Lightly on the lynch mob

	Sunday July 31st 2011

Religious persecution in Indonesia

Lightly on the lynch mob

Jul 31st 2011, 9:54 by R.C. | PENANG

SO, WHAT sort of sentence do you think a man convicted of killing someone by smashing in his skull with a stone might get in Indonesia? Life? Thirty years in prison? Twenty? Five? No. Three months, apparently.

At least, that was the sentence handed down by a court in Java on July 28th against Dani bin Misra. He was part of a frenzied mob of Sunni Muslim chauvinists, about 1,000 strong, that hacked and beat to death three members of the minority Ahmadi sect of Islam in February. Eleven others were on trial (including the cleric pictured above, white turban on the left). None of the guilty received more than six months for their crimes; none of them were even accused of murder. The ringleader was convicted of nothing more terrible than illegal possession of a machete; he got just over five months.

Considering the horror of the killings, these verdicts were risible and have been condemned as such by all and sundry—human-rights groups, the American government (which usually leans over backwards to be nice towards its new friend and the world’s largest Muslim country), the EU, as well as Indonesian civil-rights organisations.

It’s a terrible verdict for Indonesia, and for Indonesian justice. On the subject of religious tolerance—and the related matter of Islamic terrorism—it’s as if the country always takes two steps forwards and then quickly takes another step back. A few weeks ago a court finally sentenced one of the country’s most culpable terrorist leaders to a meaningful prison sentence; now another court gives these perpetrators nothing more than a slap on the wrist for what was clearly an awful murder. Furthermore, no one could have been in any doubt as to the savagery and barbarity of the attack on the Ahmadis; it was all caught on film and posted (temporarily) on YouTube.

Most worryingly, the verdicts would seem to give a virtual green light to anyone else who wants to attack the Ahmadiyah, a sect that many Muslims regard as illegitimate and heretical (they face terrible persecution in Pakistan). As Human Rights Watch has said: “The…verdict sends the chilling message that attacks on minorities like the Ahmadiyah will be treated lightly by the legal system. This is a sad day for justice in Indonesia.”

In theory the rights of the Ahmadis to freedom of worship and expression should be protected by the country’s constitution, like everyone else’s. But the government has partly gone along with the more extremist Muslims who wanted the sect banned completely; as a result, the sect has been stranded in a legal twilight zone. Many have argued that this invites attacks on the sect; these latest verdicts also point in that direction. The present government wants to be known as progressive and democratic at home and abroad—putting the Suharto years behind it, as it were—but that aspiration will remain well out of reach unless it does a great deal more to protect vulnerable minorities within its own borders.

(Picture credit: AFP)

URL: www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2011/07/religious-persecution-indonesia

Indonesia is no longer a poster child for pluralism

Indonesia is no longer a poster child for pluralism

Religious persecution of the Ahmadiyah tarnish Indonesia’s reputation as a bulwark of moderate, democratic Islam

Gillian Terzis guardian.co.uk, Friday 18 February 2011 08.00 GMT

Members of the Ahmadiyah pray before the biers bearing the bodies of fellow members, killed by a Muslim mob. Photograph: Nurani Nuutong/AFP/Getty Images

The first week of February marked the annual celebration of World Interfaith Harmony Week, a UN resolution that aimed to promote religious and cultural understanding among people of different faiths. But proceedings were marred by the cruellest of events in Indonesia, with celebrations tarnished by a string of vicious attacks on the nation’s religious minorities.

The most serious attack was waged against the Ahmadiyah sect in Banten, which resulted in three of its members being beaten to death at the hands of the Islamic Defenders Front, a hardline Islamic group. The history between the two has been fractious at best, but in recent times the conflict has assumed an internecine edge. Footage of the bloody attack in Banten on 6 February showed police officers providing an embarrassingly feeble match for a crowd of 1,500 villagers, equipped with machetes, rocks and bamboo sticks.

Ahmadiyah Muslims believe Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was Islam’s last prophet, and as such find themselves at odds with the Islamic Defenders Front, which has repeatedly called upon local and provincial authorities to disband the sect, in addition to vandalising mosques and physically harassing members. The group even receives tacit encouragement from members of the Indonesian government, such as the federal religious affairs minister, who proposed that Ahmadiyah followers renounce their identification with Islam and refrain from using Islamic symbols.

Indonesia has undergone a remarkable transition after decades of repression under the Suharto regime. It can now claim a thriving democracy, a burgeoning civil society and record levels of economic growth to its name. It is touted as a bastion of a more moderate, democratic Islam; it has staked its nationhood on a mantra of “unity in diversity”. But Indonesia remains plagued by vast economic inequalities, disenfranchised youth and porous borders: elements conducive to encouraging radicalism. Lately, there have been an increasing number of attacks on religious freedom spearheaded by hardline Islamic groups, who see themselves as the sole vanguard of morality amid the nation’s anxious lurch towards modernity.

The attack in Banten is merely one in a string of attacks on Ahmadiyah Muslims, which has also included sect members being driven out of Lombok and vandalism of Ahmadiyah headquarters in Makassar and South Sulawesi. But Ahmadiyah followers are not the only target of extremists. Last week there were reports of vandalism and firebombing of Catholic schools and churches in Central Java, once again suspected to be the work of the Islamic Defenders Front. An Indonesian human rights group, the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace, reported that 64 attacks on religious freedom – which include incidents of physical abuse, preventing groups from performing prayers and burning places of worship – took place in 2010, a sharp increase from 18 in 2009 and 17 in 2008.

As religious hate crimes blemish the archipelago’s moderate and tolerant image, the government faces pressure from human rights groups and disgruntled citizens to enshrine religious pluralism in law. International groups, such as Amnesty International, have declared that religious freedom in Indonesia is “in tatters”, while peace rallies have been staged across the nation, urging the government to protect the right to religious freedom. And still, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been keen to trumpet Indonesia as a poster-child for unity amid diversity, emboldening a once-fractured nation by its embrace of religious, cultural and ethnic pluralism.

