certainly added to the climate of fear surrounding this highly sensitive issue.

As I travelled through Pakistan, speaking to people who are directly involved with current cases, either as accusers or accused, many were terrified.

Many of the accused, even those who had been acquitted by the courts, have been forced to abandon their homes and go into hiding.

A blasphemy conviction carries the death penalty although in practice it is not carried out in these cases.

But the accused, whether they are convicted or not, face a constant threat of being murdered.

Many Pakistani Muslims feel intense passion about their faith. Any suggestion that someone may have insulted the Prophet or defiled the Koran sparks anger which can sometimes turn to physical violence.

Conservative clerics oppose attempts to reform the laws. They also warn that if the courts are lenient, the public may increasingly choose to take the law into its own hands and execute its own form of extra-judicial justice.

In Nankana Sahib in Punjab Province, I met Meher Aslam Nasir, a lawyer and leading member of an Islamic political party. He is currently pursuing a charge of blasphemy against several Ahmadi men.

“As Muslims, how can we allow anyone to intentionally or unintentionally defame the Prophet and not bring them to justice? We must implement the law. Innocent people have never been targeted and never will be,” he said.

‘False accusations’

But others disagree. Joseph Coutts, the Catholic Bishop of Faisalabad, says his concern is not with the purpose of the laws but with the way he says they are being abused.

Christians argue they are often falsely accused of blasphemy

“Most cases are false accusations,” he told me, “to settle personal disputes or sometimes for land grabbing. Once you are accused, no-one stops to ask: excuse me, did you really say this? The emotions just boil over.

“And if it is announced from the mosque, everyone accepts it as true and they’re ready to attack the person. It’s not only Christians. It’s also many Muslims who are suffering because of this.”

There are concerns too about the difficulty of proving innocence. Allegations that someone verbally insulted the Prophet often come down to one person’s word against another’s.

Some suggest that one way of reducing false and malicious allegations would be to introduce stiff penalties for anyone who makes an allegation which fails to lead to a conviction.

In the meantime, one consequence of the recent bloodshed is that public debate has been stifled.

To critics of these laws, that is a severe blow to Pakistan’s weak democracy as it continues to battle against Islamic extremism.

Jill McGivering’s report Blasphemy: A Matter of Life and Death can be heard on the Assignment programme on the BBC World Service on Thursday 28 April.

BBC © 2011
URL: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13038060

Jakarta Journo: End of the Line For Ahmadiyah?

LIFE & TIMES

Jakarta Journo: End of the Line For Ahmadiyah?

Armando Siahaan | March 28, 2011

I’ve been monitoring news reports about the Ahmadiyah followers who recently converted to mainstream Islam — and it’s depressing reading. What appalled me most was that some media outlets used the word “ tobat ” (“repent”) in their headlines, leaving me with the distinct feeling that the fate of the minority Islamic sect is bleaker than ever.

Repent is religious jargon. It implies a feeling of remorse about one’s wrongdoing or a return to the right path. A more neutral word is convert, as it denotes a change in one’s religious faith without making judgement as to whether the action is right or wrong. Intentionally or not, by saying those Ahmadis “repented,” the media insinuates that the Ahmadiyah sect is deviant and conversion was the right thing to do. We can debate day and night whether it is acceptable for the media to adopt a position on an issue as complex as Ahmadiyah. Judging by the coverage, however, some in the media seem to have joined the army of institutions that want to see the group disbanded.

The repent-convert debate aside, we need to ask whether those who converted did so of their own free will or were forced to do so. We’ve recently heard rumors about the so-called Operasi Sajadah (Operation Prayer Mat), where some elements of the military allegedly forced a group of Ahmadis to convert.

The greatest challenge to Ahmadiyah surely comes from Islamic hard-liners. Over the past several years, hard-liners have unleashed a wave of violent attacks on the group. And as we have seen, law enforcers, whose job is to protect all citizens, regardless of their religion, have failed to keep Ahmadis safe from harm. But have the police ever managed to prevent an attack, instead of just strolling in after the fact to try and pick up the pieces?

Ultimately, however, the government holds the key to solving this problem. A scary thought, considering it was the government that markedly curtailed Ahmadiyah’s right to practice its beliefs through its discriminative 2008 joint ministerial decree on the group.

While President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has repeatedly condemned the attacks on Ahmadis, he hasn’t done anything to revoke the ministerial decree. Nor has he done anything as at least two regional administrations — in East Java and West Java — have issued their own decrees banning the activities of the sect.

Last week, the Religious Affairs Ministry invited representatives from Ahmadiyah to attend a dialogue with other Islamic organizations, including the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and the Islamic People’s Forum (FUI), as well as the country’s two largest Muslim organizations, Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah. Looking at who was involved, it seems more like an intervention than a discussion.

Even international pressure has failed to shake the government’s position. When 27 American lawmakers demanded the Indonesian government revoke the 2008 ministerial decree, both the Home Affairs Ministry and the Religious Affairs Ministry rejected their call.

The Ahmadis last hope lies in the hands of moderate Muslims, supposedly in the majority in this country. While some Muslims have condemned the attacks on the sect, few have stood up to tell the government to protect Ahmadiyah followers and their right to worship. This silence effectively condones the anti-Ahmadiyah movement. The government has turned a deaf ear to the Ahmadis’ pleas for help, while handing a megaphone to the hard-liners. Is this the end of the line for Ahmadiyah?

Armando Siahaan is a reporter at the Jakarta Globe and writes a weekly column about current events. Follow @jakartajourno on Twitter or e-mail him at armando.siahaan@thejakartaglobe.com.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe
URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/lifeandtimes/jakarta...

Religious Affairs Minister Resolute on Controversial Decrees

HOME

Religious Affairs Minister Resolute on Controversial Decrees

March 26, 2011

Religious Minister Suryadharma Ali says the decrees on Ahmadiyah and places of worship are enough to maintain religious tolerance in Indonesia (Antara Photo)

Religious Minister Suryadharma Ali reiterated once again that two controversial decrees governing religious issues would not be revised or revoked despite increasing protests against them.

