Muslim sect braces for Indonesia Ramadan violence

	August 02, 2011 Tuesday Updated 11.29 pm

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Aug 02, 2011

Muslim sect braces for Indonesia Ramadan violence

Ahmadiyah leaders said they feared the worst after a court last week handed down sentences of only a few months in jail to hardliners who killed three sect members in a vicious mob attack. — PHOTO: REUTERS

JAKARTA - AS MOST Indonesian Muslims started the fasting month of Ramadan peacefully this week, followers of the minority Ahmadiyah Islamic sect braced themselves for hatred and bloodshed.

Ahmadiyah leaders said they feared the worst after a court last week handed down sentences of only a few months in jail to hardliners who killed three sect members in a vicious mob attack.

‘The extremists say this is a holy month, everything must be pure and sacred. So we, the Ahmadiyah followers, must be cleared out,’ Ahmadiyah spokesman Firdaus Mubarik told AFP.

The sect is unorthodox in that it does not believe Mohammed is the last prophet of Islam. It claims 500,000 followers in Indonesia, where it has existed in relative calm since the 1920s.

Islamic vigilante groups, emboldened by a decree ordering the sect to stop spreading its beliefs in the Muslim-majority country, have recently started targeting the Ahmadiyah in an ugly wave of hate crimes.

‘For us, the fasting month doesn’t mean there’ll be peace for us to perform our religious obligations. On the contrary, there are more opportunities for Muslim extremists to mobilise and incite people to attack us,’ Mr Mubarik said. — AFP

URL: www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_697509.html

Indonesian Muslims demand Ahmahdiyah be outlawed

	July 30, 2011 Saturday Updated 3.30 pm

SE Asia

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Jul 30, 2011

Indonesian Muslims demand Ahmahdiyah be outlawed

Members of Indonesia's Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) rally on the streets in Jakarta July 30, 2011. Members of the FPI are demanding the government to disband Ahmadiyah sect. Indonesia's Assembly of Indonesian Muslim Clerics (MUI) considers the Ahmadiyah sect to be 'heretical' for believing that Mohammad was not Islam's final prophet. — PHOTO: REUTERS

JAKARTA — HUNDREDS of conservative Muslims held a noisy but peaceful rally in Indonesia’s capital on Saturday to demand the government outlaw an Islamic sect they consider heretical.

Nearly 1,500 white-robed protesters - gathering days after a court sentenced 12 men to less than six months in jail for lynching three Ahmahdiyah sect members - marched through the streets until they reached the presidential palace.

Some held placards that said ‘Disband Ahmadiyah or Revolution’ and ‘War against Ahmadiyah.’

Cleric Muhammad Rizieq Shihab shouted through his bullhorn that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should ‘not be a coward.’ ‘Disband them!‘ he said, as the crowd of 1,500 cheered and chanted ‘Allah Akbar’ or ‘God is great’.

Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim and secular nation of 240 million, has a long history of religious tolerance.

But experts say a small, extremist fringe has grown more vocal in recent years and is seeking - with some success - to impose its will on police, the judicial system and the government. They’ve been emboldened by the inaction of Mr Yudhoyono, who relies on the support of Islamic parties in Parliament, and does not want to offend conservative Muslims by taking sides. — AP

URL: www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_696548.html

Indonesia sends ‘chilling message’ in mob trial: HRW

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Indonesia sends ‘chilling message’ in mob trial: HRW

July 28, 2011AFP

Two days after a Muslim lynch mob killed members of a minority Islamic sect two churches have been set alight. — AFP Photo

SERANG: An Indonesian court on Thursday sentenced religious fanatics who killed three members of a minority Muslim sect in a frenzied mob attack to between three and six months in jail.

Dani bin Misra, a 17-year-old who smashed a victim’s skull with a stone, received three months for manslaughter.

Idris bin Mahdani, who led the mob of more than 1,000 Muslims in the February attack, was convicted of illegal possession of a machete and received five months and 15 days in jail.

Twelve people stood trial but none faced murder charges in what human rights activists said was a travesty of justice in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country.

The unprovoked violence against the Ahmadiyah sect members in Cikeusik, western Java, was one of the most horrific in a long line of attacks on the minority group in Indonesia in recent years.

A secretly filmed video of the attack brought religious violence in Indonesia under the international spotlight, and provoked condemnation from the United States, Italy and international rights groups.

“When the Cikeusik video went viral, people around the world were shocked and appalled by the savagery of the mob kicking and slashing three men to death,” Human Rights Watch Deputy Director for Asia Phil Robertson said.

“But instead of charging the defendants with murder and other serious crimes, prosecutors came up with an almost laughable list of ‘slap-on-the wrist’ charges.

“The Cikeusik trial 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.”

©2010 DAWN Media Group. All rights reserved
URL: www.dawn.com/2011/07/28/indonesia-sends...hrw.html

Understanding right to religious freedom

OPINION Fri, 02/25/2011 11:00 AM

Understanding right to religious freedom

Harison Citrawan, Jakarta

Attacks on Ahmadis in Cikeusik, Banten, and on three churches in Temanggung in Central Java a few weeks ago have once again sparked public debate. Subsequently, the debate leads the nation to a crossroad on whether or not Ahmadiyah should be banned.

In my view, this can actually serve as momentum for us to enhance a progressive discourse on human rights now that the government is working on the bill on religious harmony. Thus, this article attempts to construe the idea of religious freedom from a human rights point of view, particularly concerning the two problematic issues of limitations of such freedom and the concept of proselytism.

Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights mentions that: (1) 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 his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching; (2) No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice.

I would like to emphasize the state’s protection of individual’s freedom of religion. Nevertheless, on some occasions many Indonesians mix up the terms of religious tolerance and religious freedom.

It appears that when we tolerate one’s religion along with his/her religious activities, it demonstrates the degree of freedom of religion; and vice versa, the degree of tolerance depends on how free people are to hold and practice their religions. But, in my view both terms differ fundamentally from one another.

Religious freedom is a legal right. The Human Rights Committee in its General Comment on Article 18 elaborates such freedom as “the freedom to manifest religion or belief [that] may be exercised ‘either individually or in community with others and in public or private’.”

The concept of worship extends to ritual and ceremonial acts giving direct expression to belief, as well as various practices integral to such acts, including the building of places of worship, the use of ritual formulae and objects, the display of symbols, and the observance of holidays and days of rest.

In addition, the practice and teaching of religion or belief includes acts integral to the conduct by religious groups of their basic affairs, such as the freedom to choose their religious leaders, priests and teachers, the freedom to establish seminaries or religious schools and the freedom to prepare and distribute religious texts or publications.