But in the aftermath of all the violence, his remarks ring hollow. While Yudhoyono has condemned the actions of those responsible for the killings in Banten, he also implored the Ahmadiyah community to “respect the joint [ministerial] agreement signed in 2008”, which refers to a decree banning the sect from public worship and disseminating its beliefs. This decree, coupled with the decision of the Indonesian constitutional court to uphold a controversial law banning religious blasphemy, shows that religious pluralism in Indonesia is far from fully realised. Instead, it reveals that institutional sclerosis systemically undermines the very values that are an intrinsic part of Indonesia’s national identity.

While these incidences of religious persecution may be specific to Indonesia, their implications are universal. Its struggles for democracy and pluralism are now being fought by other Muslim-majority nations such as Egypt and Tunisia. Clearly, the Indonesian narrative has much to teach the rest of the world: it challenges the misconception that moderate Islam and democracy are incompatible, and also shows that Muslim-majority nations are willing to embrace a more secular brand of nationalism. Of Indonesia’s 250 million inhabitants, 86% are Muslims, yet presidents from secular political parties have repeatedly been elected to office.

Of course, Indonesia’s transformation also highlights some inconvenient truths: that the road to progress is a rocky one, and that clashes between competing ideologies are inevitable. Nonetheless, it is how one resolves these clashes that is of greater significance. If the Indonesian government is serious about maintaining Indonesia’s reputation as a bulwark of pluralism, democracy and moderate Islam, it must realise that its actions will speak much louder than its rhetoric.

© Guardian News and Media Limited 2011
URL: www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2011/feb/18/indonesia...

Expert warns of new Indon terror links

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Expert warns of new Indon terror links

Karlis Salna, AAP South-East Asia Correspondent
February 15, 2011

AAP

An analyst with the International Crisis Group has warned of new alliances being forged between so-called “non-violent” Islamic groups and terrorist organisations in Indonesia.

Sidney Jones, an expert on the now dismantled Jemaah Islamiah (JI), warned of increasing alliances between what she described as “moralist thugs, the people that have been engaged in terrorist violence and the non-violent radicals who also preach intolerance towards people of other religions”.

“One of the dangers is that we’ve begun in the last two or three years to see more alliances among at least those three groups,” Ms Jones told AAP.

Advertisement: Story continues below “And what we’ve seen is that there’s certain issues, and the Ahmadiyah issue is one … that can bring those three strands together.”

Her warning follows two frenzied attacks in the past 10 days, including one in which three members of the Ahmadiyah Muslim sect were clubbed and stabbed to death in a village in West Java.

Just days later, violence erupted in Temanggung in Central Java where 1000 people rioted, burning churches and demanding a Christian man sentenced to five years in jail for insulting Islam be executed.

“I think anti-Ahmadiyah sentiment has been building here unchecked for the last five or six years for a variety of reasons,” Ms Jones said.

Ms Jones said there was “no question” that the Indonesian government had the will to combat terrorism.

She said the latest charges against Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir showed a political will to address terrorism.

Bashir, the JI co-founder, is being tried on terrorism-related charges for the third time following the discovery of a new terrorist cell in Aceh province last year.

He appeared in the South Jakarta District Court on Monday, where prosecutors read out a 93-page indictment detailing the seven charges against him, the most serious of which carries the death penalty.

“The interesting thing if you read through that indictment is that they cite Bashir for provocation, criminal incitement in a way that they’re not willing to speak of when dealing with very similar speeches inciting people to commit violence against Ahmadiyah and some Christian churches,” Ms Jones said.

“What they need to do is take the very clear political will to address terrorism and extend it to addressing some other forms of incitement that lead directly to violence.”

Bashir claims the charges have been fabricated and that the Aceh camp was established to defend Islam.

It is the third attempt by authorities to convict Bashir, who spent 26 weeks in jail for conspiracy over the 2002 Bali bombings, but was later acquitted.

Ms Jones said the latest case, however, was the strongest yet.

“I think that they shouldn’t have any problem this time around in convicting him on the basis of the evidence they’ve got,” she told AAP.

“They’ve got multiple sources and multiple types of evidence that clearly show that he was the major fundraiser for the camp in Aceh that involved the purchase of illegal guns and the protection of fugitives like Dulmatin.”

Dulmatin, killed in a police raid in March last year, was the explosives expert who helped assemble the bombs used in the 2002 attacks in Bali which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.

Bashir will face court again on February 24.

© 2011 AAP | Copyright © 2011 Fairfax Media
URL: http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/expert...1auwb.html

Ahmadiyah, diversity and the nation

OPINION Thu, 02/10/2011 10:04 AM

Ahmadiyah, diversity and the nation

Moh Yasir Alimi, Semarang

Again and again, Ahmadiyah followers have been attacked. In the latest violence targeting the Islamic sect in Cikeusik, Banten, three people were killed and many others injured. This barbaric attack has wounded our basic sense of humanity and revealed the extent of our nation’s diversity consciousness.

“Diversity consciousness” is something a nation needs to develop and nurture so that it can unite the many ideological orientations present within it. Diversity consciousness is what we need to keep our plural nation strong and blessed by God.

It was only with diversity consciousness that our founding fathers were able to create this nation, and it is only with diversity consciousness that we will be able to maintain this nation and achieve our dreams.

Without it, a nation will persistently be hijacked and weakened by groups of people who impose their own ideologies. Without it, democracy will be ineffective and a nation will hardly be able to compete in the global world order.

Diversity consciousness should therefore be protected through any means, legal apparatuses, discourses and weapons alike, like God shielding the veins in a human body with skin, bones, tissue and the intellect.

That is why the government needs to ensure that diversity consciousness is respected and that stern measures are taken to restore it when diversity consciousness is violated. The government also has to ensure that no groups attack others because they have different views and that no regulations provoke violence.

From the perspective of diversity consciousness, it is tragic that the violence against Ahmadiyah was “provoked” by state rules (a joint decree bt three ministries) and statements by an institution funded by the taxes Indonesians pay. Since the enactment of the joint ministerial decree (SKB) and the fatwas of the the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) that declared the sect deviant, the violence against Ahmadiyah has increased.

This is particularly true in Makassar, West Nusa Tenggara and West Java. In Central Java, East Java and Yogyakarta there are also concentrations of Ahmadiyah followers, but in those provinces religious life has continued to be peaceful.

Perhaps there are larger concentrations of Ahmadiyah followers in the former provinces than in the latter. The history of the religion and the role of civil society and political and religious leadership are factors that have influenced why these regions have different attitudes to Ahmadiyah. The SKB and the MUI fatwas are newer issues, aggravating the radical responses in West Java, West Nusa Tenggara and Makassar.

