W. Java the ‘least tolerant province’

NATIONALTue, 12/20/2011 11:25 PM

W. Java the ‘least tolerant province’

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A survey by human rights watchdog Setara Institute has found that West Java was the least tolerant province in 2011, registering the largest number of religious violence cases.

Throughout 2011, West Java saw 57 incidents involving government-endorsed discriminatory policies, instances in which government officials condoned acts of violence against minority groups, the closure of places of worship and religiously motivated killings.

In the survey, South Sulawesi ranked second place with 45 incidents, followed by East Java and North Sumatra in the third and fourth position with 31 and 24 incidents, respectively.

Banten, which saw the Cikeusik Ahmadiyah lynching in April, and West Nusa Tenggara were both in fifth position with 12 cases each. Bali and West Kalimantan were found to be the most tolerant provinces.

“This high number of violence and discrimination indicates that the government has done little to mitigate religious acrimony. The numbers remain high compared to last year’s,” Setara Institute chairman Hendardi said Monday.

Hendardi attributed the violence to President Susilo Bambang Yu-dhoyono’s lack of leadership.

“The President is even powerless in the face of opposition from Bogor Mayor Diani Budiarto, who refuses to obey the Supreme Court’s ruling to reopen GKI Yasmin Church and let its members practice their faith freely,” he said.

The survey also found correlation between religious conflicts and the level of urban spread.

“We found that the more urban an area, the more likely religious conflicts will occur,” Setara Institute deputy chairman Bonar Tigor Naipospos said.

The Setara Institute recorded 244 incidents in which religion was cited as the cause.

The survey also found that government officials owned the biggest share of the blame in allowing religious conflict to happen. A total of 105 incidents were initiated by government officials.

Members of the National Police were responsible for 40 cases, the Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel for 22 cases, regents and mayors 18 violations, governors 10 violations and the Religious Affairs Ministry nine violations.

Setara also cited the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) and the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) as non-governmental organizations that registered the highest number of discrimination cases.

Setara researcher Ismail Hasani said religious conflicts peaked between February and March, when locals in Cikeusik attacked members of the Ahmadiyah sect.

“Following the incident, two churches were burned down in the same month, which heightened tension between the majority Muslim and minorities groups for the rest of the year,” he said.

Ismail added that the increasing religious conflict could indicate hypocrisy on the part of the government.

“We recorded that the President made at least 19 public statements encouraging religious harmony. However, change could hardly happen in the coming years because those around the President include people from several political parties who oppose religious freedom,” Ismail told The Jakarta Post.

According to the Setara Institute, the Ahmadiyah suffered the worst type of discrimination in 2011.

It recorded 22 policies, including 15 ordinances, issued by local governments that promoted animosity toward the sect. The policies include the Religious Affairs Ministry’s decision to prohibit Ahmadiyah members from performing the haj pilgrimage to Mecca. (msa)

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved
URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/...province.html

Bleak prospects for Ahmadis

ARCHIPELAGOMon, 12/19/2011 11:50 PM

Bleak prospects for Ahmadis

Panca Nugraha, The Jakarta Post, Mataram

Hopeful eyes: Children pose at an Ahmadiyah shelter in Mataram, Lombok. Members of the religious community have been largely shunned by society, and their future as part of Indonesia’s workforce and as citizens is looking bleak. The 33 families of the community have lived in the shelters since they were evicted from their homes six years ago. JP/Panca Nugraha

The Ahamdiyah community comprises about 140 people and 33 families who have been forced to take shelter in Wisma Transito in Mataram after they were evicted from their homes six years ago.

The outreach program provided by the NTB provincial administration, involving the NTB Agency for Political Affairs and National Unity and a number of clerics, has not been effective, the Ahmadis say, while the West Lombok regency administration has backtracked from its promise to compensate assets they were forced to leave behind in their village.

An early estimation revealed that their assets, comprising 21 houses and land, were valued at Rp 1.4 billion (US$155,000).

