Activists Slam Govt Inaction on Ahmadiyah Cases

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Activists Slam Govt Inaction on Ahmadiyah Cases

March 23, 2011

Activists on Tuesday called for urgent state action against attacks on Ahmadiyah, saying authorities had failed to follow up on National Commission on Human Rights probes into the violence.

M.M. Billah, a former member of the commission, also known as Komnas HAM, said the body found clear proof of rights violations in last month’s mob riots against an Ahmadiyah community in Cikeusik, Banten.

The commission requested sanctions against hard-liners after it recorded instances of forced displacement, special targeting of victims and premeditated attacks. However, Billah said authorities refused to act on the findings.

Billah, now with the Jakarta-based Center for Participatory and Social Management, said inaction was not new.

“I headed the fact-finding team that was assigned to probe rights violations when Ahmadis in Parung, Bogor, were attacked in 2005,” he said.

“At the time, the Bogor Police chief told me he couldn’t arrest the perpetrators. He said if he did, an angry mob would destroy his office,” Billah said.

His team probed another assault on the minority Muslim sect a year later in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara.

Billah likened the attacks to “serious crimes against humanity and genocide.”

“In Cikeusik, there was murder, deprivation of freedom and persecution,” he said.

Yoseph Adi Prasetyo, a Komnas HAM commissioner, said on Tuesday that the fact-finding report on Cikeusik was almost complete. However, he said the commission did not have the authority to prosecute.

Yoseph said this was a recurring problem, particularly in cases of alleged rights abuses by armed forces personnel. “We’d hand over our reports to the House of Representatives and they’d have to push the police and prosecutors to bring the cases to court,” he said.

“To date, there are five pending cases that have not been followed up on,” he added.

Unresolved cases include the disappearance of activists across the nation during riots in May 1998 and the shooting of protesters near Trisakti University and Semanggi in Jakarta that same year.

There was also the 1989 massacre of 130 Muslims by soldiers in Talangsari, Lampung, as well as attacks on villagers in Wasior and Wamena in Papua.

Bhatara Ibnu Reza, a researcher for Imparsial, said Komnas HAM needed more state support. “Silence is no longer golden. By doing nothing, we are approving crimes against humanity.” Ulma Haryanto

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe
URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/activists-slam...

Ahmadiyah Declines Invite to Ministry Dialogue

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Ahmadiyah Declines Invite to Ministry Dialogue

Arientha Primanita | March 22, 2011

The Indonesia Ahmadiyah Congregation has cited the short notice given for its declining an invitation to a national dialogue today that aims to address the growing intimidation and violence faced by the group’s members.

Representatives of the congregation, also known as the JAI, were invited by the Ministry of Religious Affairs to attend the conference in Jakarta, which was organized to help resolve the ongoing controversy surrounding the minority Muslim sect.

Zafrullah Pontoh, the JAI’s national secretary, said on Monday that the invitation had only been received on Friday. He added that the group had only been allocated four seats at the conference.

After discussions with its legal representatives, Zafrullah said the JAI had asked the ministry to reschedule the event. He said the group had also voiced concerns about the makeup of the conference invitees and the direction of the talks.

“In the invitation we received to attend this dialogue, we were given just four seats. Plus, they gave us very short notice,” he said at the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI).

There was no word on whether the ministry would go forward with the event or reschedule.

Zafrullah said the JAI’s stance was clear that the religious freedom guaranteed by the Constitution extended to the Ahmadiyah community.

He also said other groups should be involved in any talks, including the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs and the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), because the problem had moved beyond a theological dispute and was now about protecting citizens.

“Due to the stigma attached to Ahmadis, we ask that this dialogue have set regulations and rules to give both parties enough time to offer thorough explanations,” he said. “There are so many misconceptions about Ahmadiyah. We want to be given a forum to clear up all the issues.”

Erna Ratnaningsih, chairwoman of the YLBHI, said the dialogue should be held on neutral ground, not at the Religious Affairs Ministry.

Nurkholis Hidayat, director of the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta), said if the dialogue was only facilitated by ministry, the discussion would be limited to theological issues. “The bigger issue here is human rights,” he said.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe
URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/ahmadiyah.../430756

Ministry meeting likely ‘one-sided’: Ahmadiyah

HEADLINES Tue, 03/22/2011 10:40 PM

Ministry meeting likely ‘one-sided’: Ahmadiyah

Ina Parlina and Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Bandung

Rejecting ‘biased dialogue’: Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation chairwoman Erna Ratnaningsih (center) speaks at a press conference in Jakarta on Monday, accompanied by Jamaah Ahmadiyah Indonesia (JAI) spokesperson Jafrullah Ahmad Pontoh (left) and JAI vice president Mirauddin (right). Erna said her clients, Ahmadiyah followers, refused to honor the Religious Affairs Ministry’s invitation to dialogue. JP/Ricky Yudhistira

Jamaah Ahmadiyah Indonesia is refusing to attend a meeting spnsored by the Religious Affairs Ministry scheduled for Tuesday, saying they feared they would be “lynched” at the meeting by other participants.