After the SKB, the perpetrators believed they were justified in committing violent acts against Ahmadiyah. The SKB contains content that can be used to rationalize hunting down the sect’s followers. The question now is whether Ahmadiyah followers are allowed to conduct religious gatherings in their own mosques, preach to their own members and publish material for their own believers.

MUI representative Amidhan said in a discussion on national TV on Monday that followers of Ahmadiyah were not allowed to publish materials, conduct seminars, give speeches or even assemble.

According to Amidhan, the violence in Cikeusik, Banten, erupted because Ahmadiyah members had gathered in the home of one of their members, which was a violation of the SKB.

Such a statement is heartless. I cannot imagine how such a statement could come from an ulema who is considered an inheritor of the Prophet. A prophet, as Muhammad PBUH said, is sent to beautify the character of humans. What materialized from Amidhan’s statement was anger, not any prophet-like character.

This angry front proves that the MUI is out of touch and spiritually impoverished. The body may know very well the legal text of the Koran, sophisticated Islamic jurisprudence and the laws regarding food, but it has failed to discern the basic tenets of Islamic spirituality.

It is a very basic spiritual teaching that people can become fierce, cruel or insensitive to the grief of others when their heart is empty of Allah, the Merciful and the Compassionate. These people may pray five times a day, but those activities are more politically motivated than religious, more lahir (outer) than batin (inner).

The MUI’s angry front also reminds me of Pharaoh’s clerics who fought the prophet Moses by creating magic snakes. It is said that Moses defeated the clerics because, with the help of God, he created a bigger snake that ate the little snakes of the religious clerics.

Ahmadiyah followers are regular people. They are neither Moses nor a chosen man who can create a giant snake. It is the state that should be the giant snake eating the little snakes in their various contemporary forms as people, religious institutions and rules.

The time has come to evaluate the decrees and fatwas that overturned the democratic principles of Indonesia, black ideas that have weakened our national imagination and bankrupted the diversity consciousness of our nation.

The writer is a lecturer at Semarang State University (Unnes) and former coordinator of Majelis Kataman Quran Canberra.

URL:
www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/02/10/ahmadiyah...nation.html

Govt, House urge for Ahmadiyyah decree to become law

NATIONAL Thu, 02/10/2011 9:48 AM

Govt, House urge for Ahmadiyyah decree to become law

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government and legislators have called for the speedy issuance of a new law, based on a joint ministerial decree (SKB) on the Islamic minority sect Jamaah Ahmadiyyah, to ensure “more efficient” law enforcement relating to Ahmadis.

The joint decree was originally issued by the religious affairs minister, the home minister and the attorney general in 2008, in efforts to regulate what Ahmadiyyah followers could and could not do in terms of religious practice.

“After becoming law, it can serve as a legal basis for more effective law enforcement,” Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali said early Thursday morning after a hearing with the House of Representatives’ commission on religion.

“Making the decree into law will provide stronger legal grounds to maintain harmony among people of different faiths,” he said.

Many have said the joint decree only reaffirms the community opposition to the minority, and has given some degree of legal backing to violent actions against Ahmadis, the worst of which was seen in Pandeglang, Banten, on Sunday, when three Ahmadis were brutally killed in a mob attack on their congregation.

However, the government has insisted the move would serve as a means to preventing communities from being further provoked by Ahmadis’ activities, thus protecting the latter from violence.

Religious commission chairman Abdul Kadir Karding said the recent attack in Pandeglang was evidence that the ministerial decree needed to be made into law.

“With the recent situation, it is urgent that we immediately discuss and complete [deliberation of the bill],” Abdul said, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/02/10/govt...law.html

Three More Suspects Arrested for Ahmadiyah Attack in Banten

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Three More Suspects Arrested for Ahmadiyah Attack in Banten

Farouk Arnaz | February 10, 2011

A policeman inspecting the damaged house of Ahmadiyah elder Ismail Suparman after it was attacked by a mob. The walls were daubed with graffiti in Sundanese referring to local Ahmadiyah cleric Ismail Suparman and reading ‘Suparman is the Devil’ and ‘Suparman Die!’ (AFP Photo)

National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar announced on Thursday that three more suspects had been arrested for their role in the bloody attack on an Ahmadiyah community in Banten province that claimed three lives last Sunday.

“There are now five suspects in the case,” he said.

He identified them as Uj, Ke, Kn, Knh and Yh.

“Of the suspects, we have only detained Uj and Yh since we’re still collecting the evidence needed to detain the other three.”

Boy did not say what role they played in the attack by the mob of 1,500 against the community of 25 in Umbulan village, Pandeglang district.

On Wednesday, National Police Chief Gen. Timur Pradopo identified Uj as Ujang bin Sahari.

Speaking in a hearing with lawmakers, Timur said that two days before the attack in Umbulan, the chief of Cikeusik Police approached Ujang to ask him to control his followers.

The next day, the police approached Ismail Suparman, the local Ahmadiyah leader, and he agreed to evacuate along with his family.

The subsequent attack, Timur went on, occurred after Deden Sujana, another Ahmadiyah member, occupied Ismail’s house in a bid to defy the mob. “That’s why the mob got out of control and the fatalities occurred on the Ahmadiyah side,” the police chief said.

Deden was one of several Ahmadis critically injured.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe
URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/three...in-banten/421960

Ahmadis Should Declare a New Religion: Politician

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Ahmadis Should Declare a New Religion: Politician

Anita Rachman | February 10, 2011

Hundreds of people from the Islamic Community Forum or FUI, rallying for the disbandment of Ahmadiyah sect at Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in May, 2009. (JG Photo/Safir Makki)

Deputy House Speaker Priyo Budi Santoso says followers of an Islamic sect deemed heretic by mainstream Indonesian Muslims should declare a new religion.

The calls from the Golkar legislator echo those made a day earlier by Imran Muchtar, from the ruling Democratic Party.

He said if followers of Ahmadiyah could not “repent, recognize their mistake and come back to mainstream Islam,” then they should “leave Islam and declare a new religion.”

Priyo, speaking on Thursday, said declaring Ahmadiyah a new religion would end the growing conflict.