“The joint decrees will not be revised and the regulation on Ahmadiyah will remain,” Suryadharma said during an event held by his United Development Party (PPP) in Manado, North Sulawesi on Friday.

He was referring to the 2008 joint ministerial decree on the Ahmadiyah and the 2006 joint ministerial decree on houses of worship — two decrees the minister says are enough to regulate religious differences in Indonesia, but which pluralism advocates say foment intolerance instead.

“The decrees are still very relevant, it’s so obvious,” Suryadharma said.

The decree on houses of worship, issued by the ministries of religious affairs and home affairs, requires a religious group to obtain the approval of at least 60 households in the immediate vicinity before building a house of worship. It has been criticized for making it almost impossible for minority faiths to build churches in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.

Calls to amend the decree resurfaced following the attack on two leaders of the Batak Christian Protestant Church’s (HKBP) Pondok Timur Indah congregation in Bekasi on Sept. 12. One leader was stabbed and another beaten. The church has been at odds with Islamic hard-liners, who have objected to the presence of a church in the area.

The decree on Ahmadiyah, on the other hand, requires the Ahmadiyah community to “stop spreading interpretations and activities that deviate from the principal teachings of Islam.”

Data from the Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy shows that violence against Ahmadiyah followers increased following the 2008 national decree — with the number of attacks rising from three in 2006 to 50 in 2010.

Human Rights Watch has said the decree and the actions of top government officials facilitated discrimination against the group and unofficially condoned recent attacks on Ahmadis. The US-based NGO has also called for the removal of Suryadharma for repeatedly urging the cabinet to issue a total ban on Ahmadiyah.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has also been sent a letter by 27 US lawmakers urging him to immediately revoke recent provincial decrees and the 2008 national decree banning Ahmadiyah activities.

Antara, JG

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe
URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/religious.../431754

Bombs Provide Ammo for Preaching Tolerance

HOME

Bombs Provide Ammo for Preaching Tolerance

Zubaidah Nazeer- Straits Times Indonesia | March 25, 2011

Last week’s string of mail bombs sent to several moderate Muslim leaders in Indonesia have helped to highlight their work, even as loud noises made by radicals continue to chip away at the country’s heritage of tolerance.

These leaders say they are stepping up their activities and working with other groups to emphasise religious diversity and tolerance, and they do not want to rely on the government.

Some have been quietly engaging the Ahmadiyah sect, whose believers were attacked by a mob last month in Cikeusik, Banten province, West Java.

Said Mr Zuhairi Misrawi, chairman of the Muslim Moderate Society: ‘We have been working behind the scenes with other organisations which support pluralism, and engaging our grassroots through our leaders in all provinces. So we know that on the ground, the majority do not think and feel the same way as the radicals.’

He will be meeting representatives of the Ahmadis in Bogor today.

His organization has previously fanned out to the provinces to train young religious teachers, and distributed sermons to mosques with contents that counter radical ideas.

Others like Mr Hashim Muzadi, a former chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama, the largest moderate Muslim group in Indonesia, also oppose the use of force against minority groups. He said: ‘Islamic clerics across Indonesia need to work harder… to enlighten the Ahmadis so they come back to the right path. Whatever the reason is, violence is not allowed… not by Islam, by Indonesian national law, by human rights principles.’

Three Ahmadis were killed in the mob attack last month. Since then, there has been other news of attacks against them.

Though such incidents have sparked fears that Indonesia’s Muslims are increasingly becoming intolerant, several religious leaders remain optimistic that the silent majority will not be swayed by the ideology of hate. Instead, moderate Muslim leaders criticised the government for its handling of religious conflicts.

Mr Luthfi Assyaukanie, co-founder of the Liberal Islamic Network, told The Jakarta Post: ‘Religious intolerance and the radicalisation of Islam are getting worse. The government is failing.’

Added Mr Zuhairi: ‘The government inaction shows its weakness and ignorance in dealing with religious tensions.’

The Muslim Moderate Society is a member of the Alliance for Diversity and Religious Freedom, a band of 25 organisations from different faiths, including Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism.

Pastor Johannes Hariyanto, secretary-general of the Indonesian Conference on Religion and Peace, said: ‘A lot of us who advocate pluralism have been engaged in regular dialogues for some time but… we should push to make the majority voice louder.’

He added: ‘Indonesia has a rich history of religious diversity and tolerance, but since the mid-1990s some groups have brought back rigid and extreme versions of Islam they were exposed to while studying in some Arab countries. These are not suitable for a secular, multi-religious society like ours.’

The mail bombs jolted many Indonesians as they were sent to those seen to be advocating religious pluralism, observers say. One was sent to Mr Ulil Abshar-Abdalla, founder of the Liberal Islamic Network. Another was sent to the youth chief of a nationalist organisation, while a third was sent to a rock musician who sings songs about Indonesia’s pluralism and diversity.

‘Yes, I am worried that pluralist Muslims are targeted, but we should not be discouraged,’ said Mr Zuhairi. ‘We should continue our work of spreading tolerance and reminding everyone that the Indonesian Constitution protects the rights of everyone to practise their beliefs peacefully.’

Reprinted courtesy of Straits Times Indonesia…

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe
URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/bombs.../431556

Ahmadiyah followers evicted again

HEADLINES Sat, 11/20/2010 12:07 PM

Ahmadiyah followers evicted again

Panca Nugraha, The Jakarta Post, West Lombok

.

Against Ahmadiyah members: Several people meet village officials in Gegerung village, Gerung regency in West Nusa Tenggara on Friday. The villagers objected the presence of Ahmadiyah followers, who just returned to Gegerung village after staying for a long time in shelters at Wisma Transito. They asked the officials to evict all Ahmadiyah members from the village.Antara/Ahmad Subaidi

.
Members of the Ahmadiyah sect, who returned to their homes in West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, a few months ago after being evicted, were evicted once again on Friday following pressure from local villagers.