Erna Ratnaningsih from the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), which represents Ahmadiyah congregations across the country, said that her clients refused to have a “biased dialogue”.

“The composition of the parties that will participate in the dialogue is unfair to Ahmadiyah. Many of them are in favor of those who want Ahmadiyah to be disbanded,” Erna told the press on Monday.

“Therefore, we won’t attend the dialogue.”

Erna said at least two-thirds of the total 44 participants attending would be from the Religious Affairs Ministry. Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali has repeatedly expressed support for bylaws banning Ahmadiyah.

The ministry also invited the Islamic People’s Front (FUI), which recently barricaded an Ahmadiyah facility in Yogyakarta, and other Muslim leaders who supported bans on Ahmadiyah. Erna denied accusations that the refusal was an indication that Ahmadiyah was being uncooperative, saying that her clients would only attend a fair dialogue.

“We will attend a dialogue only if it has a fair composition. We want the dialogue to also involve neutral parties,” she said.

She was concerned that the meeting, dubbed by the ministry a “dialogue and opinion sharing” session, would only trick Ahmadiyah into something harmful to themselves.

Nurkholis Hidayat from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH) said that the Ahmadiyah matter was not merely about Islam.

“It’s not about Islam. It has become a matter of the state because Ahmadis are citizens who have the same constitutional right to worship,” he said.

He added that if the government was truly committed to finding a permanent settlement on the matter they must take Ahmadiyah’s constitutional rights into consideration.

He said it would be best not to shift the matter into theological debate through unfair dialogue “because faith is individual territory that cannot be interfered”.

“I’m sure with such composition, the dialogue would only lead to Ahmadiyah dissolution,” he said.

Zafrullah Ahmad Pontoh, a spokesman for Ahmadiyah Indonesia, said the manner in which the Religious Affairs Ministry sent the invitation was suspicious.

“We received the letter on March 18, but it was dated March 16. It was Friday; it means that we had only one working day to prepare for the Tuesday dialogue,” he said. “It’s not fair.”

The ministry’s director general of guidance to the Muslim community, Nasaruddin Umar, said that he regretted Ahmadiyah’s decision not to attend the Tuesday dialogue.

“This will be a good chance for the Ahmadis to present what they called their faith to the state officials.

Show us what we called deviation as something right and not against Islam,” he said. “Deciding not to attend our meeting means they will lose their chance to show it.”

However, he asserted that his office would not impose any sanctions against Ahmadiyah.

“We will still hold the Tuesday dialogue, even without Ahmadiyah,” he said, adding that his office might schedule another dialogue for Ahmadiyah.

Nurkholis said the government’s efforts to hold such dialogue were tardy.

“All this time, local administrations have made unfair policies against Ahmadiyah and the central government did nothing,” he said.

The Legal Aid Institute said it found at least 10 new local bylaws and decrees which ban Ahmadiyah from practicing their faith after a fatal mob attack against Ahmadiyah congregation in Cikeusik village, Banten.

In Bandung, members of FUI successfully persuaded eight Ahmadiyah members to return the Ahmadis — who had been deemed heretical — to the “right path” of Islam by relieving their debt on Monday. Two men, three women and three young girls who were previously members of Ahmadi’s Al-Ukhuwah, returned to Islam, claiming that they wanted a peaceful life.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved
URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/03/22/ministry-meeting...

‘Bad intentions’ in Ahmadi rebuff of govt meeting: Minister

NATIONAL Tue, 03/22/2011 3:40 PM

‘Bad intentions’ in Ahmadi rebuff of govt meeting: Minister

The Jakarta Post

Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali says he regrets that Ahmadis have refused to attend a discussion with the government about Ahmadiyah in the country and its interactions with others.

The discussions are scheduled for four days starting today.

“It is very regrettable that they decided not to attend. This can been seen as them having bad intentions,” Suryadharma said Tuesday.

Suryadharma said the government was hopeful that Ahmadiyah representatives would come and explain their religion. “We would like to hear their Islamic beliefs so that we can solve this matter together,” he said.

The secretary-general for the ministry, Bahrul Hayat, said the dialog was initiated by the government. He said the government was the one who wanted to listen, “not them listening to us,” he said.

