We’re not safe living anywhere: Ahmadis

CITYSat, 10/22/2011 12:37 PM

We’re not safe living anywhere: Ahmadis

The Jakarta Post, Bekasi

The imam of the Al-Misbah Ahmadiyah mosque in Jatibening, Bekasi, recently called on members not to congregate for Friday prayers for safety reasons following an official ban on Ahmadiyah religious practices in Bekasi.

Rahmat Rahmadijaya, the imam, said, “It’s up to them if they want to pray here anyway. I won’t send them home,” he said, adding that about 50 of the 200 registered followers were regulars at the mosque.

However, dozens of Ahmadiyah members still went to the mosque on Friday — a week after the Bekasi municipality officially banned the sect — and conducted Friday prayers under police guard.

“[Intimidation] makes us stronger. Members are even more determined to go to the mosque,” Vera, a member, told The Jakarta Post.

Congregation members later left the mosque peacefully after the weekly service concluded.

The Bekasi municipality ruled last week that the decree banning Ahmadiyah religious practices had been passed in order to meet the demands of local people.

The Ahmadiyah are not considered a Muslim group by mainstream Muslims, as the sect’s teachings are considered to deviate from mainstream Islam.

However, residents of Jatibening told the Post that there had never been any conflict between Ahmadiyah members, who mostly live outside the housing complex, and them.

Hartinah, who has lived in the neighborhood since before the mosque was built in the 1980s, said there had been no problems between Ahmadiyah followers and residents.

“As a child, I, along with neighbors, often joined Koran recitations or breaking of the fast events at the mosque. They are friendly and have never forced us to follow their beliefs, so we have no problems with their presence,” she said.

Hartinah said that people had started to leave the mosque following the spike in reports of violence against Ahmadiyah members throughout the country.

“I’m not sure who is right, but the presence of vigilante group members around here scares me more,” Hartinah said.

Imam Rahmat said that after the Bekasi decree issuance, he had been intensively communicating with the police. “When there are rumors that certain groups will come, the police deploy officers to guard the mosque,” he said.

Ahmadiyah members have not been holding regular events other than weekly Friday prayers and sermons.

Firdaus Mubarik, public relations officer of the Ahmadiyah Indonesia Congregation, told the Post that the organization had stopped holding national events after thousands attacked the Ahmadiyah Indonesia Congregation in Parung, Bogor, in 2005.

“We are no longer safe anywhere in Indonesia,” Firdaus said.

Concerning the appointment of Nasaruddin Umar as the religious affairs deputy minister tasked with “eliminating possible religious conflicts” during the recent Cabinet reshuffle, Mubarik said he was pessimistic that it would have any impact on the Ahmadis.

“As far as I know, Nasaruddin was involved in the drafting of the 2008 joint ministerial decree banning Ahmadiyah religious practices. Besides, [the problem solving] is not in the hands of ministers, but of the President [Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono],” he said.

Firdaus pointed out that the incidence of violence against Ahmadis had increased and worsen during Yudhoyono’s leadership.

“Before Yudhoyono came to power, the eviction of 300 Ahmadis living in Lombok [West Nusa Tenggara] in 2002 was the biggest tragedy for us. During Yudhoyono’s leadership, we’ve seen worse and even lost several members, who were killed during the incidents,” Firdaus said. (swd)

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved
URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/10/22/we-re...ahmadis.html

Ahmadiyah officially banned [by Bekasi municipality]

HEADLINESFri, 10/14/2011 6:54 AM

Ahmadiyah officially banned [by Bekasi municipality]

Hans David Tampubolon, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Bekasi municipality has officially banned the religious practice of the Ahmadiyah sect on Thursday, a move pluralists deemed as the legitimation of a violation of the spirit of the Constitution.

The head of the Bekasi Agency for State Unity, Politics and Community Protection, Agus Dharma, said that the issuance of the decree banning Ahmadiyah’s religious practices was passed in order to meet the demands of local people.

“Ahmadiyah activity has caused unrest among Bekasi residents. [The decree was] issued to prevent conflicts resulting from different beliefs among local residents,” Agus said.

The decree was signed by acting Bekasi mayor Rahmat Effendi, and involved all city institutions contained under the Regional Consultative Council (Muspida).

The decree accentuated a 2008 joint ministerial decree, and an Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) edict from 2005, demanding Ahmadiyah be disbanded because it was heretic and blasphemous.

There are around 200 Ahmadiyah followers in Bekasi, according to the city administration.

Commenting on this latest development in Bekasi, the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) coordinator Usman Hamid said it was time for all civilians to rise up and conduct forms of civil disobedience in protest against a government that has legitimazed a discriminative regulation that basically violated the spirit of the Constitution, which guarantees people’s religious freedoms and rights.

“Civil disobedience is not intended as a violation of the law but as a [peaceful] protest. The law, right now, no longer represents the rights of minorities,” Usman told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Usman also said that the Bekasi administration’s move was a sign that the values of democracy in the country have faded away.

“The main pillars of democracy are equal citizenship and human rights. Without them, there can be no democracy. Democracy does not stop with the ballot box.”

Separately, Ahmadiyah spokesman Mubarik said that the nation’s legal system had done little to support minorities.