“I suggest [Ahmadis] declare Ahmadiyah as a new religion because of the complicated problem,” he said.

Priyo said that even though Ahmadiyah was banned in a number of Middle Eastern countries, he disagreed that Indonesia should adopt similar policies.

“No, their belief should not be banned here; I don’t have a heart for that,” he said. “So, [to] Ahmadis, don’t hesitate to declare Ahmadiyah as a new religion.”

He said that if Ahmadiyah was established as a new, then followers must not be persecuted and allowed to hold religious services.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe
URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/ahmadis...politician/421824

Ahmadiyah Brought Attack on Themselves: Officials

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Ahmadiyah Brought Attack on Themselves: Officials

Jakarta Globe | February 10, 2011

Two top state officials have blamed Sunday’s deadly mob attack on an Ahmadiyah community on the sect itself, saying the government has tried to protect the group.

Three people from the community of 25 in Umbulan village in Pandeglang district were killed during the rampage by about 1,500 people.

On Wednesday, Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali told a House of Representatives hearing that a controversial joint ministerial decree issued in 2008 was not to blame for the attack, which was just the latest incident of violence targeting the minority Islamic sect.

The decree restricts the Ahmadiyah’s activities and bans Ahmadis from spreading their faith.

National Police Chief Gen. Timur Pradopo, speaking at the same hearing, suggested the Ahmadiyah members in Umbulan had only themselves to blame for Sunday’s fatalities.

Hard-line Islamists involved in attacks against Ahmadiyah communities, schools and mosques have consistently cited the decree — and an edict by the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) branding the sect heretical — as justification for their actions.

Speaking before House Commission VIII, which oversees religious affairs, the minister said the decree was meant to protect the Ahmadiyah.

“The decree was not made to discriminate against certain groups, it was aimed at maintaining religious harmony, including protecting the Ahmadiyah,” he said.

He added that his ministry had been actively engaged in attempting to prevent sectarian clashes, including setting up interfaith forums (FKUBs) in all 33 provinces and 421 districts and cities across the country. He acknowledged, however, that not everyone involved in the interfaith forums was familiar with the contents of the decree.

Timur said local police had been notified a day before the rampage of a possible attack on Ismail Suparman, an Ahmadiyah elder in the village, and had taken him into protective custody.

The subsequent attack, Timur went on, occurred after Deden Sujana, another Ahmadiyah member, occupied Ismail’s house in a bid to defy the mob. “That’s why the mob got out of control and the fatalities occurred on the Ahmadiyah side,” the police chief said.

Deden was one of several Ahmadis critically injured.

Some Commission VIII lawmakers agreed that the Ahmadiyah were at fault.

Hasrul Azwar, from the Islam-based United Development Party (PPP), said the sect should be officially outlawed. “Clerics the world over have banned them, so why doesn’t our government do the same?” he asked. “As long as the government fails to get strict, the conflict will never end. Their fake prophet is a disgrace to my religion.”

Suryadharma said that while the government had not decided what to do with the Ahmadiyah, “the suggestion to disband them will be a very valuable input for us.”

Imran Muchtar, from the ruling Democratic Party, backed the call. “The first option is for the Ahmadiyah to repent, recognize their mistake and come back to mainstream Islam,” he said.

“The second is for them to leave Islam and declare a new religion.”

Jazuli Juwaini, from the Islamic-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), called on the police to investigate whether the mob had been organized.

Timur said that while it was obvious that “some people mobilized the masses, I’m not saying they’re the provocateurs.”

He added that the only person arrested so far was Ujang bin Sahari. Unconfirmed reports identify him as the Banten head of the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front (FPI).

JG

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe
URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/ahmadiyah...officials/421756

Indonesian mobs step up sectarian violence

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Indonesian mobs step up sectarian violence

Tom Allard INDONESIA CORRESPONDENT
February 9, 2011s

Attack … a YouTube image of one of the men being beaten to death.

THE brutal killing of three followers of the Islamic sect Ahmadiyah by a crazed mob over the weekend and assaults on two Christian churches yesterday have renewed concerns about growing violence against religious minorities in Indonesia and the unwillingness of authorities to contain marauding gangs of Islamist thugs.

Coming as Indonesia celebrates “interfaith harmony week”, the killings and assaults are acutely embarrassing for the President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who has faced criticism for more than a year for turning a blind eye to rising sectarian attacks, which almost always go unpunished by police.

Late on Monday Dr Yudhoyono expressed his abhorrence at the murders of the three Ahmadis, ordering a police investigation.

Advertisement: Story continues below He expressed regret that authorities were unable to contain the group of more than 1000 people who attacked a house where a group of Ahmadis were staying.

“We cannot tolerate this kind of thing happening again and again,” Dr Yudhoyono told journalists.

The attack in the West Java province of Banten was caught on video. It shows young men beating and stoning the three men to death as they lie near-naked and bloodied.

One police officer tries to stop the mob. Another policeman stands in the background watching impassively.

An Ahmadiyah spokesman, Mubarik Achmand, said police had advance notice of the assault, telling the owner of the house that was attacked, Parman, that he was antagonising his Muslim neighbours and asking him to leave.

“Parman told the police that they must protect him instead of asking him to move out of his birthplace,” Mr Mubarik said. “Parman then told his friends in Jakarta of what happened and two sedans from Jakarta arrived Sunday morning and they rested in Parman’s house. The mob came a few hours later.”

Two people have been detained and 13 others are being questioned.

Violence against Ahmadis, who have lived in Indonesia since 1925, has escalated greatly in the past few years, reaching a high point after the Ministry of Religious Affairs issued a decree in 2008 finding it to be a deviant sect and banning it from proselytising.

Last year the conservative Minister for Religious Affairs, Suryadharma Ali, called for it to be outlawed, citing the country’s blasphemy laws and describing such a measure as an “act of love”.

According to the Setara Institute, which monitors religious violence, there were 15 attacks on Ahmadis in 2008, 33 in 2009 and 50 last year. Last month there were five attacks. Perpetrators have been very rarely brought to justice. Instead, Ahmadis are often asked to move.

The decree is widely seen as encouraging Islamic vigilantes who detest Ahmadiyah beliefs that an Indian preacher, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, was the second coming of the “messiah” supposedly foreshadowed in the Islamic hadith.