Erna Ratnaningsih from the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation, which represents Ahmadiyah congregations across the country, said her clients refused to participate in a “biased dialog”.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved
URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/03/22/%E2%80%98bad...html

Demands to ban Ahmadiyah flare across archipelago

HEADLINES Mon, 03/21/2011 12:26 PM

Demands to ban Ahmadiyah flare across archipelago

Slamet Susanto and Jon Afrizal, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta/Jambi

Demands to ban Ahmadiyah have increased in a number of regions amid recent calls from some US congressmen asking the Indonesian government to revoke laws that discriminate against the Islamic sect.

In Yogyakarta, some 300 people from different Muslim organizations grouped under the Islamic Peoples’ Front (FUI) staged a rally on Sunday demanding the provincial administration ban Ahmadiyah in the province.

Taking law into own hands: Members of the Islamic People’s Front (FUI) speak in front of police after sealing the office of minority Islamic sect Ahmadiyah in Yogyakarta on Sunday. Yogyakarta provincial administration has refused to ban the sect’s activities. JP/Slamet Susanto

Riding on motorcycles, the protesters traversed the main streets of Yogyakarta — a city that has long been respected for tolerance. The demonstrators reportedly shouted anti-Ahmadiyah sentiments in a rally that was said to be orderly and peaceful.

“Please remember Islam teaches peace. So don’t become easily provoked by the enemies of Islam by contributing to anarchy. March in two rows so you won’t disrupt the traffic,” protest coordinator Abu Almer told participants.

The protesters expressed support for the Indonesian Ulema Council’s (MUI) edict declaring that Ahmadiyah must be disbanded because of heresy and blasphemy against Islam. “Ahmadiyah must be disbanded unless they no longer use the name and symbols of Islam,” Abu Almer said.

The group also urged the provincial administration to implement the joint ministerial decree on banning Ahmadiyah activities and to issue a bylaw banning the sect.

The group symbolically closed the Ahmadiyah office in Kotabaru by attaching a piece of cloth with the word “sealed”. “This is a symbol of our demand,” Abu Almer said.

Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X has repeatedly said he would not issue a special bylaw to ban Ahmadiyah, arguing that the province was peaceful and tolerant and that the authority to ban the sect lays with the central government.

In Padang, West Sumatra, Governor Irwan Prayitno said that he was ready to issue a gubernatorial regulation banning Ahmadiyah activities in the province within two days.

Irwan also said his administration would try to send a letter to the President urging a ban of Ahmadiyah since regional administrations could only ban the sect’s activities.

“In other countries such as Pakistan and Malaysia, Ahmadiyah has become a cult and not a part of Islam,” Irwan told a Cult Surveillance Coordinating Agency (Bakorpakem) forum on Friday evening.

In Palu, Central Sulawesi, the provincial branch of MUI also expressed support for the ban of Ahmadiyah activities. “Ahmadiyah is heretical because it has turned away from Islamic teachings,” MUI branch chairman Saggaf Aldjufri said, as quoted by Antara news agency on Saturday.

Central Sulawesi Governor H.B. Paliudju has previously called on local Ahmadis to return to Islamic instruction and not influence other Muslims with their teaching.

“I call on Ahmadis to temporarily stop their activities until further decision is made by the central government regarding the existence of Ahmadiyah in the country,” the governor said.

In Jambi, the provincial MUI branch said that it has been monitoring the activities of Ahmadis in the province to see if what they practiced was heresy.

Ahmadis are differentiated between those who believe Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is a prophet — thus considered heresy because Islam recognizes Muhammad as the final prophet — and those who consider Mirza a preacher.

The Jambi branch chairman Handri Hasan said a survey team had been sent to regions where Ahmadis resided. “If they only considered Mirza Ghulam Ahmad an Islamic preacher then it will not be a problem,” he said.

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

HRCP Annual Report 2009

---The News International, Pakistan

Sunday, May 02, 2010, Jamadi-ul-Awwal 17 , 1431 A.H

HRCP Annual Report 2009
Suicide bombings, target killings add to common man’s insecurity

Sunday, May 02, 2010
By our correspondent

Karachi

A comprehensive report titled ‘State of the Human Rights in 2009’ by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) sheds light on the deplorable situation of human affairs in the country

Marred by suicide bombings, target killings and rampant violence, 2009 was another year in which a common man remained deprived of his fundamental rights. While anarchy and bloodshed reigned the year, the state of important sectors such as education and health deteriorated further.

But all was not bleak in 2009. In the same year, the country saw the restoration of the judiciary, striking down of the National Reconciliation Order (NRO) and the passing of a law promising better protection against sexual harassment to women.