“The outreach program, they said, would last for six months from June until December was in fact carried out for only two months. It began early on in the month of Ramadhan and ended just after Idul Fitri,” Nasiruddin, one of the Ahmadis, said recently when interviewed at Wisma Transito.

He is a respected member of the Ahmadiyah community, often playing the role of advisor.

Nasiruddin accused the government of not being serious about resolving their problem.

The condition of the Ahmadiyah refugees in Wisma Transito, which is located around 2 kilometers from the NTB gubernatorial office, has not improved. The community still lives in makeshift quarters made of cloth and used banners.

Two infants were in the community in November, bringing the total number of babies born in the community since they were evicted to 18.

“I gave birth at Mataram General Hospital for free, thanks to the Delivery Assurance program, but we faced difficulties in applying for the Jamkesmas and Jamkesmasda health insurance because we don’t have identity cards,” said Maemunah, 25.

She was carrying her baby, Noval Syaif Irfan, who was born on Nov. 15, while eight pre-school-aged children were cheerfully playing around her.

Ahmadiyah is considered by mainstream Muslims as heretical. Ahmadiyah communities across the country have been persecuted by their fellow Muslims, and in some severe instances have had members seriously injured or killed.

In a number of provinces, local administrations have banned the sect citing security concerns.

Ahmadiyah members in West Lombok say they continue to be persecuted.

Amaq Marsudin, 52, who suffers from kidney failure and requires regular dialysis, was rejected by the NTB General Hospital because he did not have an identity card.

“He was admitted to the hospital for two weeks but did not receive dialysis because he is not covered by Jamkesmasda as he doesn’t have an identity card. Finally, we brought him back to Wisma Transito and he has resigned his fate to God,” Nasiruddin said.

According to Nasiruddin, during the e-ID card campaign program in Mataram in October, the Ahmadiyah refugees tried to apply for ID cards at the Mataram Population Agency.

However, they were turned down on the grounds that they were only temporary residents.

“The West Lombok regency administration also refused to issue us ID cards. Actually, we only requested residence identity permits. It doesn’t matter if we don’t live in West Lombok, but owning an ID card is important for access to healthcare and education programs, especially as an ID card proves citizenship status,” he said.

The Ahmadiyah refugees endure living at the shelter despite that most of the families are in dire financial straits. In general, the men seek a living as construction workers, ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers, barbers and hawkers.

Sarim Ahmad, 45, for instance, owns a chicken noodle cart now. He had worked for a fritter seller earlier.

“I saved up my salary to make a cart to sell noodles, and the proceeds are not bad,” he said.

The NTB provincial administration had initially promised that the outreach program provide startup capital for the refugees.

However, for Sarin, it was all just talk and no action.

“They promised to provide startup capital, but have failed to do so as of now. Furthermore, we prefer to be independent because the assistance is a loan in nature and we have to pay installments,” he said.

West Lombok spokesman Ispan Junaedi said the administration would never compensate the assets of Ahmadiyah members in Ketapang because funds set aside for that purpose in 2010 and 2011 had not been realized “because the refugees raised the amount”.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved
URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/12/19/bleak-prospects-ahmadis.html

Ahmadiyah bans: Legal justification for intolerance?

OPINIONSat, 12/10/2011 9:27 AM

Ahmadiyah bans: Legal justification for intolerance?

Ati Nurbaiti, Canberra

As of September this year, at least 26 regencies and municipalities have passed bylaws restricting or banning the Ahmadiyah sect, 11 of them in West Java alone, according to a list from the National Commission on Violence Against Women.

Some were issued after the murderous assault on the sect in Pandeglang regency, Banten, in February 2011; including the Banten bylaw itself. The Commission has said women and children of the sect were the most vulnerable in the attacks, which according to the Setara Institute have included 342 cases of assault from 2007 to 2011. This also includes the resettlement of an entire Ahmadiyah community to an island off Lombok.

