Indonesia: Ahmadis in Cisalada have no place for worship

...[T]he National Press Secretary of Indonesian Ahmadiyya Congregation Zafrullah Ahmad Pontoh held a press conference related to the attack that night. "What had happened was an attack by a group of 20 people.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: UPIU | News
By Febi Purnamasari | October 17, 2010

BOGOR, INDONESIA-The fire was still burning on a house of Ahmadiyya’s village, Cisalada. It was Saturday, one in the morning. Hundreds of full-armed Brimob Polri (Mobile Brigade Indonesian National Police) and TNI (Indonesian National Armed) were in guard. Car and motorbike junks piled on the streets.

Passing those sights, there was a black-walled mosque, because of the burning, with debris scattered around it. That was the At-Taufiq Mosque, a place of worship for Ahmadi Muslims. The issue of the mosque’s enlargement was the trigger for residents attack towards Cisalada Village. This was stated by Bogor Police Chief AKBP Tomex Korniawan in the location. “On Friday evening a group of citizens came to protest the construction of the mosque, but there was an incident. There was an attack because the residents are not pleased with the development of the At-Taufiq Mosque which belongs to Ahmadis in Cisalada Village,” said Tomex.


The night passed and the strict security from Polri and TNI continued.

The next day, the National Press Secretary of Indonesian Ahmadiyya Congregation Zafrullah Ahmad Pontoh held a press conference related to the attack that night. "What had happened was an attack by a group of 20 people. They threw Ahmadiyya’s mosque with stones. Having successfully driven away, greater mass came to burn and destroy the mosque and residential areas,” said Zafrullah. “I asked government officials to be more serious in providing a guarantee to its citizens for freedom of worship,” he continued.

There is only one Ahmadiyya mosque in Cisalada Village. It is Masjid At-Taufiq. However, Ahmadiyya people couldn’t pray in that mosque anymore. There’s no clear prediction for At-Taufiq Mosque’s fate. Improvement plan had not yet heard. Even the government does not have any initiatives for it. Bogor Regent Rachmat Yasin said, “We don’t offer help for repairing their place of worship. Because previously, there’s existing agreement between the Ahmadiyya people and the civilians that is no building development for Ahmadiyya place of worship anymore. "

It is not the first time for the Ahmadis in Cisalada Village that their worship comfort disturbed. The existence of Ahmadiyya residential areas and its mosque has several times been protested by other residents. "This is a continuation of previous cases when mass ransacked and destroyed the Ahmadi mosque a few months ago,” said Tomex.

It started with the removal of Ahmadiyya congregation in Parung to Cisalada issue. They also would build a mosque bigger than before. Kebun Kopi Villagers rejected the mosque development plan. The villagers came to Ahmadiyya people and asked them to stop the mosque construction. They came with batons and other equipments, planned to dismantle the Ahmadiyya mosque. However, there was no riot because the two sides were mediated by Bogor Police and the local government. Result of this mediation was the mosque construction was agreed to be discontinued.

Moreover, Bogor Police Chief AKBP Tomex Korniawan explained the beginning of the citizens’ attack to Cisalada residence. "One of the citizens intended to ask one Satpol PP (civil service police force) members who lives in this village about continuity of the mediation. Satpol PP officer could not give an answer. When he got back, there were people who hurt this civilian so that anger of other civilians got provoked,” he explained.

On the other hand, an Ahmadi Muslim in Cisalada Village, Mubariq, stressed that Ahmadiyya people have a good relation with the local community. "We do not fight …. No Ahmadis who did the stabbing of other citizens. I do not know about the suspects and victims of the stabbing,” he said.

The burned At-Taufiq Mosque, that’s the result of October 1st event. The Ahmadi Muslims in Cisalada Village lost a place to face God.

Until now, mosques burning and sealing were the forms of certain side’s disaffection toward Ahmadi Muslims in Indonesia. Previously, the Ahmadiyya fellow ever experienced discrimination related to places of worship. The sealing of Ahmadiyya mosque in Manislor Village, Kuningan, West Java, for example. In July 2010, Kuningan’s Satpol PP have closed eight places of worship including seven prayer rooms and one mosque, Masjid An-Nur, that Ahmadiyya congregation used. The closure was ordered by Kuningan Regent H. Aang Hamid Suganda. As a result, clashes between members of the Islamic mass organization with the Ahmadi Muslims was inevitable.

Since MUI (Indonesian Clerics Council) issued haram (forbidden) fatwa for Ahmadiyya, discrimination for Mirza Ghulam Ahmad’s race is kept happening. Fatwa is religious opinion concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. Meanwhile, the Ahmadiyya congregation keeps voicing their right to worship according to their own beliefs.




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