This interpretation should be quite clear to implement and certainly Indonesia could adopt this authoritative interpretation made by the Committee as the Covenant has been enacted into national law in 2005.

Nevertheless, on the other side, religious tolerance signifies the acceptance of differing views of people in religious matters. Such concept of toleration emerges mostly in a religious authority state, and further it presupposes preferential treatment of a predominant religious group.

Thus, it is also worth noting that the law preserves individual freedom, not individual tolerance, to a different view or faith. In many religious violence cases around the country, it seems that the state merely preserves the predominant religious group’s toleration; hence all religions are not equal.

With the law enforcement officers reluctant to prosecute perpetrators of the violence, predominant religious group toleration would likely prevail over individual freedom.

Second is the issue of proselytism. I would base the argument from a liberal democracy perspective which provides freedom to all individuals to a marketplace of ideas. Freedom of thought, opinion and religion are to be put on one bucket list of ideas and the human rights law indeed protects individuals to exercise such freedom.

It is interesting to highlight a debate in the case of Kokkinakis v. Greece (1993) in the European Court of Human Rights. In this case, the claimant defended proselytism by stating that “religion was part of the ‘constantly renewable flow of human thought’” and it was impossible to conceive of its being excluded from public debate.

From the court’s assessment I conclude that there should be a distinction between bearing witness and improper proselytism. The former relates to true evangelism and is likely to be inherent to some major religions, and the latter refers to the form of activities offering material or social advantages with a view to gaining new members for a congregation or exerting improper pressure on people in distress or in need; it may even entail the use of violence or brainwashing.

In addition, Judge Pettiti in his concurring opinion went even further by mentioning that freedom of religion and conscience certainly entails accepting proselytism; a believer must be able to communicate his faith and beliefs in the religious sphere as in the philosophical sphere. He also mentioned that the only limits to the exercise of this right are “those dictated by respect for the rights of others where there is an attempt to coerce the person into consenting or to use manipulative techniques”.

The use of violence in proselytism is clearly not covered under freedom of religion, but proselytism per se cannot be regarded as a direct infringement of one’s right. Moreover, the mere discussion of religion, or to try to convince one’s neighbor about his belief by “proper” means are not contrary to the current human rights law regime.

An important aspect of these legal reasonings conveyed above is that the state has to assess the existence of possible interference in an individual’s right to freedom of religion upon two considerations: first, the maintenance of public safety, order or morals or importantly the fundamental rights and freedoms of others, and second, such interference should be proportionate to the legitimate aim necessary in a democratic society.

These two assessments consequently require the current government to define or to set criteria of religious freedom and adjust the bill on religious harmony to make it in line with the international human rights law.

It appears that in many aspects, the current bill is unlikely in accordance with the freedom protected in international human rights rules conveyed above, particularly concerning the issue of the limits of religious practice and proselytism.

Finally, as we still lack positive development of human rights — both in terms of system and practice — in construing the right to religious freedom the government and lawmakers may also have to take several human rights practices in well-established democracies into account.

In many religious violence cases around the country, it seems that the state merely preserves the predominant religious group’s toleration.

The writer is an alumnus of Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, the Netherlands

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved
URL: www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/02/25/understanding...freedom.html

Indonesia: Protect Ahmadiyah Community From Violence

Indonesia: Protect Ahmadiyah Community From Violence

Hate Crimes Against Religious Minorities a Troubling Trend

February 02, 2011

Indonesian police may have thought they were taking the Ahmadiyah out of harm's way, but they let the mob go on a rampage. The authorities need to send a message that hate crimes won't be tolerated by prosecuting those responsible.Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch

(New York) - Indonesian police should arrest those responsible for attacking an Ahmadiyah congregation in South Sulawesi province and protect vulnerable religious minorities throughout the country, Human Rights Watch said today.On January 28, 2011, police “evacuated” members of an Ahmadiyah congregation from their mosque in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi, amid increasingly threatening protests by members of a militant Islamist group, the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI). FPI militants then attacked the mosque, destroying property and breaking windows.

“Indonesian police may have thought they were taking the Ahmadiyah out of harm’s way, but they let the mob go on a rampage,” said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The authorities need to send a message that hate crimes won’t be tolerated by prosecuting those responsible.”

The attack on the Ahmadiyah community in South Sulawesi underscored a troubling trend in Indonesia, Human Rights Watch said. Religious extremists are harassing religious minorities, particularly members of the Ahmadiyah community, and law enforcement officials are failing to hold those responsible to account. The Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy, a Jakarta-based group working on religious freedom, recorded 50 cases of attacks in 2010 against the Ahmadiyah community.

In the Makassar attack, hundreds of FPI protesters first gathered on January 27 outside the mosque, where hundreds of Ahmadiyah were holding an annual prayer ceremony, the Jalzah Salanah. The mob demanded that they end the ceremony. Jamaluddin Feli, the Ahmadiyah imam in Makassar, told Human Rights Watch that the community tried to speed up the ceremony and that some members left the following morning.

When the mob returned at around 4 p.m. on January 28, members of the Ahmadiyah congregation barricaded themselves inside. At about 8 p.m., the South Sulawesi chief of police, Inspector General Johny Waenal Usman, arrived and asked the congregation members to evacuate the building for their safety. They initially refused, saying that it was their property, and held hands to prevent being removed. Police entered the mosque and pressured the Ahmadiyah to leave with them in trucks to the police station.

Feli said most of the congregation members agreed to leave and asked the police to guard the mosque from the protesters. As the main group of Ahmadiyah left, the protesters broke into the mosque and yelled at the remaining Ahmadi members to leave - some congregation members had remained in the center, hidden upstairs. By 10 p.m. all of the remaining Ahmadiyah members had left. The police provided no protection to the mosque and did not intervene when the mob smashed the windows, committed vandalism, seized financial records, and tore down religious placards.

The Indonesian authorities’ pattern of ineffectiveness reflects a political, legal, and social framework that propagates a culture of religious discrimination, Human Rights Watch said. Since August, Religious Affairs Minister Ali Suryadharma has repeatedly called for the Ahmadiyah faith to be banned in Indonesia. President Susilo BambangYudhoyono has failed to repudiate those statements, leading many to believe that he supports such an action.

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

In July 2010, municipal police and hundreds of people organized by militant Islamist groups forcibly tried to close an Ahmadiyah mosque in Manis Lor village. On October 1, mobs attacked the Ahmadiyah community in Cisalada, south of Jakarta, burning their mosque and several houses.