Attacks on Christian churches have also risen greatly in recent years; there were 75 last year. Yesterday a 1500-strong mob burned and ransacked two churches in Temanggung, Central Java, destroying one of them. A nearby school was also reportedly badly damaged.

The militants were angry that a Christian man accused of distributing literature that blasphemed Islam was sentenced to five years’ jail rather than receiving the death penalty.

Copyright © 2011 Fairfax Media
URL: www.smh.com.au/world/indonesian...20110208-1alnd.html

Indonesia President Calls for Disbanding of ‘Violent’ Groups

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Indonesia President Calls for Disbanding of ‘Violent’ Groups

February 09, 2011

In his strongest comments since the killing of three members of an Islamic sect and anti-Christian unrest, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Wednesday called on authorities to disband any organization that urged its members to resort to violence.

“If there is an official public group or mass organization that has repeatedly conducted or even suggested violence, legal authorities must disband the organization, according to the rule of law and democratic ethics,” Yudhoyono said in Kupang, West Timor, on Wednesday.

“Even though a democratic country upholds freedom of expression and the right to assemble, we must not give any space and tolerance to public speech or calls to carry out violence or murder on anyone.”

He said the anti-Ahmadiyah attacks in Pandeglang, Banten, and unrest in Temanggung, Central Java, in which two churches and a Christian school were targeted, could have been prevented if authorities had been proactive and swifter in their responses.

“In this country, there are no villages or districts that do not have leaders and security officers,” Yudhoyono said.

He also asked the press to support the government in maintaining harmony among different religions “as well as to prevent violence done by a group or a community that could damage the harmony,” he said.

Antara

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe
URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/indonesia...groups/421608

Murder in God’s name

Monday February 8th 2011

Murder in God’s name

Feb 8th 2011, 12:47 by R.C. | JAKARTA

INDONESIANS are reeling from one of their country’s most awful incidents of religious violence in years. It happened on February 6th, in a village in Banten, the western end of Java, not far from Jakarta, a district where strictly Islamist parties poll well. Out of keeping with the more usual pattern of Muslim-versus-Christian attacks, this was a mob attack by Muslims against men who claimed to be their own fellows: members of a Islamic sect called the Ahmadiyah.

Three Ahmadis were killed and five seriously injured in a frenzy of violence: footage of the assault was deemed too graphic to be shown on Indonesian TV news, which tends to have a fairly high tolerance for the stuff. Instead the footage is circulating on the internet, if you have the stomach. Indonesians are asking what could have motivated religious people to commit such a barbaric act (“sadistic” is a word being bandied around)—and why the police were so feeble in their attempts to stop it.

Nerves have been frayed further by another spate of religious violence, first reported this morning. Elsewhere in Java a Muslim mob burned down three Christian churches, all the while calling for the death penalty to be brought against a Christian man whom they accused of blaspheming against Islam. They were apparently unsatisfied by the judgment of a court, which had already given him the harshest sentence available (five years in jail) for distributing leaflets that insulted Islam. This sort of mob violence is not rare enough.

But Sunday’s lynching was something on a different scale entirely. These murders were aimed at the sect itself. Ahmadiyah was established in India in 1889; modern Ahmadis believe that their founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, was a prophet and messiah. This, of course, contradicts orthodox strains of Islam, which all hold that Muhammad was the final prophet.

Non-Ahmadi Muslims have long regarded Ahmadiyah as an apostasy. Its adherents are a persecuted minority almost everywhere they are to be found: the Pakistani Taliban carried out an especially terrible massacre of Ahmadi worshippers in May 2010. There have been attacks on them before in Indonesia, perhaps three in the past decade, but nothing remotely as gruesome as what happened on Sunday. A local group of Ahmadis had gathered at the home of their leader and then refused to disperse, despite complaints made by their neighbours. A 1,500-strong mob then arrived at the house, dragged the people from inside their mosque and fell on them with machetes, knives and sticks.

The sheer savagery of the attack shocked the rest of the country. Many Indonesians also felt let down by the police, not for the first time. The local police had been aware of the threat posed to the Ahmadis, and indeed they asked them to leave, for their own safety. The Ahmadis had replied that is was the police’s job to guarantee their safety, according to the constitution.

The footage of the attack shows that the police’s attempts to stop the mob were half-hearted at best. To critics of Indonesia’s police force, their pitiful effort is further proof of a lack of direction and authority at the top. The president, Susilo Bambang Yudhyono, has dithered in his defence of Ahmadiyah, sometimes suggesting that he might sympathise with its persecutors. As one disappointed adviser to the government told me, yet again the state has proven itself to be weak and ineffective when it comes to upholding laws concerning the freedom of religion.

And all this in Interfaith Harmony Week, launched amid considerable pomp and ceremony at the Jakarta Convention Centre on the very same morning at the attacks. As my government interlocutor admitted, Indonesia still has a way to go to “walk the talk” one hears so often: of a peaceful and tolerant country of many faiths.

URL: www.economist.com/blogs/asiaview/2011/02/religious_persecution_indonesia

INDONESIA: Religious violence result of authorities consent in past cases

Asian Human Rights Commission — Statement

INDONESIA: Religious violence result of authorities consent in past cases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AHRC-STM-028-2011
February 8, 2011

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission

INDONESIA: Religious violence result of authorities consent in past cases

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) urges a full investigation into the killings of at least three followers of the Ahamadiyah Islamic minority sect that occurred on Sunday February 6, 2011 in Umbulan village in Banten. As incidents of religious violence have been repeated in the last year, the AHRC cannot help but notice the lack of police action to prevent violence against religious minorities.

The aggression against the Ahamadiyah is justified by the local residents based on the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) declaration that labelled the Ahamadiyah as heretic. However, it is the duty of the police to protect the rights of every person to exercise their freedom of religion as a human right and a fundamental right in Indonesia. In past attacks and mob violence against religious minorities the police often claimed not have had enough personnel in the place to avoid the eruption of violence. Indonesia saw a series of attacks including violence against members of religious minorities and burning of places of worship.

“The police can no longer hide behind the claim not being able to stop such violence” Wong Kai Shing, the Executive Director of the AHRC said. Such incidents do not typically come as a surprise and the police is often aware of such clashes ahead.