Dozens of Gegerung villagers converged at the village office on Friday and urged the village chief to immediately evict the Ahmadiyah members from Ketapang hamlet.

They voiced objection to the presence of the Ahmadiyah members to the Gegerung village chief, the Lingsar district head and police chief.

During the meeting held at the Gegerung village office, located around 3 kilometers from Ketapang hamlet, a number of Ahmadiyah followers began leaving their homes, especially women and children.

Most of the men stayed until noon on the grounds that they were protecting their belongings.

The Ahmadiyah members, made up of 12 families, or 45 people, eventually agreed to leave their homes before Friday prayers after officials from the village administrative office and police assured the safety of their belongings.

They took with them household utensils that they could carry on motorcycles and returned to the displaced persons shelter at Wisma Transito in Mataram.

Gegerung village chief Sahudin told reporters the Ahmadiyah members returned to Ketapang six months ago, but they did not report their presence to the village administrative office.

The local villagers deemed the returning Ahmadiyah members a disturbance.

“The residents are resolute and rejected their return. We have coordinated on the issue with the regent.

For the time being, we ask the Ahmadiyah members to return to their shelter at Wisma Transito and vacate their homes in Ketapang so as to avoid undesirable incidents,” said Sahudin.

He added that after the meeting with residents, he and the Lingsar Police chief immediately reported the residents’ demand to West Lombok Regent Zaini Arony.

“We have reported the matter to the regent, and next Friday he will conduct Friday prayers in Ketapang and provide guidance to residents. There’s no decision whatsoever now, but we have asked the Ahmadiyah members to leave Ketapang to prevent untoward matters from happening,” he said.

The 45 Ahmadiyah members in Ketapang are part of the 36 families, or 127 Ahmadiyah members, staying at Wisma Transito.

The Ahmadiyah members, who were initially evicted from their village in February 2006, were forced to return to their homes in Ketapang because they had been staying at the Wisma Transito shelter without any certainty about their fate.

“We are willing to leave if asked, but please pay attention to our problem. We also want to lead a normal life like other people,” said Ahmadiyah member in Ketapang, Sarim Ahmad, 45.

Sarim and the other families returned to Ketapang three months ago. They returned to till their land and rear chickens because they have not received social assistance at the Wisma Transito shelter for the past two years.

He urged authorities to assure the safety of their belongings they left behind in Ketapang, because they had often lost chickens.

URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/11/20/ahmadiyah-followers-evicted-again.html

Indonesian Ahmadiyah Again Driven From Lombok Homes

NEWS

Indonesian Ahmadiyah Again Driven From Lombok Homes

Fitri R. | November 19, 2010

Mataram. Twelve Ahmadiyah families who returned to their homes in Gegerung village in West Lombok shortly after being chased out in 2006 have once again been ordered to leave.

The 50 Ahmadiyah members, who had been back home for the past three years, were from a larger group forced to stay at the Transito temporary shelter in Mataram, the provincial capital, after they were driven from their homes by other residents of Gegerung.

However, in response to a protest against their presence by villagers at a town hall meeting on Friday, local authorities conducted a raid on the homes of the Ahmadiyah families shortly before noon prayers, forcing men, women and children to flee with their belongings.

The families were forced to return to the Transito shelter, although two individuals, a man and his aging father, have chosen to remain behind.

At the meeting that prompted the raid, presided over by Gegerung village chief Syahudin, Lingsar subdistrict chief Agus Sukma Aryana and Lingsar Police Chief Syamnurdin, the villagers said they could not accept the return of the Ahmadiyah members.

“We remain opposed to their presence in this village,” said one of the residents.

“They are a stain on this village and must be cleaned out.”

Another resident said that if the authorities did not order the families to relocate, “then the people will have to do it.”

“Don’t force the people to take matters into our own hands,” one resident said.

During the raids, overseen by Syahudin and Syamnurdin, the village chief asked the stricken families to return to the shelter.

“We ask with all respect that all Ahmadiyah members prepare to leave this village and return to Transito,” he said.

The subdistrict chief said he would oppose any move by the Ahmadiyah families to return to their homes, and asked other villagers not to resort to violence.

“This case will be resolved by the administration,” he said.

Syamnurdin ordered several of his officers to stand guard outside the deserted Ahmadiyah homes to ensure that residents did not vandalize or destroy them, following threats.

He also warned the two Ahmadiyah men who chose to stay on to “leave before something bad happens to you.” However, villagers had already burned down the home of the older man by then.

Zulhair, the younger Ahmadiyah member who chose to stay, blamed the latest surge in animosity toward the minority group on comments made by West Lombok district head Zaini Arony that the Ahmadiyah would have their civic rights respected.

He said the comments were printed in local news reports, which he cut out and took to the Gegerung village hall for confirmation on Nov. 10.

He added an official at the village hall had insisted that Zaini’s decision would never be accepted by Gegerung residents, who were opposed to the presence of the Ahmadiyah in their village.

“Why must we always be chased out, over and over again?” asked Gegerung Ahmadiyah member Sarim Ahmad.

“What did we do wrong?”

Sarim returned home three years earlier to resume farming his land that had been neglected for a whole year after the events of 2006.

“If I farm, at least I’m making a living, whereas at Transito I have no hope for a meaningful life,” he said.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe

URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/indonesian-ah...bok-homes/407553

Solemn Celebrations for Displaced Lombok Ahmadis

NEWS

Solemn Celebrations for Displaced Lombok Ahmadis

Fitri | November 17, 2010

Mataram. Some 250 members of the Ahmadiyah sect on Wednesday performed their Idul Adha prayers in the transit shelter they have been living in for almost five years after their homes in Lombok were razed by hard-liners.

“We should not blame God or feel that there has been no greater suffering than what we are going through now,” Nasrudin, an Ahmadiyah scholar who was leading the prayers, said during his sermon.