The Ahmadiyah faith was founded in what is now Pakistan in 1889 by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. The Ahmadiyah community is banned in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, and has come under attack in Bangladesh. There are approximately 200,000 Ahmadis in Indonesia.

The Ahmadiyah identify themselves as Muslims but differ with other Muslims as to whether Muhammad was the “final” monotheist prophet. Consequently, some Muslims perceive the Ahmadiyah as heretics.

Indonesian law facilitates discrimination against the Ahmadiyah. The June 2008 decree requires the Ahmadiyah to “stop spreading interpretations and activities that deviate from the principal teachings of Islam,” including “spreading the belief that there is another prophet with his own teachings after Prophet Muhammad.” Violations of the decree can result in prison sentences of up to five years. Human Rights Watch has consistently called for the government to rescind this decree, as it violates the right to freedom of religion. At the time of signing the decree, officials said it was necessary to help stop further violence.

“The 2008 decree has not stopped violence against the Ahmadiyah community, as officials said it would, but fueled further hatred and intolerance,” Pearson said.

Prohibiting the Ahmadiyah from practicing their religion also violates the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified by Indonesia in 2006, which protects the right to freedom of religion and to engage in religious practice “either individually or in community with others and in public or private.” The treaty also protects the rights of minorities “to profess and practice their own religion.”

“The Makassar violence is not an isolated incident - time and again the police are ineffective in protecting religious minorities,” Pearson said. “Indonesia’s reputation as a rights-respecting country will suffer unless President Yudhoyono acts to end the violence against the Ahmadiyah and lifts the ban on their religious practices.”

URL: www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/02/02/indonesia...violence

Indonesia: Obama Should Make a Stand for Human Rights

Indonesia: Obama Should Make a Stand for Human Rights Closer Ties Should Require Strengthening Accountability and Respect for Rights November 7, 2010

Indonesia has made some good progress over the last decade, but that doesn’t mean President Obama should ignore other serious human rights problems. Obama should encourage Indonesia to take concrete measures to protect free expression and religious freedom, and to require accountability by the armed forces. Sophie Richardson, acting Asia director at Human Rights Watch

(Jakarta) — US President Barack Obama’s visit to Indonesia on November 9 through 11, 2010, is an important opportunity to make a stand for free expression, religious freedom, and a rights-respecting, accountable military in Indonesia, Human Rights Watch said today.

During the visit, Obama and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono are expected to discuss the US-Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership. The partnership addresses bilateral concerns including trade and investment, security and defense, education, health care, and energy, as well as transnational issues such as climate change and humanitarian relief. While Indonesia has made great strides on a number of human rights issues since it emerged from authoritarian rule nearly 12 years ago, serious challenges remain that could undermine Indonesia’s stability and democracy in the absence of real institutional reform, Human Rights Watch said.

“Indonesia has made some good progress over the last decade, but that doesn’t mean President Obama should ignore other serious human rights problems,” said Sophie Richardson, acting Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Obama should encourage Indonesia to take concrete measures to protect free expression and religious freedom, and to require accountability by the armed forces.”

Indonesia has failed to show adequate respect for critical human rights such as freedom of expression and religion, Human Rights Watch said. In other areas where Indonesia has expressed a commitment to change, such as military reform, efforts have stalled. And although Indonesia has made some progress in combating corruption, graft remains a serious problem that impedes progress in fulfilling its human rights obligations.

A February 25 letter from Human Rights Watch to Obama highlighted a number of areas in which he should seek concrete human rights commitments from Yudhoyono. Human Rights Watch urged Obama to call for the release of the dozens of political prisoners, primarily from politically tense areas such as Papua and the Mollucas, imprisoned for engaging in nonviolent demonstrations, raising flags, and displaying pro-independence symbols.

Obama should also call for the repeal of laws that criminalize “insulting” public officials and defamation, which Indonesian authorities have used to silence anti-corruption activists, human rights defenders, and citizens who publicly aired consumer complaints or allegations of misconduct.

He should also call on the Indonesian government to take stronger efforts to protect members of religious minorities from discrimination and violence and to repeal dozens of laws that unfairly restrict the rights of women, discriminate against non-Muslims, and give the government the authority to prosecute people for holding religious beliefs it considers “blasphemous.” The religious affairs minister has repeatedly called for an outright ban of the Ahmadiyah, a minority who consider themselves Muslim but whom some other Muslims perceive to be heretics, and violence by Islamist militants against Ahmadi communities has increased.

“Media freedom has improved in Indonesia, but rights-respecting governments do not imprison people for peacefully airing critical views,” Richardson said. “Obama should also raise the plight of religious minorities and denounce laws that discriminate against women.”

Human Rights Watch urged Obama to call for Indonesia to restore free unhindered access for diplomats, foreign journalists, and human rights groups to the province of Papua, where the Indonesian military and police have frequently committed human rights abuses against civilians with impunity. In May 2009, the government closed the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Papua.

The release in October of a video showing the brutal torture of two Papuan men by Indonesian soldiers once again demonstrates the importance of ensuring effective prosecution of human rights violators, Human Rights Watch said. The government has promised to investigate, but Human Rights Watch emphasized that the trial should be open and transparent, charges should reflect the grievous level of torture inflicted, and those bearing command responsibility for these violations should also be prosecuted.

Human Rights Watch also reiterated its call for the government to revive a bill in the Indonesian parliament that would enable the government to prosecute members of the military who commit crimes against civilians before civilian courts, which offer better guarantees of an independent and effective remedy for the victims. Under the present system, such cases are usually handled by the military, with few cases ever making it to a tribunal. In the few cases that do, soldiers frequently face charges that do not reflect the scale of the abuse, and the trials lack transparency.

Human Rights Watch said that the US-Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership should address widespread corruption in the Indonesian bureaucracy and law enforcement system, which drains resources the government could be using to improve public services, including safeguarding the right to health. If, as US and Indonesian officials have suggested, the US intends to provide incentives for Indonesia to preserve its forests as a component of bilateral cooperation on climate change, Obama should press for those incentives to be linked to governance benchmarks, such as improving transparency and accountability in forestry data collection, Human Rights Watch said.

The decision of the Obama administration in July to lift a more than decade-long ban on US training and military assistance to Indonesia’s abusive Special Forces (Komando Pasukan Khusus, or Kopassus) has seriously compromised US commitment to promoting respect for human rights in Indonesia, Human Rights Watch said. Kopassus members also remain essentially unaccountable for past violations. At least 11 of 18 Kopassus soldiers that have been convicted by military tribunals for involvement in human rights abuses since 1998 are still serving in the military.