The negligence of the authorities, which in many cases amounts to consent to such violence, has resulted in a serious deterioration of the situation of religious freedom and has encouraged agitators to take more drastic measures of violence against minorities.

The 2008 Joint Ministerial Decree against promoting activities by the Ahamadyas has labelled them as a target and presents a major set-back for religious freedom and plurality in Indonesia.

Violence broke out in Temanggung Central Java in a blasphemy trial against Antonious Richmond Bawengan. After prosecutors demanded a five year prison sentence for the blasphemy charge a mob of fundamentalist Muslims demanded the death penalty, burned churches and cars and attacked the court room. The situation in Temanggung is reportedly chaotic.

The AHRC sees the increasing use of extreme violence in cases of fundamentalist religious views as a result of the inaction of the authorities in the last years in similar cases and blatant negligence by the government against fundamental rights.

The AHRC demands an impartial investigation into all cases of religious violence and expects the government of Indonesia and the police to take a strong stance against any religious intolerance. Democracy is not the rule of majorities over minorities but must be based on the uncompromised protection of fundamental rights including the freedom of religion.

URL: www.ahrchk.net/statements/mainfile.php/2011statements/3076/

Indonesia pressured over Ahmadiyah Muslim sect killings

Asia-Pac

8 February 2011 Last updated at 09:20 GMT

Indonesia pressured over Ahmadiyah Muslim sect killings

By Alice Budisatrijo
BBC News, Jakarta

A video made of the attack shows a mob attacking residents and inflicting vicious attacks

Indonesia has been criticised by US groups and others after a murderous attack against supporters of the minority Ahmadiyah Muslim sect.

A mob attacked sect members, killing at least three, while police either fled or stood by watching.

A body which advises the US government on religious freedom has said Indonesia must act against extremist attacks.

A 1965 blasphemy law, and a 2008 anti-Ahmadiyah decree, must be revoked, it said, and the attackers punished.

“This is just more deadly evidence that blasphemy laws are the cause of sectarian violence, not the solution,” said Leonard Leo, chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

“Indonesia is a tolerant county that should be more intolerant of extremist groups,” he said. “It’s time the Indonesian government brings them to account for the violence and hatred they spread.”

New York-based Human Rights Watch echoed the calls, saying the Indonesian authorities should be watching the video of the attack carefully to catch the perpetrators.

“There needs to be a full investigation into why the police absolutely failed to prevent this mob from going on a violent rampage,” said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

Future fears

The group obtained and helped to disseminate the video which shows the attack, in which men forced residents to strip before beating them so violently that several died.

“How many Ahmadiyah have to die at the hands of mobs before the police step in,” Ms Pearson said.

“The Indonesian government should end this wave of hate crimes and immediately revoke the 2008 anti-Ahmadiyah decree, which encourages these vicious attacks.”

A spokesman for the police, Boy Rafli Ahmad, said that although 30 police officers had been present they were greatly outnumbered by the 1,000-strong mob.

“This brutal attack on Ahmadiyya followers reflects the continued failure of the Indonesian government to protect religious minorities from harassment and attacks and to hold the perpetrators accountable,” said Donna Guest, Asia-Pacific Deputy Director at Amnesty International.

The Jakarta Post newspaper said “barbaric” and “sadistic” were the two words most commonly used to describe the onslaught in Umbulan village, Pandeglang, Banten.

“But the killings may not be the last, and violence may continue increase as the government remains at a loss in addressing the issue,” it wrote.

The Indonesian government condemned the attack and has promised an investigation.

But critics have frequently asserted that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has not taken a strong stand against extremist Islamic groups for fear of their wealthy and military backers.

The decree of 2008 stopped short of banning the sect but threatens worshippers with jail if they continue to spread their beliefs.

The religious minister has called for the dissolution of the sect, mainly because of their belief that their founder, and not Muhammad, was the last prophet.

The Indonesian constitution guarantees freedom of religious expression.

Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population but it is a secular country. But the government has been accused of caving into their demands since it relies on the support of Islamic parties.

BBC © MMXI
URL: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12389097

Editorial: Banten: Murder in The Name of Religion

OPINION

Editorial: Banten: Murder in The Name of Religion

Jakarta Globe | February 08, 2011

Mob rule and religious intolerance are on the rise in Indonesia. Two days after a deadly attack on the Ahmadiyah sect in Banten comes the worrying news that a mob attacked and vandalized two churches in Central Java.

This time the reason was anger over a court’s decision to sentence a Christian man to five years in prison for distributing leaflets seen as blaspheming Islam.

The mob demanded the death sentence, but the court had already passed down the maximum sentence allowed under the law.

Such acts of violence are becoming alarmingly common and the authorities seem paralyzed to act. Indonesia’s image as a tolerant nation is in peril.

We must ask ourselves what is happening here.

How has religious intolerance spun so far out of control? Are these incidents simply spontaneous emotional acts or are there other forces behind these rampages seeking to sow the seeds of discord?

Regardless of the reasons behind it, violence cannot be condoned and must be condemned in the strongest terms.

If religious extremism is on the rise, what steps are the authorities taking to tackle this menace and protect law-abiding citizens?

This week alone there have been two violent attacks.

These are criminal acts and those responsible must be brought to justice. However, we have yet to hear any words of reassurance from the police or the government. We have yet to hear them say they will act with the full force of the law.

We have only to look at the success of the police in their fight against terrorism to see that they are capable of suppressing religious extremism. But they will only do so if the will is there.

Too often, extremist groups are allowed to run riot in the name of Islam, sullying the name of the religion and the nation.

Blame must also lie with the minister of religious affairs. He is responsible for protecting the rights of all religious followers in the country, yet some of his statements have fanned the flames of intolerance.

Words can carry weight and meaning far beyond those intended by the speaker, so any words uttered in the name of religion must be carefully considered.

Indonesia is not the only country where religious strife is part of the social fabric. India too has suffered religious violence, leaving hundreds, sometimes thousands of people dead.

But often, such instances are linked to political leaders who incite the violence for their own self-interests.

We cannot be considered a law-abiding society if we allow such acts of violence against innocent people to occur without response.

Violence begets violence and very soon we will have full-blown civil strife between different ethnic and religious groups. Do we have the moral courage as a nation to tell these religious thugs that enough is enough?