“The most horrific example is the fact that the murderers of three Ahmadiyah followers have not been brought to trial until now,” Mubarik said, in referring to an incident that occurred earlier this year when three Ahmadiyah followers were brutally murdered by a mob of fundamentalists in Cikeusik, Banten.

Mubarik, however, stressed that for the time being, Ahmadiyah followers would comply with the Bekasi decree, banning their activities.

“Our compliance does not mean that we are not going to fight back.

We will fight for our rights through our legal representatives, who have submitted a judicial review to the Supreme Court on every discriminative decree and regulation issued in the country,” he said.

“It will be a long fight. But people need to realize that Ahmadiyah followers are basically free citizens. Their right to freedom [of religion] must not be curtailed. Any decree or regulation that curtails citizens’ rights is a violation of the Constitution and, therefore, for the sake of the law, such decrees and regulations must be annulled,” he added.

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

Ahmadiyah Attack Trial Begins Under Heavy Security

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Ahmadiyah Attack Trial Begins Under Heavy Security

Jakarta Globe | April 26, 2011

Roni Pasaroni was one of three Ahmadiyah members killed by a 1,500-strong mob in Cikeusik, Banten, on Feb. 6. The trial for the 12 suspects in the case opens today. (Photo courtesy of JAI)

The opening trial for 12 men facing charges in relation to the deadly attack on an Ahmadiyah community in Cikeusik, Banten, started under tight security on Tuesday at the Serang District Court.

More than a thousand police officers were deployed to stand guard within a 200-meter radius from the court. Two water cannons and three Barracuda armored vehicles were also on stand by.

Police officers inspecting the damaged house of an Ahmadi after it was attacked by an Islamist mob in Pandeglang, Banten, on Feb. 6. The trial of 12 suspects in the attack, which left three Ahmadis dead, opened under heavy security on Tuesday.

“We deployed 1,095 officers,” Banten Police’s head of operations, Sr. Comr. Budiarto, was quoted as saying by the National Police Web site.

All those attending the hearing were required to go through three baggage checks and no private vehicles were allowed in the court parking lot.

Prosecutors were scheduled on Tuesday to read the indictments of the 12 defendants in bloody Feb. 6 incident that left three Ahmadis dead and five severely injured.

The attack, which was filmed and posted on YouTube, saw a mob of about a thousand attacking a house that sheltered 25 members of the minority Islamic sect.

Bebi, 45, is one of the survivors of the Cikeusik attack that saw three people killed. Critics say most media have failed to highlight the victims' plight and instead debated the validity of the unorthodox sect's teachings. (JG Photo/Nivell Rayda)

Human Rights Watch has issued a statement urging authorities to provide full protection for everyone attending the trial.

“For the Cikeusik trial to be a step toward ending religious violence in Indonesia, the police need to ensure the security of everyone in the courtroom,” said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

“Witnesses brave enough to testify, as well as judges and prosecutors, should not have to face intimidation.”

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe
URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/opinion/as-terrorism.../437317

Young Attackers of Cisalada Ahmadiyah Sent to Prison

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Young Attackers of Cisalada Ahmadiyah Sent to Prison

Vento Saudale | April 14, 2011

Dede Novi, left, and Aldi Afriansyah were handed six-month jail terms by the Cibinong District Court on Wednesday. (JG Photo/Vento Saudale)

Bogor. A court in Bogor sentenced three people charged in a mob attack on an Ahmadiyah community to prison terms of between four and six months on Wednesday.

In the first hearing at the Cibinong District Court, judges ruled that Dede Novi, 19, and Aldi Afriansyah, 21, were guilty of attacking a mosque belonging to the minority Muslim sect in Cisalada village on Oct. 1, 2010.

The attack in Cisalada, home to about 600 followers of Ahmadiyah, also targeted homes and schools of the group, which has come under increasing attack by Islamic hard-liners in Bogor and other parts of West Java.

Dede and Aldi were ordered jailed for six months and given a year’s probation. The sentence handed down was lighter than the nine months prosecutors had sought.

Judge Astriwati, presiding over the hearing, said one of the facts in favor of the two defendants was the lights at the mosque had been turned off at the time of the attack, so it was not entirely clear to what extent they were involved in the incident.

However, the judge stressed that Dede and Aldi were definitely in the group of around 30 locals who ransacked the mosque.

“A witness testified to seeing the defendants carry out the vandalism,” she said.

San Alauddin, a lawyer for the defendants, said after the sentencing that he would leave the decision of whether to appeal up to the families of the defendants.

In the second case heard on Wednesday, the court sentenced 13-year-old Akbar Ramanda to four months in prison and eight months’ probation for the same offense. Prosecutors had sought five months in jail for the minor.

For all three defendants, Astriwati said the main mitigating factor prompting the lighter sentences was that “they are all young and have their whole life ahead of them.”

Eviarti, the chief prosecutor in all the cases, said her office would have to consider appealing the light sentences. Prosecutors typically only appeal if the final sentence is less than two-thirds of their demands. The prosecution and defense have seven days to file an appeal.

There was a heavy police presence at the court in anticipation of violence by the defendants’ supporters, more than 500 of whom turned up. Six hundred officers and riot control personnel from the Bogor Police checked everyone going into the courthouse.