The local regulations justify other citizens and authorities into closing down Ahmadi mosques, forcing them out of their homes, or ordering them to denounce Islam if they insist on their beliefs. Unlike mainstream Muslims, the Ahmadiyah do not believe that Muhammad is the last prophet, saying they differentiate between prophets and messengers.

However, Muslims have said this is their excuse to hide their real beliefs; that the Ahmadiyah have frequently violated the joint ministerial decree on their sect by proselytizing; and that the attacks on them would stop — if only they would drop their teachings, or declare that they are no longer Muslims.

The bylaws and the joint ministerial decree, revived in 2008, refer to the 2005 non-binding fatwa of the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) which states the Ahmadiyah is deviant; and also the 1965 Law on Blasphemy, which was upheld in 2005 by the Constitutional Court in its ruling against a group of human rights advocates who wanted it annulled. The plaintiffs had said the blasphemy law was no longer relevant for a democracy since it was issued under martial law in 1965.

The movement to annul the 1965 law and those advocating an end to prosecuting minorities, pursue entirely different reasoning from groups who are sealing the Ahmadiyah mosques, often accompanied by local police.

The first argues that the state of a democratic country should not decide which Islam is “right”. The second wonders out loud why the state is leaving Muslims to take matters into their own hands, because, they say, it is evident that Ahmadiyah should be banned, based on the 1965 law, the joint ministerial decree and the MUI fatwa.

A glimpse at news reports in the wake of the Feb. 6 attacks shows that a number of these reports asserted or implied that the real victims were not the Ahmadiyah, whose three members were mobbed and killed, with helpless police officers looking on — all on display to the world thanks to YouTube.

According to the sources in the reports, such as in CyberSabili and hidayatullah.com, the real victims were the Muslims, because the Ahmadis, who insulted Islam, and blatantly defied all civilized requests to stop proselytizing, gained all the sympathy. The “victimization” of Muslims is traced to the marginalization and suppression of Islamic expression by Soeharto, apart from reports of intelligence operations against Muslim activists.

That the Ahmadiyah were not the real victims in the February assault would not necessarily be the majority view; a poll involving 3,000 respondents found most rejecting violence in the name of religion. The July poll by the Setara Institute was conducted in 47 regencies and municipalities in 10 provinces.

But if most Indonesians agreed with these respondents, it doesn’t explain all those bylaws restricting the Ahmadiyah, emerging right under the nose of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The passing of the bylaws had no difficulty, it seemed, even though the regional autonomy law states that religion should be regulated by the state. But similarly, Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali and Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi have voiced their opinions that the state should ban or dissolve the Ahmadiyah instead of only restricting their activities.

So are Indonesia’s Muslims becoming increasingly intolerant? Many say tolerance is not the issue, for the Ahmadiyah has insulted Islam.

Leading lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution told a recent discussion in Canberra that he had a hard time convincing President Yudhoyono that the Ahmadiyah had constitutional rights as a minority — and thus the President may have been persuaded against an outright ban. The ministers overseeing the joint ministerial decree restricting the Ahmadiyah also have a constitutional reference; that religious freedom is limited in respect of followers of other faiths.

The International Crisis Group had recommended an independent body to work out a strategy for religious tolerance; such a body would have to deal with this legal confusion stemming from demands to “protect” the Muslim majority against “deviants”, through rulings such as a state ban on the Ahmadiyah.

Malaysia may seem tragic to many of us as its activists say ordinary citizens, including Muslims themselves, cannot speak out against increased state regulation of Islam, lest they would be considered un-Islamic.

But the incidences of Malaysians’ violence against minorities do not come anywhere close to our long list. Should we be proud of outdoing Malaysia?

The author is a staff writer at The Jakarta Post.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved
URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/12/10/ahmadiyah...intolerance.html

Editorial: Holier than thou

--- The Jakarta Post, Indonesia

Opinion Thu, 02/04/2010 9:29 AM

Editorial: Holier than thou

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

When you call my name, it’s like a little prayer, sang Madonna, the diva with a Catholic background who later followed the Kaballah faith, which is based on an ancient Jewish belief system.