“The Obama administration has yet to realize that rewarding a military that has repeatedly thumbed its nose at accountability for serious human rights abuses is no way to encourage reform,” Richardson said. “This US government is essentially rewarding Kopassus for its intransigence and betraying Indonesians who have fought bravely for decades for accountability and justice.”

Kopassus was restricted from receiving US military training for over a decade as a result of its involvement in serious human rights abuses in East Timor, Aceh, and other areas. The US should require the following steps by Indonesia before engaging in any training or assistance activity:

• Kopassus should permanently discharge personnel convicted of abuse.
• Kopassus should commit to undertaking credible and impartial investigations of all future allegations of human rights abuse.
• Yudhoyono should establish, and Kopassus should pledge to cooperate with, an ad hoc tribunal to investigate the enforced disappearance of student activists in the late 1990s, as recommended by Indonesia’s House of Representatives in October 2009.

Indonesia should also move forward on its commitments to become a party to the Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance to help prevent such abuses in the future.

On March 18, four prominent civil society organizations in Jakarta issued a statement calling on Obama to refrain from engaging further with Kopassus until the Indonesian military and government have acted on these three recommendations. Suciwati, the widow of slain human rights defender Munir Thalib, later said: “Indonesia has made much progress on the road to democracy and stability, but enhancing the reach of a powerful military force that lacks respect for the rule of law jeopardizes those hard-fought gains. Obama is rewarding Kopassus without requiring accountability. I fear that the Indonesian security services will again get away with murder.”

URL: www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/11/05/indonesia-obama-s...-human-rights

Indonesia: Uphold Religious Freedom

Indonesia: Uphold Religious Freedom Cease Threats Against Ahmadiyah Community to Ban Their Religion November 4, 2010

Soldiers walk past a burnt mosque owned by followers of the Ahmadiyah in Ciampea, a village in Indonesia's West Java province, on October 2, 2010.
© 2010 Reuters

(New York) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should uphold freedom of religion in Indonesia and repudiate statements by his religious affairs minister calling for the banning of the Ahmadiyah religion, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to the Indonesian president.

Since August 2010, Religious Affairs Minister Ali Suryadharma has repeatedly called for the Ahmadiyah faith to be banned in Indonesia. President Yudhoyono has failed to repudiate those statements, leading many to believe that he supports such an action. In recent years Islamist militants have repeatedly attacked and burned Ahmadiyah homes and mosques. Anti-Ahmadiyah violence has increased since Yudhoyono announced a prohibition on teachings or public displays of the Ahmadiyah religion in June 2008.

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

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

The Ahmadiyah identify themselves as Muslims but differ with other Muslims as to whether Muhammad was the “final” monotheist prophet. Consequently, some Muslims perceive the Ahmadiyah as heretics. Current Indonesian law facilitates discrimination against the Ahmadiyah. The June 2008 decree requires the Ahmadiyah to “stop spreading interpretations and activities that deviate from the principal teachings of Islam,” including “spreading the belief that there is another prophet with his own teachings after Prophet Muhammad.” Violations of the decree can result in prison sentences of up to five years. Human Rights Watch has consistently called for the government to rescind this decree, as it violates the right to freedom of religion.

A ban against the Ahmadiyah would violate guarantees of freedom of religion in articles 28 and 29 of the Indonesian constitution. Prohibiting the Ahmadiyah from practicing their religion also violates the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified by Indonesia in February 2006, which protects the right to freedom of religion and to engage in religious practice “either individually or in community with others and in public or private.” The treaty also protects the rights of minorities “to profess and practice their own religion.”

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

Background

The Ahmadiyah faith was founded in what is now Pakistan in 1889 by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. The Ahmadiyah community is banned in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, and has come under attack in Bangladesh. There are approximately 200,000 Ahmadis in Indonesia.

The Ahmadiyah have come under increasing attack since a July 2005 edict from Indonesia’s Council of Ulemas, a senior body of Islamic clerics, saying the Ahmadiyahs were deviating from Quranic teaching regarding the final prophet. Following the edict, Islamist groups attacked the Ahmadiyah headquarters near Bogor, and assaults on Ahmadiyah members were also reported in Lombok Timur, Manis Lor, Tasikmalaya, Parung, Garut, Ciaruteun, and Sadasari. Attacks on the Ahmadiyah community continued in 2006, forcing hundreds of Ahmadis to flee to a refugee camp in Lombok after mobs destroyed their homes and mosques. Some Ahmadis asked for political asylum at consulates in Bali.

In December 2007, mobs attacked Ahmadis, their mosques, and their homes in Kuningan, West Java. On April 16, 2008, Indonesia’s Coordinating Board for Monitoring Mystical Beliefs in Society (Bakor Pakem) recommended banning the Ahmadiyah faith. Moderate Muslim leaders, including former president Abdurrahman Wahid and civil rights activists, responded by rallying support for the Ahmadiyah and the principle of religious freedom.

More than 200 people signed a petition on May 10, 2008, saying the government should be protecting the Ahmadiyah from attack. The signatories included many Muslim scholars, Catholic priests, Protestant preachers, Confucianists, Buddhists, Hindus, poets, writers, and human rights campaigners. Yet the following month, the Religious Affairs and Home Affairs ministries, and the Attorney General’s Office, issued the discriminatory decree restricting the right of Ahmadis to publicly practice their faith.

The violence in Manis Lor, Kuningan regency, West Java, the largest Ahmadiyah community in Indonesia, followed an order by a local government official to close an Ahmadiyah mosque. On July 28 and 29, 2010, hundreds of protesters organized by militant Islamist groups forcibly tried to close the mosque. Minister Suryadharma responded by announcing that while the Indonesian government would not tolerate violence in religious disputes, the police would enforce the 2008 decree and warned that the Ahmadiyah “had better stop their activities.”

On August 31, Suryadharma again blamed the Ahmadiyah instead of their attackers for the recent instances of anti-Ahmadiyah violence, saying that he believed that the incidents were consequences of the failure of the Ahmadiyah to adhere to the decree. He later added in news reports that, “To ban [the Ahmadiyah] is far better than to let them be. … To outlaw them would mean that we are working hard to stop deviant acts from continuing.”