Mukhtar, an official from the Bogor branch of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), which has repeatedly called for the disbanding of Ahmadiyah, said before the hearing that if the three were not acquitted, “there will be problems later.”

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe
URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/young-attackers.../435301

Ahmadiyah’s Fate Known Soon: Religion Minister

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Ahmadiyah’s Fate Known Soon: Religion Minister

Camelia Pasandaran | April 1, 2011

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

Though no Ahmadiyah representative attended the national dialog attempting to resolve a nationwide dispute over the sect, Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali said on Thursday that the forum was a valuable exercise and a decision should be issued soon.

“Both those who support [Ahmadiyah] and those who oppose it were invited,” the minister said at the Presidential Palace.

He said all the institutions that took part in the debate would compose drafts detailing their conclusions.

Those drafts would be used by the government to decide the fate of Ahmadiyah in Indonesia, he said, including whether to continue the joint ministerial decree that bans sect members from carrying out religious activities.

Among those present at the dialog were representatives from the Home Affairs Ministry, the Religious Affairs Ministry, the Justice and Human Rights Ministry, the Attorney General’s Office, the National Police and other civil organizations.

Zafrullah Pontoh, the national secretary of the Indonesia Ahmadiyah Congregation (JAI), previously said the invitation to the dialog had arrived too late for it to send representatives.

He also complained that the group had been allocated just four seats at the event.

Wednesday’s talks saw a majority of the representatives agreeing to the complete disbandment of Ahmadiyah.

In recent years, persecution and violent attacks have marked the lives of Ahmadis across Indonesia, with the government accusing them of leading more and more Muslims astray.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe
URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/ahmadiyahs-fate...

Ahmadiyah Urge W. Java to Revoke Ban That Fuels Violence

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Ahmadiyah Urge W. Java to Revoke Ban That Fuels Violence

Yuli Krisna | March 31, 2011

Bandung. The Indonesia Ahmadiyah Congregation has issued an urgent request to West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan to revoke a recent decree issued to ban activities of the Ahmadiyah.

The congregation, or the JAI, says a decree banning the religious activities of the sect is fueling further violent attacks against them.

“I request that the governor revoke the decree because it is neither easing tensions nor preventing anarchism. Instead, it is driving groups toward anarchy,” Rafiq Ahmad Sumadi Gandakusuma, spokesman for JAI in the western part of West Java, told the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday.

“The effect of such decrees have been disastrous. So many believe we, the Ahmadiyah, have been banned when actually what has been banned [are our activities] which are in violation of the core teachings of Islam, which are listed in the joint ministerial decree.”

In recent years, persecution and violent attacks have marked the lives of Ahmadis across Indonesia, with the government accusing them of leading more and more Muslims astray.

Rafiq said the persecution and attacks were continuing. On Tuesday night, he said, the house of at least one Ahmadi follower was vandalized in the Sukagalih area of Tasikmalaya, West Java.

“The attack was conducted by 40 men. They were not locals from Tolenjeng village, Sukagalih, where the attack took place. Police were there, but they were just watching. I heard they are questioning witnesses, but what is the point?” he said.

“I would therefore like to question the governor’s statement that the decree was issued to keep the peace and to guarantee security conditions in the regions. That is completely wrong.”

Rafiq also spoke of other attacks. On March 10, he said, an Islamic boarding school in Sukabumi was sealed by locals and security officers.

On March 13, electronic equipment and books thought to belong to the sect were burned in Cipeuyeum, Cianjur,

He said more violence followed on March 14-15 in the villages of Cibuntu and Ciareuteun Udik in Bogor, leaving at least eight homes damaged.

In addition to the violence, Rafiq said the Ahmadiyah congregation continued to face intimidation. This included numerous instances in which sect members were forced to convert to mainstream Islam through signed statements.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe
URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/ahmadiyah-urge...

‘Wise’ politicians key to religious toleranc

NATIONAL Mon, 03/28/2011 2:16 AM

‘Wise’ politicians key to religious tolerance

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia needs wise politicians to encourage Indonesians to refrain from committing acts of religious intolerance, an expert on religion says.

“The attacks on the minority sect Ahmadiyah is the perfect illustration of a modern nation state where someone has decided to impose their beliefs on the whole nation,” James W. Morris, professor of theology at Boston College in the US, said during the international seminar on Anthropology of transcendent philosophy in Jakarta.

“The politics in the United States is exactly the Indonesian equivalent of these Republican politicians in America,” he added, referring to a recent debate on a plan to construct an Islamic center near ground zero in New York City, which in his opinion was deliberately raised to attack US President Barack Obama’s administration.

“One certain political party wants to pick an issue like this and use a minority sect as a scapegoat for political purposes, the result is horrifying,” he said on Saturday.

That is why, he continued, “if you don’t have wise politicians you’ll end up with civil war.”

James, who wrote the book, Orientations: Islamic Thought in a World Civilization, said that Islam had been historically and traditionally tolerant.

“Classical thinkers like [Jalaluddin] Rumi represent the more universal Islamic traditions which are tolerant, inclusive, diverse and creative. One of the core principals in the Koran and hadith is you can’t force people to adopt the practice of religion.”

Practical solutions like education are also required, he said.

It takes efforts from not only the government but also Islamic scholars and teachers who know the meaning of Arabic, understand the Koran and the hadith and explain to other people to think for themselves, not to see it as an ideology.