In February 2006, thousands of hard-line Muslims burned down homes and mosques belonging to followers of the minority Islamic sect in Lingsar, West Lombok district, leaving more than 40 families homeless.

About half of the families continue to live in the temporary shelter, a former transit dormitory for hajj pilgrims in West Nusa Tenggara’s provincial capital, while the others have gone to stay with relatives.

Despite the small community’s ongoing tribulations, no tears were shed this year. “We are tired of crying; what we can do now is strengthen ourselves to accept whatever we have to face,” said one Ahmadiyah member who declined to be named.

Nasrudin said some people at the shelter had become resigned to their fate. “One of the members of the congregation even asked not to be moved from the shelter because he found this place beautiful and pleasing, as a way to heaven,” he said.

Nasrudin called on the community to remain unified in the face of hardship. “We are in the spotlight and we should not be torn apart just because of trivial matters,” he said.

Two cows and four goats had been donated to help the displaced community celebrate the qurban ritual, or traditional animal sacrifice. “These are from our brothers and sisters in Jakarta,” one of the organizers said of the animals.

Ahmadiyah communities have been the target of attacks by hard-line Muslims in several regions, mostly in Lombok and West Java, in recent years. They claim to also face continued official discrimination, having difficulties obtaining jobs and processing official paperwork.

Followers of Ahmadiyah, a sect founded in India in 1889, profess that the group’s founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, was the Messiah, a belief that is contested by mainstream Muslims.

Ahmadiyah representatives have had to dismiss claims the group does not believe Muhammad was the last prophet and does not consider the Koran its holy book.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe

URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/solemn-celebrations-for-displaced-lombok-ahmadis/407152

Sect Families Facing Island Exile Ungrateful for Rejecting Aid Offer, Indonesian Official Says

NEWS

Sect Families Facing Island Exile Ungrateful for Rejecting Aid Offer, Indonesian Official Says

Fitri | November 14, 2010

Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara. Ahmadiyah families in danger of being evicted to a remote island have been criticized for opposing the move and an offer to buy assets they were forced to abandon in a previous eviction.

The West Lombok administration plans to buy the assets left behind by the families when they were forced to move out of Gegerung village in 2006, after other villagers attacked them.

District spokesman Ispan Junaidi said on Saturday that Rp 710 million ($80,000) had been set aside to buy the houses and furniture of the families.

“We are trying to help them,” he said. “They have not responded positively to our offer. We feel they are trying to make it difficult for us to find a solution that will resolve this matter once and for all.”

Twenty-two families from the minority Muslim sect have been living in the Transito evacuee shelter in Mataram, the capital of West Nusa Tenggara, since the 2006 eviction. They have made frequent requests to village and district leaders to be allowed to return to Gegerung.

But last month, the head of West Lombok said they were moving the Ahmadiyah families to a remote island, a decision many have called discriminatory and inhumane.

“We are trying to protect Ahmadiyah members,” district head Zaini Arony said.

He said he had discussed the situation with religious figures and it had been agreed the families would be sent to Teluk Sepi Island. He defended the decision by saying the local administration feared a repeat of the violence in February 2006, when thousands of Muslims burned down the families’ homes.

Ispan said there was no possibility of the families returning to Gegerung because the villagers were adamant they would not let them live among them.

“We have offered to pay Rp 710 million for their assets,” he said. “Instead, the families are now asking for Rp 1.5 billion. They do not seem to want to sell us their assets.” He added that only two of the homes had proper documentation so that their value could be assessed.

“So it is difficult for us to increase our offer above Rp 710 million,” Ispan said. “We believe some of the leaders of the Ahmadiyah in West Nusa Tenggara don’t want to help themselves or their followers. They reject whatever solutions we offer. Our offer is to buy their assets and relocate them to Sepi Island.”

Jauzi Djafar, a spokesman for the provincial chapter of Jemaah Ahmadiyah Indonesia, said the West Lombok administration had never sat down with them to discuss the offer.

“How are we supposed to evaluate the offer when they have never called us to sit down and discuss this offer with them?” he said. “What assets are they specifically referring to is not clear to us.”

He said the most important concern of the families was their safety and security.

“We want our people to return home to their own backyards,” he said.

“People should be made aware of the law, so that differences are not used as a reason to attack Ahmadis. No one has talked to us, whether about buying our assets or moving us to Sepi Island.”

Ispan has said at least 20 families will be moved to the island next year. “There’s enough land on Teluk Sepi for them to farm,” he said. “It’s better than letting them get attacked or killed. It’s the humane thing to do.”

He had previously acknowledged that the families had not been consulted about the plan.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe

URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/sect-families-...offer-indonesian-official-says/406636

Ahmadiyah Leader Tries To Clear the Air About Persecuted Sect's Beliefs

NEWS

Ahmadiyah Leader Tries To Clear the Air About Persecuted Sect’s Beliefs

Ulma Haryanto & Fitri | November 10, 2010

Jakarta. The beleaguered Ahmadiyah sect has tried to clarify its beliefs, with the national secretary of Ahmadiyah Indonesia, Zafrullah Pontoh, saying it had never claimed Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as their prophet.

Rather, he was the “Promised Messiah, a savior for Muslims, Christians and Jews.”

“We believe in the Holy Prophet Muhammad as the messenger of the last religion, which is Islam. We follow Islam as the final religion,” Zafrullah told the Jakarta Globe on Tuesday.

He denied they were too afraid to say they believed Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the Prophet and were hiding their true beliefs to avoid further persecution.

Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali has repeatedly called for the sect to be banned, claiming members cannot consider themselves followers of Islam because they did not believe Muhammad was the final monotheist prophet. Nor did they consider the Koran as their holy book.

Anti-Ahmadiyah violence has increased since 2008, when Indonesia banned the sect from any public displays or teaching. Earlier that year the sect had to give the government a statement explaining the core contents of the religion. Zafrullah said this was to “avoid unrest and disruption to peace and order.”