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe
URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/editorials/editorial...religion/421529

Police Arrest Two for Alleged Roles in Ahmadiyah Attacks

HOME

Police Arrest Two for Alleged Roles in Ahmadiyah Attacks

Farouk Arnaz | February 08, 2011

National Police have announced the arrest of two men in relation to the bloody attacks on members of the Ahmadiyah community in Banten on Sunday.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Anton Bachrul Alam said the unnamed men had been charged with offenses that carry jail sentences of a maximum 15 years for their unspecified roles in the violence that claimed three lives and left five others with serious to critical injuries.

The men had been charged under Criminal Code Article 170, which carries a maximum sentence of 12 years for violence resulting in death, and Article 338 for manslaughter, which carries a maximum 15 years in jail.

Article 340 for premeditated murder, which carries the death penalty, was not applied.

Anton said the accused and been cooperative with investigators and had voluntarily turned themselves into police.

He said National Police Chief Gen. Timur Pradopo had been inspecting the crime scene on Tuesday.

The investigation is being headed by the National Police’s head of general crimes, Brig. Gen. Agung Sabar Santoso.

Anton said that besides the criminal investigation, police were also investigating the possibility that local authorities, including police officers, had been negligent in failing to prevent the attack.

The investigation was being led by Comr. Gen. Nanan Soekarna, the police’s Internal Affairs head.

On Monday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered a probe into the deadly attack, including into negligence by local law enforcers and officials.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe
URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/police...attacks/421407

Minister told to take precautions when commenting on Ahmadiyah

NATIONAL Tue, 02/08/2011 4:56 AM

Minister told to take precautions when commenting on Ahmadiyah

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali needs to be more prudent when commenting on the Ahmadiyah religious sect, Abdul Kadir Karding, chairman of the House of Representatives’ Commission VIII overseeing religious affairs, warned Tuesday.

Suryadharma, Abdul said, should not blatantly announce his plan to ban the sect as he did last year as it only fuelled animosity toward the Ahmadis.

“The religious affairs minister is not the minister for Muslims only, but for all people in Indonesia. He represents the government and the government represents the people. A statement like that will only fuel the militancy of hard-line groups and justify their violent acts,” he added.

Ahmadiyah mosques and homes in Indonesia have been the target of intimidation and a series of attacks, reportedly not only committed by civilians, but also by the authorities. The latest incident happened over the weekend in a village in Pandeglang, Banten, where a mob of 1,500 people attacked a house guarded by around 20 Ahmadis. Three Ahmadis died in the attack.

Suryadharma has repeatedly called for the Ahmadiyah faith to be banned in Indonesia. In late August 2010 he claimed that after seeking divine advice he concluded that banning Ahmadiyah would be the best solution.

URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/02/08/minister....html

Questioning the freedom of religion in Indonesia

OPINION Tue, 02/08/2011 10:46 AM

Questioning the freedom of religion in Indonesia

The Jakarta Post

Another incident related to the Ahmadiyah group erupted in Pandeglang, Banten, when a group of villagers attacked the home of a follower of the Islamic sect. In the raid three Ahmadis were killed, giving another bloody stain on religious freedom in the country.

This is another sad story of how religion in Indonesia can be violently attacked by a mob or a hard-line group — especially for Ahmadiyah. There were many other incidents targeting the group using the same modus operandi. For instance, the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) attacked Ahmadiyah’s headquarters in the West Java city of Bogor in 2005. In October 2010 an Ahmadiyah mosque in Kuningan, also in West Java, was burned down.

The frequent attacks on Ahmadiyah leave questions about the state’s obligation to protect its people. Why is it so easy for people in this country to condemn one religion and then attack its followers because they follow a different faith?

What about the Constitution, which clearly says that “the state guarantees the freedom of everyone to adhere to their respective religion and to perform their religious duties in accordance with their religion and faith”?

Furthermore, Indonesia has also ratified the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) into Law No. 12/2005. It is clearly stated there, especially within Article 18, that “everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.”

Referring to those products of legislation, the state should take necessary actions to uphold the Constitution and laws that promote freedom of religion. Had this materialized Ahmadiyah followers would live freely in our country, upholding their faith and enjoying the freedom to profess, worship and practice what they believe.

In the case of attacks on Ahmadiyah, the state would have jailed the perpetrators and dissolved any group that condemned and attacked the sect.

The reality, however, does not always come true, especially in this country, at least for the time being. This happens because the state has so far never paid attention to this issue, or has considered the repeated violence against Ahmadiyah a non-issue.

As evident in the government’s response to the fresh attack on Ahmadiyah followers on Sunday, the state has barely taken a strong stance other than making a statement regarding freedom of religion.

The President said that enough is enough regarding violence in the name of religion, but we have heard such words many times before. He once said he would lead the fight against corruption in the country, but the judicial mafia and tax mafia cases centering on former taxman Gayus H. Tambunan recently showed a widening gap between words and actions.

The relentless violence against Ahmadiyah started from an edict issued by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) in 2005, which declared Ahmadiyah a deviant sect and categorized the group as non-Muslim.

The edict has therefore given justification to Muslim hardliners to attack Ahmadiyah across the country. The condition was exacerbated by the issuance of the joint ministerial decree that put a halt to any Ahmadiyah activities in Indonesia. This decree surely reinforces the hardliners’ hostility against the minority group.

The edict and decree displayed the “authoritarian” face of both the MUI and the government, as the policies failed to take into account their impacts in society. Condemning or banning a group will justify attacks on its followers in the name of religion and law.

The government, as representation of the state, is responsible for protecting all citizens, particularly minorities, instead of facilitating avenues for people to batter others, in this case Ahmadis.

The Indonesian Constitution upholds the freedom of religion, promotes religious harmony and mutual respect among followers of different faiths.

Only a few months ago Indonesia was lauded by visiting US President Barack Obama as a model of a tolerant country where all religions were respected. Now, after the latest attack on Ahmadiyah, Obama might have to retract his statement.

The writer is a lecturer at the State Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN) Sunan Ampel, Surabaya.

URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/02/08/questioning...indonesia.html

Editorial: Ahmadiyah: State terrorism

EDITORIAL Tue, 02/08/2011 10:27 AM

Editorial: Ahmadiyah: State terrorism

The Jakarta Post

The murder of three Ahmadiyah followers in Banten on Sunday is a concrete example of state-sponsored terrorism against the country’s own citizens. With the full — very sorry to say — backing of the state, bloody oppression and even the butchering of Indonesians will continue to haunt us. This street-side persecution of those with different views, faiths or backgrounds than the majority by those with swords in their hands will continue and even spread to other parts of society, and may do so without reason or pretext.

All Indonesians, regardless of what group they belong to, should consider the killing of Ahmadis in Banten an emergency beacon, because such extremely discriminatory treatment could also happen to them in a different form or at a different time. What if other religions also had similarly violent responses to different sects or religions just because they differed from the mainstream?

But, is this state terrorism? The Religious Affairs Ministry officially declared Ahmadiyah defiant of Islam and urged Ahmadis to repent. Yet the government was quick to criticize the killings on Sunday in Pandeglang, Banten. Every time Ahmadiyah followers are harassed or expelled from areas the government routinely expresses its regret and vows to conduct a thorough investigation.

If state officials are honest enough to listen to their own consciences, then they will admit that state-supported discrimination has been developing rapidly in this country.

We would like to remind President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, as the head of state, of his constitutional obligation to protect all Indonesian citizens regardless of their faith, ethnicity or ideology, and to ensure equal treatment for all the shareholders and stakeholders in this nation.

We strongly defend the right of Ahmadiyah to exist, not because we share or agree with their ideology, but purely because our Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and freedom of expression. The state should not allow the prosecution and criminalization of citizens just because of their personal beliefs.

To be honest, there is little hope the President will be determined enough to say “enough is enough” to those who attempt to impose street justice. The President, his ministers and other state officials will certainly defend their “do nothing” position on minorities.

Hundreds of churches have been forced to close or were burned down in this country. But, it is just a matter of time before a similar thing happens in other areas where Islam is a minority religion.

Mosques will not be allowed to open or Muslims will find it difficult to practice their faith. The majority — not just in terms of religious belief — will force the minority to follow their ways or else face brutal treatment.

But, we should also remember what history has shown us. The more minority groups are oppressed, the more creative they will become to ensure their survival. Oppression can often be a blessing in disguise for those who are hunted down because they are different from people who think they command absolute truths. It is not difficult to find examples like this in our world.

It is distressing that Ahmadis have had to face state-sponsored terrorism just because their personal faith is not recognized by the state. And, what is even more tragic, our head of state is reluctant to carry out his constitutional obligation to protect the country’s citizens as he vowed to do in his oath of office.

URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/02/08/editorial...terrorism.html

MUI’s edict contributed to anti-Ahmadiyah violence

NATIONAL Tue, 02/08/2011 6:54 PM

MUI’s edict contributed to anti-Ahmadiyah violence

Mariel Grazella, The Jakarta Post

Wahid Institute director Yenny Zanuba Wahid says the Indonesian Ulema Council’s (MUI) edict that branded Ahmadis heretics has contributed to the violence committed against them.

The MUI issued an edict in 1980 saying Ahmadiyah was not part of the Muslim faith and that its followers were infidels. The council reissued the edict in 2005.

“I think [the edict] contributed to the violence,” Yenny said Tuesday.

According to Yenny, the MUI’s edict was used by certain groups to legitimate their actions.

A group of local residents attacked an Ahmadiyah congregation in Cikeusik, Banten, on Sunday. Three Ahmadis died in the violence.

“It provides legitimacy to easily provoked groups to cause destruction and even to commit murder,” she said.

URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/02/08/mui%E2%80...violence.html

Indonesia: Government must act now to protect rights of Ahmadis after mob butchers three

Indonesia: Government must act now to protect rights of Ahmadis after mob butchers three

Posted: 7 February 2011

Amnesty International has urged the Indonesian government to investigate the killings of three members of a religious minority group by a mob on the island of Java this weekend.

The killings occurred when reportedly over 1,000 people wielding rocks, machetes, swords and spears stormed the house of a leader from the Ahmadiyya minority faith in the sub-district of Cikeusik, Banten province on 6 February 2011. Several more Ahmadis were wounded in the attack and two are reportedly missing.

Donna Guest, Asia-Pacific Deputy Director at Amnesty International, said: “This brutal attack on Ahmadiyya followers reflects the continued failure of the Indonesian government to protect religious minorities from harassment and attacks and to hold the perpetrators accountable.

“The Indonesian police must initiate a prompt, thorough and effective investigation into the violence and ensure that those suspected of involvement are prosecuted in fair trials.”

She added: “Indonesia must develop a concrete strategy to strengthen respect for freedom of religion and religious tolerance, which has clearly deteriorated in recent years.”

The Ahmadiyya are a religious group who consider themselves a part of Islam, although many mainstream Muslim groups say they do not adhere to the accepted belief system.

The mob surrounded a house where at least 18 Ahmadis were gathered, demanding that they disperse. They then charged inside the home, attacking and killing three Ahmadis identified as Roni, Tarno and Mulyadi.

The victims were found with multiple injuries including stab wounds and lacerations. At least five others were seriously injured and the whereabouts of two are said to be unknown. The mob also destroyed the house, as well as vehicles parked around it.

Background information:

Amnesty International has documented numerous cases of intimidation and violence against the Ahmadiyya community by radical Islamist groups in various parts of Indonesia.

These include attacks and burning of Ahmadiyya places of worship and homes, at times leading to their displacement.

In most cases, those who commit acts of violence against the Ahmadiyya are not punished and there is a tendency by the authorities to blame the minority for “deviant views” when attacks occur.

Harassment and attacks against the Ahmadiyya community are also fuelled by a 2008 joint ministerial decree forbidding the Ahmadiyya from promoting their activities. In September 2010, Indonesia’s Minister of Religion, Suryadharma Ali, called for the Ahmadiyya to be banned.

The government must repeal all laws and regulations that restrict the right to freedom of religion as guaranteed in Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and initiate an independent and impartial inquiry into all cases of intimidation and violence against religious minorities in Indonesia.

Amnesty International has also called on the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) to investigate allegations that the police did not take adequate steps to protect the Ahmadiyya followers who were gathered, or to prevent Sunday’s attacks.

© Amnesty International
URL: www.amnesty.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID=19235