The report focuses on issues pertaining to citizens and discusses 18 such topics in detail.

HRCP has not only pinpointed the problems existing in various sectors but have also stated concrete recommendations at the end of each chapter. HRCP has also discussed its own role and activities of the previous year and at the end presented a list of Pakistani prisoners in foreign countries.

Below are some excerpts from the book on different topics, highlighting state of human rights as well as the prominent incidents and issues of the year 2009.

Laws and Law-making: The report states that the parliament did not perform well in terms of legislation and passed only four acts. On the other had, around 61 federal ordinances were issued.

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The domestic violence bill lapsed unable to be approved by the Upper house. To this day, it has been not passed

Administration of Justice: The deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and other judges were restored through an executive order.

On December 16, the Supreme Court struck down the national reconciliation ordinance (NRO).

At the end of 2009, 1.52 million cases were pending in the superior and lower courts of the country.

Law and order: In 2009, about 3,021 people were killed and some 7,334 were injured in 2,586 incidents of terrorism. Out of these, 1,300 were killed in 108 suicide bombings.

The highest number of kidnappings took place in the province of NWFP (now Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa) 592, followed by 241 in Balochistan, 224 in Punjab and 163 in Sindh.

More than 1,600 people committed suicide.

In Karachi alone, 747 people were killed, out of which 291 succumbed to target killings.

Jails, prisoners and ‘disappearances’: Majority of enforced disappearances cases were from Balochistan. At the end of the year, around 133 persons on HRCP’s list submitted to the Supreme Court are still missing.

Prisons in the country remain overcrowded and congested. In Camp Jail Lahore, 4,651 prisoners were detained in a facility with a capacity for only 1,050.

As many as 54 prisoners were killed in prisons during the year 2009.

Freedom of thought, conscience and religion: Increase in organized attacks including Taiser Town and Gojra on religious minorities. More than 41 complaints of blasphemy were reported.

At least five members of the Ahmadi sect were murdered in target killings raising the number to 100 since the introduction of anti-Ahmadiyya laws in 1984.

Nearly 80 percent of the minorities live below the poverty line and are ignored in various government support programs.

Freedom of expression: Seven journalists lost their lives in the line of duty; four others were killed in crime related incidents.

A campaign by Jang group for expeditious implementation of the Supreme Court verdict in the NRO cases and on corruption charges against the President angered the government, resulting in withholding government advertisements from the group.

Women and children: Around 1,404 women were murdered, including 647 in the name of ‘honour’. Around 928 women were raped and some 563 committed suicide.

Cases of domestic violence shot from 137 in 2008 to 205

Government failed to enforce a new law to deal with domestic violence

NA passed amendments in PPC and CrPC to define sexual harassment and propose enhanced punishments for offenders. The bill was passed by Senate in 2010.

Almost 20.30 million of as 70 million aged less than 18 years did not go to school.

Other alarming figures including: 20,000 children die of diarrhea every year, around 52 percent of children studying in seminaries experience sexual harassment, 58 percent of the girls in rural areas are married before the age of 20. Around 3.5 million children below 15 years are child laborers. 39 percent of children are malnourished. 968 children, 285 boys and 683 girls were sexually abused. Number of street children rose to 1.5 million. There were around 1,800 minor prisoners in 2009.

Labor: Estimated labor force in the country was 51.78 million.

Around 285,000 people lost their jobs in banking sector, 61,200 in computer industry, 115,000 in construction, and 120,200 in electronic and 69,000 in telecommunication.

Education: Pakistan was ranked 117 out of 134 countries in terms of quality of primary education in world economic forum’s global competitiveness index for 2009.

An estimated 35 to 40 percent of children of school going were out in streets.

Terrorist destroyed more than 187 schools and damaged 318 forcing 50,000 stay at home.

Health: There is only one doctor for 1,212 persons, one dentist for 18,010 persons and one hospital bed for 1,575 persons.

There were 85,000 individuals infected with HIV-AIDS in Pakistan, two percent under the age of 14.

85,812 deaths from cancers were reported.

Environment: 38 percent of Pakistan’s irrigated land was waterlogged.

More than 60 percent of the country’s population was without access to safe water drinking water.

Some 23,000 people died in the country due to air-pollution.

More than 400 million gallons of untreated industrial waste were being discharged into the Arabian Sea daily out of which 80 million gallons were contributed by Karachi.

Refugees: There were 1.25 million IDPs.

Only 50,000 afghan refugees were repatriated to Afghanistan in 2009. There were nearly 1.7 million registered Afghan refugees in the 2009. — RA

URL: www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=237035