Seyyed Ahmad Fazelli, director of Islamic College Jakarta, agreed, adding that, “to give freedom for people to think is to give them a free way to express their rationality”.

James also emphasized that the purpose of educating people was to help them make the connection between the issues that human beings faced today. Poetry, art, music, social organizations, schools provide the connection, he went on.

“Understanding allows Muslims to agree to disagree. Once intolerance grows, it will become a disease that will destroy the society,” he said. (swd)

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved
URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/03/28/%E2%80%98...

Depok to Seize Ahmadiyah Mosque Sealed Shut by Mob

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Depok to Seize Ahmadiyah Mosque Sealed Shut by Mob

Ulma Haryanto | March 28, 2011

An Ahmadiyah congregation performing Friday prayers At al-Hidayah Mosque in Sawangan, Depok, earlier this month. The mosque was sealed off by a mob of residents on March 19. (Antara Photo)

The Depok administration said on Sunday that it would seize an Ahmadiyah mosque previously sealed off by a mob and turn it into a “normal” mosque.

Fachmi Muhammad, a municipal spokesman, said the Al-Hidayah Mosque on Jalan Raya Muchtar in Sawangan subdistrict “will be changed for normal public use, so it’s no longer going to be privately owned by the Ahmadiyah congregation.”

The mosque, built and used since 1999 by members of the minority Ahmadiyah sect, was sealed off on March 19 by a group of locals.

Yendra Budiana, a spokesman for the Ahmadiyah congregation in Depok, told the Jakarta Globe that a mob of 30 people had boarded up the mosque’s doors and windows with wooden bars.

“The police, who outnumbered the mob, just stood by watching,” he said.

He said he believed the mob was led by Damanhuri, the owner of an Islamic boarding school located nearby.

“We never had any problems when we first built the mosque, even though the boarding school was already there,” he said.

“Besides, sealing off a house of worship won’t stop people from believing.”

Damanhuri said the mosque would remain closed off “until doomsday,” as quoted by news portal okezone.com

“Residents will watch over it 24 hours a day. If the seal is breached, I don’t know what they will do [to the Ahmadis],” he said.

Fachmi argued that the administration’s seizure of the building was lawful in light of a decree issued by the mayor of Depok earlier this month. “The decree refers to the West Java gubernatorial decree forbidding Ahmadiyah from conducting any activities or spreading its teachings,” he said.

He said the Depok administration was carrying out a campaign to educate the public about the decree.

Both East Java Governor Soekarwo and West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan have issued decrees restricting the activities of members of the beleaguered sect.

The issuance was quickly followed up on by district heads in both provinces.

West Java officials have taken the issue a step further, coordinating with the local military command and urging mainstream Muslims to occupy Ahmadiyah mosques, with non-Ahmadis leading Friday prayer sermons in hopes of getting Ahmadis to renounce their version of the faith.

Ahmadis have frequently been persecuted over the high regard in which they hold the sect’s founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad.

Mainstream Muslims say that regard violates one of the key tenets of Islam, which holds that Muhammad was the religion’s last prophet.

Abdul Kadir Wokanubun, advocacy and campaign director at the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), said the regional decrees restricting the Ahmadis’ activities had no strong legal basis.

“First, the 2008 joint ministerial decree on Ahmadiyah that they [the East and West Java governors and other local officials] claim is the basis for their decrees isn’t even a valid piece of legislation,” he said.

Second, the 2004 Regional Administrations Law clearly refers matters of religion and faith to the central government’s authority, Abdul pointed out.

“What these regional leaders have done is actually against the law,” he said.

“The fact that they’re now trying to take over property that belongs to the congregation is another legal issue, but we’re not going there yet.”

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe
URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/depok-to-...

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...

Depok to open seized Amadiyah mosque to all Muslims

JAKARTA Sun, 03/27/2011 9:45 PM

Depok to open seized Amadiyah mosque to all Muslims

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Depok administration says an Amadiyah mosque it recently ordered closed will be reopened for use by all Muslims – except Ahmadis.

“After the mosque was sealed it could no longer be used by Ahmadiyah followers. In the future it will be available for all Muslims in general,” Depok Deputy Mayor Idris Abdul Shomad said as quoted by Antara news agency.

“Muslims in general can use the mosque for their activities - but Ahmadis are not allowed,” he added.

The Al-Hidayah mosque in Depok, West Java was closed after the mayor and the provincial governor issued decrees banning Ahmadiyah.

Idris also said on Sunday that Depok would invite clerics from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to return local Ahmadis to the “right path of Islam”.

He also said the administration would guarantee the safety of Ahmadis and protect the sect from violence.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved
URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/03/27/depok...

The fate of minorities in Pakistan

READERS FORUM Mon, 03/21/2011 10:04 PM

The fate of minorities in Pakistan [Letter]

This is in reference to “Pakistan, Ahmadiyah and democracy, (the Post, March 16) by Sanaullah, the Ambassador of Pakistan.

Sanaullah is ambassador of Pakistan and it’s his duty to paint a glorified picture. But the reality is too bleak. Living in Pakistan is altogether different from what Sanaullah states.