If any of her Indonesian fans had followed suit (though the singer has reportedly left the sect), their fate might well have followed a continuous trend — being ostracized from their communities. This despite the fact that even though the explanation to the 1965 law on blasphemy states that apart from the officially sanctioned religions, “It does not mean other religions such as the Jewish [faith], Zoroastrianism, Shinto, or Taoism are banned in Indonesia. They are entitled to a full guarantee [as stated in the Constitution], and are to be left alone, as long as they do not violate regulations or other laws.”

The crimes under this law include “deliberately persuading … general support [for] interpretations of a religion followed in Indonesia, or engaging in religious activities that duplicate the teachings of that religion, where those interpretations and activities violate the principle teachings of the said religion.” The officially sanctioned religions are Islam, Christianity, Catholicism, Hindu, Buddhism and Confucianism The first president Sukarno signed the 1965 law, passed, among other reasons, to secure the “goals of the National Revolution and national development” and noting, at that time, the widespread emergence of various sects “which violate religious laws and teachings”.

Until today, reports of obscure sects come and go; at some time, somewhere, someone will claim to hear a voice, “like an angel sighing … feels like flying”, so the song goes — and somehow gain a few or a multitude of converts. Lia Eden, serving time following her conviction for blasphemy, is famously one of these self-proclaimed angels of a somewhat chilling but not unique sect, in which followers torture themselves. Followers of the Ahmadiyah are harassed everywhere, accused of not acknowledging the Prophet Muhammad, a basic tenet of Islam.

Today at the Constitutional Court, we hope to hear the wisest of the wise in a hearing of a judicial review request of the 1965 law. We may see the usual crop of demonstrators around the building near the State Palace, who will loudly defend the Almighty, demanding that the law remains unchanged. The petitioners, grouped in the Advocacy Alliance for Freedom of Religion, demand the law be annulled. The government, its lawyer said, creates policies which potentially justify conflict against certain religious groups.

The group echoes earlier critics, who have pointed out the law’s contradiction with the 1945 Constitution which states the equal right of all citizens to freedom of worship in their faiths; although atheism is not recognized.

It is hoped that the experts to address the court hearing will enlighten us on what laws are really for. Are they instruments of the state to facilitate relationships between citizens of diverse backgrounds and interests, and faiths? Are they instruments of those in power, those that follow the principle of “L’etat c’est moi”, and use the law at whim? The 1965 law continued to be effective in the Soeharto years, while he actually inserted official sanction of the synchretist beliefs, aliran kepercayaan, of which he was a follower.

Annul the law — and remove the state’s blessing of those who insist on the monopoly to say they are holier than thou.

URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/02/04/editorial-holier-thou.html

‘Government complicity’ lets religious conflict go on

---The Jakarta Post, Indonesia

Headlines Thu, 01/28/2010 9:33 AM

‘Government complicity’ lets religious conflict go on

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A damning report on freedom of worship in Indonesia has blasted state agencies and government officials for complicity in violating this fundamental right.

The Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace released Wednesday its Report on the Condition of Religious and Faith Freedom in Indonesia, revealing 200 violations against freedom of worship throughout 2009.

The institute claimed state agencies had been involved in 139 of the cases — 101 of the cases saw “active” involvement by state officials, while the 38 others were by omission.

“Over the last three years, we have found that violations against freedom of religion remain rampant,” Setara Institute chairman Hendardi said at a press conference.

“This is mostly because the government is half-hearted in its upholding of the right to worship.”

State institutions outed by the report include the police, which Setara claimed were involved in 48 cases, the Religious Affairs Ministry (14 cases), mayors (eight cases), regents (six cases) and courts (six cases).

“State agencies often prohibit certain groups from praying or building a place of worship,” Hendardi said.