URL: www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/11/04/indonesia-uphold-religious-freedom

Indonesia: Guarantee Freedom of Religion and Stop Attacks on Ahmadiyah

Indonesia: Guarantee Freedom of Religion and Stop Attacks on Ahmadiyah Letter to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono November 3, 2010

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

Merdeka Palace

Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara

Jakarta 10010

Indonesia

Re: Persecution of the Ahmadiyah Community

Dear Mr. President,

We write to raise serious concerns about the continued persecution of members of the Ahmadiyah community in Indonesia. Recent public statements by Minister of Religious Affairs Suryadharma Ali, stating that he plans to officially ban the Ahmadiyah religion, would increase the likelihood of renewed communal violence towards religious minorities. We call on you to publicly repudiate those statements and intervene to ensure the Ahmadis enjoy the right to practice their religion without fear of government interference. We also urge you to rescind the discriminatory decree issued in 2008 by the Religious Affairs and Home Affairs Ministries, and the Attorney General’s Office, restricting the right of Ahmadis to publicly practice their faith.

A ban against the Ahmadiyah would violate guarantees of freedom of religion in Articles 28 and 29 of the constitution of Indonesia. Prohibiting the Ahmadiyah from practicing their religion also violates the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified by Indonesia in February 2006. By ratifying that convention, Indonesia agreed to comply with all the provisions of that treaty, including 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 his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching” (Article 18(1)), and “persons belonging to … minorities shall not be denied the right, in community with the other members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion” (Article 27).

Minister Suryadharma’s claim that banning the Ahmadiyah religion would somehow protect its members from attack is wrong. If anything, actions to restrict the rights of the Ahmadiyah have made them more vulnerable to attacks and given encouragement to Islamist militant groups who target them. The Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy, a human rights group in Jakarta, recorded 33 cases of attacks against Ahmadiyah taking places in 2009. Separately, Setara recorded 28 attacks against Christian churches this year. It is increasing significantly compared with 18 church incidents in 2009 and 17 in 2008.

The attacks against the Ahmadiyah have intensified ever since a July 2005 edict issued by the Indonesian Council of Ulemas declaring the Ahmadis were deviating from Koranic teaching. In 2006, Islamist militant groups attacked the Ahmadiyah headquarters near Bogor, and assaults on Ahmadiyah members were also reported on Lombok Island as well as in western Java, including in Manis Lor, Tasikmalaya, Parung, Garut, Ciaruteun, and Sadasari. In December 2007, mobs attacked Ahmadiyah mosques and their homes in Kuningan.

On April 16, 2008, Indonesia’s Coordinating Board for Monitoring Mystical Beliefs in Society (Bakor Pakem) recommended banning the Ahmadiyah faith. Two months later, on June 9, 2008, your government finally outlawed public teaching of Ahmadiyah beliefs by ordering the Ahmadiyah community to “stop spreading interpretations and activities which deviate from the principal teachings of Islam,” including “the spreading of the belief that there is another prophet with his own teachings after Prophet Mohammed.” Violations of the decree are subject to up to five years of imprisonment.

Human Rights Watch immediately called on the Indonesian government to reverse that decree, arguing that it will open up more attacks against the more than 200,000 Ahmadis in Indonesia and endanger their livelihoods. Our concerns unfortunately were realized when this prediction turned out to be correct. Unfortunately, your government and security forces have done little to either prevent these attacks or apprehend those committing these violent crimes.

In late July 2010, municipal police and hundreds of people organized by militant Islamist groups have made several attempts to close an Ahmadiyah mosque in Manis Lor village, resulting in violence. On October 1, 2010, mobs attacked the Ahmadiyah community in Cisalada, south of Jakarta, burning their mosque and several houses; the attackers also burned the Quran found inside the mosque.

We write to inquire why your government failed to act to investigate and prosecute those who burned the Ahmadiyah mosque in Cisalada, and what it is doing to prevent similar attacks against the Ahmadiyah in the future. We are deeply concerned that your government is pursuing a policy to ban Ahmadiyah that increases the likelihood that militants-taking encouragement from your government’s failure to offer protection to the Ahmadis-will further target their mosques.

The Indonesian government should stand up for religious tolerance instead of persecuting the Ahmadiyah for their religious views, and should make it clear that as a matter of policy, all Indonesians will be protected in their religious beliefs. We make the following recommendations to your government:

• Publicly repudiate Minister of Religious Affairs Suryadharma Ali’s call to ban the Ahmadiyah religion;
• Revoke the June 2008 decree on the Ahmadiyah, which has increased the vulnerability of Ahmadiyah communities to attacks against their mosques and villages;
• Conduct prompt and impartial investigations into all threats and attacks against the Ahmadiyah and prosecute all those responsible for attacking Ahmadiyah mosques and houses; investigate Chep Hernawan, the leader of the Gerakan Reformis Islam, who openly admitted that he was responsible for the attacks in September 2005 in Sukadana, as well as Muhammad Izzi, who openly called on Muslims on Lombok Island to attack the Ahmadiyah village in Ketapang in February 2006;
• Direct the Ministry of Home Affairs to review and strike down all government bylaws used to persecute the Ahmadiyah faith, including a local decree issued by the Kuningan regent, who had twice sealed an Ahmadiyah mosque and threatened to close it down in Manis Lor;
• Direct provincial officials and the police to provide effective protection to all Ahmadiyah mosques and villages throughout Indonesia, particularly in West Java, which hosts Indonesia’s largest Ahmadiyah community;
• Direct the governor of West Nusa Tenggara to allow Ahmadis who are now stranded in a refugee camp in Mataram, Lombok Island, to return to their houses in the Ketapang area; repudiate the governor’s plan to move the Ahmadis into an empty island near Lombok Island;
• Raise protection of the Ahmadiyah as an important issue with President Barack Obama during his visit to Jakarta on November 9-10;
• Request Komnas HAM, the national human rights commission of Indonesia, to conduct a thorough investigation of all attacks against the Ahmadiyah since the implementation of the June 2008 decree and provide additional recommendations.

Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to discussing these issues with you or appropriate members of your staff at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Phil Robertson

Deputy Director, Asia Division

URL: http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/11/03/yudhoyono-letter-title-tbc

Religious minorities in Indonesia push back

World

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Religious minorities in Indonesia push back

   Monday, 16 Aug, 2010

Protesters cover their mouths as a sign of protest during a rally in Jakarta August 15, 2010. Several hundred Indonesians rallied in Jakarta on Sunday demanding that the president do more to protect freedom of religion and to punish hardline Muslim groups which have attacked minority faiths. — Reuters Photo

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BEKASI: Tired of government inaction, Christians and other religious minorities in Indonesia are pushing back against rising violence by Islamic hard-liners.

Christians were warned last week against worshipping on a field that houses a shuttered church in the industrial city of Bekasi, but 20 members of the congregation showed up anyway, opening their service with a hymn.