As far as the economy is concerned, I am not an economist but the figures available on the Internet indicate Pakistan’s GDP Growth rate is now at 2 percent as compared to 6.8 percent in 2007.

Minorities, in fact, are treated as second-grade citizens. Constitutionally, they are free to worship but practically an Ahmadi cannot worship freely; thanks to blasphemy laws. Minorities are not allowed to build places of worship according to their needs.

Hindus are fleeing to India. According to a recent report published in media, more than 50,000 have fled in recent years, including legislator Ram Singh Sodho. The plight of the Ahmadis is even worse.

Let alone building new places of worship, they are not allowed to repair their old and dilapidated ones. They are routinely bullied in their neighborhoods, discriminated in government jobs, and the education and business sectors.

Their headquarters town (Rabwah; forcibly re-named Chenab Nagar by the government under pressure from radical mullahs), which is built on purchased land, is practically under siege by fanatics who have forcibly occupied their land.

They are not allowed to purchase land around the town to expand their housing.

Wake up Indonesia. Religion-related laws are a bad omen of radicalism/Talibanization, which have plagued Pakistan where no place/community and sect is safe. It all started with just a constitutional amendment.

Anwar Ahmad
Karachi

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved
URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/03/21/the-fate...

Hesitant government a loophole for radicalism

OPINION Mon, 03/21/2011 9:39 PM

Hesitant government a loophole for radicalism

Al Makin, Yogyakarta

The recent bombs delivered in packages disguised as books sent to Ulil Abshar Abdalla, an activist of liberal Islamic network (JIL), and other prominent figures last week cannot be explained in plain and simple language.

Nor can it be pinpointed what caused someone to intimidate the public with the acts of terror. Although the perpetrators may be arrested, the root cause of the problem remains unaddressed.

The answer to this issue is complex. After a series of assaults on minority groups, Ahmadiyah, in many parts of Indonesia, the Christian minority in Temangung, Central Java, and the Shi’ite group in Pasuruan, East Java, and apparently now the liberal news network is being harassed. Who is next?

Just get ready, in case your group becomes the next target. In fact, with their blind dogmatic jihad, the radical perpetrators will never rest in their pursuit of finding new enemies.

Indeed, the series of these atrocities unfolded systematically, even though the perpetrators are most likely not the same group or people. But why did the radicals boldly intimidate the Indonesian public?

Do not look only at their conservative and radical theological dogma, according to which the last Prophet Muhammad is uncompromised in truth and liberalism is poisonous. The victims were blamed. After all, the alibis are just unfounded.

Attention should be given to the background against which their actions are executed. The weak central government is perhaps the first chief factor.

True, since the reform period, Indonesia has never seen a strong ruling government from the era of BJ Habibie to the current period of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Indonesians appear to learn well from the traumatic experiences under two authoritarian presidents —Sukarno and Soeharto.

They will not tolerate strong figures exercising excessive power, as in the case of Indonesian Soccer Association chairman Nurdin Halid. The nation is sensitive to any signs of dictatorship.

The wavering government, however, cannot effectively control both political and social development.

In response to many serious issues, the current SBY government has often been in limbo between many opposing views. It seemed that the government would like to please everyone. Satisfaction for all parties, unfortunately, is hard to achieve.

Ideally speaking, SBY, who was reelected with a landslide victory, should have high self-confidence to assume the presidency. In fact, SBY’s steps were compromised by many interests.

Look at the issue of the cabinet reshuffle, a hesitant consideration—back and forth and from side to side—based on political interests rather than the performance and achievement of the ministers.

Government’s hesitation is also visible in dealing with Ahmadiyah. The joint ministerial decree and Attorney General shows how the government opted for a compromise rather than taking decisive steps.

The decree is unable to fulfill the demands of both common reason and radical logic. Ahmadiyah religious practices are banned, whereas those who attack the “deviant” groups will be punished. The ambiguity lies in the fact that the decree can be interpreted as either banning or protecting the minority. However, both interpretations rest in weak ground.

The cautious government can also be interpreted as cowardly. The judicial review of the outdated 1965 blasphemy law also failed. Common sense and reason were easily defeated.

Recently, the taunt by the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) leaders to topple SBY remains unanswered. The group grossly manipulated the democratic euphoria in the Middle East as an Islamist movement. Of course, the Indonesian public does not want to buy this falsehood.

As the government is indecisive, the law is not enforced firmly. Corruption scandals involving some important figures in the government cannot be brought to justice. Worse still, some graft cases have become political commodities and bargaining chips.

To illustrate, we are not sure the degree to which accusing someone of corruption, as in the case of Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chiefs Bibit Samad Riyanto and Chandra Hamzah, is serious. It also appears that in certain high-profile crimes, such as the murder of human rights activist Munir, the masterminds remain at large and will be forgotten as a result of political compromises.

The hesitant government has left loopholes not only for radicals to be more outspoken, but also for the locals to run wild. Amid the euphoria of reform, Amien Rais proposed formation of federal states as an alternative of the unitary Republic of Indonesia. In fact, greater autonomy given to locals was a compromise that satisfied those demanding a federal system of government and those who were concerned about national unity.

However, local political elites have gone wild. They misused the broadened mandate at will, giving rise to corruption cases.

To win votes, the local politicians have also passed 90 local ordinances which clearly contradict the spirit of the Constitution.