“This limits us from explaining our beliefs to the public,” he said. “As a result, people receive second-hand information and stick with it.”

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad established the Ahmadiyah movement in Qadian in India in 1889.

Zafrullah said the 12-point statement submitted to the government had explained that they believed Muhammad was the final messenger, and that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was “a teacher and a messiah who will strengthen the understanding of Islam, as taught by Prophet Muhammad.”

“They often claim that we consider Tazkirah as the holy book, which is not true,” he said. “Tazkirah is a compilation of Mirza’s writings and notes on his behavior, just like the Hadith [the words and deeds of Prophet Muhammad].” God was Allah to them, just like any other Muslim.

According to Jauzi, who chairs the Ahmadiyah regional leadership council in West Nusa Tenggara, the main difference between the two was that Ahmadiyah believed Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the Promised Messiah.

“In other religions, the Messiah has not arrived yet. For us he did. It was Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. That is the core difference,” Jauzi told the Globe.

Zafrullah said there were two Ahmadiyah groups in Indonesia – the Jemaah Ahmadiyah Indonesia, or JAI, and the Gerakan Ahmadiyah Indonesia, or GAI.

“Both are Ahmadiyah, [JAI] is Ahmadiyah from Qadian, a small town in India, while [GAI] derives its teachings from Lahore [Pakistan],” he said.

“Although both follow Islam according to the teachings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Lahore Ahmadis place Mirza Ghulam Ahmad merely as a “reformer”, and not the messiah, as opposed to the main belief of Ahmadiyah.

“JAI has more members than GAI. But the leaders of the two organizations know each other, and we acknowledged each other without getting too deep into each other’s business.”

Zafrullah said the split came after a feud among pupils of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad after his death. Those who did not see him as a messiah moved to Lahore.

Ulil Abshar Abdalla, a Democratic Party chairman and founder of the Liberal Islam Network, has been critical of Suryadharma for his failure to stand up to those who preach hatred and instigate violence against the sect.

On Tuesday he said the minister had adopted an approach that fostered radicalism.

“It’s like putting oil on a flame,” Ulil said.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe

URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/ahmadiyah-lead...cts-beliefs/405899

Indonesian President Urged to Take Minister to Task Over Ahmadiyah

NEWS

Indonesian President Urged to Take Minister to Task Over Ahmadiyah

Armando Siahaan | November 05, 2010

Jakarta. The religious affairs minister has once again come under fire after an international human rights group called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to repudiate the minister’s stance against the Ahmadiyah.

In an open letter to the president, New York-based Human Rights Watch accused Suryadharma Ali of actively promoting discrimination against the minority Islamic sect.

“President Yudhoyono should order Minister Suryadharma to stop playing with fire with his demands to ban the Ahmadiyah,” said Phil Robertson, HRW’s deputy director for Asia.

“Formalizing religious discrimination increases the vulnerability of Ahmadiyah and opens the door for further attacks and wider communal violence. This is hardly the recipe for promoting Indonesia as a modern, rights-respecting state.”

Suryadharma has been heavily criticized for his repeated calls for the sect to be banned and his unwillingness to revoke a 2006 joint ministerial decree that makes it difficult for minority religions to build houses of worship.?

In September, the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Pramono Anung, from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), lambasted Suryadharma for his inability to separate his roles as a minister and as the chairman of the United Development Party (PPP), the second-largest Islamic party in the country.

Pramono said some of Suryadharma’s decisions on religious issues had been heavily influenced by his political background.

“A religious affairs minister should protect all religious groups. Not just his group or his religion,” he said.?

Bonar Tigor Naipospos, deputy chairman of the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace, said it was “obvious” Suryadharma was abusing his position to push his own political agenda.??

Ulil Abshar Abdalla, a Democratic Party politician and founder of the Liberal Islam Network, has also chastised Suryadharma for his failure to stand up to those who preached hatred, going as far as saying the minister had adopted an approach that fostered radicalism.

In its letter, HRW questioned why Yudhoyono had not taken action against his minister, which had lead many to believe that he supported such intolerance.

“President Yudhoyono gave a nationwide speech about religious tolerance in the United States, but what will he tell visiting US President Barack Obama about the burned Ahmadiyah mosques in Indonesia?” Robertson said.?

“Yudhoyono should take clear steps to protect religious freedom, starting with loudly rejecting any ban on the Ahmadis, and ensuring that those responsible for attacks on Ahmadiyah homes and mosques are prosecuted.”

Nasaruddin Umar, a director for Islamic affairs at the Religious Affairs Ministry, said that it could not comment on the issue before studying HRW’s letter comprehensively.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe

URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/indonesia...ahmadiyah/405011

Indonesia President Urged to Renounce Comments From Religious Affairs Minister

NEWS

Indonesia President Urged to Renounce Comments From Religious Affairs Minister

November 04, 2010

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has failed to repudiate religiously inflammatory comments from Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali, pictured, leading many to believe that he supports such an action, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday. Suryadharma has repeatedly called for Ahmadiyah to be banned. (Antara Photo)

Jakarta. Indonesia President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should uphold freedom of religion in Indonesia and repudiate statements by his religious affairs minister calling for the banning of the Ahmadiyah religion, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday in a letter to the Indonesian president.

Since August 2010, Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali has repeatedly called for the Ahmadiyah faith to be banned in Indonesia. Yudhoyono has failed to repudiate those statements, leading many to believe that he supports such an action, the international nongovernmental organization said in a statement.

In recent years Islamist militants have repeatedly attacked and burned Ahmadiyah homes and mosques. Anti-Ahmadiyah violence has increased since Yudhoyono announced a prohibition on teachings or public displays of the Ahmadiyah religion in June 2008, the statement read.

“President Yudhoyono gave a nationwide speech about religious tolerance in the United States, but what will he tell visiting US President Barack Obama about the burned Ahmadiyah mosques in Indonesia?” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Yudhoyono should take clear steps to protect religious freedom, starting with loudly rejecting any ban on the Ahmadis, and ensuring that those responsible for attacks on Ahmadiyah homes and mosques are prosecuted.”

The Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy, a human rights group in Jakarta, recorded 33 cases of attacks in 2009 against the Ahmadiyah community. In late July, municipal police and hundreds of people organized by militant Islamist groups forcibly tried to close an Ahmadiyah mosque in Manis Lor village. On Oct. 1, mobs attacked the Ahmadiyah community in Cisalada, south of Jakarta, burning their mosque and several houses; a Quran inside the mosque was accidently burned.

The statement said that Indonesian law facilitated discrimination against the Ahmadiyah, who identify themselves as Muslims but differ with other Muslims as to whether Muhammad was the “final” monotheist prophet.

The June 2008 decree requires the Ahmadiyah to “stop spreading interpretations and activities that deviate from the principal teachings of Islam,” including “spreading the belief that there is another prophet with his own teachings after Prophet Muhammad.” Violations of the decree can result in prison sentences of up to five years.

Human Rights Watch has called for the government to rescind this decree, saying it violates the right to freedom of religion.

A ban against the Ahmadiyah would violate guarantees of freedom of religion in articles 28 and 29 of the Indonesian Constitution, as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified by Indonesia in February 2006, which protects the right to freedom of religion and to engage in religious practice.

“President Yudhoyono should order Minister Suryadharma to stop playing with fire with his demands to ban the Ahmadiyah,” Robertson said. “Formalizing religious discrimination increases the vulnerability of Ahmadiyah and opens the door for further attacks and wider communal violence. This is hardly the recipe for promoting Indonesia as a modern, rights-respecting state.”

Suryadharma has previously stated that the Indonesian government would not tolerate violence in religious disputes, the police would enforce the 2008 decree and warned that the Ahmadiyah “had better stop their activities.”

On Aug. 31 he said: “To ban [the Ahmadiyah] is far better than to let them be … To outlaw them would mean that we are working hard to stop deviant acts from continuing.”

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe

URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/indo...religious-affairs-minister/404876

The Thinker: Losing the Faith

COLUMN

The Thinker: Losing the Faith

Robin Lee Santoso | November 02, 2010

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s speech against the persecution of minorities last month received much acclaim. Speaking with an eye to the recent string of clashes between Islamic extremists and members of the Ahmadiyah sect, he voiced his strongest statement on religious extremism to date, saying mosques should provide “comfort and peace to everyone, and not encourage provocation.”

But how can we reconcile Yudhoyono’s condemnation with the many laws that condone the oppression of Ahmadiyahs?

A 2008 joint ministerial decree still prohibits Ahmadiyah mosque leaders from preaching in public.

When a West Java Ahmadiyah mosque was attacked in August, government officials shut it down for weeks and even entertained the idea of relocating it.

With only 100,000 members in a country of 240 million, Ahmadiyahs are virtually unable to build new mosques, as a 2006 joint ministerial decree requires the approval of 60 households before such construction can take place.

And the list of restrictions goes on and on.

This indicates that Yudhoyono is preaching to the wrong audience.

Aside from the fact that Ahmadiyah’s violent attackers are Islamic extremists and not members of the mainstream Baiturrahim Mosque, Yudhoyono overlooks the laws that sanction oppression.

If Yudhoyono wants to eliminate the persecution of minorities, he must revise our discriminatory religious ideology.

Indonesia’s religious ideology singles out and protects five religions — Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism — above others.

The perks of being approved includes protection by the 1965 Blasphemy Law, which bans religious groups that “distort” or “misrepresent” the central tenets of the official faiths.

In practice, the Blasphemy Law is distorted to preserve the Islamic status quo.

Without an official definition of what constitutes “orthodox Islamic beliefs,” lawmakers have filled the void with their own definition, to the exclusion of the Ahmadiyahs.

This took place despite the fact that Ahmadiyah members consider themselves part of the Sunni tradition of Islam.

When I spoke to one Ahmadiyah spokesman this summer, he explained in detail how all their claims were based on verses of the Koran.

Although the Ahmadiyahs differ in their interpretation of some Koranic verses, these differences are secondary to the faith’s central tenets.

Yet they are still being stripped of their basic rights.

There was a time when the Catholic Church persecuted the believers of Protestantism.

Need there be a repeat of history?

The intolerance bred by the nation’s religious ideology goes against the country’s democratic aspirations.

Lawmakers should not have the freedom to choose what beliefs are orthodox, or who gets to keep their rights.

The Constitution mandates the government to uphold the basic rights of every citizen, regardless of gender, race or religion.

What’s more, Indonesia also protects approved religions from proselytizers, and this law often becomes a pretext for persecution.

It is used to silence minorities.

Ahmadiyah leaders, for example, have been instructed not to preach in public, and their members are prohibited from sharing their faith with others.

This is unacceptable, given our country’s democratic aspirations.

True, believers need some protection from the government.

After all, one cannot have religious freedom if one constantly faces physical or intellectual threat.

But the government needs to make sure that it does not give some people rights at the expense of others.

It rather should focus on protecting the basic human rights of all people, in order to create a safe environment for self-expression.

Indonesia’s religious ideology flies in the face of other parts of the Constitution, which grants every person the right to choose and practice his or her chosen religion.

The recognition of five religions came at a time when communism threatened the very integrity of the Constitution.

With that threat behind it, the country needs to recover its spirit of giving the people equal freedom to believe what they please.

To achieve this, Yudhoyono needs to revise the Constitution’s biggest barrier — a religious ideology that fuels persecution.

Just hours after the president’s comments last month, an Ahmadiyah mosque in Bogor was torched — again, to the surprise of no one.

If Indonesia maintains its current religious ideology, these events will continue to be the norm, and eloquent speeches won’t change a thing.