The act of defiance enraged 300 Islamic hard-liners, many of whom hurled shoes and chanted death threats before pushing past a row of riot police, chasing down members of the group and beating some with sticks.

“It’s nonsense,” said Yudi Tambunan of the Batak Christian Protestant Church, vowing to return every Sunday until their request for a house of worship, made more than two years ago, is approved.

“The constitution guarantees our right to practice our religion,” he said. “And we want to do that on our own property, in our own church.”

Indonesia, a secular country of 235 million people, has more Muslims than any other in the world. Though it has a long history of religious tolerance, a small extremist fringe has become more vocal in recent years.

Hard-liners have also become more violent, according to the Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy, a human rights group, which said there have already been 28 attacks on religious freedom in 2010, including everything from preventing groups from performing prayers to shutting down or burning houses of worship.

The institute said there were 18 such incidents in all of 2009 and 17 in 2008.

Although most Indonesians are moderate and oppose violence, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s government has been slow to intervene because it relies heavily on the support of Islamic parties in parliament.

Hundreds of people held an inter-faith rally the capital Sunday critisizing his soft line.

“Those attackers have to be arrested, otherwise they will feel their actions are right,” said Saur Siagain, a rally organizer, standing in front of a banner that said: “The president has to be responsible in guaranteeing freedom of religion.”

In some cases, provincial leaders even appear to be fanning the flames.

Acting on the orders of local officials, police helped hard-liners forcibly close several mosques owned by Ahmadiyah, an Islamic sect they call “deviant,” last month in Manis Lor, a village in West Java province.

But members of the sect, who differ from other Muslims about whether Muhammad was the “final” monotheist prophet, are refusing to buck under.

“We’re tired of being harassed and attacked,” said Yati Hidayat, a 48-year-old Ahmadiyah member. “We have the right to pray just like any other religious community. If anyone tries to stop us, we’re ready to fight.”

Recent attacks have largely been led by the Islamic Defenders Front, or the FPI, which is pushing for the implementation of Islamic-based laws in regions across the nation.

They are known for smashing bars, attacking transvestites and going after those considered blasphemous with bamboo clubs and stones.

Minority groups, who represent less than 15 percent of the population, have long tried to keep a low profile.

Christians have quietly applied and reapplied for permits so they could build their own churches, sometimes putting construction on hold for years as local authorities weigh the risks of angering hard-liners.

In the meantime, some congregations have held services in apartments, office buildings and even shopping malls.

But as attacks become more frequent and more brutal they – together with moderate Muslims – appear to be losing patience.

“The Batak Christian Protestant Church and Ahmadiyah were around long before FPI,” said Hilmar Farid from Indonesia’s Social History Institute. “They are getting tired of being intimidated.”

They are also weary of government inaction.

Yudhoyono has in recent days urged his countrymen to be tolerate of others, especially during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. But he has not made any direct reference to recent violence.

Though police were present during the Aug. 8 attack in Bekasi, 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of the capital, they made little effort to stop FPI members as they got more and more vitriolic.

“The Batak Christians deserve to be stabbed to death,” yelled Murhali Barda, who heads the local chapter of FPI. “If they refuse to go home we are ready to fight.”

An argument broke out between Barda and three female members of the congregation.

He grabbed one by the neck and other hard-liners started punching them. All the while, men chanted from a truck and clerics made speeches saying “Leave … We will not let you perform prayers here!”

“God is great!” the crowd cheered in response.

Political analysts warn that unless the government steps in to end persecution of religious minorities soon, groups like FPI will get bigger and more powerful. – AP

©2010 DAWN Media Group. All rights reserved

URL: www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-con...nesia-push-back-sk-02

Hundreds protest in Jakarta, urge religious freedom

Hundreds protest in Jakarta, urge religious freedom

Sun Aug 15, 2010 3:04pm IST

Protesters cover their mouths as a sign of protest while gesturing during a rally in Jakarta August 15, 2010.
Credit: Reuters/Supri

By Karima Anjani

JAKARTA (Reuters) — Several hundred Indonesians rallied in Jakarta on Sunday demanding that the president do more to protect freedom of religion and to punish hardline Muslim groups which have attacked minority faiths.

The protest reflects growing public alarm over recent attacks on churches, Christian prayer gatherings, and on mosques used by the Ahmadiyya, an Islamic sect that some Muslims deem heretical.

Such attacks have hurt Indonesia’s reputation for religious tolerance, and could potentially threaten the status of Southeast Asia’s biggest and most-populous economy as an attractive investment destination, in turn derailing growth and development.

Indonesia is officially secular and recognises six main faiths – Islam, Christianity, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism – of which Islam is the most widespread, accounting for about 85 percent of the population and making Indonesia the world’s most populous Muslim country.

In the past, attacks on minority religions in other parts of the country have led to wider outbreaks of violence, for example in the aftermath of President Suharto’s ouster in 1998.

Several of the recent attacks have involved members of Muslim gangs such as the Islamic Defenders Front or FPI, a hardline group whose members are considered as little more than thugs and racketeers because of their suspected links to the police and use of intimidation and violence.

Many Indonesians were outraged when Jakarta’s governor, Fauzi Bowo, and the head of the Jakarta police, attended the FPI’s 12th anniversary celebration recently – a move seen as an official endorsement of the group’s vigilantism.

On Sunday, about 500 people, many carrying red-and-white Indonesian flags and red ribbon arm bands, chanted “freedom of worship, freedom for all religions,” and sang religious songs as they rallied around the National Monument in Jakarta.

“We’ve been patient enough over these recent incidents of violence and brutality, even against women and children. We have reported these criminal acts to the police, and we’ve seen no firm response against the attackers,” said Saor Siagian, spokesman of The Forum for Religious Freedom Solidarity.

“If this escalates it could potentially lead to a more dangerous situation and poses a real threat to this nation. So far, the president hasn’t taken any firm action.”

The Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace last month reported an increase in the number of attacks by “intolerant groups”, citing forced closures of churches, the withholding of building permits for churches, and torching of church buildings.

Many of the attacks have taken place in the areas around the capital Jakarta, including Bekasi, Bogor and Tangerang, which have become strongholds for hardline groups.

These areas increasingly support sharia law and want it to be compulsory for women to wear the headscarf, according to a recent survey by Roy Morgan, whereas nationwide support for sharia law has declined over the past nine months.

“It is easy for Muslims to build a place of worship, while the others find it difficult to get a permit from the government,” said Faisal Rahman, a Muslim who joined the protest.