The intellectual opposition is also weak at the local level, as intellectuals have mostly migrated to Jakarta for various reasons. Some of the bylaws impose forcefully sharia upon the people and discriminate against women.

The gubernatorial decrees on Ahmadiyah ban in East Java, West Java and Banten are the latest examples of the “small king” phenomenon.

We heard recently that President Yudhoyono and Constitutional Court chief Mahfud MD promise to investigate to what extent these local elites ran counter the Constitution. However, their words have so far not materialized into actions.

In the absence of firm government, the local renegades and radicals will always find room to show off and the police will receive no political support to uphold the law.

The writer is a lecturer at the Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved
URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/03/21/hesitant-government...

Enough Is Enough for Ahmadis

HOME

Enough Is Enough for Ahmadis

Nivell Rayda | March 20, 2011

A member of the Ahmadiyah community in Ciaruteun Udik signs a document stating Islam’s declaration of faith as proof of having renounced his unorthodox beliefs after attacks and calls to convert. (Antara Photo)

When 55-year-old Joni Jailani became the leader of Ciaruteun Udik village in Bogor two years ago, it never crossed his mind that he would be mentioned in newspapers, let alone in the same articles as leaders of the Indonesian Council of Ulema and the local office of the Religious Affairs Ministry.

But that was exactly what happened shortly after 33 of his fellow villagers, including children, said they wanted to return to the fold of mainstream Islam — after long having been adherents of the controversial Ahmadiyah sect.

“This article tells the truth, but the news on television has been exaggerated,” Joni told the Jakarta Globe, pointing to an article recently run by a local newspaper, which he said would be framed and put on a wall as a reminder of his “achievement” in converting those who follow the “blasphemous” sect’s beliefs.

“There was never any intimidation, any coercion or even persuasion, as television reports state. The Ahmadis here just want to live peacefully with their neighbors. Yes, some of them decided to stay with Ahmadiyah and leave, but what good does that do? At their new place they’re not going to be accepted, because of their faith.”

The Ahmadiyah Issue

In recent years, persecution and violent attacks have marked the lives of Ahmadis living across Indonesia. On Feb. 6, three Ahmadis in the subdistrict of Cikeusik, Banten were killed in a brutal attack by a lynch mob of more than 1,500 villagers. And more attacks have followed since.

Instead of protecting this minority sect, the government accuses the Ahmadis of leading more and more Muslims “astray.”

The main bone of contention is the Ahmadiyah view of the Prophet Muhammad.

A crucial tenet in Islam is that Muhammad was the final prophet and the Koran is its holy book. But mainstream Muslim organizations accuse Ahmadiyah of considering its founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908), to be a prophet as well.

Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali has also repeatedly said that his officials had found the Ahmadis had a different holy book altogether: Tazkirah.

Ahmadis here however have strongly denied both claims, stressing that Mirza was nothing more than a reformer of Islam, and the Tazkirah was simply a compilation of Mirza’s writings used as a book of religious-philosophical learning.

Indonesian governments at various levels however are not taking chances. Several regions have issued regulations on the basis of a 2008 joint ministerial decree, which bans Ahmadiyah members from proselytizing.

Most recently, East Java Governor Soekarwo and West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan issued decrees that further restrict the movements and activities of the sect.

West Java took matters a step further, coordinating with the local military command and urging mainstream Muslims to occupy Ahmadiyah mosques, with non-Ahmadis leading Friday prayer sermons in hopes to get Ahmadis to “convert to Islam.”

Just a week after the West Java decree was issued, dozens of unidentified men came to Ciaruteun Udik, home to 18 Ahmadiyah families, to target Ahmadis’ homes, pelting them with rocks. But village leader Joni claims the attack was not aimed at converting them.

“I don’t even know who the attackers were. Yes, some villagers here were provoked and joined the attack,” he said. “After the incident, four Ahmadis renounced their faith and joined Islam. The initiative was theirs. I didn’t even try to persuade them.”

The village chief added that four other Ahmadis soon followed suit. “I told them if they were really serious about renouncing their faith they should produce a written statement. And so they did.”

Converting Under Pressure?

Joni agreed to show signed statements that were handwritten by the recent converts.

“You see, they made the statements themselves. This is not formulated by the government. You can see their own handwriting in these statements,” he said.

“See, this letter was written by a man who didn’t finish elementary school. You can’t forge handwriting as terrible as this.”

But converts in Ciaruteun Udik, as well as in the Ahmadiyah community in the neighboring villages of Cimanggu and Cisalada, tell a different story. “You have to ask yourself, if there weren’t any attacks in Ciaruteun Udik, would people convert? Of course not,” one Ahmadi woman who spoke on condition of anonymity told the Globe.

The woman added that after four Ahmadis in Ciaruteun Udik renounced their faith, local officials harassed the rest of the Ahmadiyah community, urging them to follow suit. “They visited our homes, rounded us up. Even called us round the clock. We were intimidated,” she said.

“I don’t know if this is a coincidence or not. But [on March 13] at around 6 p.m., dozens of people attacked the homes of Ahmadiyah members in Cibuntu [West Java]. Afterward, they marched to Cimanggu and ransacked Ahmadis’ homes at around 8:30 p.m.”