“We also found government officials discriminated against other groups, prohibiting them from using public facilities.”

He added that in many cases of attacks by Muslim mobs on congregations of other faiths, the authorities turned a blind eye and sided with the offending majority.

An attack against supporters of the Ahmadiyah sect in Jakarta, for instance, led to arrests of Ahmadiyah members, and not their attackers.

The police claimed they did this to protect the Ahmadis.

Setara also categorized 86 cases in their findings as crimes that should have been dealt with by law enforcement officials.

The violators in 29 of these cases were the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), the hard-line Islam Defenders Front or FPI (nine cases), and the Forum of Islamic Community or FUI (six cases).

“The Ahmadis remained the most persecuted community, falling victim in 33 separate cases during 2009,” Hendardi said.

“Christians were next with 12 cases, then followers of the Satria Piningit Weteng Buwono sect with 10 cases.”

The number of cases last year was lower than in 2008, when Setara highlighted 265 violations.

The most prominent case in 2008 was the attack on Ahmadiyah supporters by the FPI and other hard-line Islamic groups at a pro-tolerance rally at the National Monument in Jakarta.

In 2007, Setara recorded only 135 violations of freedom of worship.

The institute monitors freedom of worship in 12 provinces: North, West and South Sumatra; Banten, Jakarta, West Java, Central Kalimantan, North Sulawesi, Gorontalo, Bali, West and East Nusa Tenggara, and Maluku.

West Java had the highest number of violations, with 57 cases, followed by Jakarta with 38 cases and Banten with 10 cases.

With violations on the rise from three years ago, the Setara Institute urged the government to pass legislation on religious tolerance as soon as possible.

“We also ask the government to integrate lessons on tolerance and pluralism into the national education curriculum,” said deputy chairman Bonar Tigor Naipospos.

He also called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to make good on a campaign promise to revoke all bylaws violating freedom of worship. (bbs)

URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/01/28/%E2%80%98govern...eligious-conflict-go.html

Religious intolerance on the wane: Indonesian think-tank

---The Malaysian Insider, Malaysia

Friday January 04 2010

Religious intolerance on the wane: Indonesian think-tank

The perpetrators of religious intolerance have also attacked houses and prayer places, issued religious rulings against deviant groups and called for a ban on the Ahmadiyah sect, which believes in a prophet after Prophet Muhammad. - Jakarta Post

JAKARTA, Jan 4 — Religious intolerance appears to be on the decline despite reports of sporadic attacks on churches and prayer houses of minority sects, according to an Indonesian think-tank.

One key factor was last year’s legislative and presidential elections that sapped the energy of the people, said The Wahid Institute in a report last week.

“The legislative elections and the presidential contest could have diverted people’s attention away from religious conflict and tension,” it said.

In its report on religious freedom and religious life in Indonesia last year, it recorded 93 incidents of religious intolerance last year, compared to 232 cases the previous year.

The think-tank was founded in 2004 by the late President Abdurrahman Wahid, also known as Gus Dur, to promote moderate Islam.

The report added that strict police action against the perpetrators of religious intolerance also contributed to the decline in the number of violations.

But the institute’s director Yenny Wahid, who is Gus Dur’s daughter, warned that religious intolerance still remained a problem in Indonesia.

“The situation in Indonesia is still drawing concern. Unfortunately, the government appears reluctant to admit that there is a problem in religious freedom in this country,” she said last week.

Most cases of religious intolerance were recorded in West Java province while the rest took place in the special province of Jakarta, East Java and Central Java.

“In West Java, the issue that haunted religious life was the spread of religious hatred against Jews, Christians, and groups or individuals deemed to be deviant,” said the report coordinator, Rumadi.

The perpetrators of religious intolerance have also attacked houses and prayer places, issued religious rulings against deviant groups and called for a ban on the Ahmadiyah sect, which believes in a prophet after Prophet Muhammad.

The Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI), the hardline Islamic Defenders Front and Muslim forum were cited as organisations responsible for intolerance last year, said the report. Cleric Abu Bakar Baashir, the former spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiah terror network, and Kiai Ma’aruf Amin, head of MUI’s fatwa committee, were mentioned as perpetrators of religious intolerance.

The MUI was blamed for issuing religious edicts against deviant groups.

Islamic scholar Azyumardi Azra agreed that religious intolerance was still a problem in the country and called for more dialogue to promote tolerance. — The Straits Times

URL: www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/w...wane-indonesian-think-tank

Ahmadiyah members assured they can celebrate in peace

The Jakarta Post The Archipelago Tue, 09/30/2008 10:19 AM

Panca Nugraha, The Jakarta Post, Mataram

West Nusa Tenggara Police have stressed that members of the Ahmadiyah sect seeking refuge at the Mataram Transmigration Transit Center during the Idul Fitri holiday would be safe, with officers conducting routine patrols on site.

“The police have so far not specifically posted personnel at the location, but we are patrolling the area on a regular basis,” provincial police spokesman Comr. Tribudi Pangastuti told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

“They remain Indonesian citizens who should be protected.”

Tribudi added police personnel deployment at the transit center would depend on the situation there.

Ever since the government issued a joint decree banning Ahmadiyah activities, police have been monitoring the group and conducting routine patrols to ensure they are not targeted by hard-line Islamic activists.

“The situation remains calm as of now. There’s still no reaction from the public. The center has never been a scene of protest over the presence of the group,” Tribudi said.

As in previous years, hundreds of Ahmadiyah refugees will this year perform Idul Fitri prayers Wednesday at a small mosque in the transit center.

“Actually, we were looking forward to performing the prayers at our home village, but we will be staying here this year because we still hold refugee status,” said Ahmadiyah refugee coordinator Syahidin.

He said that after the Idul Fitri prayer, those living at the transit center, and others at the former Praya Hospital in Central Lombok would visit each other for the traditional seeking of forgiveness.

Some 137 Ahmadiyah members from 33 families are still sheltering at the transit center after being forced from their homes in Gegerung village, West Lombok, in February 2006.

As many as 57 other refugees from 15 families are still occupying the former Praya Hospital, having been forced from their homes in Praya village, Central Lombok, in June 2006.

In that time, six people have died and eight babies have been born.

Ahmadiyah advisor Syaiful Uyun told the Post the provincial office of the Religious Affairs Ministry had held a dialogue with Ahmadis in mid-September.

But there has yet to be any visit by officials to the evacuation centers, he added.

“The joint decree states that Ahmadiyah not to proselytize its teaching and live exclusively, calling for an integration with the public at large,” he said.

“But how can we mix if we are still taking refuge here? The government should have resolved the refugee issue first.”

Syaiful also said that during the dialogue, a number of people had asked Ahmadiyah members to perform a mass repentance in public, similar to that done by members of the Al-Qiyadah Al-Islamiyah sect.

“This confuses us. Al-Qiyadah is obviously a deviant sect because it acknowledges its leader Musadeq as the last prophet, and thus ought to repent,” Syaiful said.

“But we recognize Prophet Muhammad as the final prophet and pledge the same syahadah (profession of faith) as other Muslims. So what should we repent for?”

Ahmadiyah is considered heretical by many mainstream Muslims for its recognition of founder Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as a prophet, despite Islamic tenet insisting Muhammad was the final prophet and no prophet could come after him.

The group eventually split into two schools of thought, with one still recognizing Ahmad as a prophet and messiah, and the other considering Ahmad just a reformer, not a prophet.

The provincial administration is still monitoring the Ahmadis’ activities before it decides to return them to their homes.

H.M. Nur, head of the provincial People’s Unity and Protection Agency, said the government would persuade the communities that expelled the Ahmadiyah members to accept them back.

“If the Ahmadiyah members have abided by the joint decree, but the local communities have yet to accept them, this could also cause a problem,” he said.

URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/...-peace.html