“Islam and the prophet’s teachings show that all religions should be treated equally. This is not an Islamic nation. People should be able to worship freely.”

(Writing by Sara Webb; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

URL: http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-50855020100815

Indonesia: Orders to close Ahmadiyya Mosque in Manis Lor and attacks by extremists

Manis Lor is a small village, located 45KM south of Cirebon city in Kuningan Regency, with a population of approximately 4,350 out of which 3,000 (70%) are Ahmadis. They have one big and seven small Mosques in Village.

H. Aang Hamid Suganda, Head of Kuningan Regent, vide Warrant Number: 451.2/2065/SAT.POL.PP dated July 22, 2010, ordered Civil Order Police Chief Indra Purwantoro to close and seal all eight Mosques belonging to Ahmadiyah Muslim sect in Manis Lor. This order is in clear violation of constitution, which guarantees freedom of worship to all its citizens.
In the spotlight: People exit An-Nur Mosque, which belongs to the Ahmadiyah sect, after Friday prayer in Manis Lor village in Kuningan, West Java, on Friday.JP/R. Berto Wedhatama

An-Nur Mosque -JP/R. Berto Wedhatama

Reports are that Aang Hamid’s orders are in line with his promise made during his 2008 election campaign to hardliner extremists group. Some analysts also pointed out that religious extremist organization had pressurized him recently to take strict action and stop all Ahmadiyya activities in region.

Acting on orders Civil Order Police Chief tried to seal the Mosques on July 26, 2010, and met with some resistance from Ahmadiyya Muslims, who demanded a valid reason for closure of Mosques and dialogue to settle the issue. An NGO, Fahmina Institute, recorded the whole event. The Warrant and chronicle is reproduced below :-

Image of Warrant issued by Head of Kuningan Regent

REGENT OF KUNINGAN

W  A   R   R  A  N  T
Number: 451.2/2065/SAT.POL.PP

Legal ground :	1.	Law number 32 year 2004 article 27 clause 1 letter (c). That a head of district is responsible to keep the people safe and in order.
	2.	Recommendation of Indonesian Cleric Council (MUI) of Kuningan Regency number 38/MUI-Kab/VI/2010 on June 24, 2010.
	3.	Aspirations from Cleric and Islamic Organizations of Kuningan on June 1, 2010 at Syiarul Islam Mosque and on June 14, 2010 at Meeting Room of Jabar Banten Bank in Kuningan.

Name :	H. AANG HAMID SUGANDA
Title :	Regent of Kuningan

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I N S T R U C T S :

Name :	INDRA PURWANTORO, SAP
Civil Service ID :	19670519 198603 1 002
Position/rank :	Supervisor (IVa)
Title :	Chief of Civil Order Police Unit of Kuningan

To :	1.	Undertake the closure/sealing of eight Ahmadiyya function buildings in Manislor village, Jalaksana Sub district with provisions below: Day/Date : Monday/ July 26, 2010 Time : 09.00 am till it is finished Place : Manislor village, Jalaksana Sub district, Kuningan
	2.	Have coordination with related security officers.
	3.	Keep the tranquility and public order.
	To be executed with a deep sense of responsibility.

Decided at :	KUNINGAN
Dated On :	July 23, 2010
REGENT OF KUNINGAN
H. AANG HAMID SUGANDA

Fahmina Institute - Cirebon

The Seal and Attack on Ahmadiyya Manis in Lor — Eyewitness Account

Editors :	Alimah and Maman Rohman on July 30, 2010
Location :	Manis Lor Village, Jalaksana, Kuningan
Date/Time :	Monday - Thursday (July 26-29, 2010)

Monday, July 26, 2010

Local government planned to seal the Ahmadiyya mosques at Manis Lor Village, Jalaksana District, Kuningan Regency. The process was backed by Satpol PP, Kuningan Regency Police Resort.

The operation failed after the Ahmadiyya Security Commission, Deden Sujana engaged in dialogue with the local government and Kuningan Police Resort officials. Deden indicated that this order to seal the Mosques was not to be executed immediately but there has to be a dialogue first between the local government and Ahmadiyya.

The order to seal Mosques relies on a Letter (SK) from Kuningan Regent Number 451.2/2065/Satpol PP which mentions that “Eight Mosques belongs to Ahmadiyya Jamaat are to be closed and sealed in Manis Lor Village”. This also relies on Majelis Ulama Indonesia’s recommendation Number 38/MUI-Kab/VI/2010 dated June 24, 2010.

A riot took place once but it was soon dispersed by Kuningan Police Resort.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Sector Police alongwith Police Resort of Kuningan Regency strictly guarded houses and Mosques belonging to Ahmadiyya Community in Manis Lor against anticipated attacks which failed earlier on Monday (7/26/2010).

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Local authorities backed by Satpol PP made another attempt to seal the Ahmadiyya Mosque in Manis Lor.

According to one representative of Ahmadiyya Community, the seal was placed around 06.30am (GMT +07:00) but a Police representative from Kuningan Police Resort on patrol duty in Manis Lor denied and informed tha the seal could not be placed due to resistance from Ahmadiyya Jamaat who prevent and protect their Mosques.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Massive attack on Ahmadiyya in Manis Lor.

Eyewitness Account of attack:

• In the morning around 08.00 AM, the Muslims belonging to various factions of West Java (some of them were from outside of west java such as Wonosobo and other areas) conducted Istighosah (massive prayer) at Al-Huda Mosque, located about 500 meters from Ahmadiyya Mosque in Manis Lor.
• About one hundred persons belonging to varioud factions, mostly radical Muslims, gathered in front of the Al-Huda Mosque. From their appearance and dresses they could be recognized and appeared to be affiliated with Majlis Mujahidin (mainly from Cirebon), GAMAS, GRANAT, FPI, some of male Santri from Islamic boarding schools (Pesantren) Kuningan, leader of Muslim (kyai), communities outside west java, and civilian around Kuningan.
• Most of the Jamaa members alongwith Chairman of Police Resort and Regent were standing in front of the Al-Huda Mosque while hearing orations from Muslim cleric. Under the burning sun, with the fire spirit, they looked ready for one aim only i.e. to attack the Ahmadiyya’s. They called themselves as a ‘Jihad Team’. It was clear and evident, from the beginning, that GAMAS had organized and provoked the attack whose members, wearing black uniforms, were ready with their hitting weapon (stringer made from wood).
• Istighosah started with a speech from clerics of Kuningan Regency. They belonged to Nahdlatul Ulama, Muhammadiyah, Indonesian Cleric Council (MUI) Kuningan Regency, Chairman of Police Resort and Kuningan Regent. Most of the speech was about denouncing the Ahmadiyya sectand wows to eliminate Ahmadiyya from the region. (According to Fahmina watch, the Istighosah appeared to be only for preparatins to attack Ahmadiyya as it was full with orations denouncing Ahmadiyya.)
• Around 10.30am, Istighosah ended with prayers. Right after that the attack started by the Istighosah jamaa, who form the very beginning, has named themselves as Jihad Force on Ahmadiyya Jamaat.
• The attack, conducted by Jihad Army, continued by pelting big stones, bricks and Acid Gas. The Police struggled to prevent the Jihad Army from crossing the border line that had been made earlier by Police but failed. Jihad Army succeeded in crossing the border line at 11.20am.
• The Jihad Army suffered somr injuries due to stones coming from their members who were behind them as well as the stones thrown by the Ahmadiyya’s counter-attack defending themselves. Also there were some injuries from the Police Department.
• By 12.00 O’clock, the Jihad Force was still pushing itsway to upside area where the Ahmadiyya gathered).
• From 12.30 to 13.00 hrs half of the Jihad Force, calmed down by Police, was present upside while othef half got some rest and prayed at the Mosque. Some of them were standing in the middle of the road. After Police successfully ordered them to go downside, they still gathered at the downside re-grouping themselves to prepare for another attack.
• At 13.11 hrs, the Jihad Force, which consisted of Majlis Mujahidin (MM) Cirebon, GAMAS and others, renewed their attacks twice. Although they almost broke the border-line defense of the Police but failed because the Police, by then, got reinforcements and a Mobile Brigade (Brimob) was moved behind the them.
• Even though Police foiled the repeated attempts of Jihad Force, they did not disperse. They were still trying to empower themselves standing in front of the Mosque and listening orations from their coordinator. That continued till 17.30 hrs.
• At 17.30 hrs they tryied to attack Ahmadiyya again and were now face to face with The Mobile Brigade Police which once again foiled their attempt.

According to Fahmina ‘what we heared during the watch, the conversation between some of the honorable person and Heads of Radical Muslims such as Majlis Mujahidin and FPI, that they will carry out another attack again on Friday (July 30, 2010). The attack will be carried out after Friday Prayers with more militants of Jihad Army.’ They said that the plan is a result of direct instructiond from Habib Riziq.

Intimidation Picks Up Ahead of Holy Month

Indonesia

Intimidation Picks Up Ahead of Holy Month

Nivell Rayda,Ulma Haryanto & Armando Siahaan | August 06, 2010

Indonesia. As Muslims nationwide count down the days until the start of the holy month of Ramadan, so are followers of Ahmadiyah, but for a very different reason.

Members of the controversial sect are currently living in fear of a repeat attack by hard-liners in the lead-up to Ramadan, one member told the Jakarta Globe on Thursday.

“We have received numerous text messages and there are also public statements released by the FPI demanding that we shut down our activities at least two days before Ramadan, or face the consequences,” Firdaus Mubarik said, referring to the Islamic Defenders Front.

“We’re afraid that they’ll launch an attack against Ahmadiyah mosques and members.

“This has occurred before. This happens in every major city across the country. They conduct raids against us and our mosques right before Ramadan each year.”

Ramadan is expected to begin on Wednesday.

Violent scenes erupted last week at Manis Lor village in Kuningan, West Java, when police and public order officers sealed off Ahmadiyah mosques in the area.

The closures, however, were met with resistance from members of the sect, with protesters blocking attempts to shut down the mosques. But a number of hard-line Muslim groups soon flocked to the village and scuffles quickly broke out.

Dedeh, a resident of Manis Lor, said villagers had boarded up their windows to protect them from stones being thrown by protesters.

But according to Dedeh, last week’s clashes were relatively minor compared to the violence experienced there last year and in 2007 because of the issue.

The National Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) alleged that the forcible closure of the Ahmadiyah mosques was the result of political intervention, as it had been ordered by Kuningan district head Aang Hamid Suganda.

According to the official letter ordering the closures, a copy of which was obtained by the Globe, several clerics and Muslim groups had requested the action be taken.

Officials from the Kuningan district administration had met with the clerics on June 1 at Syiarul Islam Mosque in Kuningan, and again on June 14 at the Kuningan branch of Bank Jabar-Banten, the document suggested.

According to Alimah, a researcher from the Fahmina Institute, a religious study group that witnessed last week’s attacks, most of the instigators of the violence were not even locals.

“The residents of Manis Lor themselves were never bothered with the presence of Ahmadiyah in their village,” Alimah told the Globe.

“I saw from the clothes that they were wearing that the attackers were from Gamas [Anti-Sinners Movement] and the FPI. Most came from Cirebon and even Wonosobo in Central Java.”

The hard-liners, Alimah said, carried planks of wood, knives and slingshots.

“They were throwing rocks, targeting not just the mosque but also homes of Ahmadiyah members near the mosque,” she said.

The government in 2008 put limits on Ahmadiyah followers practicing their faith in public, but stopped short of banning the sect that hard-liners deem deviant.

Ahmadiyah recognizes the sect’s founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, as a prophet, contradicting orthodox Islamic belief that Muhammad was the last prophet.

Separately, Franz Magnis Suseno, a prominent sociologist and political analyst, said religious institutions might have the right to declare the Ahmadiyah sect as deviant, but its members still deserved to live in peace.

“It’s the government’s utmost responsibility to provide protection to the attacked group,” the Jesuit priest said. “The president and his ministers related to this predicament have so far failed to do their job. The president has been very unclear about this situation. He has no bravery.”

Meanwhile, Said Aqil Siradj, chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama, the country’s largest Islamic organization, said extremist groups had misinterpreted the religion.

“People think that these acts are Islamic. They’re not,” he said. “Although their understanding of the matter is wrong, these groups strongly believe that they are right and their religion is the most important one. So they’re willing to die [for their beliefs].”

Said Aqil said NU and 11 other Islamic organizations were determined to fight against grassroots radicalism.

Pressure from hard-line Islamic groups has also been felt in Bekasi, where Mayor Mochtar Mohammad on June 13 signed an agreement with FPI Bekasi frontman Murhali Barda to address four points, including the removal of the “Tiga Mojang” statue, which they deemed offensive, and the closure of the HKBP Pondok Timur Indah Church.

Bekasi administration spokesman Endang Suharyadi confirmed the church closure was part of the June 13 demands.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe

URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/intimidation-picks-up-ahead-of-holy-month/389761