This attack took its toll on the remaining Ahmadis in Ciaruteun Udik. A total of 29 men, women and children quickly announced they would renounce their faith.

“At that point I felt I had had enough,” 47-year-old Nur Hasan told the Globe. “I just want to live in peace. I don’t want to run away. Where would I go? Where would my children go?”

He recently renounced his Ahmadiyah beliefs and managed to persuade his wife and four children to do the same. Hasan’s father and siblings felt similar pressure and did so as well.

The remainder of those who refused to convert, estimated at around 60 people, have now left the village with their belongings, seeking refuge elsewhere. Their homes, some badly damaged due to attacks, remain abandoned.

Among those who fled Ciaruteun Udik fearing for their safety is 70-year-old Dayat, a Ahmadiyah cleric whose whereabouts are unknown.

“The fact is, the people who converted never felt intimidated by the attack. They told me they had always wanted to convert to Islam, but each time Dayat told them not to,” Joni claimed.

Calls for Violence

In Ciaruteun Udik, there is an eerie silence that looms at every corner of this small village of less than 500 souls.

Outside almost every home people have put up signs reading “Ahlusunnah Wal Jamaah” — signifying the homes belong to members of the mainstream Muslim community. The signs are put up in the hopes that they won’t fall victim to further attacks.

With the exception of Hasan, who agreed to speak at Joni’s home, the remaining former Ahmadis refused to talk about their reasons for renouncing their beliefs. When approached by the Globe, one recent convert specifically asked to be contacted by phone claiming that it was not safe to discuss the matter openly in Ciaruteun Udik.

“My neighbors are watching me, observing my every move to make sure I am not practicing the [Ahmadiyah] faith in secret. I also can’t let you into my house, they might get suspicious and I could be in trouble if I do,” the man said.

Later attempts by the Globe to contact him over the phone were unsuccessful.

Muhammad Isnur, from the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH), said Ahmadis in Ciaruteun Udik and Leuwisadeng, also in Bogor district, including Dayat, were rounded up a day after the first attack on March 11, shortly after Friday prayers.

“They were briefed by the Bogor Police, officers from the regional military command and the village’s ulema [religious leaders], among others, on the contents of the new gubernatorial decree,” he said. Even though the decree itself is unconstitutional, Muhammad said, the Ahmadis were strongly urged to obey.

“The preaching at mosques has gotten worse — there are calls to kill, attack and hang the Ahmadis,” he said.

Local and international human rights groups have also documented cases where military officers have visited the homes of Ahmadis in several districts in West Java, collecting data and asking people to sign sworn statements renouncing their faith.

“They were intimidated into signing a statement,” said Firdaus Mubarik, a spokesman for the Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation (JAI).

“The village administration leader also informed them that if they insisted on remaining Ahmadis, it would be difficult for them to get their ID cards processed, and to get their children into schools.”

“The Ahmadis were also offered up to Rp 150,000 [$14] to renounce their beliefs.”

Ruhdiyat Ayyubi Ahmad, a JAI leader, said he did not know where the Ciaruteun Udik Ahmadis who refused to renounce their faith were hiding.

“Ahmadiyah came to Indonesia not through force or coercion, but in peace, so I am saddened to see that it takes violence and intimidation to make them renounce their faith,” Ruhdiyat told the Globe.

“I can understand why some of our brothers and sisters felt they had to leave Ahmadiyah. We don’t see them as enemies or traitors. I am certain that for some, they still feel that Ahmadiyah is the right path for them.”

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe
URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/enough-is...

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.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved
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.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved
URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/03/18/int%E2%80%99l-groups...

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.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved
URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/03/16/soldiers...html

Explosion hits office of liberal Indonesian Islamic group

Explosion hits office of liberal Indonesian Islamic group

JAKARTA | Tue Mar 15, 2011 6:12pm IST

(Reuters) — A small explosion on Tuesday hit the Jakarta office of the Liberal Islamic Network, an Indonesian group that has defended the rights of minority Islamic sect Ahmadi, a witness said.

The explosion, which injured three people, comes a month after a mob beat to death three followers of the Ahmadi sect, considered heretical by mainstream Muslims.

Indonesia has won praise for largely defeating Islamic terror, but a recent spike in religious intolerance could heighten risk concerns for foreign investors counting on improved stability in Southeast Asia’s largest economy and the world’s most populous Muslim nation.

Ade Wahyudi, a manager at KBR68H radio that shares the office with the pluralist Liberal Islamic Network, said the office had called police to open a package that contained a book with wires sticking out of it. The police officer who opened the package was among the injured.

“I was on a different room, upstairs, and heard a bang, like thunder,” Wahyudi told Reuters by telephone.

Indonesian authorities have said they are investigating last month’s brutal mob killing, but human rights activists say authorities have not taken a strong stance against attacks on Ahmadis in the past.

Rights activists and several parliamentarians said on Tuesday that military personnel in western Java island recently summoned Ahmadi leaders to identify Ahmadi followers in their area and asked them to return to mainstream Islam.

“This goes to show a strengthening movement in government institutions trying to persecute Ahmadis. This is a worrying turn,” said Haris Azhar of local rights group Kontras.

Military leaders denied the allegations of attempts at forced conversions.