Robin Lee Santoso is an American graduate student focusing on religion and human rights.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe

URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/columns/the-thinker-losing-the-faith/404572

Indonesian Vice President: Stand Up Against Radicals

INDONESIA

Indonesian Vice President: Stand Up Against Radicals

Ulma Haryanto & Anita Rachman | October 18, 2010

Indonesian Vice President Boediono, left, with United States President Barack Obama at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington DC in April. In the strongest comments by a senior politician yet against creeping radicalism, Boediono said the country must not abandon the basic principle that guarantees religious freedom for all. (EPA Photo)

Jakarta. Vice President Boediono has received cautious praise after calling on the “silent majority” to take a stand against a growing radicalism that he describes as threatening to take the country down a path of destruction.

“Once we allow radicalism to take over our way of thinking, it will lead us toward destruction,” the vice president said in a speech on Saturday at the opening of the Global Peace Leadership Conference, organized by Nahdlatul Ulama.

“Freedom of expression has been used by certain groups to spread hatred,” he added.

Though racism and interreligious conflict are fundamental issues that exist in most societies, Boediono said, Indonesians should protect the foundation upon which the country was built — the principle of unity in diversity. “Although Islam is the religion of the majority of people, Indonesia is not an Islamic state,” he said.

Boediono said the country must not abandon the basic principle that guarantees religious freedom for all.

To do this, he called on the silent majority to take a stand. “Radicals are usually vocal, though they are few in number. They drown out the silent majority,” he said. “But there are times when the silent majority must dare to speak out. We must loudly reject radicalism and return to the original agreement of the founding fathers of the nation.”

Pluralism advocates applauded him for speaking out strongly on a threat they have long warned of but that officials have paid little attention to. Week after week, stories of discrimination against minority religious groups fill news pages, and several surveys have pointed to a worrying increase in intolerance among Indonesians.

Dhyah Madya Ruth, chairwoman of Lazuardi Birru, a group that aims to educate young people about the dangers of extremism, said it was important that the government made a clear stand.

“We have to create a synergy between the government, the people and civil society organizations in solving this problem,” she said. “Most important in this is not just the silent majority, but the silent government has to make a firm stand.”

Burhanuddin Muhtadi, an analyst from the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI), said that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had never strongly addressed radicalism.

In August Yudhoyono decried “groups that threatened the nation,” but his vague message could not be grasped by the public, Muhtadi said.

“He is too focused on his own image. He doesn’t want to be considered antagonistic toward Islamic hard-liners.”

Another important government figure who needs to stand up against those who promote hatred is the religious affairs minister, said Ulil Abshar Abdalla, the founder of the Liberal Islam Network and a Democratic Party politician.

“For example, in several Islamic gatherings people openly call for the banishment of [minority Islamic sect] Ahmadiyah. That should not be allowed,” he said, adding that he regretted that Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali had adopted a conservative approach that fostered radicalism. Suryadharma has openly advocated banning the Ahmadiyah sect.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe
URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/politics/indonesian-vice-president-stand-up-against-radicals/401881

Officials Announce Plan to Relocate Ahmadiyah Families to a Deserted Island

Indonesia

Officials Announce Plan to Relocate Ahmadiyah Families to a Deserted Island

Nivell Rayda | October 11, 2010

A follower of the minority Islamic sect, Ahmadiyah, holding a burnt copy of the Koran in Ciampea, West Java, after violence directed at the Islamic sect earlier this month. In what is likely to be a hugely controversial — if not illegal — decision, authorities in West Nusa Tenggar plan to relocated 20 sect families to a deserted island in Lombok. (Reuters Photo/Dadang Tri)

akarta. A district head in West Nusa Tenggara announced plan to relocate 20 Ahmadiyah families to a deserted island, a move many say is both discriminatory and inhumane.

“We are trying to protect Ahmadiyah members,” Zaini Arony, district head of West Lombok, said on Monday, as quoted by Antara.

Zaini said he had discussed the matter with religious figures and members of society, adding that it had been agreed that Ahmadiyah members would be relocated to an island in Sekotong subdistrict.

He claimed the local government feared a repeat of an incident in February 2006 when thousands of mainstream Muslims burned homes belonging to Ahmadiyah members in the district.

The incidents left as many as 137 people homeless, all of whom had to be escorted by police officers to a temporary shelter in the provincial capital, Mataram.

In August, at least 20 families left the shelter and returned to the district. Zaini said their return was rejected by a number of groups.

Zafrullah Pontoh, the president of the Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation (JAI), told the Jakarta Globe that the West Lombok government had never discussed the matter with the sect. “The local government is trying to banish Ahmadiyah from West Lombok,” he said.

Followers of Ahmadiyah, a sect founded in India in 1889, profess that the group’s founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, is the last prophet, a belief that runs counter to mainstream Islamic beliefs that reserve that claim for the Prophet Muhammad.

The nation’s highest authority on Islamic affairs, the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI), issued a fatwa in 2005 against the Ahmadiyah, calling its teachings blasphemous. And the government issued a joint ministerial decree in 2008 banning its members from practicing their faith in public or spreading its beliefs.

Ulil Abshar Abdalla, founder of the Liberal Islam Network and a Democratic Party politician, said the government must remain neutral and not support calls of intolerance against Ahmadiyah from mainstream Muslim groups.

“It needs time to correct religious indoctrination [in mainstream Muslim] that spur hatred towards Ahmadiyah. It needs time to reach cultural maturity to accept different views,” he said.

“However, I am saddened that the government is supporting this cultural immaturity and making it a political policy.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe

URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/officials-announc...a-deserted-island/400659

Three Suspects for Mob Attack on Ahmadiyah

Indonesia

Three Suspects for Mob Attack on Ahmadiyah

Zaky Pawas | October 08, 2010

Jakarta. Police in Bogor have identified three suspects in last week’s torching of homes and a mosque belonging to members of the Ahmadiyah sect, but have not yet arrested any of them.

The attack on the evening of Oct. 1 saw a mob of hundreds ransack and burn down houses, schools and a mosque in Cisalada village, home to 600 followers of the minority sect, which is deemed deviant by many mainstream Muslims.