Eva Kusuma Sundari, a member of the parliamentary legal commission from opposition party PDI-P, said the government should clarify the “disturbing” reports.

“It’s deeply concerning. It reminds us of the past when the military was meddling into local politics and public order,” she told Reuters by telephone.

(Reporting by Olivia Rondonuwu; Editing by Neil Chatterjee)

URL: http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/03/15/idINIndia-55597120110315

28 Ahmadis Set to Renounce Faith: MUI

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28 Ahmadis Set to Renounce Faith: MUI

March 15, 2011

The Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) in Bogor claims that 28 Ahmadiyah followers will renounce their faith and convert to Islam.

“God willing, on Tuesday the 28 Ahmadis will recite Syahadat [to convert to Islam] at Al Hasan Mosque in Cibungbulang,” he said in a statement issued on Monday night.

Joni Jaelani, the head of Ciareuteun Udik village, said eight Ahmadis from the village, which is in Cibungbulang district, on Saturday declared their willingness to renounce their faith.

“It started when Jimmi [an Ahmadiyah follower] and his family came to me, telling me they wanted to renounce their faith,” he said, adding that the other Ahmadis had then followed suit.

“The original plan was for them to fully convert on Sunday, but we were informed that there were 20 more people from Jakarta wanting to join them. So we have delayed it until Tuesday,” Joni said.

Previously, two Ahmadiyah communities on Sunday reported that West Java police and military officers had coerced Ahmadiyah followers to renounce their faith through bribery and intimidation.

Firdaus Mubarik, a spokesman for the Indonesia Ahmadiyah Congregation (JAI), said he had received reports from Ahmadis across West Java that police and military officers had been visiting their homes, asking them to sign sworn statements renouncing their faith.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday a group 40 demonstrators broke into an Ahmadiyah mosque in Cipeuyeum, West Java, and burned the group’s religious books.

“Police were there. The mob did not destroy the mosque or clash with the Ahmadis,” said Asep Isamudin, head of the JAI in Cianjur district.

“They burned the books and the Korans because they believe Ahmadiyah is in violation of the joint ministerial decree and the recently issued gubernatorial decree banning the activities of the sect in West Java,” he said.

Read the full story on the allegations of military intimidation here.

Antara, JG

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe
URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/28-ahmadis...

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.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved
URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/03/15/tni...official.html

Police, Military ‘Intimidate’ Bogor Ahmadis to Convert

NEWS

Police, Military ‘Intimidate’ Bogor Ahmadis to Convert

Ulma Haryanto & Elisabeth Oktofani | March 14, 2011

Police and military officers in West Java have coerced Ahmadiyah members into renounce their faith through bribery and intimidation, two groups said on Sunday.

Firdaus Mubarik, a spokesman for the Indonesia Ahmadiyah Congregation (JAI), said he had received reports from Ahmadis across West Java that police and military officers had been visiting their homes, asking them to sign sworn statements renouncing their faith.

The allegation comes on the same day that a group of 40 demonstrators broke into an Ahmadiyah mosque in Cipeuyeum, West Java, and burned the group’s religious books.

“Police were there. The mob did not destroy the mosque or clash with the Ahmadis,” said Asep Isamudin, head of the JAI in Cianjur district.

“They burned the books and the Korans because they believe Ahmadiyah is in violation of the joint ministerial decree and the recently issued gubernatorial decree banning the activities of the sect in West Java,” he said.

Firdaus said at least seven Ahmadis previously residing in the village of Leuwisadeng, located some six kilometers from Ciaruteun Udik, the scene of an attack on Friday that damaged houses owned by Ahmadis, had relocated to Bogor.

“They were intimidated into signing a statement,” he said. “They feared for their lives.

“The village administration head also informed them that if they insisted on remaining Ahmadis, it would be difficult for them to get their ID cards processed, and to get their children an education.

“The Ahmadi villagers were also offered up to Rp 150,000 [$14)] to renounce their beliefs.”

Safwan Adnan, head of the West Java branch of the JAI, said that similar tactics were occurring in Majalengka and Tasikmalaya, both in the province.

He said that on Friday, 40 police and military officers from Bandung, accompanied by members of the West Java branch of the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI), arrived at Ahmadiyah’s Mubarak Mosque in Bandung.

“They said they wanted to lead the Friday prayers,” he said. The Ahmadis, he added, rebuked the group.

“They were showing off, trying to prove that they had managed to convert followers of Ahmadiyah,” he said.

Muhammad Isnur, from the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation, said that Ahmadis in Ciareteun and Leuwisadeng were rounded up on Saturday.

“They were briefed by the Bogor Police, officers from the regional military command and the village’s ulema, among others, on the contents of the new gubernatorial decree,” he said.

Even though the decree itself is unconstitutional, he said, the Ahmadis were advised to obey.

“The Ahmadis can move out if they don’t feel safe,” he said. “The preaching at mosques has gotten worse — there are calls to kill, attack and hang the Ahmadis.”

Bogor Police Chief Dadang Rahardja said “the good news” is that seven of the Ahmadi villagers who were attacked on Friday “will declare themselves Muslim, and they decided this by their own will.”

He denied that police officers had intimidated Ahmadis. “It was only socialization. We will not force them because faith is about human rights.”

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe
URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/indonesia/police...convert/428748