Since then, police have arrested an Ahmadiyah member for allegedly stabbing one of the attackers, a 15-year-old boy, during the incident.

On Friday, Adj. Comr. Zulkarnaen Harahap, the Bogor Police’s chief of detectives, said three of the alleged attackers — identified only as RM, DM and AB — had been named suspects in the case, but would not yet be taken into custody.

“We’re not detaining them because they’ve been vouched for by community leaders and their families. But they will have to report in regularly,” he said, adding that the trio would be charged with assault, vandalism and arson.

Zulkarnaen said the suspects had been questioned by police on Friday afternoon at the Ciampea subdistrict police station.

“During the questioning, all three suspects were cooperative,” he said. “Two of them claimed they didn’t do anything, so we’re going to try to strengthen the evidence that shows they were involved in the incident.”

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe

URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/three-suspects-for-mob-attack-on-ahmadiyah/400378

Editorial: Our Next Police Chief Must Restore Order

EDITORIAL

Editorial: Our Next Police Chief Must Restore Order

October 06, 2010

The sole candidate to take the helm of the National Police, Comr. Gen. Timur Pradopo, has a tough job ahead if he is appointed to the post. He must restore public trust in the police, maintain law and order and inject some discipline on Jakarta’s often chaotic roads.

Timur, until earlier this week the capital’s chief of police, has strongly suggested that he would uphold the law at any cost.

This is a welcome statement given the rising public concern over thuggery and the use of violence by certain organizations to force their views on others.

His commitment to the law will be closely scrutinized, especially given his supposed links to the radical Islamic Defenders Front (FPI).

Pradopo told the media that he intended to include all segments of society, including the hard-line Islamic group, in efforts to maintain security. But he also added that he would not hesitate to act if any group violated the laws of the land.

Involving local communities to provide security in neighborhoods across Jakarta is nothing new.

Local neighborhood watch groups were established in the wake of the 1998 riots to be on the lookout for outsiders or strangers who might be bent on mischief.

While most of these watch groups have disbanded, many communities still police their own neighborhoods.

Such civic groups may play an important role in maintaining security but they cannot not replace the police, which not only have to provide security but also maintain law and order.

This is where the next commander of the National Police will have to devote a substantial amount of his time and energy given the breakdown of order in the capital city in recent months, including a deadly brawl between street gangs outside a courthouse last week.

There can be no excuse for the police to allow militant groups to continue to run roughshod over minorities.

Acts of violence such as attacks on Christians in Bekasi and the burning of an Ahmadiyah mosque must not be tolerated.

Individuals cannot be allowed to take the law into their own hands, under any circumstance.

We cannot, as a civilized and law abiding society sanction paramilitary organizations to operate on behalf of the police.

If named to lead the police, Timur must provide better training for officers and strive toward building a professional and highly motivated force.

Following the separation of the police from the military a decade ago, the police have made great strides in improving professionalism and providing better public service.

This must continue, along with rooting out the widespread corruption that dishonors the badge.

The recent raids and arrest of terrorists are a shining example of excellent police work. The longer-term goal, however, must be to serve the public in the best manner possible.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe

URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/opinion/editorial-our-next-p...store-order/400026

Proposed New Indonesian Police Chief Defends ‘Closeness’ to Islamic Defenders Front

INDONESIA

Proposed New Indonesian Police Chief Defends ‘Closeness’ to Islamic Defenders Front

Anita Rachman | October 06, 2010

Indonesia’s controversial proposed new National Police chief Comr. Gen. Timur Pradopo, pictured, says the police should be close to all groups, including Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), to maintain security. (Antara Photo)

Jakarta. Indonesia’s proposed new National Police chief Comr. Gen. Timur Pradopo has defended his links to the radical Islamic Defenders Front (FPI).

Responding to questions from reporters at the House of Representatives (DPR) on Wednesday, the former Jakarta Police chief said “we should be close to all” groups, including the FPI.

The militant organization, which comprises a small but vocal group of radicals, often resorts to violence to further its conservative aims, including ransacking bars and attacking peaceful demonstrators. Allegations also persist that the group is closely linked to Indonesian security forces.

“We should be close to all [groups] to maintain security in this country,” Timur said.

The comments could provoke controversy, with many secular Indonesian Muslims opposed to the FPI’s antisecular views and ongoing criticisms against the police for failing to act against the hard-line group.

Timur met with five House leaders, including House Speaker Marzuki Alie, at 9 a.m.

Deputy House Speaker Priyo Budi Santoso told the press they wanted to discuss a number of items, including the fit-and-proper test that is expected to be held on Monday.

“We wanted an explanation, including what people at large have been talking about, that there are internal divisions within National Police, which he said there aren’t,” Priyo said. “This is a kind of warning from us: Don’t let the factions within the Police grow.”

Priyo was referring to allegations that police had split into camps supporting National Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri’s two initial recommendations to the president, namely Comr. Gen. Nanan Soekarna, the police’s Internal Affairs head, and Comr. Gen. Imam Sudjarwo, the chief of the police’s Training and Education Division.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s surprise nomination of Timur, according to some speculation, was an attempt to head off divisions with National Police over the appointment.

Priyo said the House leaders also told Timur that he should continue to reform the police, which continues to be perceived as resistant to reform, with allegations of high-level corruption, human rights abuses and a lack of professionalism persisting.

Human rights activists on Tuesday urged the House to reject Timur’s nomination, saying he had a questionable track record, including his refusal to answer three summonses from the National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas Ham) to clarify his involvement in the shooting of students in the Semanggi area of Jakarta in November 1998, when he was still active as chief of Central Jakarta Police.

Priyo said they did not specifically ask Timur about the Semanggi incidents but would do so.

“Our message to him, if he finally sits in the top position in the National Police, is if he wants to be successful he should never get tempted by politics, political practices,” Priyo said.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe

URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/proposed-new-i...fenders-front/399873